Items tagged with cybersecurity
It is rather rare to be able to peek behind the scenes for a look at how a state-sponsored threat group operates. However, a recent mistake has provided security researchers with information about the methods of the group referred to as “ITG18.” The security researchers discovered training videos that were...
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Security researchers at Sophos have been investigating a pair of ransomware attacks where the attackers used legitimate, digitally signed hardware driver to delete security products from targeted computers. Once the security products were deleted from the target machines, the destructive file encryption portion of the...
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On March 5th, 2019, an unprecedented Denial of Service (DoS) cyberattack occurred on American soil, targeted at the US power grid. This attack mainly affected the Western United States, and was a fortunately low-impact attack. No blackouts were caused, and the machines in question were out of commission for no more...
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Facebook must once again deal with the repercussions of a major security blunder. An exposed server recently published more than 419 million phone numbers and Facebook IDs. At least 133 million of those phone numbers were based in the United States. Anyone could have accessed the information before the server was...
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Hacks are happening all the time with some giving information on user accounts like the Flipboard hack we talked about recently. Other hacks are much grander in scale, like the attack against the city of Baltimore that resulted in most of the cities systems being locked out. Another significant hack has happened, and...
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It feels like we hear about a new cybersecurity attack nearly everyday. Hackers use phishing, keylogging, and targeted attacks to gain access to sensitive information. Is there anything we can do to prevent what appears to be the inevitable? According to a recent study by Google, basic account hygiene can greatly...
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The United States and People’s Republic of China have been engaged in a trade war for the last few years. The US is reportedly about to take this battle to the next level. President Trump will likely sign an executive order this week that would prohibit telecommunications companies from using equipment from companies...
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There are few things more annoying in the modern world than having to change your password every few months. Experts have long argued that password reset rules do little to actually promote security. Microsoft is the latest company to propose dropping password expiration policies.
Aaron Margosis the Principal...
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Typically when we talk about malware, we are talking about malicious code that is hidden inside software to try and take advantage of end users. An example is a malware that was hiding aboard a fake Adobe Flash update that was designed to install cryptocurrency mining software or other nefarious payloads. Earlier this...
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Two-factor authentication (2FA) is usually touted as an effective layer of security for online account. Many people have recently learned the hard way that this method may not be as helpful as it seems. Hackers have targeted nearly 1,000 Google and Yahoo accounts by bypassing two-factor authentication.
Amnesty...
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The United States is currently trying to persuade its allies to ban all Huawei devices. Government officials are concerned that Huawei and other Chinese telecommunication companies are a cybersecurity threat. The United States fears that the devices could be used to spy on users and could be easily controlled by the...
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There have been many concerns over the last few years that foreign entities have been interfering in elections. Microsoft is launching its AccountGuard initiative to protect elections and political campaigns from cyberattacks.
AccountGuard is a free program for candidates, campaign offices, and other political...
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Equifax may be now getting its public lashings for a cybersecurity breach that resulted in personal information of 143 million Americans being exposed to hackers, but it appears that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a few skeletons in its closet as well.
The regulatory agencies announced late last...
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This could be the mother of all cyberattacks; Equifax just announced that it experienced a "cybersecurity incident" that occurred between mid-May of this year through late July. During that time, malicious parties were able to gain access to some of its online databases courtesy of a website vulnerability. As a...
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The United Kingdom is basking in the glory of its latest warship: the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The 65,000-ton aircraft carrier cost nearly $4 billion to construct and began its first sea trials on Monday. But the carrier’s big budget price tag isn’t the only thing that is raising eyebrows; it is the British Royal Navy’s...
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In what is being billed as one of the largest data leaks recorded in the United States, an analytics firm contracted by the Republican National Committee (RNC) was found to have exposed the personal details and political biases of nearly 200 million Americans.
According to Chris Vickery, a risk analyst for...
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Do we need a “digital” Geneva Convention? Microsoft certainly thinks so. The corporation’s Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith recently argued that a digital Geneva Convention would potentially be able to protect civilians from state-sponsored cyber-warfare.
First, what is the Geneva Convention? The Geneva Convention is...
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What do you collect? Rare stamps? Falcons fans’ tears? How about classified national defense documents? Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Harold Thomas Martin III was recently indicted by a federal grand jury on the charge that he purposely collected classified information regarding national defense. He...
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The White House recently appointed Gregory Touhill, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, as the government’s first federal cyber security chief. The position was announced eight months ago as an attempt prevent and defend against hackers.
The position is part of a $19 billion “cyber security national action...
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If you have an iPhone, there's a chance that nefarious parties not affiliated with Apple could be tracking you. However, Apple’s latest update, iOS 9.3.5, eliminates several critical security and privacy exploits and should [hopefully] keep you safe.
NSO Group, an Israeli startup that sells software that can track...
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Azure customers are getting a welcomed safety upgrade. Microsoft announced Azure Information Protection, a service that works to secure a company’s data, particularly employee identities. This service was made possible through Microsoft's acquisition in November of Secure Islands, an “innovator in advanced information...
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Last month, US and Chinese governments agreed to a "digital truce", where neither country would knowingly support cyberattacks against each other to steal commercial secrets. While the agreement is solid overall, it does have a number of caveats, including the lack of protection where government secrets are...
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