There’s a lot that happens in the cybersecurity world, with many stories getting lost in the mix. In an effort to keep our readers informed and updated, we present the Webroot Threat Recap, highlighting 5 major security news stories of the week.

No Site is Immune to  User Information Exposure

In yet another example of poor cybersecurity, Brazzers has issued a statement regarding the unauthorized access to nearly 800,000 sets of usernames, passwords, and email addresses. The data itself lacked any encryption and was viewable in plaintext. Users of the Brazzers forums are being suggested to change their passwords for the site, as well as any sites they may have reused the password on.

Dridex Adds Crypto-Currency Wallets to Attack Vector List

While Dridex, a prolific banking trojan, has been laying low for the past several months, its authors have made significant changes. The first noticeable change is the addition of several crypto-currency wallet managers to its list of keyword searches done when infecting a new computer. By capturing and analyzing data from the infected computer, the command-and-control servers are able to make decisions on how to proceed based on the criteria that is met.

Russian Instant Messaging Service Breached

It was recently announced that over 33 million user accounts from QIP.ru, a Russian instant messaging service, had been illegally accessed and posted publicly. Unfortunately for users of the service, all of their information was unencrypted, leaving it accessible to anyone. After further analysis of the stolen data, it has again been proven that users pick amazingly simple passwords that are also used by thousands of other individuals.

Google to Begin Marking HTTP Sites As Unsafe

In a push to get all website owners to use HTTPS, Google has announced that starting in January of 2017, Google Chrome will begin flagging sites that transmit passwords or credit card information over HTTP. With this effort, Google hopes to make Internet transactions safer. Already they have had a significantly positive response with many of their top 100 sites switching to HTTPS as default.

Cybersecurity Lacking for High-Demand Devices

As we expand further into internet-connected, wearable devices, one commonality has become glaringly obvious–cybersecurity has been a low priority for many companies. As they rush to push these devices to market, there is a lack of significant testing done to ensure customers’ private information is safe. Even more worrying is this security void when it comes to connected systems in homes, as physical security for clients can be breached wirelessly if the connected system is simply shut off.

About the Author

Connor Madsen

Threat Research Analyst

As a Threat Research Analyst, Connor is tasked with discovering and identifying new malware variants, as well as testing current samples to ensure efficacy. Don’t miss the latest security news from around the world in his weekly Cyber News Rundown blog.