by Blog Staff | Dec 28, 2015 | Home + Mobile, Industry Intel, Threat Lab
Apple has projected yet another record holiday for sales, but this should come as no surprise to fellow ‘Macheads’. I myself, am a huge fan of Apple and have been for a quite some time; I still have my iBook, and it still works! My desk is home to an iMac, Macbook, and many other small Apple devices. The one thing that most people believe is that there is no need to worry about security for their beloved Apple devices, which is a bit over inflated. So here are a Full this holiday season.
Top Ten tips for OS X security
- Create a standard account (non-admin) for everyday use– Log into the standard account for your everyday activities, and to store your personal information. Whenever an administrator’s password is required, type the admin username, and the appropriate password. This will lead to more password requests than if you were working under an admin account. However these requests should make you think whether you should be entering your password.
- Set Gatekeeper to allow Mac App Store and identified developers– Gatekeeper resides under Preferences>Security & Privacy and its main function is to allow the user to control which apps can be run without further escalation and or attention. If you download an application that doesn’t meet the criteria you will not be able to run it.
- Stay current with OS X updates– Mac OS X has a built-in software update tool “Software Update”. It’s a good idea to run “Software Update” frequently and install updates when available.
- Disable automatic login– Automatic login means that anyone who can access your Mac only needs to start it up to have access to all of your files.
- Use the built in Firewall– The firewall can be tuned to your needs whether it be at home, work or travel.
- Use a password manager to help prevent phishing attacks– It’s important to create complex, unique passwords, however for most of us, the more complicated the password the easier it is for us to forget it.
- Use Mac FileVault for full-disk encryption– FileVault encrypts your entire hard drive using a secure encryption algorithm (XTS-AES 128). You should enable this feature on your Mac because if your hard drive isn’t encrypted, anyone who manages to steal your computer can access any data on it.
- Use a Mac anti-virus (WSA)– Let’s face it, Mac malware is real and only getting worse.
- Enable iCloud Mac locator and remote wipe– If your system is ever stolen you can log into iCloud.com or use the Find My iPhone app on an iOS device to locate your device, send it a command to lock it, have it issue a sound, or remotely wipe the device.
- Use “Secure Empty Trash” to remove data– By default files are simply marked for deletion and not really deleted making file recovery simple. Using Secure Empty Trash things get much more difficult to recover.
Tips to secure your iOS
- Enable Passcode Lock. This is one of the key security tips, The stronger the passcode the better. Apple has incorporated a fingerprint scanner in the newer iPhone models which allows users to use their fingerprints for authentication when unlocking their device and making purchases.
- Erase all data before selling, trading in, or sending off for repair.
- Update. By keeping your apps and operating system up-to-date, you will strengthen the security of your device. You can turn on the automatic downloads feature which will update apps in the background and without the need for you to do anything.
- Don’t Jailbreak. Sure, some of the Jailbreak tweaks are cool and can do some fun things but is the lack of security really worth it?
- Enable Safari security settings. These settings include blocking pop-ups, disabling autofill, fraud warnings, and the ability to clear cookies/history/cache. Alternatively, you can download Webroot’s secure web browser for iOS.
- Disabling Bluetooth/WiFi. There are several freeware tools designed to sniff for Bluetooth and WiFi signals then gather information from open devices. It is also best to not use public WiFi; you don’t really know what the guy sitting at the other table in Starbucks is doing on his computer.
- Find my iPhone. This should go without saying, this feature not only helps you find a lost or stolen phone, but it also makes wiping the phone a little harder. I had an iphone stolen and find my iPhone found it five months later… in Canada… someone sold it on ebay.
- Disable Siri on Lock screen. Siri is a great tool and assest but she can also talk to much, this will keep her quite until the correct person is able to unlock the device.
- Set up a VPN. A Virtual Private Network is a must-have and can bring extra security to anyone who uses their devices on different wireless networks. Some VPN services are free of charge, but some can cost several dollars a week which is more than a fair price for protecting your information.
- Turn on two-step verification for Apple ID and iCloud – a great way to prevent issues without someone knowing both the password and the 4-digit verification code.
by Grayson Milbourne | Dec 23, 2015 | Industry Intel, SMBs
Recently, Webroot published 2015 SMB Threat Report: Are organizations completely ready to stop cyberattacks?, which included the results from a survey of 700 SMB decision makers worldwide about their IT security, their readiness for security response, and use of MSP recourses in their environment.
Many SMBs are outsourcing cybersecurity to managed services providers (MSPs) to make up for the lack of time and in-house expertise. According to the report, 81% of respondents agreed such outsourcing would improve their bandwidth for addressing other tasks. With the majority of SMBs surveyed planning to increase their cybersecurity budget in 2016, VARs across a broad variety of industries are beginning to embrace this service-centric relationship with their clients. For customers, choosing to work with an MSP means they avoid installation and maintenance headaches. They also avoid diverting resources towards laborious IT security support tasks or ad hoc break/fix reseller charges.
Although SMBs appear more aware of cybersecurity-related risks to their organizations, many are still unsure or under-informed about their own readiness to handle such risks even with heavy investments of time into protecting the environments. Incredibly, even with 56% of respondents reporting over 17 hours spent on cybersecurity, 44% are still feeling they have less time to stay up-to-date on threats.
Just 37% of IT decision makers surveyed in the US, the UK, and Australia believe their organizations are completely ready to manage IT security and protect against threats. While I am not entirely surprised given the considerable cybersecurity challenges SMBs face, but it’s still an alarmingly low number.
On the flip side, when asked how confident IT decision makers would be that someone on their staff could deal with a cyberattack, a surprising 84% responded confidently. Given the other responses to this survey, this was unexpected and indicates a discrepancy and possible misperception of IT resources, knowledge, and capability to thoroughly address a cyberattack.
Webroot’s SMB Threat Report makes it clear that the future of security is in need of some change with IT decision makers are stretched thin. In the near future, we should expect a continued movement towards “outsourced IT,” particularly on the cybersecurity front. According to the survey, 81% of respondents believe outsourcing IT solutions would increase their bandwidth to address other areas of their business. In order to reap the full array of benefits, though, IT decision makers must be proactive about identifying MSPs that offer “intelligent cybersecurity” solutions.
Our definition of intelligent? Solutions that are easy to install, can be managed remotely, and provide real-time protection against modern threats. While these are all important qualifications, we expect SMBs to place an increased premium on the “real-time” component.
by Tyler Moffitt | Dec 22, 2015 | Industry Intel, Threat Lab
CryptoWall 4.0 users have found that Russian users are spared any encryption when the malware is deployed on their system. That’s because it checks for what keyboard is being used and if Russian is detected as the keyboard language then it will kill itself before encryption. This isn’t that much of a surprise since we’ve always known these guys were Russian (at least the spam servers) and target mainly the US and Europe. But everyone is susceptible to encrypting ransomware so here’s a look at a recent encrypting ransomware what will target Russians.
While this encrypting ransomware may look a little different, it’s pretty much the same as the rest; encrypt your files from a phishing email and hold them ransom for bitcoin payment via tor browser. The encryption routine is done using GPG Tool which is an open source encryption tool and appends the file extension to “.vault”
Once you enter the Onion link into a tor browser you’ll be presented with the following pages
The bitcoin currency is continuing its climb
This is the payment portal – The victim is subject to a price increase after 4 days.
This variant also introduces the “freebie” structure where it allows you 4 free file decrypts. This is so you know what the decryption routine is like and know that you’ll get your files back if you do pay the ransom.
Once you’ve paid for the ransom you have access to download the decryption tool from the portal.
MD5 Analyzed:
87c6023bf8922d84927247c15621a02e
Webroot will catch this specific variant in real time before any encryption takes place. We’re always on the lookout for more, but just in case of new zero day variants, remember that with encrypting ransomware the best protection is going to be a good backup solution. This can be either through the cloud or offline external storage. Keeping it up to date is key so as not to lose productivity. Webroot has backup features built into our consumer product that allow you to have directories constantly synced to the cloud. If you were to get infected by a zero-day variant of encrypting ransomware you can just restore your files back as we save a snapshot history for each of your files up to ten previous copies. Please see our community post on best practices for securing your environment against encrypting ransomware.
by LeVar Battle | Dec 16, 2015 | Home + Mobile
It’s that magical time of year for all technically minded folks: sysadmins, IT pros, nerds and gamers. It’s that time where you get to go home to family, gather around the fire, and fix their computers.
That’s right; it’s not about the turkey or the giving of presents, it’s about cleaning toolbars off grandma’s computer.
For those of you who go through this annual ritual, here’s a few things to make the process easier for everyone:
- Facelift: SSD, memory, larger screen. One of the cheapest ways to give aging hardware a boost is getting easier every day. SSD prices are bombing like your boss’s jokes at the holiday party, RAM has been cheap for a while, and bigger screens are always cheap around the holidays. Replacing an HDD with an SSD will make them think you gave them a whole new computer. For moving the boot drive, I recommend Paragon Software’s Migrate OS to SSD software: https://www.paragon-software.com/technologies/components/migrate-OS-to-SSD/ That way you don’t have to do a fresh install, and you can just leave the migration running while you eat dessert. Combine that with a USB to SATA cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84 and you only have to open up the case once to swap the drive out after the migration is complete. While the case is open, slap in some extra RAM so that when Chrome tabs gobble up all the memory their computer doesn’t grind to a halt. And finally those aging eyes will benefit from the jump to a larger screen. 27 inches seems to be the pricing sweet spot lately. And you can take home the replaced screens to use as second, third, fourth and fifth monitors for yourself while playing Fallout 4.
- Auto-reset the internet. How tired are you of asking people if they’ve tried turning it off and on again? For one aspect you can now automate the process. They make plugs that detect when the Internet connection goes down that automatically power cycle the cable modem and/or router: http://www.amazon.com/PI-Manufacturing-Internet-Controllable-Automatic/dp/B006PPISCG That will save you from having to explain to your parents which device they have to try turning off and on again when the Internet goes out.
- Setup easier remote access – Have you ever had this conversation: “Go to the address bar. That thing at the top. Type in: H-T-T-P-colon-slash – the one that leans to the right, not the left, now another slash. Yes the same direction as the last one. Now L-O-G. No, G as in Get a clue…” You get the picture. While you’re home, why not setup a shortcut on the desktop that goes directly to your preferred remote support website? That way grandma knows what to click on when you have to remote in to uninstall the latest toolbar she installed.
- Install antivirus that allows central management – obviously I’m going to recommend Webroot: https://www.webroot.com/us/en/home But no matter what you choose, it’s nice to have something that has a central online console. This allows you to see whether mom’s computer has run a scan in the last decade and how many viruses your younger brother managed to catch while visiting those sites he likes to go to. With Webroot you can also kick off scans and reboots from anywhere you can get online.
- Protect their credit – everyone’s had their information stolen at this point so you might as well put a freeze on your credit. Mom and dad probably aren’t getting a lot of loans these days therefore this won’t be a big inconvenience for them. Here’s how to go about it: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs This just means they’ll need to call in and unfreeze with their password before they get any more lines of credit, and it will stop the bad guys from taking out loans in their name. Because face it, they already have all of your personal information. Protect your inheritance.
- Install an ad blocker and privacy protection – ads are a huge vector for malware these days. I like uBlock Origin to stop ads and Privacy Badger to stop companies following you around the web with tracking cookies. Put those browser extensions in place and teach mom and dad how to turn them on or off for individual sites for when they break core functionality.
- Get them on a better browser – if they’re still using Internet Explorer then you should be ashamed of yourself. Protip: change the existing IE icon on the desktop to open up Chrome or Firefox instead, so they don’t have to learn to click on anything new.
- Power protection – get some cheap UPS and surge protection so that any desktop devices & cable modems won’t go haywire if the power blips: http://www.amazon.com/Eaton-Electrical-3S350-External-UPS/dp/B00906CH8S
- Setup online backup – I like Backblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/ $5 a month for unlimited storage on each computer. Now your baby pictures aren’t in danger of going up in a puff of magic smoke. Restores are easy and you get email reports letting you know that the backups are successful.
- Get better wireless – Ubiquiti has awesome and affordable prosumer APs that will give you a signal from two streets over: http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Enterprise-Unifi-UAP/dp/B00HXT8R2O No longer will the neighbor’s Wifi interfere. I use one to cover an entire three-story house from top to bottom.
- Connect the house with powerline Ethernet – save the wireless for devices that move. For anything static, from streaming devices on your TV to media servers, wired is the way to go. Powerline Ethernet is now rock solid and you can turn your whole house into a hub by plugging these into any outlet: http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PA4010KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B00AWRUICG No running cables throughout the house required.
- Stop bundleware – next time dad installs an update, you don’t have to worry about uninstalling a toolbar with this one simple trick: http://unchecky.com/ This software automatically unchecks the bundleware checkboxes so that you don’t have to use a cattle prod to train family to uncheck anything.
- Install a password manager – anything to get people to use good passwords without having to teach their aging brains to remember anything new. If you use an online password manager, then you can automatically change their passwords and update the password manager for them whenever there’s a report of a breach on a site your family uses.
- Follow Swift on Security on Twitter. A parody account that is both funny and useful. Taylor Swift’s Infosec alter ego will keep you up-to-date on the latest security news and breaches, all while serenading you with the latest hits: https://twitter.com/swiftonsecurity/
Hopefully this list will help you get through the holidays at home without having to resort to hiding in the basement. Make a few of these changes and it should make the next year of family tech support that much easier. May the force help you live long and prosper.
by Connor Madsen | Dec 11, 2015 | Industry Intel
Top 5 Week of Dec. 7
UAE Bank Hack
In the last week, a major financial institution in the United Arab Emirates was hacked, with customer information being ransomed for a sum of nearly $3 million USD. The bank’s refusal to pay the significant ransom lead to the hacker releasing account information of nearly 500 customers, via Twitter. Although the Twitter accounts were shut down, the hacker continued on, contacting customers and demanding they pay a ransom for their information.
Anonymous Targets UN
In response to the arrests of protesters outside the Climate Change Summit in Paris, the hacker group, Anonymous, released sensitive information for nearly 1,500 UN officials. The protest, which started off peacefully, ended with nearly 100 protesters being arrested after clashing with local police.
Malvertising on the Rise
With internet users constantly being bombarded by ads, it’s no surprise that malware authors are joining the game. Using malicious Javascript, the ads can infect computers without the need for any user input, other than navigating to the website originally. Upon arrival on the landing page, the browser is scanned to find any exploitable plugins and, if successful, the malware is downloaded to the computer.
http://www.wired.com/2015/12/hacker-lexicon-malvertising-the-hack-that-infects-computers-without-a-click/
DDoS Attack on UK College Network
Recently, a major academic computer network in the UK fell victim to a targeted DDoS attack that slowed it down significantly and made certain functions unavailable. The attacks began on Monday and have continued throughout the week, causing severe disruption to many universities across the country. Jisc, the company that operates and provides the network services has claimed that they are working diligently to restore functionality as quickly as possible.
Microsoft Warns of Security Issues after IE EOL
Coming as no surprise to many, Microsoft has confirmed that its flagship browser, Internet Explorer, will be reaching the end of the road. After the launch of Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge, it was only a matter of time before the highly exploited browser had the plug pulled on it. The offical end date for support on older versions will be January 12, 2016, though IE 11 will continue to receive security updates on currently supported Windows operating systems.
by Blog Staff | Dec 9, 2015 | Industry Intel, Threat Lab
Internet security isn’t just about your devices, but also what connects your devices to the internet.
Here at Webroot we have seen an influx of customers having problems with ads popping up on their devices while SecureAnywhere is reporting a clean scan. They report seeing multiple ads, some pornographic in nature, while connected to their home network—and only that network. Our advanced malware technicians have found that the DNS settings have been changed on the modem router and were causing these ads.
Getting a router from an ISP (Internet Service Provider) comes with several benefits and security risks. For benefits, the ISP technicians are trained on how to set up and support the modem, as well as being able to log into remotely using a backdoor they have set up to assist customers. This is not a setting you, as a user, can change or turn off.
Arris Cable modems are used by many major ISPs (Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox Communications, etc.) for this purpose. They are designed so a technician can login and help set up the router remotely for their customers. The backdoor they use has a password generated for it every day by a publically available algorithm (http://tylerwatt12.com/potd/) or—even worse—it’s a hardcoded password. This is not your default username/password, but a backdoor created by the manufacturer.
Once hackers/non-support technicians have access to the router through the technician’s backdoor, they can change the DNS settings to show ads on any device connected to the router. Because all traffic is being routed through the DNS server, your information can be compromised. Router settings can also be changed to allow for telnet access later if they want to get back in for any reason.
There are several ways they can infect your router, but it is usually done remotely by scouring IP addresses and seeing of the username/password of the day set by the algorithm works. Once they have access to the router, they are free to change the DNS settings as they wish.
How can you tell if you have this kind of infection?
If there are devices on your network receiving ads while only connected to that network—not seeing ads when on other networks (such as at a coffee shop or at the office)—and your antivirus software is reporting no threats, this could indicate the router has been accessed by someone outside your ISP’s company.
What can you do to protect your self?
By buying your own router, there will be no backdoor for ISP technicians. The routers you buy tend to last longer and have better configurations (port forwarding, encryption, SSID). However, you will have to set it up yourself, as major ISPs will not support modems that they do not provide.
Securing cable modems is more difficult than other embedded devices as, in most cases, you cannot choose your own device/firmware, and software updates are almost entirely controlled by your ISP. Below is an incomplete list of suspicious routers. You can also contact your ISP and ask them to address this exploit and provide a firmware update OR provide a non-vulnerable modem.
- Arris CM820A
- Arris DG860
- Arris DG950A
- Arris TM501A
- Arris TM602A
- Arris TM602B
- Arris TM722G
- Arris TM802G
- Arris TM822G
- Arris TG862
- Arris TG862A
- Arris WBM760A
Sources:
by Connor Madsen | Dec 4, 2015 | Industry Intel
Greek Bank Cyber Attacks
Recently, several Greek banks were hit with a cyber attack that brought their systems to a halt for several hours. The hackers, claiming to be a group called the Armada Collective, demanded a bitcoin ransom be paid by Monday evening. The banks refused to pay, however, which caused the group to extend the deadline before unleashing another attack.
ModPOS on the Rise
As we enter the holiday season, a new point-of-sale malware is targeting major national retailers. The malware, named ModPOS, appears to be more advanced than previous POS infections, by using multiple different components to gather as much data as possible and encryption to hide it’s tracks. Fortunately for consumers, many retailers already use point-to-point encryption for payments, with many more expected to follow in the coming months.
Read More: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-modpos-malware-20151125-story.html
Office of Personnel Management Hacked
In the past several months, it has become clear that Chinese hackers gained access to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and exposed the data of over 20 million federal employees and their families. The Chinese government has stated that they captured the hackers responsible for the attacks, though these reports are still unconfirmed.
Read More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/chinese-government-has-arrested-hackers-suspected-of-breaching-opm-database/2015/12/02/0295b918-990c-11e5-8917-653b65c809eb_story.html
VTech Hack
With high tech toys becoming more prevalant, the risks of children becoming victims of cyber attacks increases as well. The latest breach comes from Hong Kong based toy company, VTech, whose servers were attacked and lead to the exposure of nearly 5 million customers’ data. The hacker, who has remained anonymous, was able to access nearly 200GB of pictures, chat logs between parents and children, and usernames/passwords for those accounts.
Read More: http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/11/hacked-toymaker-leaked-gigabytes-worth-of-kids-headshots-and-chat-logs/
Security in the Health Industry
For quite a while now, most healthcare facilities have lacked the infrastructure for increasing their data security, and simply allowing employees access to most data with a username/password. This has recently changed, and now many hospitals across the U.S. are adding two-factor authentication to their security protocols. This boost in security, along with additional training for employees will decrease the chances of a data breach in the future.
by Dan Para | Dec 2, 2015 | Industry Intel, Threat Lab
Any time a malware variant hits the news we get numerous requests for information. It is typically quite difficult to provide any information based on names that have been given to threats. A simple way to illustrate this is by using a service such as Virustotal and seeing what name other AV companies use for the same threat. I found a recent article about a new threat that contained a link to a write-up by an AV company including MD5 hashes for the file samples used for the write-up. Below are screen shots of the Virustotal results for one of those files.
The first thing I noticed was that there are numerous names that this is detected as, and they are rather inconsistent. Many of the names used are generic, and there are quite a few heuristic detections included in the results. Another thing I noticed was that the name of the malware from the article and the write-up for this file is nowhere to be found. The AV company whose write-up I got the sample from does detect the file, just not by the name that was in the write-up.
What this shows is that, even though this malware sample was found with a specific name, it is widely detected by generic and heuristic detections. The name that it is detected as becomes rather irrelevant. Identifying new malware and taking it apart to determine how it works and what it does is certainly important, but at the end of the day, simply detecting a file as malicious and removing it is what really matters.
by Nathan Wyman | Nov 25, 2015 | Home + Mobile
With the two most hectic shopping days of the year rapidly approaching, you may be preparing to nab a deal… but identity thieves are just as busy trying to nab your financial information. While you’re out looking for the best deals
online and in retail shops on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, keep these security tips in mind to protect your identity:
- Try to use a secure payment method whenever possible. This includes Paypal, prepaid limited use debit cards, and credit cards that are separate from your primary bank account. Using a debit card that is tied to your primary bank
account is the least secure form of payment, as a security breach poses the greatest financial risk.
- When you purchase something from a small independent business online, make sure that the checkout process is a “Secure Site”. Look for a yellow padlock in the browser bar as well as “HTTPS” at the beginning of the website (as compared to “HTTP” with no “S” at the end, which stands for “Secure”).
- Make sure that your operating system and security software are up to date. If you use Webroot SecureAnywhere, your software should automatically update itself whenever new versions are released. If you’re interested in using Webroot SecureAnywhere to protect your devices, CLICK HERE for a 14-Day Free Trial.
- Don’t make online purchases while using public WiFi connections, such as restaurant or mall hotspots, because these networks are prime targets for identity thieves and hackers. Shop only from trusted wireless connections such as home and cellular networks.
- Never send sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers, passwords, bank account numbers, or credit card numbers through e-mail. This is not a secure way to send sensitive information and legitimate companies will ask you to use some form of secure site to transmit the necessary information.
- When using an ATM, inspect the card reader before swiping to ensure that it isn’t fake. Lately, identity thieves have been planting card skimmers over ATM card slots in order to trick people into providing their PIN and magnetic strip information, and this technique is on the rise.
- Watch cashiers for skimming, which is when your card is swiped once at the register and again through a hand-held scanner the size of a cigarette lighter. Most registers allow you to swipe your card yourself; if a cashier asks to swipe your card by hand and turns away or puts both hands out of your sight while holding your card, ask to see a manager.
- Review your credit card and bank statements to ensure that there are no unusual or fraudulent transactions. If you identify any suspicious activity, contact the appropriate financial institution immediately to address anny accounts that may have been compromised.
We hope that keeping these security tips in mind will allow you to shop with confidence and safety during the upcoming sales events.
by Connor Madsen | Nov 20, 2015 | Industry Intel
A lot happens in the security world, some big and some small, and many stories get lost in the mix. In an effort to keep our readers informed and updated, we present the Webroot ThreatBrief, highlighting 5 major security news stories of the week.
Encrypted messaging apps used for terrorist communication
In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, authorities are looking more at encrypted messaging apps as likely communication means for terror organizations. Apps such as Telegram, offer end-to-end encryption for group chats, although the risk in using them is high. Along with the less-than-stellar encryption, the app also uploads your entire Contacts list to Telegram’s servers. In response to the blowback it had been receiving, Telegram has banned nearly 80 ISIS-related channels.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/world/europe/encrypted-messaging-apps-face-new-scrutiny-over-possible-role-in-paris-attacks.html?_r=0
Response Plans for Cyber Attacks
As the risks of cyber attacks increase for businesses, it is becoming crucial to have a response plan in place, to avoid major loss of data. One of the best ways to reduce the chances of a cyber attack is to implement security training for all employees, as negligence is highly likely and the known cause of multiple past breaches. Additionally, it is good to regularly conduct security assessments to determine any vulnerabilities and to have a stronger understanding of what data is being stored and the best method for protecting it.
Read more: http://www.information-age.com/technology/security/123459644/6-critical-steps-responding-cyber-attack
DDoS attacks occurring in Britain
On Wednesday, reports came in showing a high volume of DDoS attacks occurring mainly in the UK, after the hacktivist group known as Anonymous declared war on ISIS. The DDoS attacks, which overwhelm network systems with data until they reach a failure point, are thought to have originated from ISIS hackers, though it is nearly impossible to tell for sure.
Read more: http://www.cnet.com/news/british-spy-unit-reportedly-hit-anonymous-with-ddos-attacks/
Smart TV Security Concerns
With the great leaps that technology has made over the last decade, the rise in Smart TVs with network access has brought the Internet right to your living room. Due to the increased use for both homes and businesses, consumers should be cautious when allowing the TV to access their local network, as it could be used maliciously to gain access to sensitive information. Additionally, the remote use of webcams and voice-activation features could be used maliciously, to gain entry to a business or personal area, and should be disabled unless in authorized use.
Read more: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/81691.html
Recurrence of Dyreza for Windows 10
In the last week or so, there have been cases of the banking trojan, Dyreza, being found in Windows 10 environments. The latest variant is capable of killing processes used in endpoint security software, using injection into known good processes to continue running. Unfortunately for consumers, this update seems to have arrived just in time for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, as many will be doing their online shopping for the holidays.
Read More: http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2435483/banking-trojan-dyreza-is-targeting-windows-10-and-microsoft-edge-users
