The number of devices with access to the Internet is increasing exponentially. Security threats are not only affecting businesses, but homes as well. It is not difficult for a cybercriminal to hack a home router. Personal information such as Social Security numbers and credit card numbers can be obtained, and there are millions of cases of identity theft every year. Here are ways you can protect your identity, and home network security. Encrypt the Wi-Fi Network If you add password access to the network, then only the people you know/trust can access it. There are several industry security standards. Make…
ISBuzz Team
A Three Mobile fraud investigation has identified tens of thousands more customers have been hit than was previously thought. The mobile operator said 76,373 more customers had been hit than previously thought, a 57% increase on initial estimates made last year. Mark James, IT Security Specialist at ESET commented below. Mark James, IT Security Specialist at ESET: “As always with this type of data breach the focus seems to be on financial information “not” being obtained, but when you look at names, addresses, dates of birth and methods of payment (the actual data that was stolen) the bank details are the easiest to…
Intel Security has launched a new security tool that can scan the firmware of systems targeted by exploits detailed in WikiLeaks’ Vault7 ‘Year 0′ dump last week. Chipsec has been updated in response to what Wikileaks has called the largest store of confidential documents and tools from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in history. IT security experts from DomainTools and ESET commented below. Tim Helming, Director, Product Management at DomainTools: “CHIPSEC seeks to give the admin a chance to detect and remedy the problem by putting a clean EFI image on the machine. This is not a trivial task to undertake, but…
Thousands of Twitter accounts, including high profile ones belonging to users such as Forbes, Amnesty International, the BBC’s North American service, and tennis star Boris Becker were compromised on Wednesday morning, resulting in them tweeting propaganda related to Turkey’s escalating diplomatic conflict with Germany and the Netherlands. IT security experts from AlienVault, FireEye, Kaspersky Lab, ESET, Tenable Network Security, Positive Technologies, NuData Security, Proofpoint and Alert Logic commented below. Javvad Malik, Security Advocate at AlienVault: “It appears as if the Twitter accounts were compromised via a third party service called Twitter Counter. The incident illustrates the need for security throughout the supply chain. Users should be wary as to…
Kaspersky Lab’s researchers have discovered PetrWrap, a new malware family that exploits the original Petya ransomware module, distributed through a Ransomware-as-a-Service platform, to perform targeted attacks against organisations. The PetrWrap creators made a special modulethat modifies the original Petya ransomware “on the fly”, leaving its authors helpless against the unauthorised use of their malware. This may be the sign of growing competitiveness on the underground ransomware market. In May 2016 Kaspersky Lab discovered Petya ransomware that not only encrypts data stored on a computer, but also overwrites the hard disk drive’s master boot record (MBR), leaving infected computers unable to boot into the operating system. The malware…
A sobering thought Drink driving is a very real risk in our society. Every year in England and Wales alone, 85,000 people are convicted, and over 3,000 either killed or seriously injured as a direct result of individuals driving under the influence. The issue of drink driving has been at the heart of Government funded advertising campaigns for many years. Although awareness of the problem has continued to rise, since 2010 the UK has seen no reduction in the number of fatalities. Recent research has also shown one in five motorists risk driving the morning after drinking knowing they could still be over the legal limit.…
Following the news about the article regarding the thousands of Welsh NHS staff who had their personal data stolen in a third-party hack, Professor Richard Benham, a Leading UK Expert on Cybersecurity and Security Advisor at Online Service OwlDetect commented below. Professor Richard Benham, Leading UK Expert on Cybersecurity and Security Advisor at OwlDetect: “We should be wary about our personal information falling into the hands of hackers. If any of us lost our house keys or wallet, we would do something about it quickly – the same common-sense approach should apply when thinking about online security. “If you’re an employee of…
Following the news about the story that vibrator manufacturer We-Vibe has been ordered to pay out over £6,000 per customer, having shipped out a product with multiple security vulnerabilities. The company has also admitted to harvesting consumer data without permission. Cesar Cerrudo, CTO at IOActive commented below why this represents a larger problem within the IoT industry. Cesar Cerrudo, CTO at IOActive: “This is yet another example of IoT devices being rushed to market without proper consideration of privacy, and with rampant security vulnerabilities. We are connecting more and more of these devices to the internet and manufacturers are really not applying…
We live in a connected world. Today this includes much more than traditional computers. More and more homes include ‘smart’ devices –mobile phones, fitness bands, TVs, webcams, electricity meters and more. What makes them ‘smart’ is that they are connected to the Internet using Wi-Fi and are able to send and receive data. This huge – and growing – mass of connected devices makes up the ‘Internet of Things’. The chief benefit of having connected domestic devices is convenience – we’re able to control them remotely from our smartphones Unfortunately, if smart devices aren’t secure, others – including cybercriminals –…
International Business Times is among news outlets reporting that an unsecured backup drive is to blame for a massive data leak at the US Air Force: US Air Force leak exposes ‘holy grail’ of top secret data including details of over 4,000 officers. IT security experts from STEALTHbits Technologies, NuData Security and VASCO Data Security commented below. Jonathan Sander, CTO at STEALTHbits Technologies: “When people see that a system misconfiguration leads to sensitive data like the USAF top secret data leaking out, they often conclude that the admins are only human and there’s only so much they can do. The problem is…