Following the news that hackers are sending ransomware-infected emails directly, to head teachers after posing as officials from the Department of Education. The cyber criminals have been gaining email addresses by calling schools and offering exam guidance or mental health assessments. The ransom is believed to be up to £8,000. Fraser Kyne, EMEA CTO at Bromium commented below. Fraser Kyne, EMEA CTO at Bromium: “We’ve seen attacks like this becoming increasingly commonplace and they will continue to be unless we completely change our approach to security. Once again, hackers have preyed on the weakest link in security – the end-user – but this is…
ISBuzz Team
Cyber criminals are waiting for banks to have online technical difficulties and then step in to target bank customers who complain about technical problems online. Using fake Twitter accounts that look just like the banks, they trick customers into handing over their banking credentials. Robert Capps, VP of Business Development at NuData Security commented below. Robert Capps, VP of Business Development at NuData Security: “While phishing schemes that are used to steal user login credentials and personally identifiable information (PII) aren’t particularly new, using social media to impersonate the customer care function at an online institution during a system outage, is…
A new variant of KillDisk malware linked to the infamous Black Energy group encrypts Linux machines and demands a huge ransom, but is not capable of decryption. The new variant of KillDisk encrypts Linux machines, making them unbootable with data permanently lost. Despite the fact that the malware’s design doesn’t allow for the recovery of encrypted files, as encryption keys are neither stored nor sent anywhere, the criminals behind KillDisk demand 250,000 USD in Bitcoins. Fortunately, ESET researchers found a weakness in the encryption employed which makes recovery possible, albeit difficult. “KillDisk serves as another example of why paying ransom…
Successful CISOs know that investing in endpoint security is only the beginning Organizations’ security perimeters are evaporating. Tablets, smartphones, laptops, and other mobile devices allow employees the flexibility to essentially work from anywhere – while simultaneously increasing the risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches. According to a recent study from Trend Micro, endpoint security is rated a critical IT priority by more than half of organizations. With endpoint being such a fickle barrier between sensitive information and the world at large,…
Forcepoint’s Security Labs have identified two new malware variants – ‘BigBoss’ and ‘SillyGoose’ based on the MM Core backdoor. Discovered in 2013 and also known as ‘BaneChat’, MM Core is used for targeted attacks. MM Core spawned a spin off named ‘StrangeLove’ shortly after discovery and then remained seemingly dormant for years. The release of ‘BigBoss’ and ‘SillyGoose’ as early as June 2016, highlights that it is possible for malware to make a strong comeback, even a number of years later. Carl Leonard, Principal Security Analyst at Forcepoint commented below. Carl Leonard, Principal Security Analyst at Forcepoint: “We’ve found that…
Following the news about the Children’s Commissioner for England, who have today released a report highlighting how children are being left to fend for themselves online and stressing the importance of better education to ensure children stay safe while surfing online. The report recommended that: Children should study “digital citizenship” to learn about their rights and responsibilities online, so they are prepared for online activities Social media companies should rewrite their “impenetrable” terms and conditions in far simpler language so children know what they are agreeing to Ministers should create a “digital ombudsman” to mediate for children seeking the removal of content…
Findings are based on a survey conducted amongst attendees at the 2016 London Cyber Symposium CFC Underwriting, a specialist provider of cyber insurance to over 20,000 clients globally, today releases findings from a survey conducted at the 2016 Cyber Symposium in London. The survey acts as a barometer of current attitudes towards the UK cyber insurance market. Cyber insurance is the fastest growing line of insurance in the world – the total written premium globally today is estimated at $2.5bn, and Allianz estimates it will reach $20bn by 2025. When asked about the growth of the UK cyber market, survey respondents agreed, with…
Leo Taddeo, CSO at Cryptzone and former FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Cybercrimes Division, spoke on NBC about the election hacks, the US response, and Trump’s claims to know more about the hacks. Below are some transcribed thoughts from the interview. Q: Trump claims to know more about the hacks. If you were to make changes to 2017 agencies what would you do? A: There is room for illuminating duplicated efforts. There are some overlapping missions. You want to eliminating redundancy, though redundancy in the intelligence community is healthy. You don’t want a singular point of view. There is room for technology…
Following the news that the first case of ransomware on a smart TV has appeared over the Christmas holiday with one consumer burdened with finding out how to remove ransomware from his TV. IT security experts from Tripwire commented below. Craig Young, Cybersecurity Researcher at Tripwire: “For the latest case of smart TV ransomware, it is important to recognize that this malware was downloaded from some unspecified site and side-loaded onto the TV. Although I feel that it is important for devices to allow side-loading of content, consumers need to understand that this is an advanced feature and comes with…
ESET Ireland warns of an authentic looking phishing scam email, pretending to come from Vodafone. The cybercriminals are up to their old tricks even in the new year. An email, pretending to be from Vodafone has been spamming Irish mailboxes with a phishing attempt. The email reads: Dear Valued Customer, Just a quick reminder that you need to pay for your Vodafone service. Pay now to avoid service restriction or suspension. Your monthly bill for NETVIGATOR service has been issued. We have proceeded autopay payment according to your credit card information. However, such autopay payment is not successful. Your account is now…