The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the US was the target of an attack that used stolen social security numbers and other taxpayer data to obtain PINs that can be used to file tax returns electronically. The attack occurred in January and targeted an IRS Web application that taxpayers use to obtain their so-called Electronic Filing (E-file) PINs. The app requires taxpayer information such as name, Social Security number, date of birth and full address. Attackers attempted to obtain E-file PINs corresponding to 464,000 unique SSNs using an automated bot, and did so successfully for 101,000 SSNs before the IRS blocked…
Author: ISBuzz Team
According to Eurostat research 1 out of 4 internet users in the EU experienced computer security related problems in 2015, but the Irish were safer. The Safer Internet Day and Eurostat has released their research on the Europeans’ Internet security. According to Eurostat “the proportion of internet users having experienced certain common security issues over the internet – such as viruses affecting devices, abuse of personal information, financial losses or children accessing inappropriate websites – stood at 25% in 2015.” Ireland has taken the excellent fourth place, just after Czech Republic (10%), Netherlands (11%) and Slovakia (13%), with only 14%…
Following the data breach of toy maker, VTech, last year, the company is now trying to embed data breach acceptance in its Terms and Conditions. More than 6.3 million children’s accounts were affected by last year’s breach, which gave the perpetrator access to photos and chat logs. VTech’s new terms and conditions state that parents must assume responsibility for future breaches. Security experts from Lieberman software, Blancco Technology Group and ESET have the following comments on it. [su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Pat Clawson, CEO of the Blancco Technology Group : “When a data breach happens, most companies will make modifications to their Terms and…
Denial of Service attacks are growing in size, complexity and frequency according to latest reports from cybersecurity researchers who see this as a trend in 2016, especially as the Internet- of- Things begin to take over the market. Lamar Bailey, Senior Director of Security R& D for Tripwire : “DDoS attacks are very hard to defend against because they originate from thousands to hundreds of thousands endpoints. Several companies have developed products to help combat against these style of attacks, but it gets harder to defend against as IoT devices come on line.” “Today DDoS attacks can be launch from computers…
A hacker has released the names, titles, email addresses and phone numbers of 20,000 FBI and several thousand DHS employees. The hacker explained to Motherboard that he accessed a compromised email account of a Department of Justice employee, and went on to access the DoJ portal through a social engineering attack directed at a phone support line. Wieland Alge, VP and GM EMEA at Barracuda Networks have the following comments on it. [su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Wieland Alge, VP and GM EMEA at Barracuda Networks: “The FBI hack is making news all over the world. There are two ways to look at it: you’re not a…
In response to the news that Imperva has issued a new report on CryptoWall 3.0, which has revealed that a small organised cybercrime ring behind CryptoWall 3.0 was able collect more than $330,607 in ransom from some 670 victims, Mark James, security specialist at ESET have the following comments on it. [su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Mark James, Security Specialist at IT Security Firm ESET : “Cryptowall or indeed any ransomware malware poses a very real threat to many computer users because of the potential damage to files that so many still fail to backup. Considering this is something that is so simple to defend…
A hacker that goes by the handle @DotGovs on Twitter has exposed the personal information of almost 10,000 Department of Homeland Security employees and put it on the Internet. He vows that the FBI is next. Security experts from Tripwire and Huntsman Security have the following comments on it. [su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Tim Erlin, Director of Security and Product Management at Tripwire : “It’s no surprise that Homeland Security has a target on its back. It’s a much maligned department with security as its objective. A successful attack on DHS gets headlines. We should be cautious about the headlines until there’s…
UK Government’s £4bn investment in the NHS with the aim of going paper-free by 2020. Kyle Lady at Duo Lab have the following comments on it. Kyle Lady, at Duo Security: “While this may seem like an easy step toward savings and cutting down on paper usage, there are significant security challenges if this initiative is not considered thoroughly. All too often, security is thought of as something you apply to the product once you’ve built it. In reality, for a product or system to be secure enough for high-value information (like the medical records of an entire country), it…
Microsoft has released their patches for the month of February. Security experts from Tripwire and Rapid7 have the following comments on it. [su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Tyler Reguly, Manager of Software Development at Tripwire: “One of the best changes this month is that Adobe Flash Player embedded within Microsoft IE and Edge has finally received its own bulletin. Previously, Microsoft updated the same KB on a month by month basis with no defining elements. This is a welcome change and hopefully it bodes well for other areas where Microsoft continues to do this. Active Directory Federation Services has seen increased usage across enterprises rolling…
You walk through the door locked with a badge reader, and there at the front of the room are a bank of TV screens: a news channel, the Weather Channel, one showing a picture of the world with intermittent lines bouncing back and forth, a few with graphical information, and maybe even one monitoring a CCTV or camera. In front of this, row upon row of analysts sitting at computer terminals working intently. It sounds like something you would see in a NASA control center, but this scene is becoming normal at many companies around the world. Companies are beginning…