EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) credit and debit cards have finally seen widespread adoption in the USA, at least on the consumer side, with 70% of people now owning one. America is still in the transition phase towards universal adoption of chip cards, especially given the fact that a sizable number of retailers still don’t accept them, but is nevertheless making steady progress. Although retailers have been liable for fraudulent card transactions since October 2015, this elongated transition is presenting a growing problem with ‘card not present’ (CNP) fraud. Since credit card fraud at the POS (point of sale) is…
Author: Information Security Buzz Editorial Staff
Protecting a business from natural disasters and unwanted trespassers will probably come as second nature. But in the age of a digital revolution, protecting data from cyber intrusion, human error and data loss need to be top of the agenda for all businesses. The backup plan Gartner predicts there will be 6.8 billion connected devices in use this year, jumping to 20 billion connected devices in 2020. As reliance on digital devices grows, businesses need to safeguard critical data against potential site-wide disasters that could threaten both the primary and backup data. Implementing a disaster recovery and backup plan is crucial…
In an attempt to explore security issues in smart city transport infrastructure and give recommendations on how to address them, a Kaspersky Lab Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) expert has conducted field research into the specific types of road sensors that gather information about city traffic flow. As a result, Kaspersky Lab has proved that data gathered and processed by these sensors can be dramatically compromised. This could potentially affect future city authority decisions on the development of road infrastructure. Transport infrastructure in a modern megalopolis represents a very complicated system, containing different sorts of traffic and road sensors,…
Only a week after hitting the headlines, the ‘Panama Papers’ scandal has already been established as the biggest data leak in history. In terms of scale, the 2.6 terabytes of stolen data eclipses even WikiLeaks, and it has already directly led to the resignation of one world leader. Although the firm appears to be have been targeted specifically to reveal the practices of the offshore trading world, all organisations take the breach as an example of the threat facing any sensitive data they face. While it initially appeared to be the work of an internal whistle-blower at the company, the…
IBM has discovered a new piece of malware that has stolen $4 million from more than 24 American and Canadian banks in just a few days. The hackers combined code from two malware types, known as Nymaim and Gozi, to create GozNym, a Trojan both persistent and powerful. Numerous credit unions and popular e-commerce platforms were also said to have been targeted. Security experts from Tripwire, Proofpoint and ESET responded below. Travis Smith, senior security research engineer at Tripwire: “Cyber criminals have specialties just like their white hat counterparts. By taking bits of code from different pieces of malware, they…
E-commerce revenue is constantly increasing, but the number of fraud cases, as well as the percentage of fraud in online transactions, is increasing faster still. But what types of fraud exist and—more importantly—how can we protect ourselves against them? The Nilsen Report (1) uses the example of card-based payments to illustrate the point: Internet payment fraud is constantly increasing, and is, apparently, unstoppable. While the increase itself is nothing new (there has been more e-commerce fraud every year since 1993), the rate is impressive. The number of fraud cases has increased by 19 percent compared to 2013, and this is…
According to an article in the New York Times, the FBI asked a judge to help break encryption software all the way back in 2003 – over a decade before the latest case involving Apple and the FBI. Brian Spector, CEO at MIRACL, has the following comments: Brian Spector, CEO at MIRACL: “Encryption is the bedrock of privacy online. It is the most effective way to keep information free from the prying eyes of either hackers or government spies. Most people support this concept when it comes to keeping their own corporate or personal data secure, but they also want law enforcement…
A Chinese hacker who goes by Daishen claims he can hack the Volkswagen Toureg, Audi A6, Audi A7 and more, without an internet connection through the car’s GPS and stereo systems exploiting the flaws in car’s security layers. Craig Young, Cybersecurity Researcher for Tripwire commented below on this claim. Craig Young, Cybersecurity Researcher, Tripwire: “Early automobile hacking did not actually involve internet connections. University of South Carolina and Rutgers researchers demonstrated in 2010 that it was possible to gain control of a car’s onboard computers by exploiting the wireless tire pressure monitor even with the car moving 60mph. Bluetooth stacks used…
In the world of computers, viruses are not an uncommon thing to hear. Viruses are to computers what infections are to humans. Infections can make you sick and often impair you from taking part in your normal daily routines as usual. When viruses hit your computer, its daily routines are also affected. Simple things such as accessing the Internet, opening a document can become problematic. It is thus crucial for one to be aware of the different types of viruses that are capable of attacking your computer system. Understanding what a specific virus is will thus be the first step…
Police and prosecutors in the UK are losing sensitive evidence because it is still being shared on computer discs. The HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said there was a ‘widespread issue’ misplacing discs containing sensitive evidence and information. Here to comment on this news are security experts from Ipswitch and QA. Michael Hack, SVP of EMEA operations, Ipswitch: “The way that files are shared and moved is absolutely key in securing the data in transit. A disc with data on it key is as easy to lose as a purse or a set of keys.…
