Expert(s):
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Comparitech

Comments Dotted : 103
March 12, 2021

Experts Reaction On Home Office Tests Web-Spying Powers With Help Of UK Internet Firms
I strongly recommend internet users in the UK employ a VPN to keep their browsing histories private.

The Investigatory Powers Act allows the UK government and ISPs to violate the privacy of internet users through extremely invasive bulk data collection. This bulk surveillance records the websites visited by as many or as few people as authorities wish. This is mass surveillance of the UK's own people, as invasive as the NSA spying uncovered by Edward Snowden in 2013. The Act grants too much power without transparency to authorities, and will no doubt have a chilling effect on free internet use

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The Investigatory Powers Act allows the UK government and ISPs to violate the privacy of internet users through extremely invasive bulk data collection. This bulk surveillance records the websites visited by as many or as few people as authorities wish. This is mass surveillance of the UK's own people, as invasive as the NSA spying uncovered by Edward Snowden in 2013. The Act grants too much power without transparency to authorities, and will no doubt have a chilling effect on free internet use in the UK.

 

Collection of these ICRs is just one way that the Investigatory Powers Act emboldens government authorities to invade the privacy of citizens who are not suspected of any wrongdoing. Companies operating in the UK must decrypt data on demand and must notify the government before launching new security features. Intelligence agencies like the GCHQ are legally allowed to hack into citizens' devices under the law.

 

I strongly recommend internet users in the UK employ a VPN to keep their browsing histories private.

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March 11, 2021

Advancements In Invoicing – A Highly Sophisticated Way To Distribute ZLoader
Do not allow macros to run on untrusted MS Office documents.

Although the MHTML attack described is more sophisticated than most invoice phishing schemes, it still relies on the user to download and open a Microsoft Office document with macros enabled. Even though the actual attack attempts to bypass many security mechanisms, it can still be prevented by following simple security guidelines. Never click on links or attachments in unsolicited messages. Do not allow macros to run on untrusted MS Office documents. At this time of year, be particularly wary

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Although the MHTML attack described is more sophisticated than most invoice phishing schemes, it still relies on the user to download and open a Microsoft Office document with macros enabled. Even though the actual attack attempts to bypass many security mechanisms, it can still be prevented by following simple security guidelines. Never click on links or attachments in unsolicited messages. Do not allow macros to run on untrusted MS Office documents. At this time of year, be particularly wary of tax-related phishing messages.

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March 10, 2021

Cybersecurity Expert Insight: SITA Data Breach
Airline loyalty programs and frequent flyer miles are a common target for cybercriminals.

Airline loyalty programs and frequent flyer miles are a common target for cybercriminals, who can redeem them to get gift cards or make purchases at local retailers. Some points are also resold on the grey web to mileage brokers. I wrote an article examining airline miles being sold on the dark web in 2018: https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/how-much-are-stolen-frequent-flyer-miles-worth-on-the-dark-web/

 

Prices averaged $0.015 per mile, much lower than the real-world market

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Airline loyalty programs and frequent flyer miles are a common target for cybercriminals, who can redeem them to get gift cards or make purchases at local retailers. Some points are also resold on the grey web to mileage brokers. I wrote an article examining airline miles being sold on the dark web in 2018: https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/how-much-are-stolen-frequent-flyer-miles-worth-on-the-dark-web/

 

Prices averaged $0.015 per mile, much lower than the real-world market price.

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February 12, 2021

Indian Cyber-espionage Effort Targets Election, Energy Officials In Pakistan And Kashmir
It's interesting to watch state-sponsored hackers engage in the same social engineering tactics.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have been around longer than the internet, and the conflict has now extended into cyberspace. It's interesting to watch state-sponsored hackers engage in the same social engineering tactics as common cybercriminals. The malware is just a modified version of the sort of spyware used by private eyes and jealous husbands. It is dangerous because it can steal messages and other content from end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp after the

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Tensions between India and Pakistan have been around longer than the internet, and the conflict has now extended into cyberspace. It's interesting to watch state-sponsored hackers engage in the same social engineering tactics as common cybercriminals. The malware is just a modified version of the sort of spyware used by private eyes and jealous husbands. It is dangerous because it can steal messages and other content from end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp after the messages have been decrypted locally on the device.

 

Unlike in the US, where iPhones are popular, Android is the dominant operating system in India and Pakistan, so almost everyone's device would be vulnerable to these attacks. It's worth noting that many of these apps can only be found on third-party app stores, not Google Play, so they are much more likely to contain malware. That being said, Google Play has hosted its fair share of malware as well.

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February 11, 2021

Experts Reacted On Myanmar Military Government’s Cyber Internet Censorship Bill
Democracy cannot exist in a place where free speech is censored, and this coup is clearly not democratic.

Internet censorship has become a frequently used tool to silence dissent in times of political unrest. Blocking Facebook not only inhibits free speech and expression, it also impacts freedom of assembly by making it harder for protesters and other activists to organize. Time and time again, we see oppressive regimes block access to parts or all of the internet when they distrust or fear the people whom they govern. Democracy cannot exist in a place where free speech is censored, and this coup

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Internet censorship has become a frequently used tool to silence dissent in times of political unrest. Blocking Facebook not only inhibits free speech and expression, it also impacts freedom of assembly by making it harder for protesters and other activists to organize. Time and time again, we see oppressive regimes block access to parts or all of the internet when they distrust or fear the people whom they govern. Democracy cannot exist in a place where free speech is censored, and this coup is clearly not democratic.

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February 05, 2021

Expert Response On News That Israeli Hackers Breach KKK-affiliated Website
No matter what nonsense you believe in, everyone deserves privacy and safe spaces.

It's easy to get caught up in schadenfreude whenever anything bad happens to the KKK, but I would caution against treating these hackers as heroes. Even though I strongly disagree with pretty much everything the KKK does and stands for, I don't think outing members through use of force so they can be named and shamed is the right way to go about it. No matter what nonsense you believe in, everyone deserves privacy and safe spaces. Aside from the hack presumably being illegal, it also invites

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It's easy to get caught up in schadenfreude whenever anything bad happens to the KKK, but I would caution against treating these hackers as heroes. Even though I strongly disagree with pretty much everything the KKK does and stands for, I don't think outing members through use of force so they can be named and shamed is the right way to go about it. No matter what nonsense you believe in, everyone deserves privacy and safe spaces. Aside from the hack presumably being illegal, it also invites retaliation, which leads to escalation of conflict.

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February 05, 2021

Experts Reaction On Security Firm Stormshield Discloses Data Breach, Theft Of Source Code
All cyber-attacks are concerning, but those against cybersecurity companies are particularly worrying.

The big question in my mind is, who done it? Given this was an attack on a government security system and hackers inspected source code, it does not appear to be your typical data thieves looking for low-hanging fruit. The attack could have well been state-sponsored.

 

All cyber-attacks are concerning, but those against cybersecurity companies are particularly worrying. This attack will no doubt damage Stormshield's reputation and future prospects, but time will tell if the French government

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The big question in my mind is, who done it? Given this was an attack on a government security system and hackers inspected source code, it does not appear to be your typical data thieves looking for low-hanging fruit. The attack could have well been state-sponsored.

 

All cyber-attacks are concerning, but those against cybersecurity companies are particularly worrying. This attack will no doubt damage Stormshield's reputation and future prospects, but time will tell if the French government actually decides to replace Stormshield or stick with it.

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February 04, 2021

Experts Reaction On Hackers Steal Foxtons Customer Data
Foxton's certainly could have taken a more cautious, transparent approach.

It looks like Foxtons could be held liable for negligence if it failed to inform customers that their data had been compromised. When it comes to stolen data, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. We should always assume and prepare for the worst if it can't be determined whether data was actually exfiltrated. Whether an oversight or neglect, Foxton's certainly could have taken a more cautious, transparent approach.

February 03, 2021

Experts Reaction On Agent Tesla New Variants To Bypass Endpoint Protection
Microsoft will release a patch soon that prevents unauthorized changes to the AMSI.

The fact that Agent Tesla made up 20 percent of malicious email attachments detected by Sophos shows how popular the strain of malware has become. Hopefully, Microsoft will release a patch soon that prevents unauthorized changes to the AMSI. Be sure to keep your Windows devices up to date. Until then, never open links or attachments in unsolicited emails. Scan attachments if possible and always verify the sender's identity before opening. Consider opening attachments in a sandboxed environment.

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The fact that Agent Tesla made up 20 percent of malicious email attachments detected by Sophos shows how popular the strain of malware has become. Hopefully, Microsoft will release a patch soon that prevents unauthorized changes to the AMSI. Be sure to keep your Windows devices up to date. Until then, never open links or attachments in unsolicited emails. Scan attachments if possible and always verify the sender's identity before opening. Consider opening attachments in a sandboxed environment.

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January 27, 2021

Experts Reaction On Hackers Can Access Your Phone Number From Facebook
Facebook users should also adjust their settings so their phone numbers can't be used to find their profiles.

Although it's not ideal for a cybercriminal to have your phone number, you can take a few simple precautions to prevent it from being used against you. The phone numbers will most likely be used for scams and phishing. So long as you don't click on links or attachments sent from strangers, and don't respond to unsolicited requests for information, then you should be fine. Phone numbers are not particularly private pieces of information, so even though you might get a few more scam messages and

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Although it's not ideal for a cybercriminal to have your phone number, you can take a few simple precautions to prevent it from being used against you. The phone numbers will most likely be used for scams and phishing. So long as you don't click on links or attachments sent from strangers, and don't respond to unsolicited requests for information, then you should be fine. Phone numbers are not particularly private pieces of information, so even though you might get a few more scam messages and calls, it's not necessary to change your number. That being said, given the huge volume of phone numbers being sold, a few people are bound to fall victim.

 

Facebook users should also adjust their settings so their phone numbers can't be used to find their profiles. You can do this by going to Facebook settings > Privacy > How People Find and Contact You. Set "Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?" to "Only me".

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