Major Server Ring Distributing Malware Taken Down

May 1st, 2018

Score one for the good guys.  A researcher from BrilliantIT was recently able to figure out how infected computers would connect to EITest's command and control server, and using that information, was able to bring down their entire network.

If you haven't heard of EITest before, the true significance of that statement might not be registering.

Hacked Routers Being Used To Spread Malware

April 28th, 2018

Beware of compromised routers spreading malware.  This is according to both Kaspersky Labs and a recently released government report.

Using hacked routers to spread malware is nothing new.  Security insiders have known about it for years. However, since 2008, the number of instances where routers are being used to push malicious code has been steadily increasing.

Google Wants Children Watching YouTube Kids App

April 27th, 2018

More often than not, Google is seen as a force for good on the internet. However, in one area in particular, their actions and words haven't been in alignment, and it's gotten them in trouble.

Here's Google's official statement about their YouTube Kids service:

"Protecting kids and families has always been a top priority for us.

Can Computer Data Be Stolen Through Power Lines?

April 26th, 2018

If you have an air-gapped computer, you probably think you're safe.  You may think that barring physical access to the machine, no hacker could possibly steal the data on that machine.  Unfortunately, you'd be incorrect.

Security researchers from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, in Israel, have discovered a new way of stealing data using power lines.

Be Careful, Searches May Provide False Download links

April 25th, 2018

If you're downloading software from the web, be careful.  Take the extra step of verifying that you're on the developer's website, because the hackers have a new trick up their sleeve.  It's actually a deceptively simple one.

Hackers are buying ads on Google and Bing's search engines, with the links in their ads pointing to malicious sites they control.

Panera Bread Customer Accounts Exposed To Threats

April 24th, 2018

Panera Bread company is the latest to find itself in hot water.  Recently, security researcher Dylan Houlihan discovered that the company had failed to encrypt (or otherwise protect) a file containing usernames, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and loyalty account numbers for a staggering thirty-seven million of its customers.

No Spectre Fix For Certain Intel Processors

April 23rd, 2018

The bad news just doesn't seem to stop where Intel and the Speectre vulnerability are concerned.  The latest bit of news comes directly from Intel, as the company admits that it's just not possible to address the Spectre vulnerability in some of its older hardware.

Microsoft Helping With Ransomware In Office 365

April 21st, 2018

Microsoft recently made small but significant changes to its Office 365 subscription service and to OneDrive, which are often used in tandem.  The goal is to make it easier for users whose files have been encrypted by ransomware (or otherwise corrupted) to recover them.

Facebook Users Should Assume Their Public Has Been Scraped

April 20th, 2018

First it was 55 million.  Then 77 million.  Now, it's 2.2 billion, or pretty much every user on Facebook.  That's how many people should assume that their public profile information has been scraped.

The conversation began when it came to light that Cambridge Analytica (a political research firm) had misused Facebook's search function to scrap profile data for tens of millions of Facebook's users to help the Trump campaign win the recent presidential election.

Credit Card Breach Hits Two Large Companies

April 19th, 2018

Delta Airlines and Sears Corporation have both been notified of a data breach that has exposed the credit card information of some 100,000 Sears customers and "hundreds of thousands" of Delta customers.

Neither Delta nor Sears were breached directly.