Symantec: hackers could target US and European power grids with Dragonfly 2.0 attacks
Researchers at Symantec have warned that a "sophisticated attack group" is targeting the energy sector in Europe and North America, and has been doing so for some time. A group known as Dragonfly has been detected carrying out attacks since 2011, and the campaign of attacks was recently stepped up a gear.
Dubbed the Dragonfly 2.0 campaign, the attacks included disruption to the Ukrainian power system in 2015 and 2016. After a quiet period, the group's activities have started up again, with targets hit in US, Turkey and Switzerland. On the hit list are energy facilities -- something that could have devastating consequences.
Box offers cloud services to London Metropolitan Police
London's law enforcement forces are about to get a significant storage upgrade thanks to a new partnership with Box.
The online storage giant has announced that it will now be working with the London Metropolitan Police to provide 50,000 staff with better cloud provision.
Emerging threats encourage cooperation among security professionals
According to a new survey of attendees to this year’s Black Hat USA conference, concerns around emerging threats like ransomware and polymorphic malware have sparked a significant increase in collaboration by the cybersecurity industry.
The study by security management specialist AlienVault spoke to over 600 participants at the conference and found that for 43 percent, ransomware is their biggest security concern.
Facebook is overestimating its ad reach
Facebook ad metrics are facing scrutiny after it transpired the social network is overestimating the potential audience advertisers can expect to reach. A senior analyst from Pivotal Research Group points out that Facebook's Adverts Manager tool suggests demographic figures that exceed official numbers.
For example, advertisers are told that they could hit up to 41 million 18- to 24-year-olds in the US, but according to recent census data only 31 million 18- to 24-year-olds live in the US. The discrepancy is not isolated, as there are similar instances of inflated potential reach suggestions for various age groups in the US, UK and Canada.
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The need for penetration testers has grown well over what the IT industry ever anticipated. Running just a vulnerability scanner is no longer an effective method to determine whether a business is truly secure.
Penetration Testing -- A Survival Guide from Packt Publishing usually retails for $55, but BetaNews readers can get it entirely free for a limited time.
Android Oreo could eat through your data allowance even if you have Wi-Fi enabled
An apparent bug with Android Oreo has been discovered which means Google's mobile operating system could be munching its way through your data allowance, even if you're connected to a wireless network.
A thread on Reddit highlighted the issue, with many people pointing out that it could prove expensive for anyone not using an unlimited data plan. Google is apparently aware of the problem and is working on a patch, but in the meantime Oreo users are being warned to consider disabling mobile data when they are at home or using a wireless connection elsewhere.
Avast launches new security solution for SMBs and MSPs
Following Avast's acquisition of rival firm AVG last year the two companies' products have largely continued side by side.
Today sees the launch of one of the first fruits of the union in the form of Avast Business, combining technology from AVG and Avast, and aimed at smaller businesses and managed service providers.
The trackball lives! Logitech launches wireless MX ERGO
While some people view the trackball as a product from yesteryear, they would sort of be incorrect. Sure, the number of users still leveraging this type of a pointing device is quite small comparatively, but the ones that do can be very passionate. Believe it or not, there are some people that hoard them because they can sometimes be hard to find. Not to mention, some folks with handicaps depend on them too -- since you move the pointer with your thumb, it can be great for someone with limited wrist mobility. Heck, they are great for HTPC use too.
Today, Logitech intends to delight these passionate trackball fans with an all-new new model. Called "MX ERGO," it brings the trackball to modern times with extreme comfort and functionality. Not only does the product feature Bluetooth connectivity, but it can also pair with Logitech's unifying USB dongle. The scroll wheel features horizontal tilt scroll which is great for working in large Excel spreadsheets. When you need to be as accurate as possible, there is even a special "precision mode" that you can enable for the ball.
Huawei sells more smartphones than Apple
With a couple of notable exceptions, Apple consistently ranks as the second largest smartphone manufacturer based on sales. It's something that we've become accustomed to. No other vendor, except Samsung, has managed to beat it.
Well, until now, that is. According to a new report from Counterpoint, Apple was overtaken by Huawei, which posted a very strong performance towards the second half of the year.
New technology platform helps secure business devices
Thanks to increased use of mobile and BYOD devices, there's a significant risk to business networks from un-managed and uncontrolled devices which could offer a route for security breaches.
Israeli startup company Axonius is looking to solve this problem with a new platform designed to eliminate blind spots on the network and provide a single place to understand, manage and control the security of all end user, compute and IoT devices.
Facebook offers millions to music industry to avert copyright crisis
Facebook is said to be offering hundreds of millions of dollars to music publishers and record labels to avoid having to take down user-generated videos that feature copyrighted music.
Bloomberg cites "people familiar with the matter" as saying Facebook's payments will allow for the legal use of songs in uploaded videos. At the moment rights holders can tell Facebook to remove any videos that feature copyrighted music, and the social network is keen to create a frictionless experience for users if at all possible.
Facebook Watch is now available right across the US
Facebook Watch may sound like it's going to be a cheap alternative to the Apple Watch, but it's really just Facebook's latest jump into video. Launched a month ago, Facebook Watch is now available to everyone in the US.
The initial launch was a limited one, and just last week the rollout expanded to a wider group of users. But now everyone in the US is able to see the Watch tab on desktop and mobile platforms, giving access to original video content.
FTC spanks Lenovo for bundling security-compromising adware on laptops
Lenovo has settled with the Federal Trade Commission after selling laptops with VisualDiscovery adware pre-installed. The Superfish-developed adware was installed without users' consent and made machines vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.
On top of this, the adware shared users' browsing data with third parties. As part of the settlement, Lenovo must gain explicit consent from users before engaging in similar tactics in the future, and must not misrepresent software that serves to inject ads into browsing sessions. The FTC did not, however, prohibit Lenovo from installing adware on its hardware, nor did it impose a financial penalty on the Chinese company.
Opera Mini for iOS isn't dead after all -- the developers were just waiting for iPhone 8
Earlier this year, I was shocked to learn that development of Opera for iOS was effectively dead. No, this was not just a rumor -- an Opera employee told me publicly on Twitter. And so, we here at BetaNews reported the unfortunate news. Luckily, the report of the browser's demise was short-lived -- the company later told me the employee was misinformed. I was dubious, so I took a wait-and-see approach to see just how alive development truly was.
Well, today, Opera supplied proof that its popular Mini browser is alive and kicking -- a new version! Apparently the company was just waiting for the iPhone 8 before updating the web browser. In a blog post highlighting the upcoming release of a new iPhone, the company shares that the user interface has been refreshed. For instance, there is more use of the "Opera red" color and trending news stories have been bumped to the top of the start page. New features have been added too, such as an enhanced search bar that can scan QR codes.
How to fight back against the email scammers
Business Email Compromise (BEC) has become one of the most popular tactics deployed by fraudsters in recent years. A step up from the numerous but low-quality spam campaigns that clog most inboxes on a daily basis, BEC attacks involve a planned attack on a specific target, aided by the impersonation of a trusted contact.
The most commonly seen tactic is to take on the guise of the CEO and use their authority to trick a financial department into transferring funds, while variations include impersonating suppliers and business partners, and going after sensitive data rather than direct payment. In its most recent report, the FBI estimated that financial losses from these attacks is more than $5.3bn since October 2013.
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