Articles about Security

Cloudflare launches DNS-based parental control service 1.1.1.1 for Families

Cloudflare .1.1.1 for Families

Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver has been around for a couple of years now, helping to cater for those looking for a more private and secure internet connection. Now the company has announced a new version of the product, this time with extra protective layers.

1.1.1.1 for Families is essentially a parental control filter, automatically blocking access to "bad sites". This means not only sites that deliver malware, but also adult sites that might not be suitable for younger internet users. But while parents may welcome this automated filtering, 1.1.1.1 for Families has already come in for criticism for incorrectly blocking sites.

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Cloudflare announces free VPN tool WARP for Windows and macOS, with Linux to follow

Cloudflare WARP

If you're in the market for a free VPN for your desktop PC or laptop, Cloudflare will soon have a new offering.

Following on from the success of its free VPN for mobile devices, the company that's also behind the 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver is now bringing WARP to Windows and macOS -- and there is a Linux version in the works. Cloudflare's WARP is currently available in beta, but not everyone will be able to get access to it straight away.

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How Malicious Azure apps can be used to target Office 365

Network security

Infected mail attachments and malicious links are common ways for hackers to try to infiltrate organizations.

Researchers at cybersecurity company Varonis have uncovered at new attack route in the form of malicious Azure apps. Azure apps don't require approval from Microsoft and, more importantly, they don't require code execution on the user's machine, making it easy to evade endpoint detection and antivirus systems.

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Zoom claims to offer end-to-end encryption -- even though that's not strictly true

Zoom logo

Security is a serious concern for anyone using the internet, but it most certainly is for businesses. In seeking a video conferencing tool to see them through the home-working coronavirus has forced many people into, Zoom has proved to be an incredibly popular choice, and its proclamation of offering end-to-end encryption very probably swayed a few decisions.

An investigation carried out by the Intercept found that, despite Zoom's claims, the service does not really support end-to-end encryption for video and audio content. In reality, all it offers is TLS, but Zoom has chosen to refer to this as being end-to-end encryption.

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Zoom security vulnerability can be used to steal Windows login credentials

Zoom icon

Zoom's popularity has accelerated in recent weeks thanks to the number of people now forced to work from home and conduct meetings online. Now security researchers have discovered a worrying vulnerability in the software that could be used to steal Windows login credentials.

The vulnerability steams from the fact that Zoom converts URLs that are sent in messages into clickable links. The same is true for UNC paths, and if such a link is clicked, it is possible to grab a user's login name and their NTLM password hash and decrypt it.

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Marriott International reveals details of another data breach

Marriott sign

Towards the end of 2018, Marriott International suffered a data breach of its Starwood Hotel reservation database. Now the hotel chain has revealed that it suffered a second data breach earlier this year.

The company says that at the end of February it noticed that an "unexpected amount of guest information" could have been accessed using the login credentials of two employees. It is thought that this access started in the middle of January, and up to 5.2 million customers have been affected.

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2019's top cyberattack techniques

Cyber attack

Recorded Future has been logging sandbox submissions from its platform as mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework over 2019 and has released a list of the most frequently referenced tactics and techniques.

The most common tactic in the results is Defense Evasion and the most common technique Security Software Discovery. Defense Evasion involves avoiding detection by, among other things, hiding in trusted processes, obfuscating malicious scripts, and disabling security software.

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Excel vulnerability aids delivery of malware

Spreadsheet

Microsoft office files have long been used as a means of delivering malware payloads and researchers at Mimecast have discovered a rise in LimeRAT malware delivered using an Excel default password.

Excel files are designed to be easily encrypted, which helps attackers evade detection by common malware detection systems when a file is emailed.

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Why supply chain security is essential to digital transformation [Q&A]

supply chain

As digital transformation projects mean enterprises are sharing more and more information with customers and suppliers, added focus is placed on the security of that data.

To find out how companies can address this, while still reaping the benefits of AI, IoT and other fast growing technologies, we spoke to Fouad Khalil, VP of compliance at SecurityScorecard.

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Organizations not adequately protected against tax phishing scams

phishing hook

With phisherfolk ever keen to cash in at the end of the tax year, a new study has analyzed the public DNS records for 200 domains likely to be impersonated for tax fraud and finds that 78 percent are not adequately protected.

The research from email security company Valimail looked at Fortune 100 businesses, US states' departments of revenue, federal tax agencies and well-known tax preparation services.

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Until Apple patches this security flaw your VPN traffic might not be secure

Rainbow Apple logo

The recently open sourced ProtonVPN has issued a warning about a bug in iOS that leaves some VPN traffic unencrypted.

Apple is yet to release a fix for the VPN bypass vulnerability which affects iOS 13.3.1 and later. The flaw means that some connections may exist outside of the secure VPN tunnel for several hours, leaving traffic open to interception and potentially exposing users' real IP addresses.

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Operation Poisoned News used local news links to hit iPhone users with spyware

iPhone spyware

Research published by security firms Trend Micro and Kaspersky reveals details of a watering-hole campaign targeting iPhone users.

Dubbed Operation Poisoned News, the campaign used malicious links on local news websites to install the LightSpy malware. Hackers have been exploiting vulnerabilities in iOS to install the spyware which can gather huge amounts of information and can also be used to take remote control of a device.

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Gift card scam sends out malicious USB drives

Giftwrapped USB

Malware attacks using USB flash drives dropped in offices or public locations like car parks are not uncommon. But researchers at Trustwave Spiderlabs have been investigating a new attack disguised as a gift card.

The attack came in the form of a letter that appears to be from retail chain Best Buy offering a $50 gift to loyal customers. With the letter comes a USB drive supposedly containing a list of items to spend the money on.

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All 4G networks are vulnerable to cyberattack and 5G isn’t immune either

smartphone lock

Vulnerabilites in the 'Diameter' signalling protocol used to authenticate and authorize messages and information distribution in 4G networks leave them vulnerable to attack.

Researchers at Positive Technologies replicated the actions of threat actors and their attempts to infiltrate mobile networks were 100 percent successful. They also discovered that the biggest threat was denial of service attacks.

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Cybercriminals exploit opportunity to target remote workforces

socially distanced

New research reveals a concentrated drive to target workers now operating remotely as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Phishing detection specialist RedMarlin used artificial intelligence tools and submissions to its CheckPhish.ai site to detect thousands of attacks by cybercriminals with the intent of penetrating networks and stealing corporate data.

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