Security

Holding email icon

New online tool helps quantify insider email risk

Email is now the preferred communication method for businesses, but this brings with it greater risk of employees leaking data due to errors or deliberate activity.

A survey from data security company Egress shows that of employees who had accidentally shared data almost half (48 percent) say they had been rushing, 30 percent blamed a high-pressure working environment and 29 percent said it happened because they were tired.

By Ian Barker -
Hacker

Developer of HildaCrypt ransomware releases decryption keys for free

Ransomware is a pervasive problem, and for victims it can be difficult to know whether paying up will help them to regain access to their maliciously encrypted files. So when ransomware decryption keys are released free of charge, it's always good news -- and this is exactly what has happened for HildaCrypt.

The developer of this particular strain of ransomware has released the decryption keys after a security researcher shared detailed of what was initially thought to be a new type of ransomware.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
insider threat

DLP solutions can't stop insider threats

Insider threats, caused by current and departing employees, expose companies to breaches and put corporate data at risk, but security solutions may not be effectively preventing them.

A new study from data loss solution company Code42 finds that 69 percent of organizations say they were breached due to an insider threat and confirm they had a prevention solution in place at the time of the breach.

By Ian Barker -
Stalker

Cybersecurity companies focus on the role of 'stalkerware' in domestic abuse

Yesterday marked the start of not just Cybersecurity Awareness Month but also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Domestic abusers often make use of stalkerware (commercial spyware used as a tool for domestic espionage) to leverage their partner's digital footprint for physical control.

By Ian Barker -
Netflix on Samsung phone

Netflix phishing tops all other attacks on streaming services

With nearly 151 million users worldwide, Netflix is the #1 streaming service in the world. It also has the distinction of being the most impersonated by hackers. For cybercriminals, Netflix phishing is a lucrative business. While other streaming services, including HBO NOW and Spotify, are also on the receiving end of phishing attacks, none comes close to Netflix.

Netflix’s 155 million subscriber base offers a lucrative supply of personal information, contributing to its favorability with phishers. In Vade Secure's quarterly Phisher’s Favorites report for Q2 2019, Netflix was the 4th most impersonated brand in phishing attacks, with 8.2 percent quarter-over-quarter growth in Q2 2019.

By Adrien Gendre -
Google HQ logo

Google launches enhanced password management capabilities

According to a Harris Poll carried out for Google, 75 percent of Americans get frustrated trying to manage all their passwords.

This results in unsafe practices as 24 percent have used the following common passwords, or some variation: like 'abc123', 'Password', or '123456'. 59 percent of US adults have incorporated a name (their own, a family member's, a partner's, or a pet’s) into their password to an online account, 22 percent have used their own name and a third have used their pet's name or a variation as their password.

By Ian Barker -
data breach

Cost of an enterprise data breach rises to $1.41 million

New research from Kaspersky finds that the cost of enterprise data breaches has risen from $1.23 million last year to $1.41 million in 2019.

At the same time enterprise organizations have invested more in cybersecurity, with IT security budgets averaging $18.9 million compared to $8.9 million in 2018.

By Ian Barker -
VPN tiles

ExpressVPN to be pre-installed on HP consumer PCs

Consumer VPN specialist ExpressVPN has announced a tie up with HP to have its software pre-installed on the company's consumer PCs.

As part of the deal selected machines will come with ExpressVPN's Windows app pre-installed to help protect customers' privacy and security on public Wi-Fi networks. HP consumer customers will also receive an exclusive free 30-day trial of the VPN service.

By Ian Barker -
Roulette wheel

Gambling with cyber risk -- the odds are not on your side

A new report from secure collaboration platform Wire, produced in collaboration with a global poker champion, looks at the risks businesses run with cyber security and comparing them to other everyday occurrences, with some startling findings.

Among them are that an employee is three times more likely to infect a colleague with a malicious email than they are to spread the flu to their partner, and that an employee's chances of spotting a phishing email are as slim as hitting a specific number on the roulette wheel.

By Ian Barker -
Mistake

Workplace errors increase risk of data breaches

Around two thirds of businesses have experienced a data breach in the last year and seemingly innocent workplace mistakes could be one of the main causes.

A new report produced by the Ponemon Institute for document security specialist Shred-it reveals that 71 percent of managers have seen or picked up confidential documents left on a printer.

By Ian Barker -
Data breach

One year on from the Facebook data breach -- what has changed? [Q&A]

One year ago this week Facebook suffered a massive data breach that prompted the company to reset access for around 90 million accounts.

A year on from this event what has been done to make users' data more secure and are people becoming more aware of the risks to their privacy from using social networks and other sites? We spoke to Fouad Khalil VP of compliance at SecurityScorecard to discuss these things and more.

By Ian Barker -
Burning money

Poor incident response costs business time and money

Inefficient incident response to email attacks is costing businesses billions in losses every year. For many organizations, finding, identifying and removing email threats is a slow and manual process that takes too long and uses too many resources.

Research from Barracuda Networks finds that that, on average, a business takes three and a half hours to remediate an attack, and 11 percent of organizations spend more than six hours on investigation and remediation.

By Ian Barker -
Network security

Modified PcShare backdoor replaces Windows Narrator to gain full control of systems

Security researchers have discovered a modified version of the open source backdoor PcShare which seems to originate from a Chinese advanced persistent threat (APT) group.

The malware has been used to target technology firms, and it is deployed via side-loading by a legitimate NVIDIA application. As part of the attack, a Trojanized version of Windows' Narrator screen reading tool is used to gain remote access to systems without the need for credentials.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Thomas Cook

Cybercriminals target Thomas Cook customers in the wake of the company's collapse

The collapse of travel firm Thomas Cook has caused chaos for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers around the world. But if losing out on planned trips was not bad enough, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the confused situation to scam customers out of their money.

There have been numerous reports of fraudsters pretending to be representatives of either Thomas Cook or a bank, using the promise of a refund to get people to part with bank account details.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Encryption backdoor

Two thirds of consumers don't think government encryption backdoors will protect them from terrorists

A new survey by machine identity protection company Venafi shows consumers don't trust major cyber security policies pushed by their governments.

Government officials in nearly every country believe the security risks inherent in government-mandated encryption backdoors are less important than giving law enforcement broad access to encrypted personal data. However, US and European consumers overwhelmingly disagree. When asked if laws allowing governments to access encrypted personal and private data would make them safer from terrorists 64 percent don’t agree.

By Ian Barker -
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