Hacking Factory Robot Arms for Sabotage, Fun & Profit

Black Hat talk will discuss how hackers could take over robotic arms, create micro-defects in products, and open up a new world of subtle blackmail. Security researchers have been accumulating a trove of breakthrough discoveries on Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) vulnerabilities and releasing them at the Black Hat Briefings over the last few years…

How Hotel Cybersecurity Keeps Guests and Data Secure

Hotels need cybersecurity: Although they don’t have the volume of transactions that big box retail stores do, their transactions are generally larger, and their guests have more at stake than just their groceries. But the personal information hotels store is only part of what’s at risk. Hospitality organizations need to understand their vulnerabilities, as well…

Social media is a cybersecurity risk for business

By itself, social media might not constitute a cyberthreat but once again,  employees who ignore best practices around security are making it easy for scammers. It’s even been described as the perfect hunting ground for illegal activity. Social media has also turned into a dandy reconnaissance tool that cybercriminals use to socially engineer their victims. When someone neglects their privacy settings or publicly posts personal notes and photos, they can leave cybercriminals free to use their information…

Video Game Firms Targeted With “Paranoid” PlugX Malware

Companies in the video game industry and possibly other sectors have been targeted in attacks involving improved variants of the notorious PlugX remote access trojan (RAT). Palo Alto Networks has spotted several interesting PlugX samples believed to have been used by the same threat actor. While the company has not provided any details on the…

The quest for a more secure Dropbox alternative

If you use Dropbox, Google Drive, or Yandex.Disk, then you have no doubt appreciated the convenience of always having all of your important files handy on any device. A file can be shared with friends or coworkers in a second. However some find the data security on these popular services lacking, worrying that unauthorized people…

With ransomware, pay up if you want to keep paying

A hospital CEO is contacted in the middle of the night with a dire warning. Hackers have taken control of computer systems used for patient care, CT scans, and lab work. The hacker wants money. Rather than pay the ransom, the hospital CEO enlists several experts to try to break back into the system. It…

Week in review: Evaluating AI-based cyber security systems, how CIA hit air-gapped computers

Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news and articles: How the CIA gained access to air-gapped computers A new WikiLeaks release of documents believed to have been stolen from the CIA show the intelligence agency’s capability to infect air-gapped computers and networks via booby-trapped USB sticks. Hackers extorted a cool $1…