February 2018 - Cyber Security Minute

Fortinet Enhances Network Security OS, Adds AI-based Threat Detection

Issued by: Security Week

Two major new product announcements were made at Fortinet’s Accelerate 18 conference this week, including a new machine learning (ML) threat intelligence and detection offering, along with a major upgrade to the Fortinet Security Fabric (FortiOS). Accelerate 18, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, is Fortinet’s annual global partner and user conference, attended by around 2,000…

Vulnerabilities

Beyond the Password Era: Changing Consumer Habits Signal the End Is Near

Issued by: Security Intelligence

The death of the password has been rumored for years, but to this day it remains the primary way we identify ourselves online, with the average user now managing well over 100 accounts that require a password. Yet changing tides in the cybersecurity landscape, combined with evolving technology and consumer preferences, indicate that the end of…

Mobile Security

Samsung Smartphones Get Encrypted Communications

Issued by: Security Week

KoolSpan this week announced a partnership with Samsung to implement secure communications on Samsung smartphones. KoolSpan, a provider of encrypted secure voice and messaging solutions for mobiles, is already offering secure communications to enterprises. With support for mainstream phones, which are normally used within organizations, the solutions bring end-to-end encryption to all internal calls and…

Malware & Threats

Thanatos Ransomware Makes Data Recovery Impossible

Issued by: Security Week

A newly discovered ransomware family is generating a different encryption key for each of the encrypted files but saves none of them, thus making data recovery impossible. Dubbed Thanatos, the malware was discovered by MalwareHunterTeam and already analyzed by several other security researchers. When encrypting files on a computer, the malware appends the .THANATOS extension…

Vulnerabilities

Chip Cards Lead to 70% Drop in Counterfeit Fraud: Visa

Issued by: Security Week

The adoption of chip-and-PIN card technology by an increasing number of merchants in the United States has led to a significant drop in cases of counterfeit card fraud, according to Visa. The financial industry has been pushing for the adoption of EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) card technology in the United States since 2011, and efforts…

Network Security

A view of the global threat landscape: Cybercrime and intrusion trends

Issued by: Help Net Security

Established and well-resourced cyber operations will continue to innovate, developing new methods of distributing crimeware and incorporating advanced tactics to infiltrate, disrupt and destroy systems, according to a new report by CrowdStrike. “We’ve already seen cyber adversaries launch massive, destructive attacks that render organizations inoperable for days or weeks. Looking ahead, security teams will be under…

Vulnerabilities

Cryptocurrency Fraud: In the Midst of a Gold Rush, Beware of Scammers

Issued by: Security Week

Bitcoin is the pioneer and obvious leader in the cryptocurrency market. But in 2017 alternative coins, or “altcoins,” began to transform the market. Nearly 1,500 cryptocurrencies are currently in circulation, and new altcoins emerge every week with Monero, Zcash and Ethereum among the top challengers to Bitcoin. But beware. Much like opportunists who devised various…

Malware & Threats

The global cyber war is heating up: Why businesses should be worried

Issued by: CSO

Last Friday, the Department of Justice indicted 13 Russians and three Russian companies for interfering with the 2016 elections. Also last week, several countries including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, and Denmark accused Russia of being behind last summer’s NotPetya attack. “[NotPetya] was part of the Kremlin’s ongoing effort to destabilize Ukraine, and it demonstrates ever more clearly…