The Wrong Way to Pick a Security Vendor
For a number of years, we’ve worked with and supported our Managed Service Provider (MSP) partners at Trend Micro and I’ve seen and heard a lot in that time. Over time, we’ve noticed a few trends when it comes to MSPs choosing a security vendor to partner with, and in an effort to save you…
The untapped potential of machine learning for detecting fraud
E-commerce fraud protection company Signifyd has recently signed up behavioral analytics expert Long-Ji Lin to fill the position of Chief Scientist. “For advertisers, Lin perfected his model’s ability to predict which users would take each desired action, such as a clicking on an ad or purchasing from an advertiser. For e-commerce merchants, Lin is focused…
UK Introduces Data Protection Bill to Replace GDPR After Brexit
The UK government has announced its plans for a new Data Protection Bill. This was foreshadowed in the Queen’s Speech of 21 June when she announced, “A new law will ensure that the United Kingdom retains its world-class regime protecting personal data.” This law is, in effect, the European General Data Protection Regulation designed to…
China’s Web Users Fear Losing Tools to Bypass ‘Great Firewall’
Enterprising internet users in China fear the tools they use to tunnel through the country’s “Great Firewall” may soon disappear, as Beijing tightens its grip on the web. Tens of millions of people are estimated to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass Chinese internet restrictions — getting access to blocked websites such as Facebook…
Obscuring malicious Facebook links using the Open Graph Protocol
Most users click on links popping up in their Facebook News Feed without thinking twice about it, but it’s good to keep in mind that they can lead to malicious sites. Here’s an example of one flagged by the SANS ISC (Internet Storm Center):
Def Con hackers showed how easily voting machines can be hacked
At Def Con’s hacker voting machine village, where 30 pieces of election equipment sat waiting, hackers were given a deliciously wicked goal. John Hopkins computer scientist Matt Blaze said, “We encourage you to do stuff that if you did on election day they would probably arrest you.” And they did. Most of the voting machines…
Apple Removes Some VPN Services From Chinese App Store
Apple has removed software allowing internet users to skirt China’s “Great Firewall” from its app store in the country, the company confirmed Sunday, sparking criticism that it was bowing to Beijing’s tightening web censorship. Chinese internet users have for years sought to get around heavy internet restrictions, including blocks on Facebook and Twitter, by using…
WikiLeaks Details Mac OS X Hacking Tools Used by CIA
The latest round of documents published by WikiLeaks as part of a leak dubbed by the organization “Vault 7” describes several tools allegedly used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to target Mac OS X and other POSIX systems. The tools, said to be part of a CIA project named “Imperial,” are called Achilles,…
FBI Talks Avalanche Botnet Takedown
BLACK HAT USA – Las Vegas – Tom Grasso, unit chief of the FBI’s cyber division, took the Black Hat stage to discuss the processes and partnerships leading up to the massive Avalanche takedown in December 2016. Avalanche “wasn’t a botnet,” he noted at the beginning of his talk. It was an infrastructure for enabling…
Sweden Rattled by Massive Confidential Data Leak
Sweden’s minority government was battling to contain the fallout Monday after a massive leak that may have made confidential military information accessible abroad, as well as the private data of millions of citizens. The leak made an entire database on Swedish drivers’ licenses available to technicians in the Czech Republic and Romania, with media reporting…