Know the Odds: The Cost of a Data Breach in 2017
We’ve all heard that when it comes to experiencing a data breach, the question is not if it will happen, but when. You may be wondering about the actual odds of it happening to your organization. Think about it this way: The chances of being struck by lightning this year are 1 in 960,000. When…
A Brief History of Computing: As Technology Evolves, Cybersecurity Lags Behind
Security isn’t what it used to be, especially in the area of computing. It has become far more ephemeral, less obvious and much more important. To keep pace with the evolving threat landscape, we all need to reset our expectations about what cybersecurity actually is in today’s world and look carefully at what it might…
Cyber Solstice: IT Security Tasks to Tackle on the Longest Day of the Year
This week, we will experience the longest day of the year: June 21. For IT professionals, more daylight means more time to handle tasks on the back burner, start new projects or even — gasp — take a step back from the cybersecurity front lines. Here’s a look at some top contenders for security tasks…
Flying Under the Radar: How Hackers Use Protection Strategies for Attack
It’s a recurring theme in sports movies, war stories and crime stories alike: In order to defeat the enemy, one must think like the enemy. This approach has been taken – oftentimes quite successfully – in an array of settings, including the cybersecurity realm. Security researchers are constantly working to pinpoint and better understand the…
Building Upon Trump’s Executive Order on Cybersecurity
Just days after President Trump signed his executive order on cybersecurity, the massive WannaCry attack dominated the news cycle. The assault infiltrated 150 countries, penetrating national networks and infrastructure. A breach of such international scale has rightly raised questions about government preparedness for digital warfare. In answering these concerns, Trump’s executive order should not be…
Al-Jazeera reportedly hit by systematic hacking attempts
Al-Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster owned by the ruling family of Qatar, says the websites and digital platforms of Al Jazeera Media Network, its parent company, “are undergoing systematic and continual hacking attempts.” “These attempts are gaining intensity and taking various forms. However, the platforms have not been compromised,” the broadcaster said in a statement that…
Fireball: Adware with potential nuclear consequences
Advertising can sometimes be annoying — and sometimes it can be malicious. Businesses that make their money selling advertisements sometimes go too far trying to make sure you see their ads. Recently researchers found that one such business — a big digital-marketing agency — went as far as installing adware on 250 million computers running…
IDG Contributor Network: “Security should be invisible”
In the world of security startups, there are those crazy ones. As that Apple ad goes, they are the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. Society should celebrate entrepreneurs…
How computer security pros hack the hackers
The long, awkward silence is always the first sign that a previously over-confident hacker realizes he’s suddenly become the victim. It happens every time. The malicious hacker had been firing his “ion cannon” at my network address trying to overwhelm my home computer and internet connection. I had sent him an email the day before…
New class of attacks affects all Android versions
Researchers have demonstrated how a malicious app with two specific permission can stealthily compromise users’ Android devices. “The possible attacks include advanced clickjacking, unconstrained keystroke recording, stealthy phishing, the silent installation of a God-mode app (with all permissions enabled), and silent phone unlocking + arbitrary actions (while keeping the screen off),” the researchers, from Georgia…