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…

Cybercriminals Use Cracked Builder to Spawn Betabot Variants

Betabot, an old piece of malware that ensnares affected computers into a botnet, is now being distributed by attackers who managed to crack its builder, Sophos security researchers reveal. The malware previously functioned as a banking information stealing Trojan, then became a password stealing malware, and recently began capitalizing on infected bots to distribute ransomware.

Ransomware took in $1 billion in 2016–improved defenses may not be enough to stem the tide

Increased user awareness of phishing threats, better antivirus technology, more industry-wide information sharing and cross-border efforts by law enforcement authorities will combine to turn the tide against ransomware this year, according to some security experts, but others expect the attacks to continue to increase. According to a security expert who requested anonymity, ransomware cyber-criminals took…

What to do if your data is taken hostage

Getting duped online by a cybercriminal is infuriating. You let your guard down for a minute and the thieves find their way in to your machine. And then the “fun” begins if ransomware is involved. Hopefully you have your data backed up, but if not now starts the dance with those who have ultimately taken…

Where Cybercriminals Go To Buy Your Stolen Data

With nothing more than a standard Web browser, cyber-criminals can find personal, private information all over the public Internet. It isn’t just legitimate services – from genealogy sites to public records and social media – that can be mined and exploited for nefarious purposes. Openly malicious criminal activities are also happening on the public Internet….

7 Scary Ransomware Families

As the season of evil witches, ghosts, goblins, and ghouls approaches, it’s time to be on guard. But security managers face scary prospects year-round, especially as new strains of ransomware escalate. And ransomware variants are getting more pervasive – and creepier – than ever. The FBI says that from Jan. 1, 2016 to June 30,…