Phishing is the attacker’s dependable, longtime friend. Around since at least 1995, phishing is used to trick people into providing credit card information, login IDs and passwords, and to gain access to your computer, protected systems and/or networks.
Today, Between The Hacks arms you with the following: phishing background, practical advice, realistic visual examples, and links to reliable resources.
This week Between the Hacks reports on movies infected with malware, the NSA shares tips for teleworkers, a gif hijacks Microsoft Teams, and for the third time in 7 years, the iPhone has a word of death! Also bolster your security and privacy by changing DNS servers and a proof that robots can lie.
The world of cybersecurity is a constant cat and mouse game where attackers find new and creative ways to attack and the defenders discover those methods and figure out how to stop the attacks. The latest wrinkle in this spin around the hamster wheel was revealed by researchers at Barracuda Networks, who discovered that threat actors are now using, “reCAPTCHA walls to block URL scanning services from accessing the content of phishing pages.”
This week the U.S. AIr Force invites hackers to try and hack into an orbiting satellite, your employer may be infecting your home network, Sextortion pays big for scammers, an iOS vulnerability may have silently infected your device just by receiving an email and this week’s tip will help you secure your home network.
Your work computer might be the device that lets a threat actor into your home network. According to research conducted by cybersecurity companies, Arctic Security and Team Cymru, more than 50,000 U.S. organizations have sent their employees to a work from home environment with malware-infected computers.
On a corporate network, firewall rules and cybersecurity tools block certain types of traffic…
Another week of Zoovid-19 news as Zoom and COVID-19 dominate the cybersecurity headlines. Two Zoom zero-day exploits go up for sale. Zoom faces another class-action lawsuit. It’s not all bad news though, Zoom has been busy patching and making strides to regain trust. COVID-19 help is a click away. Social media companies battle Coronavirus misinformation. Home routers are compromised and this blog was selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 100 Cyber Security Blogs on the web. Thanks to all of the readers.
These days it seems that all news stories are related to COVID-19, and that’s also true in the infosec/cybersecurity community. Over the past month, I have read many insightful articles about COVID-19 phishing attacks and scams, and I’ve weighed in on the topic myself. While “top ten” and other lists are popular news items, I realized I hadn’t seen many lists of resources for COVID-19-themed cybersecurity incidents. So, Between the Hacks spent part of this week researching and starting to compile a compendium of pandemic-specific cybersecurity resources. The goal it to raise awareness, to share tips to prevent becoming a victim, resources to get help if you, or someone you know does become a victim, and also, some ways to help others during this global pandemic. As I learn of new resources, I’ll add them to this page.
Whether you celebrate Easter, or Passover, or just surviving another week in self-quarantined, social distancing, please stay safe, stay well, and check in with family, friends and neighbors.
This week we have more updates to the Zoom and COVID-19 sagas (now coined Zoovid-19). More than 2,300 Zoom credentials are found in an underground forum. Sixteen malicious coronavirus mobile apps are discovered, a sextortion campaign takes on different themes, and phishers pretend to be President Trump.
Zoom has made a lot of headlines recently as it has become the video conferencing tool of choice for many companies and individuals who found themselves suddenly quarantined at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoom’s daily active users jumped from 10 million to over 200 million in 3 months. The appeal of Zoom is that it’s easy to install, easy to use, has some fun features like virtual backgrounds, and its basic version is free. The free version allows for up to 100 participants to meet for a maximum of 40 minutes. This is certainly enough time for quick meetings with colleagues or catching up with friends and family. And if you need more time, just…
Zoom sees rapid growth with lots of growing pains, the FBI warns of teleconference hijacking, a data breach exposes GE employee data, for the third week in a row, we saw a rapid increase in COVID-19 Coronavirus phishing and cyberattacks, and Marriott reports a data breach…again.
“Voting is our capability to have a peaceful transfer of power. If you don’t have that, the alternatives are revolutions.” - Harri Hursti
Last week, HBO released Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America's Elections , a documentary that covers a 15-year analysis of voting machines in the United States. Many of the voting machines used in U.S. elections are vulnerable to attack and they are being targeted by nation states and other threat actors. Follow cybersecurity expert Harri Hursti in the HBO Documentary Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America's Elections , as he explains and demonstrates the weaknesses in many voting machines. In the documentary, Hursti is described as, “one of the world’s top experts on hacking techniques and voting security. For decades, he has been investigating vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems.” states the documentary. In addition to Hursti, the film features an impressive roster of cybersecurity experts including, Jeff Moss, Matt Blaze, Sandy Clark, and Mikko Hypponen, to name a few.
Malware: A malicious app that supposedly tracks Coronavirus victims, is actually demanding ransom payment from Android users. via @gcluley
Cyberattack: Cyberattack Hits U.S. Health Agency Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
More Patches: Adobe Releases Critical Patches for Acrobat Reader, Photoshop, Bridge, ColdFusion -
Botnet: Zxyel Flaw Powers New Mirai IoT Botnet Strain -
Credit Card Skimming: NutriBullet and others caught in online credit card skimming attack!
Data [Re]Breach
If you’re reading this in March, 2020, you are probably practicing social distancing and self-isolation due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus that is spreading around the globe. And, if you are not in the hospitality and food service industry, you are likely working from home (WFH) and maybe for the first time. For some, the idea of working in your pajamas at the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee is a dream come true; for others, it’s a true nightmare. No matter where you are on that spectrum, we are all going through this together (by being apart) and a few tips might make your work from home time productive, both personally and professionally.
Tech companies Helping businesses and schools stay connected in response to Coronavirus
FBI Arrests Alleged Owner of Deer.io, a Top Broker of Stolen Accounts
Warning — Unpatched Critical 'Wormable' Windows SMBv3 Flaw Disclosed…Then patched
Comcast Publishes info about customers who pay to have their info private
As the COVID-19 Coronavirus threatens to become a global pandemic, Internet criminals are leveraging this tragedy to spread their own kind of virus and digital attacks to prey on the fears and generosity of people around the world.
What is Happening?
Attackers are using phishing campaigns to target businesses and individuals. One example, reported by BleepingComputer, shows how scammers created a…
An employee of Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran thought it was a routine wire transfer. The email request did not look unusual, and the amount of the transfer did not raise suspicion. But it was a clever scam, and nearly $400,000 was deposited into the bank account of a phishing scammer. Corcoran, who is well known as one of the “sharks” on ABC’s TV show, Shark Tank, shared details of a cybersecurity breach at her company with ABC News.
"This morning I wired $388,000 into a false bank account…
In the world of cybersecurity, there are some pretty creative and interesting terms such as, phishing, juice-jacking, rainbow tables, credential stuffing, and botnet. However, there is one type of phishing attack that was given a name without anyone from a marketing team in the room. That is the Business Email Compromise (BEC) . I almost fell asleep while typing that last sentence!
While the name is not very sexy, the attack is simple to execute and can be very costly to the victim. In fact, according to a 2018 FBI report, BEC attacks have earned scammers over 12 billion dollars. BEC is a type of phishing attack with the goal of tricking the victim into sending money…
LastPass has released its third annual Global Password Security Report where they analyzed over 47,000 businesses to share interesting and helpful insights into employee password behavior at businesses around the world. The report is free but you will have to give up some contact information to download it.
The key takeaways are:
Businesses still have a lot of work to do in the area of password and authentication security.
Businesses are increasing their use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) but employees still have poor password hygiene.
This is the time of year when many of us wind down our busy work schedules and focus a little more on family and giving. In the spirit of giving, here are six cybersecurity gifts that you can buy for family, friends, or yourself.
Obligatory Disclaimer: I will not benefit in any way if readers purchase these products, they are just suggestions based on my use and testing.
Your home router is the one device that protects your home’s digital assets from the dangers of the Internet. It is a very busy little device; constantly fighting off attacks and managing your…
