Top 3 Recommendations to Avoid Online Holiday Fraud and Scams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NGn2xg34SQ The holidays are a time for increased online fraud and scams. All of us need to follow the best security practices to keep our holiday from turning into a digital disaster. Be smart. Know that the cybercriminals will attempt all manner of fraud. Be suspicious. There are resources available to you if you need help or have questions. Have a Happy and Safe Holidays! The…
Some Justice for Phone Scammers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1eLn1TW3Pk You know those spam calls that threaten money is owed to the IRS and if you don’t pay over-the-phone you will be arrested? How about the call that the US Immigration will deport you if you don’t pay. All annoying scams. But, highly profitable for the organized criminals behind them. One of the biggest offenders was an operation based out of India, outside the reach of U.S. authorities, that pulled in…
Why TrickBot Malware may be a Game Changer for Cybersecurity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_jQlGI0tcg Cyber attackers continue to move down the compute stack with the latest variant of TrickBot now targeting firmware for malicious manipulations. This is when it gets serious. The firmware sits below the operating system and is a perfect place for malware to hide from detection or eviction. It is very tough to accomplish, but if successful, the TrickBot authors may be able…
Apple App Store Will Require Privacy Transparency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0IDdOyUf1Y Apple is instituting new privacy requirements, for all new applications being listed in the App Store, to enhance transparency and educate users. It is an important step, but additional measures are needed to ensure compliance.
FireEye Hacked – A Stark Reminder of Cybersecurity Risks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkR6zcsHUo Even the best security organizations can be hacked! Watch my message to both the cybersecurity industry as well as those attackers that hacked FireEye and stole the RedTeam tools. This skirmish went to the hackers, but the battle continues.
Top 10 Privacy Thought Leaders and Influencers I am honored to be among Thinkers360’s Top10 Privacy Thought Leaders and Influencers. Our digital world is filling with so much information, it represents a growing risk to the privacy and respect of people. We can have the benefits of innovative technology and still protect the privacy of individuals, so they are not unnecessarily burdened, unfairly targeted, or maliciously influenced. https://www.thinkers360.com/…
Evolution of Law Enforcement is Driving Changes Cryptocurrency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpSRQ1hJVXg There is an important transition that is happening with law enforcement’s adaptation to digital currencies. Authorities are seizing billions worth of criminal’s cryptocurrency and their improving skills are proving crypto is not the safe haven that criminals thought it to be.
Missing the Big Picture from the SolarWinds Hack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmIOoN5n01c The cybersecurity industry is consumed with scale and effectiveness of one of the biggest hacks in recent memory. The emerging narrative and stories are missing important pieces of the puzzle. The attackers, likely a nation-state, gained unprecedented access to the U.S. government, military, critical infrastructure, and most major businesses. The full scope and reasons are not clear,…
Leaders and Losers of the SolarWinds Hack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qqOXVEnNt0 The SolarWinds hack has had a significant ripple effect on the cybersecurity community, with over 18k organizations discovered to be severely vulnerable and at the mercy of nation-state hackers. The security community realized some of the biggest companies, most sensitive government agencies, and critical infrastructure were at risk. Some organizations have shown leadership, most have…
Objectives of Nation State Cyber Attackers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_-vsnICw9E It is important to look into the motivations of government orchestrated cyberattacks, such as SolarWinds, as understanding the threat-agent’s objectives can provide important insights to their long-term goals and potential next steps. Today I discuss the 4 primary reasons why Nation States conduct cyber warfare activities and evaluate that against what we currently know of the SolarWinds…
The CISO Dilemma - When Leadership Ignores Risks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_OsrBIXPY What should a CISO do when the executive leadership chooses to ignore critical cyber risks? If the C-Suite and board are well informed of imperative vulnerabilities and yet choose a path to ignore security, the CISO is put in a position where they are incapable of effectively managing risk, yet still responsible when incidents occur. Let’s break down the problem, from what a CISO…
Altilly Cryptocurrency Exchange is Hacked The cryptocurrency exchange Altilly (https://altilly.com/) is notifying users they noticed suspicious activities and then lost control of their systems when they migrated to a new hosting provider. Altilly is unsure if the customer's assets are lost. Sounds like there may be some lawsuits if people don’t get their crypto assets back! *“We are investigating what is going on and what has been saved so far.* *We are not sure yet if…
Update to Altilly Cryptocurrency Exchange Hack Yesterday, the cryptocurrency exchange Altilly (https://altilly.com/) went down and on their website was a notification that they had lost control of their systems. Today, the Altilly team updated the visitors with more details and indicated that the attackers not only took control of their webpage, but internal databases, and wallets. The aggressors then deleted the files on servers, web hosting sites, and even offsite backup…
Privacy is at risk when security fails - especially for surveillance cameras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77w-g1KzCAc A recent incident involving city surveillance video data highlights some of the criminal privacy risks of public camera and biometric programs. Without strong cybersecurity, everyone’s privacy could be undermined by cyber attackers, criminals, and malicious insiders.
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