British Prime Minister David Cameron has stated his belief that encrypted messaging services must have backdoor access to government agencies
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Category Archives: Antivirus Vendors
Antivirus Vendors
Do you really need antivirus software for Linux desktops?
It started, innocently enough, as a question asked in the ESET Security Forum titled “Eset – Do I Really Need Antivirus On My Linux Distros?” However, the answer to that seemingly simple question on Linux antivirus is more complex than a simple yes-or-no response.
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The web gets ready for voice recognition
News broke earlier in January that Facebook has acquired Wit.ai, an 18 month old startup that specializes in voice recognition technology. At first, this might seem like a strange move but upon closer inspection, the rationale is clear.
Millions of users are turning to mobile as their preferred platform, where typing long messages and interacting with friends is far more challenging than on a PC keyboard.
It’s clear that companies like Facebook face a challenge to make mobile interaction easier and more engaging.
Using Wit.ai’s expertise, Facebook can build a mobile-first platform with a voice activated interface and text-to-speech messaging some obvious steps.
The Facebook acquisition highlights the excitement and potential behind voice recognition technology. We are potentially witnessing a fundamental shift in the way we interact with our technology forever.
As we start integrating voice activated functionality into new smart devices and services we use on a daily basis, my primary concern isn’t one of convenience but of security.
As I wrote in this blog in September 2014, there is much work to be done in securing our digital devices from voice commands.
Most voice recognition technologies scan commands for meaning and then execute them. I believe there is a need for an additional step, one of authentication.
Does the person issuing the command have the authority to do so? When I ask the device to execute a command, does it validate that it is really me and not someone else?
As I demonstrate in the below video, it is quite simple to have a device act upon a voice command issued by a synthetic voice or by a 3rd party that has an access to the device – even remotely:
Video
Voice hacking a device
As Facebook and other leading companies add more voice activation technologies to their roadmap, it’s important to realize that we are also increasing the number of services and devices that are potentially vulnerable to voice attacks. So considering this, , let’s build it with safety in mind.
US military’s CENTCOM Twitter account hacked – were they not using 2FA?
Twitter and YouTube accounts run by the US military’s Central Command are hijacked by hackers claiming to back Islamic State.
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Gartner Unveils Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) – MSP Mentor
Today's Computers Face More Attacks Than Ever – CNET
U.K. Power Grid is Under Attack From Hackers Every Minute, Says Parliament – Bloomberg Businessweek
Lizard Squad hackers use unsecured home routers in DDoS attacks
This Lizard is out to get your home router.
Your home router could be part of a network used to knock sites like Sony PlayStation network offline.
During Christmas we reported that a hacker group calling themselves the Lizard Squad, took responsibility for ruining the day for Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox users by taking the gaming networks offline. This and previous attacks, which included a bomb threat directed at an American Airlines flight with Sony Entertainment president John Smedley on board, have been revealed to be a marketing campaign to advertise a new product available for rent to anyone who wants to cause a Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack to the target of their choice.
I’m not a hacker. Why should I care?
You may not be a hacker, but the power for this service could be coming from your home office! Security blogger, Brian Krebs, whose own site was attacked, found out that the network of infected devices that powers the Product-That-Must-Not-Be-Named (that’s because Lizard Squad gleefully thanked Brian for the publicity on their Twitter account) is made up mostly of compromised home routers. On that same Twitter account, Lizard Squad said that they are using 250-500k infected routers.
These are the devices in everyone’s home that we warned you about in our blog, Your home network is at risk of cybersecurity attacks. Most people neglect the security of these devices by using the default user name and password that comes from the manufacturer out-of-the-box.
Our research determined that nearly 80% of all home routers in use today are thinly protected by common, easily hacked passwords, making routers an easy entry point to the home network for hackers,” said Avast Software’s CEO, Vincent Steckler.
Lizard Squad has just proven that point.
Today’s router security situation is very reminiscent of PCs in the 1990s, with lax attitudes towards security combined with new vulnerabilities being discovered every day creating an easily exploitable environment, “ Steckler said. “The main difference is people have much more personal information stored on their devices today than they did back then. Consumers need strong yet simple-to-use tools that can prevent attacks before they happen.”
How to protect your home router
Start by scanning you home network with Avast’s Home Network Security Solution.
Open the Avast user interface, click Scan from the menu on the left, then choose Scan for network threats. Avast will take a look at your router and report back any issues. In most cases, if there is an issue to be addressed, then it will direct you to your router manufacturer’s website.
The Home Network Security Solution is available in free and paid versions of Avast 2015. Get it at www.avast.com.
For more steps you can take to protect your home router, please see our blog post, 12 ways to boost your router’s security.
Microsoft to end free Advance Security Notifications
Microsoft is changing the way it distributes its Advance Notification Service, and will no longer make the security bulletins publicly available, according to eWeek.
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Anonymous hackers ‘declare war’ on al Qaeda and Islamic State
The Anonymous hacking collective has “declared war” against the terrorists said to be responsible for the shootings of staff at France’s satyrical Charlie Hebdo magazine, reports The Telegraph.
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