Just over one in five banks and insurers are confident in their ability to identify data breaches, according to a new global survey from Capgemini Consulting.
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The latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android Nougat, has quite a few security improvements over older versions and, in fact, its arrival on the market is more than necessary. Not for nothing, Android has managed to win the dubious honor of being the product with the most security vulnerabilities discovered in 2016.
According to the ranking carried out by the CVE Details digital platform, more than five hundred holes in Google’s mobile operating system over the past year have been found. To be exact, there were 523 security errors that put its more than 1.5 billion users at risk.
So Android has overtaken Apple. In 2015, the operating system of Apple computers, Mac OS X, had the greatest amount of vulnerabilities to their credit. However, this year Cupertino seems to have done their homework. They’ve gone from leading last year’s ranking with more than 400 vulnerabilities to closing out 2016 at number eleven on the list, with little more than 200 holes identified throughout the year.
So it turns out having a mobile fleet in your company comprised of Android phones can pose a real risk if you don’t have the right protection. In addition, it is important to update the terminal with the latest version possible, which ultimately will depend on the manufacturer (some are quicker than others, and all are abandoning their older models completely). It’s no wonder there are more than 300 million Android devices that no longer even receive security patches.
Two Linux distributers, Debian and Ubuntu, are the technological products that join Android on the podium of the most error-riddled software. Throughout 2016 over 300 vulnerabilities were found in Debian, while the other distributer came in third place with almost 280 errors.
Choosing your company’s technological tools can be key to preserving both your safety and that of your customers. However, not many are able to escape vulnerabilities: operating systems like Windows 10, browsers such as Google Chrome, or software giants like Adobe are also among the twenty products with the most vulnerabilities discovered in 2016.
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Strategic cybersecurity the key to keeping the threat of cyberattacks at bay, a new report states.
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A lot of things can go wrong on your holidays, like losing luggage or missing a flight, forgetting your travel documents or getting sick at the worst possible time. But have you ever been locked out of your hotel room because of a cyberattack?
That’s just what happened to guests at a luxury hotel in Austria when they were left stranded outside of their rooms after a ransomware attack that overrode electronic key systems.
This concept, which can be summed up as “if you don’t pay, your guests won’t be able to get into their rooms”, underscores a strategy shift in ransomware. Instead of directly attacking the hotel chain directly, cybercriminals are looking to increase profitability by compromising the well-being of paying customers.
Infected computers and POS systems, credit card theft, access to confidential information… in the age of the Internet of Things and smart homes, these attacks are becoming commonplace or even antiquated.
Clearly the attacks that this industry has been experiencing are not something casual or fleeting. Behind them lies a real economic interest and a preoccupation with stealthy operations. The hotel sector has become a major target for organized cybercriminals in possession of malware specifically designed to harm its running smoothly, not only in payment systems, but also by sealing off access to your room, turning lights on and off, or locking your blinds.
This is, undoubtedly, a worrisome situation that could cause significant harm not only on an economic level, but also a PR level, sowing fear among clientele.
Taking appropriate measures is a matter of necessity. Hotels are being forced to reinforce the security of their networks, devices, and systems to avoid becoming victims to this kind of attack. But not all protection systems offer the same level of security, nor are they all valid for any kind of business environment.
Traditional antiviruses are not effective against these attacks, since they are specifically tailored to the victim and are cleaned of all recognizable malware signatures before being launched. Current anti-malware solutions use proactive technology that rely on these signatures to catch malware, rendering them useless against attacks that actively avoid incorporating traits recognizable to these solutions. That’s why it is vital to have advanced cybersecurity protection like Adaptive Defense 360, one that can activate protection systems before the malware is even able to run.
The post When Ransomware Comes Knocking at Your Door… or Locks it appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.
A significant number of US citizens have experienced a data breach and are concerned over the security of their personal information, a study reveals.
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IT security professionals are at the forefront of the demand from companies across the UK, many of whom have placed greater demand on tech skills.
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The US Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into whether Yahoo could have been quicker to tell investors about two record-breaking data breaches.
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Last year is proof that stories about Kim Kardashian and Pikotaro’s PPAP song were not the only things able to break the internet, 2016 was a year full of news about data breaches, stolen sensitive information, hackers extortion and DDoS attacks that in some cases had a significant impact on the lives of many Americans. Phew, it’s all gone, and we are already in 2017!
Hopefully, reputable tech giants such as LinkedIn, Verizon, Google and Microsoft will be a bit more vigilant about keeping our sensitive information safe. Luckily there are anti-virus companies who have our backs even when tech companies’ security fail.
Having anti-virus software is similar to having a second layer of clothes in the winter. You like being prepared, don’t you?
After such a turbulent 2016, we’ve developed a little list of cyber threats to watch out for in 2017.
Currently, there are billions of connected devices all over the world – the revolution of self-driving cars is just about to kick in too. Drones, doorbells, kitchen appliances, thermostats and health gadgets – all sorts of new technology is now able to be monitored and controlled over the internet. The power of IoT gives us an unparalleled convenience, things we’ve never experienced before, but also poses a grave danger.
The potential threat is no longer about getting your fridge or printer hacked, but cracks in the system of such technology which if penetrated by criminals could cause significant security risks. No one would want a self-driving car or a drone hacked and operated by hackers.
This poses a great concern for our safety. We are expecting a wild 2017 for the consumers out there, as more attacks throughout the year are likely to follow. Currently, it is easier for cyber trouble-makers to create and control an IoT army of devices, than to develop new spyware. We hope to see the security features of IoT devices advance in 2017.
It’s just the beginning of the New Year, and multiple sources have reported innovative and more sophisticated phishing attacks targeting Gmail accounts in the US. Sources say these phishing attacks can fool even experienced internet users. What is so different about these phishing attaches from the regular ones?
Not much, except for the fact that the design of the landing pages is getting better and better. Another difference worth mentioning is the URL bar. Anti-virus software companies have been preaching for years to always look at the URL bar and never input your login details in websites of whose URLs are not https or/and marked in red color.
In the new case of phishing attacks, the URL bar is in plain text, its’ not green nor red. Apparently, this tends to confuse people so be aware if you don’t want to be in the news as the next victim of a well-executed scam.
The New Year will surely bring us news of state-sponsored cyber espionage. Mainstream media still finds it hard to accept the legitimacy of the new president of the United States, and the means he used to make it to the chief commander of the free world role. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange argued that the emails which revealed information about Secretary Hillary Clinton were part of a leak, not a state-sponsored campaign designed to elect Donald Trump. We will most likely never know the full truth but what we are aware is that state sponsored cyber-attacks will become a norm in 2017.
Last year a California hospital paid $17,000 in Bitcoin to hackers, a well-known university in the US also became a victim of an attack where cyber criminals installed ransomware on the company’s systems and demanded payment to unlock it. In all known hacker extortion cases, the victim ended up paying up the criminals. The main problem is that not only companies are under threat, but individuals too. There have been reported cases of senior citizens who have been held up by cyber bullies, demanding payments so they can regain access to precious family imagery. Or celebrities ending up paying to stop sensitive photos from being released into the world. Having in mind that most of all known occurrences of cyber extortion have been successful, and the fact that governments tend to lose the battles against it, the occurrences of such incidents are very likely to continue into this year.
Digital fingerprinting is getting popular among consumer devices. We saw tens and probably hundreds of them at CES 2017. Currently, all major cell phone manufacturers have it as an option to unlock their phones. Now there are home locks, padlocks, deadbolts and USB sticks that could be unlocked/opened with a simple touch. Even some car manufacturers are integrating the technology into their new car models. Sadly, a Japanese researcher recently came out with a statement that your fingerprints could be stolen when posing for a photo doing the piece sign. Criminals are getting creative, what a surprise! Facial and iris recognition may soon become a norm too so protecting the databases that store this information will become a challenge.
However, these issues are now real and protecting our data in all its forms is vital. The convenience the new technology is bringing us opens backdoors for criminals to take advantage. Luckily there are anti-virus specialists such as Panda Security, who make sure your data stays safe and provide you with that extra layer of security that we all need.
The post Top Cyber Risks of 2017 appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.
Lloyds Banking Group fell victim to an attempted cyberattack earlier this month, which saw cybercriminals attempt to crash the online banking service over a two day period.
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There were approximately 5.6 million incidents of fraud and cybercrime in the UK last year, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed.
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