Old ATMs – Young Troubles

November 2, 2014 — Leave a comment

It is not an exaggeration to say that the ATMs are the true money machines. Yet, the real question is for whom, exactly? If you take the money you have already earned, then you are definitely not in the mood for the word games about the money making machines. And, there is one more scenario.

If someone steals the money from the ATM, he or she will be thrilled by the generosity of these genuine money machines. The older these machines get, the easier for you to become to rob them. It maybe a little bit hard to accept, but there is an entire army of sophisticated malware, which specializes in the ATMs.

Here is an extremely indicative example. One Canadian teenager was able to take the full control over the local ATMs in the most unimaginable and surprising way. He has founded the ATM’s manual on the Internet from A to Z. As simple as that. He made the money to rain from these machines.

Luckily for both himself and the banks, his intentions were good. But, he got misunderstood. He proved his point at a bitter cost. He will have to do some quality time with the authorities explaining his actions and motives, while we on the other hand will have to seriously consider the replacement of grandpa ATMs.

Cyber Ladies Will Save The World

November 1, 2014 — Leave a comment

There is something that the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Microsoft itself know about the next cyber super weapon. Who could have thought that the solution to our cyber troubles comes on high fashion heels?

For what is worth, the growing number of female IT security experts is supposed to save the day. We are more than likely to expect an unprecedented demand for the new cyber security experts, especially the ones who prefer both top fashion and security codes. We have one more proof of our claims.

Microsoft has launched one of the biggest new talent program in India, with the special focus on young IT women. As a result, in the upcoming years Microsoft expects to build an army of one million IT ladies. No wonder, both the NPPD and the DHS share this enthusiasm for the new IT lady wave.

On the other side, we just cannot help ourselves wondering what could be the motivation for these unorthodox plans? It seems that women have some kind of a special cyber power, we are not quite aware about. Do not forget, one beautiful woman gave birth to the very first Trojan in our history.

There’s No Such A Thing As A Free Malware

October 29, 2014 — Leave a comment

If you think that the top malware solutions comes from the cyber kids, who are dying to prove themselves in the big and merciless world, then you have probably seen too many movies. There is an entire malware business industry, which is all about the Benjamins. There is no room for romanitsm among the cyber pirates.

One of the most brutal, but extremely lucrative malware schemes can earn you as much as $25,000 a day. This can be compared to the traffic of narcotics in the terms of financial efficiency. On the other side, in order to be successful you have to invest at least three million users on a daily basis.

The technicalities can be surprisingly simple. You steal the keys from someone’s home, and in exchange you can ask a ransom. Otherwise, your victim has no other choice than to ask for a new home. Translated in the cyber language, unless you pay a significant amount of money your data can be encrypted forever.

Therefore, it is the hackers’ way or the cyber highway. On the other hand, if this can be a comfort, the hackers are after the big lucrative fish. That means you can relax for a while. Unless, some cyber kid stumbles on you during his practice hours. Even the malware has its own price, which asks for a earning chance.

The CAID To Aid

October 27, 2014 — Leave a comment

The UK National Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) is good to go. We can only say, finally someone has done his homework as it should. All of this time we were bitterly surprised to witness all over again how we try to fight untraditional menaces with the traditional means. It is supposed to be simple.

Fight the cyber disease with the cyber cure. This can be quite an educational story. Right? Can you imagine all cyber security experts working as one team? Can you imagine more of these databases with enough crime categories? How hard could it be? You can rest assured that the criminals play a different game.

Their favorite brand is definitely the United Colors of Benetton, for a good and obvious reason. We can learn from them. You can save the world with a single database. However, you can certainly change with the quite a few crimes related databases. The crime grows where it feels safe and strong enough.

The cyberspace should not be allowed to become or be one of these crime-friendly spaces. Yes, you can type and upload against the crime. The cyber warriors for a noble cause can make a difference. Our hats off to the UK cyber wizards, who are protecting the children in both real and virtual playgrounds.

The Sandworm Team

October 24, 2014 — Leave a comment

As soon as you launch a political, military or an economic crisis, you can rest assured that an avalanche of speculation will inevitably follow. This is exactly what happened with the crisis in Ukraine. On the other side, the NATO and EU were dead worried about the Russian cyber answer in this matter.

This is how the iSight has published its findings about one of the most notorious Russian hacker group called the Sandworm Team. According to some serious rumors this group was directly supported and lead by the Russian secret agencies. There activities were focused primarily on the NATO, EU and Ukraine related structures.

On the other side, there were quite a few interesting information about these cyber shadow warriors from Russia definitely worth mentioning. These SF fans were able to exploit the security flaws in the Windows itself for their actions, which is an interesting thing to witness. So far, we have had the different roles.

Allegedly, the Western secret agencies such as the CIA or NSA were exploiting Windows bugs for spying on the Russian government officials. It seems that someone was quite capable of turning the Windows itself against its countrymen. The secret cyber war has already begun. All what we can see are only the consequences.

Airlines Grounded For Cyber Security Reasons

October 20, 2014 — Leave a comment

It is not a joke. Not so long ago the flight schedule of the Japanese PM was hacked. Even worse, it was offered to the black hacker’s market. Do you remember how in one of the Superman movies all oil tankers were unwillingly brought together in the middle of the ocean as a result of hacking?

Well, who says we cannot do the same on the sky? Can you believe that more than 40% of all leading airlines do not have a plan nor effective strategy in terms of cyber security? Why? Maybe, they spend too much time flying and they do not have time to deal with the mother earth related problems such as the cyber attacks.

You can hack whatever you want. We can deal with that scenario. But, what about hacking a plane? There is nothing romantic about it. You are not going to make your own version of the Lost, once your plane hits the ground. And, there will not be any superhero including the Superman to rescue you.

Of all the cyber places in the world the airlines’ IT infrastructure should be the most secured ones. Can you accept the 40% chance for a cyber attack, while you are on the plane? You have greater chances to suffer from the cyber than the terrorist attack while flying. Think about it for a change, will you?

Simplicity Atrocity

October 18, 2014 — Leave a comment

The hackers do not move in mysterious ways. They prefer simple and effective methods. What is the best way to obtain a private information? Well, all you have to do is call and ask, as simple as that. Or, even better. Just leave a message and your victim will get back to you. Even simpler. Right?

Well, for what is worth, the latest phone scams leave you the extremely realistic messages. Something like, your credit card reports some unusual activities, please contact our support and provide all necessary data. You are already panicking, and you do not have time to think twice about your call back.

They are counting on your fear. This is a reasonable reaction to the unreasonable consequences. Before you know it, you have said all there is to know about you to a complete stranger with some dishonest intentions. So, what can we really do about it? Are we completely helpless, or there is still hope?

Always think twice before you push the panic button in your head. Do not call the suggested number right away. Call the HQ or make some additional inquiries. Surprise your friendly neighbor hacker with your patience and reasonable decision during the hard time. Difficult, but definitely worth a try.

I Am The Cyber Law?

October 17, 2014 — Leave a comment

Yes, we have modified the timeless movie line used by the Judge Dredd. You can rest assured that it is more than appropriate for our story. For what is worth, and it is worth a lot, the UK Government has launched a course about the cyber security especially designed for lawyers and accountants.

Well, no need to wait any longer, our hats off to this invaluable initiative. Someone has obviously put a finger on his forehead and said to himself, let us do something that truly works. Let us focus on a certain group and improve their awareness about the cyber threats and how to successfully protect from them.

We sure hope this will become a tradition, which will include more professionals not only from the legal and accountancy field. When it comes to the cyber security the proper prevention is the key. Just imagine how important the potential savings can be in this field. Better to pay for prevention than a cure.

Or, let us be a little bit more precise with this one, shall we? It is always better for an affordable cyber prevention, than to spend huge amounts for the expensive cyber cure, including the aftermath sanation process. There is a cyber law and cyber accountancy, but this is something completely different.

Amazon Cyber Pirate Bay

October 16, 2014 — Leave a comment

Who are the hackers, actually? The ugly, dirty and bad cyber freaks. Or, maybe you should leave your prejudices aside. Here is an additional and more appropriate definition. Nowadays, the modern hackers are the educated fools with the money on their minds. For some reason, they have embraced the dark side.

And, this is how we ended up here. In the midst of the unparalleled cyber terror. Here are some new moments to add to the existing trouble. The modern hackers have become extremely sophisticated and surprisingly patient. They plan and execute some of the most vicious actions in the long run.

The trouble with the curve in this field is that the recent attacks take the legitimate form. Did you know that almost 20% of all known cyber vulnerabilities and threats come from the Amazon Web Services. How? Well, they have found a way to become a part of the legitimate IT infrastructure.

What is the moral of this story? Our good old friendly hacker neighbors have evolved. So, we should too. Until is too late. The last thing we need it be ridiculously outdated. We should also find an IT security man to plan and fight in the long run. New circumstances call for the new solutions. Right?

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