Hackers

EASA Easy

November 20, 2014 — Leave a comment

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The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has turned an important new page. From now on, your shiny gadgets can be used during the entire flight period with no rigorous limitations, we all know very well. So, what exactly youncan or cannot do with your devices, once you set a foot in an airplane?

Well, you can use a smartphone or tablet freely during a flight. This also includes all available 3G or 4G networks. On the other hand, you still cannot use the Internet on your laptop. This is something that will be strongly appreciated by all passengers. Yet, we have some security questions we need to ask.

Have you heard something about hacking the airplanes, recently? Not so long ago the flight agenda of the Japanese PM circulated for a while on the Internet. The airline company’s IT infrastructure was hacked. Now, do you dare to think what could have happened, if the airport or airplane itself was to be hacked instead?

With this most recent change of regulations, we will allow hackers to freely surf while in a plane. Maybe, this was not such a good idea. We sure hope this was not a result of some profit related idea. Like, we are having some bad times in the airline business, let us do something about it. We really hope that was not the case.

Lock ‘n’ Roll

November 19, 2014 — Leave a comment

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So, what is your excuse to keep forgetting to lock your smartphone? For the absolute majority of people this is an unbearably annoying thing. In addition, according to some researches and statistics you can lose up to one hour each month for locking and unlocking your smartphone. Is that all?

Some people are skeptical for a reason when it comes to the lock phone protection efficiency. That should not be much of a trouble for a skillful hacker. On the other side, a lucky finder of your smartphone could give you a call, if he can access its phonebook in the first place. Who wants to lock it after these reasonable arguments?

Now, let us move to the positive side of your smartphone being locked for the most of the time. With a password protection you are buying yourself some invaluable time to resolve your situation with a stolen or lost phone. Now, it is the right moment for you to think twice about locking your smartphone.

How hard could it be? This is a reasonable investment of your time, which can save you more time and money in advance you would have to spend in dealing the consequences of the cyber attack aftermath. Better to lose a couple of minutes each day for unlocking and locking thing, than to say goodbye to your smartphone.

Happy ATM Monday

November 16, 2014 — Leave a comment

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Our new trouble has a name. It is called the Backdoor.MSIL.Tyupkin. Thanks to the busy little bees from Kaspersky Lab and the Interpol, we know that even the good old ATMs are not excluded from the malicious cyber intentions. With so many online opportunities for stealing money, who wants to be an ATM millionaire?

For what is worth, even the ATM can get infected with an efficient malware. This one empties an ATM in less than an hour. The funny thing about the way it operates, though, is that it allows you to withdraw the money at the very specific hour on Mondays. Why? No one knows for sure, but this is how it needs to be done.

We are not directly influenced as the ATM users. However, how can you feel confident when the financial system is not fully secured? Although, we do not love too much our banks and other financial institutions, we should not find joy in their misery. Who knows, we may easily turn out to be the next direct target?

Unfortunately, everything electronic can become extremely problematic. That is the hacker’s law. This should be an invaluable lesson for all of us. WE should not allow ourselves a luxury of thinking that there are machines out of hacker’s reach. Poor old ATMs, we should do something to protect them.

ENISA The Goddess of Cyber Security

November 13, 2014 — Leave a comment

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European Union Agency for Network and Information Security or simply the Enisa is supposed to be the backbone of the EU cyber security system. So it is, that is not an issue here. What we would like to know is what can it do in order to protect us. One of the highly appreciated contribution is an event.

We are referring to the EU month of cyber security. Which is also the great thing, as well. Yet, under the current circumstances, it would be more suitable to organize an event with the more appropriate title. The year of the EU cyber security. We are not exaggerating and there is no bitter tone in these words.

We simply need to do much more. As you have probably realized by now, we are a little bit lazy when it comes to the Google research actions. Do we have some similar agencies at the international level? How about the UN? We even have one much better idea to solve the matters here as it should be.

Each major organisation in the world should have a special cyber security department or some kind of a committee. Can you imagine what we could achieve with all of these potential months devoted entirely to our cyber security? One organization. One month. We would not have enough years for all of these cyber months.

No Name Is (Never) To Blame?

November 4, 2014 — Leave a comment

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We are in the good mood today. We are not going to keep you waiting. Here it is straight to the point. Here is the catch. You have better chances to prevent a serious malware attack with a non name antivirus software solution, than with a well-known brand name in the world of the top cyber security.

How could that be? Are you surprised or shocked? Or maybe, a little bit of both. There is actually quite a simple solution for this unusual phenomena. The hackers are doing their best to avoid the most popular and widely used antivirus software on the market. There is nothing wrong with your protection.

However, the malware in this case is specially designed to overcome the most common protection systems. Now you get it. The so-called no name software is not necessarily better compared to the major brands in this field. Nevertheless, these no name guys are not so heavily exploited as their well-known counterparts.

It turns out that the less likely paradox we could possibly think of is our best available protection. Yet, this could be a nice indication in which direction we need to change. Both hackers and cyber guardians do their best to move in the most unpredictable ways. Think about it. You may find it being extremely useful.

Malware of Arabia

November 4, 2014 — Leave a comment

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For quite some time the Arabic IT infrastructure has been spared from the malware horror. The biggest obstacle for the malicious software was the language itself. Nevertheless, according to the recent findings of Symantec in this field it seems that the things are to change in this part of the world.

Nowadays, there is more than Malware Lawrence of Arabia roaming the cyber lands in search for new victims. In this sense, the hackers are truly embracing the United Colors of Benetton philosophy. They do not care about race, color or religion. All they care and want is profit, no more no less.

What they are willing to do in order to get it is a completely different thing. On the other hand, this does not have to be a necessarily bad thing, does it? It is about time for us to unite and fight the cyber menace together as we are supposed to do from the very first moment. Learn from your enemy.

This timeless saying can be traced back all the way to the Romans. If hackers can put their differences aside, why should we act differently? It is only a matter of time, before hackers reach every single corner of the globe, regardless of the language or cultural barriers. You have been warned, haven’t you?

Online Fraud A Story Untold

November 3, 2014 — Leave a comment

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Sometimes, a bad news can bring you good and unexpected results. According to the findings of one of the most recent surveys the online frauds in the UK alone cost more than £670 million. In other words, that is almost one billion dollars, give or take. Then, how come this can be a good news for us?

Well, it turns out that the strongest motivation for the most serious actions in the field of cyber security comes from our wallet, and not from our concerns. The more it costs, the more likely is that we will finally do something about it with the truly effective results. This is our point you should accept.

This is obviously a way we like to think. With no severe financial damages we do not bother even to blink. It is a paradox, but in order to improve our security, we can only wish for more devastating financial effects of the cyber attacks. That will teach us a lesson better than any cyber security course.

Finally, someone will realize that is better to invest one million in the proper IT security measures, than it is to lose one billion in the aftermath of a serious cyber attack. We do not wish for some bad cyber luck, we only want to do something about the timely, affordable and above all cyber security prevention.

From Russia With Cyber Love

October 30, 2014 — Leave a comment

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If you want to be a true superpower, then you have to prove yourself in both real and cyber worlds. Take Russia for an indicative example. On the one side, we have the legendary Kaspersky Lab in the field of cyber security. On the other side, who do we have on the other side to represent the dark side?

How about the Sandworm Group? These Russian SF and cyber crime fans have definitely made their mark worth noticing. They were able to infiltrate into the very core Windows structure. And now, the entire Western Hemisphere trembles because of one tiny, but an extremely powerful cyber worm.

Now, you have it. All of the life changing knowledge, which can move the mountains being used for harmful causes. Does not this break your heart? There are some serious accusations that the Sandworm has the government’s support and logistics. Which government? Well you do not have to guess twice, do you?

On the other side, the funny thing in this story is that the USA accuses Russia for the same things it does with its cyber children. There is no safe place for us to be, is it? We wanted to rest a little bit from the horrors of the real world, but in vain. The cyber Ukraine is already waiting us there to haunt us.

Take My Life, But Don’t Take My Identity

October 30, 2014 — Leave a comment

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The findings of one of the most recent study about the worst fears among the Americans were at least to say shocking. It turns out that we are more afraid of an identity theft, than the massive shooting in our own neighborhood. In plain English, we are more afraid of loosing our identity, than loosing our own life.

How could this be? Is this a normal order of things? Well, if you have suddenly appeared from a time machine, this can be a huge surprise for you. We live in the cyber world, aren’t we? On the other hand, there is this question you simply cannot avoid asking when confronted with these findings.

What is a brief moment of death, compared to the endless life of misery caused by the loss of your identity, and its misuse? When you hear that so many people would rather give up their freedom, than spend a single day without a precious smartphone, then this is not such a big surprise at all.

The moral of this story just could not be more obvious, could it? We should not ask more of these questions we already know the answers to. No need to challenge the power of the cyber world. In a what if situation we are always to lose. Unless, we find a way to reach some kind of a harmony. A cyber harmony.

There’s No Such A Thing As A Free Malware

October 29, 2014 — Leave a comment

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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.