Malware

The Malicious Money Making Machine

November 6, 2014 — Leave a comment

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Is it worth it? This is a simple question we are very likely to ask the hackers all over the world. Is it worth of all the risk? Apparently, it obviously is. The recent Symantec findings in this field have shed some additional light on this matter. It turns out that hackers move in the quite usual business ways.

They are in the constant search for the profit itself. Now, prepare yourself for the huge surprise. One Android bot network, which has more than 100,000 mobile devices under its direct control, cumulates more than $3 million net profit per year. How about that for the ground shaking change?

Can you imagine what it can do with 10 or 100 million infected mobile phones? We are talking about millions and millions of dollars flowing like rivers in the cyber world. It seems that the hackers are more alike modern businessmen, than the traditional idealists and anarchists hoping to change the world itself.

We have identified the primary motive for the hacker’s actions. Now, all we have to do is to ruin their malicious business. How? In the first place, we should increase the costs associated with their businesses by improving our cyber security measures. To decrease its profitability, in order to increase our security.

Beware WoW, Here’s The Cyber Blow!

November 6, 2014 — Leave a comment

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What a bitter surprise. Is there nothing holy or sacred to the modern day hackers? They have dared to strike where it hurts the most. The very gaming world is under an attack, now. It turns out that the World of Warcraft players have to fight the most serious cyber enemy so far. The WoW Trojan has arrived.

This Trojan harvests all what is related to your WoW account in a smooth and undetectable way. In this game, there is no restart option. What is even worse, you cannot save your current position regarding your account and upload it later when it is more convenient for you. For instance, when this Trojan is long gone.

So, who is responsible to deal with this menace? The Blizzard or the players themselves? Here is a completely new level for you to play. It seems that we have to accept the fact that the hackers now move in the most unpredictable ways and in the most unusual cyber places, such as this one. Right?

Then, on the other hand, you simply cannot avoid asking yourself what is there for a hacker to gain from the gaming Trojan? Perhaps, this is our biggest trouble. We need to know what they are attacking in order to defend it properly, in the very first place. We definitely need some Cyber WarCraft warriors, that is for sure.

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.

Old ATMs – Young Troubles

November 2, 2014 — Leave a comment

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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.

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.

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.

Simplicity Atrocity

October 18, 2014 — Leave a comment

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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.

Amazon Cyber Pirate Bay

October 16, 2014 — Leave a comment

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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?