Real life is rarely as exciting or fraught with complications as the movies, except when it comes to businesses under attack. Cybercriminals around the world take hacking to the next level — stealing passwords, scraping credit card numbers and attacking the Internet of Things. That’s where “ethical hackers” like Sherri Davidoff come in, finding weaknesses and helping… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Cybersecurity
Freedom Mobile server leak exposed customer data
A security lapse at Canada’s fourth largest cell network, Freedom Mobile, exposed customer data. Security researchers Noam Rotem and Ran Locar found an Elasticsearch server leaking five million logs containing customer data. The server wasn’t protected with a password, allowing anyone to access the data. Source: Tech Crunch Date: May 11th, 2019 Link: https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/freedom-mobile-data-leak/ Discussion What sorts of… Read more »
Why you can expect more spam text messages from politicians
Many Canadians were surprised this weekend when their phones were buzzed by an incoming spam text from an unexpected political source. The Conservative Party of Canada mass-texted millions of randomly generated phone numbers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick, telling recipients that gasoline prices were about to spike and they should fill up. The texts were… Read more »
Phishing Attacks and Spear Phishing: What They are, Why They are Effective, and How to Prevent Them
Phishing attacks have been a way for malicious actors to compromise organizations at alarming rates over the years. In fact, a recent survey found that 83% of respondents experienced a phishing attack in 2018, and that a successful attack costs a mid-size enterprise organization $1.6 million. Unfortunately, most industry experts agree that phishing will also be one of the… Read more »
Beefing up security
MANY OF US have little more than a weak, reused password standing between our financial assets and a remote attacker—one armed with powerful tools and a database of passwords from security breaches. This is a losing battle. It’s the most likely way for weak computer security to put our finances at risk. Think this can’t happen… Read more »
Microsoft Unveils Azure Sentinel Cloud Security Program
Microsoft Corp. unveiled two new cloud security services to help customers find and stop threats and manage their cyberdefenses by tapping experts from the software giant. Azure Sentinel, available for customer preview Thursday, is what’s called a Security Information and Event management tool. Microsoft said it’s the first of its type based in the cloud. The… Read more »
IoT is Coming Even if the Security Isn’t Ready: Here’s What to Do
In a May study of 553 IT decision makers, 78% said they thought it was at least somewhat likely that their businesses would suffer data loss or theft enabled by IoT devices. Some 72% said the speed at which IoT is advancing makes it harder to keep up with evolving security requirements. Source: Wired Magazine Date: February 28th, 2019… Read more »
Could hackers ‘brainjack’ your memories in future?
Imagine being able to scroll through your memories like an Instagram feed, reliving with vivid details your favourite life moments and backing up the dearest ones. Now imagine a dystopian version of the same future in which hackers hijack these memories and threaten to erase them if you don’t pay a ransom. It might sound… Read more »
Homeowner’s Blood ‘Ran Cold’ as Smart Cameras, Thermostat Hacked
A Lake Barrington homeowner hasn’t had a restful night’s sleep in 10 days, after he said his Nest home security cameras and thermostats were accessed by malicious hackers. “I couldn’t believe that these devices that I had put up in my home to watch over it, my family, were now being used against me,” said… Read more »
Huawei: A simple guide to why the company is in so much trouble
A lot of people are talking about Huawei – and not just because they make really well reviewed, top-end phones. The Chinese company is in pretty hot water in various places, because certain people believe they are using their tech to spy on people – something the company totally denies. There’s a court case against… Read more »