Spam and phishing in Q3 2021
Quarterly highlights Scamming championship: sports-related fraud This summer and early fall saw some major international sporting events. The delayed Euro 2020 soccer tournament was held in June and July, followed by the equally delayed Tokyo Olympics in August. Q3 2021 also featured several F1 Grand Prix races. There was no way that cybercriminals and profiteers could […] more…Great R packages for data import, wrangling, and visualization
The table below shows my favorite go-to R packages for data import, wrangling, visualization and analysis — plus a few miscellaneous tasks tossed in. The package names in the table are clickable if you want more information. To find out more about a package once you’ve installed it, type help(package = "packagename") in your R […] more…How to Prepare for Your Child’s First Smartphone
If only more things in life came with training wheels; a child’s first smartphone could certainly use some. Like taking off the training wheels and riding out into the neighborhood for the first time, a smartphone opens an entirely new world for children. There are apps, social media, group chats with friends, TikTok stars, and the joy of simply being “in” with their classmates and […] more…Financial Cyberthreats in 2020
2020 was challenging for everyone: companies, regulators, individuals. Due to the limitations imposed by the epidemiological situation, particular categories of users and businesses were increasingly targeted by cybercriminals. While we were adjusting to remote work and the rest of the new conditions, so were scammers. As a result, 2020 was extremely eventful in terms of digital […] more…Game of Threats
Introduction While the way we consume TV content is rapidly changing, the content itself remains in high demand, and users resort to any means available to get at it – including illegal and non-ethical ones like the use of pirated stuff. The world is embracing the idea of paying for entertainment more and more with […] more…International Women’s Day in the Channel
I have had the privilege of working with many exceptional people over the course of my career. For International Women’s Day this year, I wanted to feature some of the dedicated and talented women I have the opportunity to work with in the Channel. The following individuals have great advice and stories that we all […] more…Ransomware Families Use NSIS Installers to Avoid Detection, Analysis
Malware families are constantly seeking new ways to hide their code, thwart replication, and avoid detection. A recent trend for the delivery of ransomware is the use of the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) with an encrypted payload. The list of the most common families using this technique is diverse and includes Cerber, Locky, Teerac, Crysis, […] more…What are the Pros and Cons of Snooping on Your Kids Online?
I’ve changed my mind on the snooping question quite a bit since I began writing about family safety over five years ago. I’ve had to. Technology has dramatically changed all of us in that short time. Still, at least once a month a parent asks me, “How much should I really be snooping on my […] more…EyePyramid and a Lesson on the Perils of Attribution
In the past weeks, information-stealing malware EyePyramid made headlines after it was used to steal 87GB of sensitive data from government offices, private companies and public organizations. More than 100 email domains and 18,000 email accounts were targeted, including those of high-profile victims in Italy, the U.S., Japan and Europe. The natural assumption for many […] more…App Store Flooded with Phony Retail Apps to Kick Off Holiday Season
The holiday season has officially kicked off, which means a number of things for many of us: seasonal cheer, quality time with loved ones, and admittedly for many, lots and lots of shopping. And these days, many of holiday retail sales are happening online. Unfortunately, that also means now more than ever, there’s more holiday-related […] more…Can Internet of Things be the New Frontier for Cyber Extortion?
The Internet of Things (IoT)—the network of devices embedded with capabilities to collect and exchange information—has long been attracting the attention of cybercriminals as it continues to gain momentum in terms of its adoption. Gartner has estimated that more than 20.8 billion IoT devices will be in use by 2020; IoT will be leveraged by […] more…Georgia man sentenced to nine years for stolen credit card data
A 28-year-old man was sentenced to more than nine years in prison Wednesday for buying stolen credit and debit card numbers from an underground online marketplace. Cameron Harrison of Augusta, Georgia, pleaded guilty in April to participating in a racketeer-influenced corrupt organization and trafficking in false identification documents. He was also ordered to pay $50.8 […] more…RSA Conference 2014: The Way Forward
I attended the RSA 2014 Conference in San Francisco, which has held about two weeks ago. This year the conference offered new insights to today’s threat landscape, which will help us all plan for and protect users in 2014 and beyond. Largest Security Conference of 2014 The attendance numbers for RSA are always impressive: this […] more…SINOWAL Attempts To Disable Rapport, Aid ZBOT
The year might be coming to a close but we’re still seeing our 2013 predictions come true. We encountered an attack that featured an old malware with new routines. This malware, detected as BKDR_SINOWAL.COP specifically attempts to disable the Rapport software from Trusteer. Figure 1. Code that looks for the Trusteer Rapport module Rapport is software […] more…Twitter Drama and What Parents Need to Know
With more teens flocking to social networks outside of Facebook, it’s more important than ever for parents to understand—and coach their kids—through the rapid-moving, drama-filled environment of Twitter. Twitter has become a hot spot for teens, many of whom view Tweets the same way they view texts. They tweet quickly and often. And, sometimes things […] more…Shady Surfing: Online Ads 182x More Likely than Adult Websites to Infect Your PC
Wait…what! You heard it right: According to a recent security report, Internet users are 182 times more likely to get a virus from clicking on online ads than visiting an adult website. At first glance, this sounds extremely counterintuitive (and it is). In theory, wouldn’t your risk go up when visiting shady sites? Yes and […] more…More information
- Patch Tuesday April 2014 – XP’s last breath
- Roger Stone Allegedly Communicated With Mysterious Hacker Guccifer 2.0
- Microsoft Windows Device Guard CVE-2017-11823 Local Security Bypass Vulnerability
- Vulnerability Impacts Web-Exposed SAP Systems
- Gary McKinnon not to be extradited to the US
- “Casher crew” from global $45m cyberheist busted in New York – 1 dead, 7 face trial
- HPE Addresses Vulnerabilities in Several Products
- McAfee is once again an independent company
- Operation Poisoned News: Hong Kong Users Targeted With Mobile Malware via Local News Links
- New York calls on phone makers to help deter theft