cybercriminals
The Most Vulnerable IoT Devices: Think Before You Buy This Black Friday
With the shopping season approaching, it’s likely that internet-connected gadgets and toys will be a popular item on many users’ wish lists, as more than 88% of people use IoT (Internet of Things) devices in their households. However, cybersecurity experts warn: Internet of Things devices can quickly go from fun to creepy, depending on how hackable they are. “Enormous Black Friday discounts can rush customers into buying some very questionable gadgets. However, Internet of Things devices is widely known among experts for low-security measures they usually have installed. There is a joke going around: ‘The S in IoT stands for security’. So, it’s best to think before bringing any new IoT device to your household, as it can easily compromise the whole network,” says digital security expert at...
‘No Honour Among Thieves’: Don’t Pay the Bad Guys say Rubrik & Microsoft
Image sourced from Mohamed Hasan – Pixabay. There is good news for companies who wish to keep their data safe, and who are opposed to paying hackers ransom money in order to have critical data returned in the event of a hack. This input comes in the recent announcement that global giant Microsoft, the American multinational technology corporation, is investing in cloud data management company Rubrik. “The two companies will combine on products that will help customers hit by ransomware to recover their critical data without paying the ransom,” says Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited, which distributes Rubrik throughout Africa. “Data is one of a company’s most valuable resources, and it is critical that a business should not feel forced to ...
Most SAns Would Stop Trusting Brands Involved in Phishing Attacks – Survey
Image sourced from Kaspersky. According to the global Brand Trust survey by cybersecurity company Mimecast, almost three-quarters (74%) of South African consumers would stop buying from a brand if they fell victim to a phishing attack involving that brand, with 93% of South African consumers expecting their favourite brands to ensure their services, such as websites, emails and other communication, are safe to use. Heino Gevers, cybersecurity expert at Mimecast, says brands need to do more to protect their customers from cybercriminals. “South Africans are incredibly trusting with 69% of consumers not hesitating to open an email from brands they use regularly, and 56% readily clicking on links from their favourite brands. However, with cyber threats- including impersonation attacks and phi...
Customers of Microsoft Azure Cloud Warned of Potential Security Flaws
Image sourced from NS Energy. Microsoft has issued a warning to some of its Azure Cloud customers that a flaw discovered by a security research team could have allowed threat actors to access their data. According to Reuters, the tech mega-conglomerate said in a blog post, written by its security response team, that the flaw reported by researchers from Palo Alto Networks has been fixed, and that there had been no evidence that cybercriminals were able to access any Azure cloud data. The blog post continues to say that Microsoft has notified some of its customers to change their login credentials as a precaution. Researchers from the Palo Alto team discovered an exploit around a widely-used system in Azure called ‘containers’, which store programs for users. According to Palo Alto research...
Over 1,500 Malicious Resources Are Targeting Potential Crypto Investors in Africa
Image sourced from Shutterstock. Globally, cryptocurrency mining malware wreaked havoc in 2018, infecting more than five million people in the first three quarters of that year. Recent Kaspersky’s research shows that in some African countries, the threat of malicious crypto miners remains prevalent. Currently, in South Africa, the share of all users targeted by malicious crypto miners in H1 2021 was 0.60%. In Kenya, the share of all users targeted was 0.85% and in Nigeria, 0.71%. “Although these percentages may be interpreted as low and may not seem significant to users, crypto-miner malware has been identified as one of the top 3 malware families rife in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria at present,” says Bethwel Opil, Enterprise Sales Manager at Kaspersky in Africa. Kaspersky believes thes...
Only 20% of Cybersecurity Workforce Are Women Despite Industry Skills Deficit
Image sourced from OpportunitiesNB. “Diversity is more than gender. It is race, culture, ability and country. It is mixing up the talent pool and adding in the unique insights and perspectives that different people from different walks of life bring to create teams that are more engaging and innovative,” opines Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA. “It will also go a very long way towards filling the very real and very large security skills hole that is growing wider every day.” According to Collard, diversity is a critical and strategic step that the cybersecurity industry depends on to ensure longevity and ongoing security capability. “Women only make up about 20% of the current cybersecurity workforce and yet one of the top pain points for the CISO is th...
Cryptocurrency and Cybercrime: 3 Insights You Need to Know
Image sourced from Shutterstock. Criminals have kept pace with changing technologies by no longer wanting their crimes to generate hard cash – bitcoin has become the currency of choice. That’s particularly true for cybercrime, where ransomware is booming as criminals infiltrate organisations’ IT systems and threaten to publish or destroy crucial data unless a ransom is paid in Bitcoin. Here are 3 insights you need to know about the links between cybercrime and cryptocurrency: 1. Cryptocurrency is Fuelling Cybercrime Ransomware payments have become so huge that attacks are mounting daily. A recent high-profile case was an attack on the US Colonial Pipeline, causing the system that carries 2.5 million barrels of oil a day to be shut off. It’s become such a lucrative business that some syndic...
WhatsApp Overwhelmingly Popular for Phishing Scammers, According to Kaspersky
Anonymised data, voluntarily provided by Kaspersky Internet Security for Android users, has shown which messenger apps are the most popular among phishing scammers. The biggest share of detected malicious links between December 2020 and May 2021 were overwhelmingly sent via WhatsApp (84.9%), followed by Telegram (5.7%). “Percentage of Phishing Detections by Messanger App.” Courtesy of Kaspersky. Viber is in third place with a share of 4.9% and Hangouts has less than 1%. Countries experiencing the highest number of phishing attacks were Russia (46%), Brazil (15%) and India (7%). Globally, 480 detections were recorded per day. Messenger Apps Surge in Popularity According to research, messenger apps outstripped social networks by 20% in 2020, in terms of popularity among users, and ...
Surging DDoS Attacks Drive Growing Demand for Third Party Protection Services
Image sourced from Shutterstock. As the global workforce largely shifted to work-from-home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, reliance on online services soared. Many businesses were able to successfully pivot to this new normal as remote connectivity allowed access to vital systems and data. But as is often the case, no good deed goes unpunished. As the latest NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Report shows, cybercriminals have exploited new vulnerabilities created by remote work across a wide variety of vertical industries. Making matters worse, perpetrators no longer have to be particularly technology-savvy in order to pull off attacks. Today, it is easy and relatively inexpensive to access sophisticated attack tools via for-hire services: A cottage industry has sprung ...
Recent Increases in Cyberattacks Could Be Due to Leaked Cyber “Superweapons”
Sourced from Forbes Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, warns of a further increase in cyberattacks and thinks it could be partly down to major powers leaking, what they refer to as, ‘cyber superweapons’. “We have long warned that organisations of all sizes are being bombarded by a global fifth generation of cyber threats (Gen V). These are multi-vector cyber threats that can cause fatal damage and irreparable harm to the reputation of the compromised company,” said Pankaj Bhula, Regional Spokesperson at Check Point Software. “However, most companies are only secured against what we call third-generation threats (Gen III), which are threats that we’ve known about since the...
Why Hospitals Are Such Lucrative Targets for Cybercriminals
Image sourced from Alpine Security. Ransomware attacks are on the rise. After a surge in remote working and with employees accessing organisational networks in ways that aren’t always perfectly secured, cybercrime has spiked over the past few months as malicious parties have taken advantage of the sudden move to life in lockdown. Opportunistic hackers have found a particularly tender target to focus on: hospitals and healthcare providers. Across Europe, hospitals are being taken down on a far too regular basis, causing IT systems to fail – sometimes with fatal consequences. Of all the industries to attack, why healthcare in particular? While all organisations suffer when cybercrime strikes, with lives at stake cybercriminals know hospitals can’t afford any downtime. This means those in the...
4 Simple Steps Your Company Can Take to Protect ERP Systems from Cyber-Threats
Image sourced from Software ONE. Cybercrime taps into the vulnerability of business systems and can pose a real threat to a robust supply chain. A sophisticated ransomware attack recently targeted the world’s largest meat processor. Following the business system breach, operations in the US and Australia were disrupted, resulting in a knock-on effect. The meat processor had no option but to shut down nine beef plants in the United States and several plants in Australia. Several truck drivers who specialize in hauling livestock also had no choice but to drive hundreds of miles to pick up cattle from an alternative supplier. For the end-consumer, the long-term impact of the cyber-attack could mean inflated meat prices. Unfortunately, this is not the only instance of a cyber-attack on critica...
