Security
New “Wormable” Bug Discovered in Windows 10
Sourced from Travellers Windows 10 users have been urged once again to ensure that their systems are updated and properly protected with the latest security patches following the discovery of a dangerous new vulnerability. This comes via Tech Radar. This new warning emanates from US Homeland Security, whose cybersecurity advisory unit has discovered an exploit code for a wormable bug online. The Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is now urging all Windows 10 users to patch and update their systems immediately to ensure they stay safe from the vulnerability. The bug itself was discovered in a GitHub post. An exploit that targets a known security flaw in the server message block tool that allows Windows to communicate with other devices, including appli...
Understanding the Need to Secure SD-WAN Platforms
An increasing number of businesses are switching to a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN), which is a unique approach to wide-area networking because it combines traditional WAN technologies with the Internet and provides more visibility within an organisation. The move to SD-WAN is largely driven by distributed enterprises with multiple remote offices, which are increasingly using business-critical, cloud-based applications and tools that are migrating away from performance-inhibited wide-area networks (WAN). According to Louis Kirstein, DSM Expert for Connectivity Services at T-Systems South Africa, the visibility provided by an SD-WAN enables network administrators to oversee the network and monitor traffic for inconsistencies. From a security perspective, this functionality all...
COVID-19 Threatens Cybersecurity in South Africa
According to researchers at IBM X-Force, Sphinx, a modular malware based on leaked source code of the infamous Zeus banking trojan began resurfacing in December 2019. However, a substantial increase in volume was reported in March 2020. This was due to Sphinx’s operators taking advantage of the interest and news around government relief payments in the U.S, Canada and Australia. Across the globe fraud and cyberattacks have soared. This is of particular concern for South Africa as funds are collected to uphold the economy during lockdown and new grants are implemented to ensure the wellbeing of citizens. The local situation South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced a significant package of social and economic relief to address the fallout from the country’s COVID-19 lockdow...
Zoom Denies End-to-End Encryption to Free Users
Videoconferencing company Zoom confirmed this week that it won’t enable its end-to-end encryption for free calls because it wants to allow law enforcement access to these calls if necessary. Zoom’s statement about the policy reads: “Zoom does not proactively monitor meeting content, and we do not share information with law enforcement except in circumstances like child sex abuse. We do not have backdoors where participants can enter meetings without being visible to others. None of this will change,” says a spokesperson. “Zoom’s end-to-end encryption plan balances the privacy of its users with the safety of vulnerable groups, including children and potential victims of hate crimes. We plan to provide end-to-end encryption to users for whom we can verify identity, thereby limiting harm to t...
41% of Parents are Suspicious of their Children’s Social Media
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has forced families to spend their free time mostly at home. Staying at home usually also means spending much time using different Internet-connected devices. For clear reasons, children’s growing online activity can cause lots of worries for their parents. According to a Kaspersky survey, 41% of South African parents claim that they have come across something in their child’s social media account that seemed suspicious. Elaborating on what it exactly was, they mention people they interact with (55%), posts that they publish or share (46%), groups or public pages they join (32%), private messages (a quarter) and videos on their page (23%). What is more, 38% state their child has seen or listened to something that seemed suspicious to them, be that videos (72...
‘Anonymous’ Hacktivists Attack and Take Down United Nations Website
After hacking and taking down the Minneapolis Police Department website, the Anonymous hacker-group continued their protest spree and hacked the United Nations website, taking down a part of the site – the United Nations Civil Society Participation website – and replacing it with an image protesting the death of Minneapolis native George Floyd. Hacktivists protest by hacking a United Nations webpage. Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin – while in custody – who restrained Floyd with a knee to the back of the neck. Floyd was handcuffed and unarmed at the time. Riots were sparked across the United States and even other countries as footage of the incident was released online. The group posted a video to another hacked page with a message to the police of Minneapolis. “This traves...
How Using Cloud Can Increase Security for Remote Working During the Pandemic
Sourced from Tapscape The cloud can enable organisations to quickly scale out enhanced security to a suddenly remote workforce, as part of efforts to ensure business continuity and disaster recovery – this is according to Patrick Grillo, Senior Director and Solutions Marketing at Fortinet. The pandemic had created unique challenges for employers and employees across all sectors around the world, with Varun Kukreja, Senior Program Manager – IT Security MEA, IDC Middle East, Africa, & Turkey, saying securing the teleworker had become a top priority, with some 90% of organisations looking to provide staff with secure access to IT services and applications. The pandemic had also accelerated digital transformation, he says, with an IDC Meta survey interim results revealing that some 56% of ...
Google Launches Website to Help People Avoid Online Scams
Sourced from Google. Ever opened your emails and received a poorly-worded message about a payment that you weren’t expecting? What about one proclaiming that you’ve won a competition you never entered. “Congratulations!” it reads, beneath, a sinister attachment that you probably should not open. This is becoming more and more common, and now Google has unveiled a website to teach people how to spot and avoid online scams. Digital hoaxes, malware and cyberattacks have been surging during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The website – Scamspotter.org – tries to show users how to identify things such as false stimulus checks, fake vaccine offers, or other fake medical information. The site also attempts to make clear certain patterns that are typical of hoaxes, like a romance scammer asking ...
7 Techniques Cybercriminals Could Use to Steal Your Private Data
Cyber threats do not rest and they continue to evolve as bad actors develop new attack techniques. Good cybersecurity hygiene requires more than a strong password to avoid compromise. The most important thing is to know how exactly cybercriminals may attempt to gain access to your data. Here are seven techniques they might try: Password Spraying: A form of brute force attack that targets multiple accounts in which adversaries try multiple guesses of the password on a single account that often leads to account lockout. With password spraying, the adversary only tries a few of the most common passwords against multiple user accounts, trying to identify that one person who is using a default or easy-to-guess password and thus avoiding the account lockout scenario. Key logging attack: By insta...
Cybersecurity Reimagined for the CIO
Sourced from International IDEA Despite the technological innovation taking place, companies would do well to remain focused on ensuring their IT fundamentals are in place before rushing to capitalise on the latest trends. And nowhere is this more critical than when it comes to cybersecurity. Expectations are that the impact of global cybercrime will cost businesses more than $6 trillion by the end of next year, up from $3 trillion in 2015. It, therefore, remains one of the most significant challenges as digital transformation continues to grow in momentum, and the cloud has become part of standard business operations. Fortunately, companies are taking the protection of their data and networks seriously. Worldwide spending on information security solutions is anticipated to grow at a five-...
Check Point Software Partners Strathmore University to Promote Digital Skills in Kenya
Sourced from Business News Daily Cybersecurity solutions company, Check Point Software has announced that its education initiative has partnered with Strathmore University in Kenya to provide a comprehensive cybersecurity curriculum to students, bridging the digital skills gap and also creating a safer local cyber landscape. According to research, the number of unfilled cybersecurity roles now stands at 4.07 million professionals globally. What causes alarm for those within the security market across Africa is that the ICT courses across a range of disciplines are still underdeveloped, as well as the skills required to operate, support and understand the complexities of next-generation technologies and threats. Introducing the Check Point SecureAcademy To keep up with the current thr...
Hackers Release New Jailbreak that Unlocks Every iPhone
Sourced from Macworld. A renowned iPhone hacking team has released a new ‘Jailbreak’ tool that unlocks every iPhone, even the most recent models running the latest iOS 13.5. For as long as Apple has kept up its walled garden approach to iPhones by only allowing apps and customization that it approves, hackers have tried to break free from what they call the “jail” – hence the term “Jailbreak.” This allows customising their phones as they see fit. Load whatever apps they want, even change things like issues with iPhone batteries. Hackers do this by finding a previously undisclosed vulnerability in iOS that break through some of the many restrictions that Apple puts in place to prevent access to the underlying software. Apple says it does this for security. But jailbreakers say breaking thro...
