Independent – Page 80 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:26:40 +0000

Online scams that try to separate the unwary from their cryptocurrency are a dime a dozen, but a great many seemingly disparate crypto scam websites tend to rely on the same dodgy infrastructure providers to remain online in the face of massive fraud and abuse complaints from their erstwhile customers. Here’s a closer look at hundreds of phony crypto investment schemes that are all connected through a hosting provider which caters to people running crypto scams.

Independent Krebs

April 7, 2022 admin

Actions Target Russian Govt. Botnet, Hydra Dark Market

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2022 22:03:45 +0000

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says it has disrupted a giant botnet built and operated by a Russian government intelligence unit known for launching destructive cyberattacks against energy infrastructure in the United States and Ukraine. Separately, law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Germany moved to decapitate “Hydra,” a billion-dollar Russian darknet drug bazaar that also helped to launder the profits of multiple Russian ransomware groups.

ComputerWorld Independent

April 6, 2022 admin

Windows 11 — we haven’t seen anything, yet

Credit to Author: Rob Enderle| Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 10:24:00 -0700

Disclosure: Microsoft is a client of the author.

Microsoft this week had an analyst event about Windows 11 and a variety of productivity, management, and security features the company has planned. Over the last couple of years, Microsoft has aggressively improved both Windows and Office 365, but the big change ahead is the potential blend of Windows with Windows 365. We’ll see that start by the end of the year. The end game should be what appears to be a Windows desktop that integrates so well with the cloud that it can, when necessary, seamlessly switch between instances to comply with company policy, assure security, and provide recourse on automatic demand from Azure Cloud.

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Independent Krebs

April 6, 2022 admin

The Original APT: Advanced Persistent Teenagers

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 17:55:38 +0000

Many organizations are already struggling to combat cybersecurity threats from ransomware purveyors and state-sponsored hacking groups, both of which tend to take days or weeks to pivot from an opportunistic malware infection to a full blown data breach. But few organizations have a playbook for responding to the kinds of virtual “smash and grab” attacks we’ve seen recently from LAPSUS$, a juvenile data extortion group whose short-lived, low-tech and remarkably effective tactics are putting some of the world’s biggest corporations on edge.

ComputerWorld Independent

April 5, 2022 admin

Apple quietly stops meaningful auto-updates in iOS

Credit to Author: Evan Schuman| Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2022 09:14:00 -0700

In the mobile world pitting Apple’s iOS devices against Google’s Android devices, Apple has historically had one distinct advantage: patches and updates.

Given the fragmented nature of Android (hundreds of handset manufacturers versus just one for iOS), it is simply far easier for Apple to quickly and efficiently push out updates in a way that allows a large percentage of users get updates quickly. That has been true regardless of whether its new functionality or a critical security patch.

So what’s the problem? Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, has quietly said that Apple has dramatically slowed down auto updates — by as much as a month.

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ComputerWorld Independent

April 5, 2022 admin

Android 12 Upgrade Report Card: What a weird year

Credit to Author: JR Raphael| Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In the world of software, six months is an eternity.

Heck, look at how much has happened over the past six months since Android 12 came into the universe. Google started and then finished a hefty 0.1-style update that lays the groundwork for significant large-screen improvements to the Android experience. And it’s now well into the public development phase of its next big Android version, Android 13 — which is the rapidly forming release on most folks’ minds at this point.

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ComputerWorld Independent

April 4, 2022 admin

The Russian cyberattack threat might force a new IT stance

Credit to Author: Evan Schuman| Date: Mon, 04 Apr 2022 09:20:00 -0700

There’s a lot of fear of possible Russian cyberattacks stemming from Russia’s attempted takeover of Ukraine. Perhaps the biggest worry —and quite possibly the most likely to materialize — is that these cyberattacks will likely be finely tuned as retaliation for US financial moves against the Russian economy.

The cyberattacks would be designed not to steal money or data per se, but to harm the US economy by strategically hitting major players in key verticals. In other words, the Russian government might say, “You hurt our economy and our people? We’ll do the same to you.”

Thus far, there’s no evidence of any large-scale attack, but one could be launched at any time.

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ComputerWorld Independent

April 1, 2022 admin

When should the data breach clock start?

Credit to Author: Evan Schuman| Date: Fri, 01 Apr 2022 08:39:00 -0700

One of the most difficult issues in enterprise cybersecurity — something the US Securities and Exchange Commission is now openly struggling with — is when should an enterprise report a data breach?

The easy part is, “how long after the enterprise knows of the breach should it disclose?” Different compliance regimes come to different numbers, but they are relatively close, from GDPR’s 72 hours to the SEC’s initial four days.

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