As cyber threats grow in scope and potential impact, the complexity of enterprise digital data protection grows to astonishing proportions. Last year, a Fortune 500 survey revealed that cyber security is the second biggest concern for CEOs, who keep looking for new solutions to keep their data safe and their clients happy. The enterprise data is...

Last week, we reported on a post office email scam that was recently observed to be targeting PostNord customers with Cryptolocker2 ransomware. Our story noted that customers commonly fall for this type of scam because, by nature, they tend to trust institutions with which they are familiar. As a result, users were more than willing to click on a...

Adobe has released an out-of-band security update that fixes 19 'critical' vulnerabilities found in Flash Player. On Monday, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) issued an alert advising users and administrators alike to refer to Adobe Security Bulletin APSB16-01. In that bulletin, Adobe provides some context on the...

A new system called GOTPass could offer a alternative to multi-factor authentication by replacing passwords with images and patterns. Endgadget reports that the system, which was developed by researchers at the University of Plymouth, requires a two-step one-time setup. First, users are asked to draw a pattern on a 4x4 grid, a method of...

A hacker has been charged with unlawfully accessing a number of celebrities' email accounts and stealing copyrighted information from both TV and film companies. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged (PDF) Alonzo Knowles, 23, of the Bahamas, with copyright infringement and identity theft for a scheme that...

The hacker group Phantom Squad has recently claimed responsibility for an alleged attack that caused problems for Xbox Live users. Earlier this month, Phantom Squad announced that they intended to take down Sony's PlayStation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming platforms for one week beginning on Christmas Day. “We are going to shut down Xbox...

Earlier this fall, a contributor to The State of Security explained that one of the greatest privacy and security challenges confronting our smartphones today are the apps we choose to install. He noted in his post how app developers often make money by harvesting data from users' devices and in turn selling this information to marketers. They also...

Microsoft is warning XBox Live users of possible man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks after accidentally leaking users' private keys. In an advisory released on December 8th, Microsoft states that a a disclosed digital certificate could lead to spoofing attacks against users. "Microsoft is aware of an SSL/TLS digital certificate for *.xboxlive.com for...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses 12 new Microsoft Security Bulletins. VERT is actively working on coverage for these bulletins in order to meet our 24-hour SLA and expects to ship ASPL-648 on Wednesday, December 9th.Ease of Use (published exploits) to Risk TableAutomated Exploit Easy Moderate Difficult MS15-131 MS15-135 Extremely...

We read about hacks of social media accounts all the time, but what’s the point of it? How can someone benefit from hacking a personal social media account, especially a non-celebrity, when there are so many other things to hack? Go steal from a bank or something, right? This article is going to look at a few reasons why a social media account is...

Signal Private Messenger, an end-to-end encrypted communications app used by Edward Snowden, is now available to Android devices on the Google Play Store. On its website, Open Whisper Systems (OWS), the maker of Signal, released the following statement: "Today we’ve started rolling out Signal for Android, which unites simple private messaging and...

There is a new and scary development in ransomware. Ransomware is software that encrypts data on your computer and shared drives and then displays a message demanding payment for the decryption key. Generally, if you do not keep good backups of your data, your data will be lost. According to a report on a German website, there is a new strain of...

This year’s Cyber Awareness Month has once again, seen some great articles, tips and practical advice that we can share with our colleagues, friends, family and children. Actively encouraging a positive security aware culture is a vital part of what we do as security professionals, and we should always be seen to be setting the right example;...

We are very proud to announce the release of Version 6 of the Center for Internet Security Critical Security Controls for Effective Cyber Defense. This is a set of security practices developed and supported by a large volunteer community of cybersecurity experts. Based on an ongoing analysis of attacks, vulnerabilities and defensive options, the CIS...

Although associating with third parties and outsourcing certain processes provides many benefits – from reducing costs to leveraging their expertise – many organisations choose to overlook the security risks accompanying these benefits. According to a recent survey conducted by Tripwire at the IP EXPO Europe in London earlier this month, 63 percent of...

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a type of multi-factor authentication that verifies a user based on something they have and something they know. The most popular 2FA method currently in use is the token code, which generates an authentication code at fixed intervals. Generally, the user will enter in their username, and their password will be a...

Unless you’ve been living out in the remotest frontier of some Data Protection Wild West, you will no doubt be aware that a ‘supervisory authority’ Sheriff will soon be riding into town, clutching a lengthy new scroll of law and order in the form of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). ICYMI or simply passed over it as not particularly...

It’s the new byword in federal cyber security: “Act as though your network is already compromised.” But what does it mean? DHS’s big cybersecurity programs focus on solutions that either catch the bad guys at the perimeter (Einstein), or harden individual assets to make compromise more difficult (CDM investments in asset management, vulnerability...

Security researchers have identified a new phishing scam that is targeting customers of the popular accommodation booking site Airbnb. Christopher Boyd, a malware intelligence analyst at Malwarebytes, says he recently discovered an email phishing campaign impersonating the company and redirecting users to a fake Airbnb login page in an attempt to...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses 13 new Microsoft Security Bulletins. VERT is actively working on coverage for these bulletins in order to meet our 24-hour SLA and expects to ship ASPL-656 on Wednesday, February 10th. Ease of Use (published exploits) to Risk Table Automated Exploit ...