There's a new threat to point of sale (POS) systems coming out of Russia, according to security researchers from Booz Allen Hamilton. The malware, which they're calling "RtPOS" isn't bleeding edge technology, and does not approach the level of sophistication of other recently discovered strains, but that doesn't mean it should be taken lightly. These strains include RawPOS, MajikPOS, UDPOS, and Treasure hunter. In its current incarnation, it has a limited feature set and is basically a RAM … Read more
Hackers Make More Money Than Is Spent On Cybersecurity
Quick question - how much do the world's cyber criminals make every sixty seconds? If you guessed a quarter of a million dollars, you'd be wrong. If you doubled that value, you'd be wrong again. According to research conducted by RiskIQ, cybercriminals are raking in a cool million dollars per minute, compared with businesses spending $171,233 per minute on security measures. It's a lopsided battle, and businesses aren't winning. Some other interesting tidbits culled from the company's … Read more
High Frequency Audio Computer Monitors May Expose Screen Activity
It may sound like something straight out of a science fiction movie, but recently, researchers have made a disturbing discovery. Using nothing more than an off-the-shelf microphone, it's possible for an attacker to determine what content you're viewing on your computer monitor. The researchers tested a variety of LCD screens (with both LED and CCFL backlighting) and observed that the high-pitched noise made by the monitors changed as the content displayed on the screen changed. The … Read more
Millions Of T-Mobile Customers Data May Have Been Leaked
Telecommunications giant T-Mobile is the latest victim of a large-scale data breach, with personal data belonging to more than two million of its customers having been leaked. The exposed information included customer name, phone number, email address, billing zip code, account number and whether the account was pre-paid or post-paid. As bad as that is, it could have been far worse. Fortunately, no financial information, passwords, or social security numbers were compromised. According to … Read more
Survey Shows Teens Are Concerned About Their Screen Time
According to a recent survey conducted by Pew Research Center, 54 percent of teens say that they spend too much time on their cellphones. Acknowledging you have a problem is the first, necessary step toward correcting it, and the survey reports that significant percentages of teens are taking steps to do just that. The Survey Specifically States: 52 percent of teens report that they are actively trying to cut back on their mobile phone use 57 percent report that they're taking steps … Read more
Encrypted Chats Are Now Available In Skype
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it had entered into a partnership with Open Whisper Systems, the makers of the Signal app. The purpose of the partnership was to bring Signal's open source, end-to-end encryption protocol to Skype. As of the latest Skype builds, that is now a reality. Stable versions of Skype have been released for Windows, macOS, Linux, android, and iOS. If you haven't yet upgraded to the latest versions and want to begin making use of the new protocol, you … Read more
Gmail Releases New Confidential Mode
Google has introduced a new Gmail feature called "Confidential Mode," which seeks to make sending and receiving important or sensitive emails more secure. Unfortunately, it may have inadvertently created as many problems as it solves. Here's how the new feature works, and why you may be leery of using it: To send a confidential email, compose your message as normal, and then, click the "lock" icon located at the bottom of the email screen. When this button is pressed, you'll be presented … Read more
New Intel Vulnerability Named Foreshadow Found
Intel has had a tough time of things so far this year. The most recent trouble stems from yet another newly discovered security flaw in the company's processors, bearing the inelegant name of "L1 Terminal Fault," or "Foreshadow" by those who have discovered it. The attack can take one of three different shapes (so far), and ultimately allows a hacker to access sensitive data stored in the computer's memory or on third-party cloud-based storage services. This sensitive data includes … Read more
Macs Can Be Hacked With Synthetic Dismissal On Warning Boxes
Depending on the lens you view him through, Patrick Wardle (former hacker for the NSA and macOS security expert) is either your best friend or your worst nightmare. Most people (whether fans of Apple or not) will readily concede that the company works hard to make their products as secure as possible. Unfortunately, at this year's Def Con hacker convention in Las Vegas, Wardle made a presentation that is currently sending shockwaves through the Apple user community. He exposed a major … Read more
Fax Machines Might Be Gateway To Next Hacker Attack
Nothing bad could possibly happen to your company's network if the only piece of information the hackers have is your fax number, right? Unfortunately not, according to recent research by employees at Check Point. They recently revealed details about not one, but two different REC's (Remote Code Execution) techniques that exploit flaws in the communications protocols of tens of millions of fax machines spread all over the globe. If you think the Fax machine has largely gone the way of … Read more
