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December 10, 2016 by Vertical Axion
There’s a new form of ransomware making its way through the internet ecosystem called Kangaroo. The software shows traces of having been developed by the same group of hackers responsible for other malware titles such as “Apocalypse Ransomware,” “Esmeralda,” and “Fabiansomware,” but it uses a different attack vector. The other forms of malware mentioned above […]
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December 9, 2016 by Vertical Axion
The University of Massachusetts’ Amherst campus just learned a hard and incredibly expensive lesson about how serious the Department of Health and Human Services is about cracking down on HIPAA noncompliance. In the 13th high profile fine of the year, the university was hit with a staggering $650,000 fine. Based on agency comments, it could […]
December 8, 2016 by Vertical Axion
By now, you’re probably familiar with the ransomware known as “Locky.” It’s an insidious form of malware that completely locks down your computer and encrypts all your files. Once it has taken root in your system, you’ve only got two choices, neither of them good. You can either restore your machine from whatever backups you […]
December 7, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Last week, San Francisco’s Municipal Railway became the latest in a long line of ransomware victims. Hackers locked their entire system down and made it impossible for them to collect fares, or even function for a time. They demanded payment of 100 BitCoins to unlock the servers and restore functionality. The railway’s IT staff worked […]
December 6, 2016 by Vertical Axion
A group of Israeli security researchers operating out of Ben Gurion University have created a proof-of-concept app (malware) that can weaponize your computer’s speakers, turning them against you. The particulars of their code sound like something out of a blockbuster Sci Fi movie script, but it’s all too real, and what’s worse is that it […]
December 5, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Kryptowire, an American digital security firm, recently made a disturbing discovery about smartphones being sold by Blu Products, a company which makes low-cost phones like the Blu R1 HD, which was recently offered on Amazon for just $50. According to Kryptowire, they discovered that a copy of Adups, a software from a Chinese vendor, was […]
December 3, 2016 by Vertical Axion
In 2014, the IRS put BitCoin users on notice. They were informed that they had to report all BitCoin gains on their taxes. The Federal Agency considers them to be property, and not currency per se, but so far, during the course of a national investigation, the agency has unearthed several examples of people using […]
December 2, 2016 by Vertical Axion
If you’re a frequent flyer on American Airlines, then you’re probably already aware of one of that company’s biggest drawbacks. Their in-flight Wi-Fi is notoriously slow. The company has been in partnership with Wi-Fi provider Gogo for years, but recently took Gogo to court, citing the drastic difference between their Wi-Fi network speeds and the […]
December 1, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Do you own an iPhone 6S? If you do, and it was manufactured in September or October of last year, it might be experiencing problems that cause it to shut down unexpectedly. If you’ve experienced that type of issue, you could get a free battery replacement from Apple to solve the problem. The first step […]
November 30, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Unless your firm is directly connected to the banking industry, you may not be aware of this, but the biggest ATM-related crime that banks have to grapple with is ATM Skimming. It has become a major problem, especially for ATMs that are in areas where they can be accessed 24/7, but that have low security […]
November 29, 2016 by Vertical Axion
There’s a new attack vector to be worried about called “Windtalker.” It allows a hacker to take control of a WiFi hotspot and reverse-engineer keystrokes made by users who are typing via their touchscreens. While that sounds like magic, there are some simple principles involved, and the hackers are merely taking advantage of these. One […]
November 28, 2016 by Vertical Axion
If recent events are any indication, Botnets are going to be in the news a lot more in coming months. Less than a month ago, a massive army of hacked internet devices broke records when it attacked a French Internet Service Provider, OVH, which hit them with traffic peaks of over 1 Terabyte per second. […]
November 26, 2016 by Vertical Axion
The year of 2016 continues to break new records in terms of massive security breaches. According to LeakedSource, last month, hackers gained access to the FriendFinder Network, which includes the adult dating and swinger site, “Adult Friend Finder.” User accounts, passwords and an assortment of other sensitive information were stolen, and while the bulk of […]
November 25, 2016 by Vertical Axion
If you own your own business, then odds are good that you’ve taken advantage of the “Sign in With Facebook” (or Google) API. It’s fast, it’s convenient and it’s one less thing to worry about. It gives your users an automatic way to sign onto your site, meaning that they don’t have yet another password […]
November 24, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Back in the good ol’ days before the rise of the iPhone, Apple devices were largely considered to be more secure than their Wintel counterparts. There was a time when Apple used this as a major plank in their marketing efforts. These days, it is increasingly clear that that’s no longer the case. A recent […]
November 23, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Internet Explorer is widely regarded as one of the most security riddled browsers in the history of the internet. Microsoft had hoped that with the release of Windows 10, which included a complete overhaul of IE and a rebranding of it as Microsoft Edge, the company would be able to regain its position as the […]
November 22, 2016 by Vertical Axion
It’s amazing how pervasive WiFi has become. These days, it’s hard to imagine life without it. The internet is everywhere. It’s always on, and you’re always connected. Unfortunately, as speeds have improved and bandwidth has increased, so too have the demands we place on it, which has led to a kind of internet cold war. […]
November 21, 2016 by Vertical Axion
You’ve seen this before, right? Be prepared for it to get worse in January. There is a little-known upgrade going on world with with the browsers we all use to navigate the Internet. I say “little known” because while we geeks know all about it, most normal computers users don’t know and don’t care about […]
So far as is known, no hacking attack to date has resulted in death, but the day is inevitably coming. One day in the not-too-distant future, a hacker will be charged with murder, in addition to their other crimes. The reason is simple, and two-fold. First, hackers have turned their attention to hospitals in a […]
November 19, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Tech giants Google and Microsoft are at odds, thanks to a recent announcement made by Google about a vulnerability in Windows’ Operating System. Google’s longstanding policy has been to inform the company that owns the software when a security flaw is found. Google’s thresholds are seven days for an announcement, and ten days for a […]
November 18, 2016 by Vertical Axion
No matter how good, expensive or robust your security system is, your employees are always the weakest link. In fact, in some cases, your own policies might be pushing them to “rational noncompliance,” a situation in which your employees break the rules in order to make their jobs easier. The statistics are alarming. According to […]
November 17, 2016 by Vertical Axion
There is some big news out of the FTC recently. The agency has announced that they are relaxing the rules governing what is and isn’t allowed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). As of today, you can legally hack the devices you own, including cars and TVs. This is a huge policy shift that […]
November 16, 2016 by Vertical Axion
This is how something as innocuous as a thumb drive can become a major security issue. Recently, it has come to light that a soon-to-be retiring regulator at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) had downloaded work files onto a thumb drive, but now, seems to have misplaced it. The files were […]
November 15, 2016 by Vertical Axion
What percentage of your employees know how to properly handle sensitive information? The answer is “probably a lot less than you think.” In a recent survey conducted by MediaPro, it was discovered that nearly 90% of employees lacked security and privacy awareness. Only 12% of respondents knew how to properly identify and dispose of information […]
