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January 29, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Recently, the Department of Justice brought charges against Babatunde Olusegun Taiwo for using personal information acquired on the Dark Web. He used the information from data breaches to file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS. He was able to gain enough information to file more than two thousand income tax returns that attempted to claim […]
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January 28, 2020 by Vertical Axion
There’s a disturbing emerging trend in the world of hackers who make use of ransomware to extort payment from companies. Increasingly, if a company won’t pay, their data that was stolen and encrypted is being published for all to see. KrebsOnSecurity recently identified a website associated with the creators of the Maze ransomware strain that […]
January 24, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Malware tends to be at its most effective when it exists in secret. Under the radar. This is what allows malicious code to burrow deep into an infected system and capture a wide range of data. It’s what allows cryptojacking software to quietly siphon off computer power to mine for various forms of cryptocurrency. That […]
January 23, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Google continues to improve security and its user experience in the Apple ecosystem. The most recent update to the company’s Smart Lock app on iOS allows users to use their iPhone as a physical security key (if and where two factor authentication technology is enabled). Once it’s set up, it works like this: If you […]
January 22, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Microsoft would like you to know that Windows 7 has reached the end of the road. No more security updates are coming, and there are no more patches or bug fixes. So from here, every newly discovered security flaw is essentially a zero-day issue. The company has been loudly advertising the fact that the end […]
January 21, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Wyze is one of the many manufacturers of consumer-grade smart devices. They recently confirmed that user data belonging to nearly two and a half million of its customers was exposed. The root cause of the exposure was traced back to an unsecured database connected for nearly a month to an Elasticsearch cluster. This was during […]
January 20, 2020 by Vertical Axion
If you haven’t yet heard of a malware strain called ‘Predator the Thief’, it’s something that belongs on your radar. It first emerged as a threat in July of 2018, when it was used in conjunction with an extensive phishing campaign. In its original incarnation, it proved more than capable of stealing passwords, browser data, […]
January 18, 2020 by Vertical Axion
By the time you read these words, the last day for Windows 7 support has already come and gone. The date set by Microsoft has been well known to most Windows 7 users for a while now, and the end of the line is officially January 14th, 2020. If your organization still has a few […]
January 17, 2020 by Vertical Axion
If you’re not familiar with Landry’s, you’re probably familiar with at least some of the restaurants the company owns. The company recently issued a formal ‘Notification of Data Breach’ in which they disclosed that an unauthorized user was detected on their systems and that POS malware had been used between March 13 2019 and October […]
January 16, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Scammers have breathed new life into an old scam. For years, the old ‘Law Enforcement Lock’ trick has been used to cheat unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money. The new wrinkle works like this: Scammers will redirect users using the Chrome web browser to sites that host a full-screen image of a Windows 10 desktop […]
January 15, 2020 by Vertical Axion
The year 2020 looks to be interesting and exciting in a variety of ways, but it also will usher in a tremendous amount of change. If you’re an IT manager, be aware that this year a number of Hallmark Microsoft products will reach their End of Support. That means the company won’t be issuing any […]
January 14, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Researchers at Trustwave have observed a notable increase in the use of .ISO files to deliver malware. Hackers have relied on poisoned disk image files for years to deliver malware to their targets. It makes sense in a Windows environment because it allows attackers to disguise their payloads as an innocent, standard file type. In […]
January 11, 2020 by Vertical Axion
If you have children that own Apple devices, be aware that the latest update for iOS 13.3 included a feature called Communications Limits. It is designed to allow parents to set up parental controls to keep their kids from speaking to, texting with, or Facetiming with anyone who’s not already in their contacts list. It’s […]
January 9, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Researchers at Positive Technologies recently discovered a serious vulnerability in Citrix Enterprise products that threatens the security of more than 80,000 companies in 158 countries around the world. The issue is being tracked as CVE-2019-19781. If it is left unpatched, it puts companies using either product at risk of phishing attacks, malware, cryptojacking attacks ,and […]
January 7, 2020 by Vertical Axion
According to a recent FBI alert marked “TLP: AMBER,” businesses should be on high alert for ransomware attacks. The alert reads, in part, as follows: “Since January 2019, LockerGoga ransomware has targeted large corporations and organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Norway, and the Netherlands. The MegaCortex ransomware, first identified in May 2019, […]
January 6, 2020 by Vertical Axion
As 2019 draws to a close, we can say definitively that the year has been another record-breaking one where data breaches are concerned. Hackers around the world have been busy in recent weeks, with a trio of high-profile breaches making headlines. In late November, one of China’s largest manufacturers of smartphones (OnePlus) reported that an […]
January 3, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Have you downloaded the NVIDIA GeForce Experience (GFE) app? It’s a helper app designed to work in tandem with GeForce GTX graphics cards. It is designed to automate the process of keeping your drivers up to date and automatically optimize your game settings. If it’s something you rely on, you should be aware that NVIDIA […]
January 2, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Do you still have a few machines in your company that are running Windows 7? If so, be aware that Microsoft is formally ending Windows 7 support in a matter of weeks. January 14, 2020 is the end of the line. After that, you will have the option to pay for extended security updates for […]
January 1, 2020 by Vertical Axion
Things aren’t so easy in the Big Easy right now. The city of New Orleans has suffered a ransomware attack. As a result, most of the city’s servers and computers are currently down. However, at a recent press conference held by Mayor LaToya Cantrell, all New Orleans emergency services are intact. The city’s CIO, Kim […]
December 31, 2019 by Vertical Axion
The leaders of the ransomware known as Sodinokibi (REvil Ransomware) have announced a nasty new tactic to get their victims to pay up when their files get encrypted. The hackers are now threatening that they’ll begin releasing stolen data to the general public or to competitors unless the ransom is paid. While hackers have made […]
December 25, 2019 by Vertical Axion
On the Dark Web, there’s a live webcast show called “NulledCast” that few people have ever heard of. It’s pretty popular in Dark Web circles, though. The premise of the show is this: The hosts will hack the cameras in home security systems and mess with the owners. Ring and Nest are the two most […]
December 23, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Researchers at BlackBerry Cylance have discovered a new and dangerous strain of ransomware in the wild dubbed “Zeppelin”. It has been used to target small numbers of healthcare and technology-related companies in the US, Canada and Europe in recent weeks. An analysis of the code reveals that Zeppelin is related to, but distinct from the […]
December 21, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Do you have a home security system that incorporates Amazon’s Blink XT2 cameras? If so, be advised that researchers at Tenable Security recently identified several serious security flaws that would allow an attacker to take control of the cameras remotely and use them to spy on you and your family. The security issues are centered […]
December 20, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Researchers at SophosLabs have discovered a new threat to be on the alert for. A variant of the Snatch ransomware has been spotted in the wild. It features an innovative means of getting around whatever antivirus software you may be using to defend yourself. Disguised as a backup utility, when the malware is installed, it […]
