Call 980-407-5488
Blog
February 21, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Over the weekend, a hacker who goes by the name Stackoverflowin performed a public service. Of course, in the process of doing so, he terrified and confused a lot of people. Having researched a printer vulnerability, he wanted to help get the word out and have a little fun at the same time. So, he […]
Read more »
Tagged
February 20, 2017 by Vertical Axion
JavaScript is hands down the tool of choice of hackers who are interested in inserting malicious code onto a user’s device. Most commonly, scripts are embedded in compressed (zipped) files, and when unpacked, install on the user’s machine without him or her even being aware of what’s going on. The problem has reached such epic […]
February 17, 2017 by Vertical Axion
It hasn’t been a good time for Netgear. In recent months, security researchers across the industry have identified several critical security flaws that could leave your network exposed and vulnerable to attacks. The most recent were discovered by the security firm Trustwave which reported their findings to Netgear. These flaws revolve around the ability to […]
February 11, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Password security continues to be the single biggest weak point in the realm of digital security. The problems on this front are numerous, but chiefly stem from the facts that: • Too many people use simple, easily guessed passwords • Too many people use the same password across multiple accounts • And too many people […]
February 10, 2017 by Vertical Axion
If you use an Android device, and since they are the most popular devices on the planet these days, you probably do, then you may also be using a pattern locking mechanism to secure it. On the face of it, that seems to make a lot of sense. After all, given the number of high […]
February 9, 2017 by Vertical Axion
How’s your network security? Is it on par with police departments, which, you’d have to imagine, have fairly robust security? If so, you’re still not safe. Recently, police in Cockrell Hill, Texas, announced in a press release that they had been the victim of a ransomware attack that cost them dearly. The hackers demanded $4000 […]
February 7, 2017 by Vertical Axion
If you’re a Mac user who uses GarageBand or Logic Pro, you’re going to want to update both of those programs with Apple’s latest patches. According to the company, they discovered critical security flaws in both pieces of software that could allow hackers to remotely execute code. Apple stressed that there are no known instances […]
February 6, 2017 by Vertical Axion
The Department of Health and Human Services is off to a busy start in 2017, having just levied their second hefty fine for HIPAA violations. In this instance, the company in question was Puerto Rican insurer MAPFRE. Back in 2011, MAPFRE had reported an ePHI incident involving a flash drive that was stolen from the […]
February 4, 2017 by Vertical Axion
It seems like every week that passes, we become aware of some new threat to security online. In fact, it’s gotten so bad that a slowly increasing number of Americans are simply swearing off the internet, according to a recent survey by security researchers. This latest threat takes the form of something long thought to […]
February 3, 2017 by Vertical Axion
There’s a new phishing scam making the rounds, made noteworthy by the fact that it is especially convincing. What makes it so convincing is the lengths the hackers go to in order to fool their potential victims into thinking they’re getting a legitimate email. The attack begins by breaching one person’s email, then scanning the […]
February 2, 2017 by Vertical Axion
The year of 2016 saw more high-profile data breaches than at any time in the history of the internet. 2017 stands to break the record. With data breaches on the rise, the results from the most recent Data Breach and Customer Loyalty Report, published by Gemalto, sheds some interesting light on subject. According to the […]
January 31, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Another day, another type of smart device proven vulnerable to hacking. In this case, the latest IoT (Internet of Things) devices to fall victim are Samsung SmartCam cameras. These cloud-enabled security devices, popular with small and medium-sized businesses, were originally designed and manufactured by Samsung and recently sold to the Hanwha Group. In response to […]
January 30, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Security researchers have recently discovered an odd strain of malware they’ve dubbed “Fruitfly,” which has been specifically targeted at biotech companies. It would be a mistake to call this a new strain, however. Based on an analysis of the code, it appears to date back to 2001 or thereabouts, but has only just been discovered. […]
January 26, 2017 by Vertical Axion
By now, almost everyone is aware that Adobe Systems’ Flash Player is in trouble. Critical security issues are being reported faster than the company can fix them, but kudos to Adobe for gamely continuing to try. The company just released their latest patch, which addresses thirteen critical security issues. A dozen of those closed loopholes […]
January 25, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Given the number of high profile data breaches that occurred in 2016, it’s hard to believe that anyone would still be using obvious or insecure passwords. But that’s is what the latest survey from digital vault company, “Keeper,” unfortunately reveals. Every year, they publish their list of most widely used insecure passwords, as gleaned from […]
January 24, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Improving technology and a social media habit are converging in an unfortunate way that is opening the door for a new kind of hacking. Now, not even your selfies are safe. Here’s what’s happening: Thanks to radical improvements in the quality of digital cameras in recent years, it’s possible to take crisper, clearer digital photos […]
January 23, 2017 by Vertical Axion
In 2015, the FDA issued warnings about a pair of infusion pumps – “smart” medical devices that had demonstrated security flaws. It was the first time in history that security researchers demonstrated that a hacker could take control of these life-saving devices remotely and use them to kill the patients they were protecting. Since that […]
January 20, 2017 by Vertical Axion
CVE Details is a website that tracks bugs in various software systems, aggregating the data and issuing an “award” for the software that has the most reported bugs in any given year. This year, Android topped the list by a wide margin, with a staggering 523 reported security issues. The runner up, Debian Linux, placed […]
January 19, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Privacy has been on the endangered species list for a while now, but the growing number of smart devices in people’s homes is putting an increasing amount of pressure on what little privacy remains. Last year, electronics giant Samsung came under fire when it was revealed that its smart TVs recorded everything you said when […]
January 18, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Darren Cauthon, a software developer, got a Christmas present this year he didn’t ask for and didn’t want. On Christmas day, his family downloaded and installed an app on their Android-based LG Smart TV and wound up getting a ransomware infection. He took a photo of his TV screen and published it as proof. It […]
January 17, 2017 by Vertical Axion
A very strange and disturbing case of the theft of protected health information has come from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The department recently reported on an incident that occurred in October 2015, in which a former psychiatric patient was able to access non-confidential information from a computer located in […]
January 13, 2017 by Vertical Axion
File this one away under “it should go without saying, but…” One of the most amazing and disheartening aspects of internet use is that after all this time, a shocking number of people are still getting taken in by the lure of installing a “crack” for popular software. It should go without saying that installing […]
January 12, 2017 by Vertical Axion
The government is taking a more active hand in establishing security protocols for at least one part of the Internet of Things. Specifically, new guidelines are being drafted by the FDA to set minimum security standards for ‘smart’ medical devices. In recent months, a number of security researchers have demonstrated the ability to hack into […]
January 11, 2017 by Vertical Axion
Hardly a week goes by that a new exploit or attack vector doesn’t come to light that your IT staff has to try to defend against. The most recent threat comes from a vulnerability in the PHP Mailer Library, which is code used by most of the websites in existence today to help manage the […]
