Channeling Security: NSFocus’ Gates Calls For More Multifactor Action
September 9, 2016
Stephen Gates, chief research intelligence analyst for NSFocus, says that while drive-by ransomware attacks are a real and growing problem, extortion happens in other ways, and partners need to keep their eyes on the full panoply of extortion methods — including attackers threatening companies with DDoS attacks unless they pay up and demanding payment for […]
Reflection DDoS Attacks – You Don’t Need a Bigger Botnet
September 6, 2016
In the early days of DDoS attacks, the motivations and techniques were very different than they are today. When the first DDoS attacks were launched in the early 2000s, attackers were primarily motivated by competitive advantage and notoriety. Additionally, the mechanisms attackers used were quite primitive in comparison to the attacks launched today.
The Key to Minimizing POS Breaches
August 24, 2016
More commonly, hotels are reporting that point-of-sale (POS) systems are being compromised by malware. In July, Omni Hotels & Resorts issued a statement that POS systems had been breached, while just this month, HEI Hotels & Resorts announced it was investigating a POS hack that affected Hyatt, Marriott, and Starwood properties. In both cases, the […]
What You Need to Know about the Evolution of DDoS
August 15, 2016
In an attempt to define the modern-day DDoS attack, one must understand – there is more than one type of attack. Starting with the simplest first, network level DDoS attacks are the easiest to launch. They are fundamentally designed to crush networks and melt down firewalls. Aimed at filling state tables and consuming the available […]
Advanced Persistent Threats – A Simple Analogy
August 1, 2016
Author: Stephen Gates, Chief Research Intelligence Analyst, NSFOCUS One of the things that amazes me the most is how the general population lacks a firm understanding of the cyber threats they face daily. Since few people outside of security circles have actually been trained in cyber security, the general lack of knowledge pertaining to cyber-attacks […]
Data related to major sporting events vulnerable to hacking
July 11, 2016
Some major sporting events and tournaments are scheduled to take place this year making these events and sensitive data related to the teams participating vulnerable to hacking, according to cyber security researchers. The recent dependency of sport teams, organisations and tournament hosts on mobile, cloud and analytics, make them easy targets for hackers.
Unsung cybersecurity vulnerabilities in US infrastructure and utilities
July 8, 2016
This past May, the Internet was abuzz about a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighting a number of outdated “legacy systems” still in use across the U.S. government. According to the report, “The Strategic Automated Command and Control System coordinates the operational functions of the United States’ nuclear forces, such as intercontinental ballistic […]
Wendy’s: Credit card numbers disclosed in cyber attack
July 7, 2016
Fast-food chain Wendy’s said Thursday that customers’ personal information was compromised in a series of cyber attacks that started last year. Wendy’s, which has been investigating “unusual payment-card activity” since early this year, said that cardholder names, credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates are among data targeted in an attack on a point-of-sale […]
The Fully Aware, Hybrid-Cloud Approach
July 6, 2016
For over 20 years, organizations have been attempting to secure their networks and protect their data. However, have any of their efforts really improved security? Today we hear journalists and industry experts talk about the erosion of the perimeter. Some say it’s squishy, others say it’s spongy, and yet another claims it crunchy. Are they […]
Liar, liar, email on fire: the security value of lie detecting algorithms
June 30, 2016
Researchers have developed a method of identifying linguistic clues in electronic communications that could point to possible cases of deception. Could lie-detecting algorithms reduce the impact of phishing emails?