Malware

Murder By Hacking

Murder by Hacking

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When Hackers Kill Hackers have already – perhaps many times- have contributed to death by hacking into secure systems and releasing information.  This information has lead to the loss of life in many different ways, including suicide and murder. But hacking has now evolved to the point that cybercriminals can use computers to negatively affect and damage the physical world, including the murder of individuals and groups. Hackers have the power of mass-murder in their hands right now. Using malware to affect the physical environment is nothing new.  One of the most famous cases is the Stuxnet virus that was … Read more

What is Persian Stalker?

What is Persian Stalker?

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Persian Stalker is targeting Iranian social media accounts. The “group” has been around since 2017, and they have been observed targeting social media accounts.  Specifically, this group focuses on gaining access and control of Instagram and Telegram accounts. Telegram is a popular service with about 40 million users.  Telegram is a communication app that has been used to organize protesters in Iran.  Of course, the Iranian government is not a fan of this service.  The Iranian government has actively requested that certain services and channels be shut down.  As far as we know, the Iranian government has not engaged in … Read more

Avoid data breach Phishing

Phishing attacks up by 300% in 2018

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According to “The Retail and eCommerce Threat Landscape Report” from October 2018, there is a 297% increase in the number of phishing websites that target online retail businesses and customers of these businesses.  There is an average of 23 phishing sites for each retail company included in the study.  In 2017 the data showed that there were only 5.9 phishing websites per company. A report illustrates how cybercriminals are increasingly targeting retailers and their customers through digital and social channels as retailers leverage new channels  for increased revenue opportunities “The Retail and eCommerce Threat Landscape Report” (October 2018), notes a … Read more

City of Westhaven Connecticut Pays $2K in Ransomware Extortion

City of Westhaven Connecticut Pays $2K in Ransomware Extortion

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Another successful ransomware attack…. The City of West Haven, Connecticut made the tough decision to pay hackers $2,000 in ransom money after a ransomware attack halted all their operations. The city contacted the Department of Homeland Security who discovered the attack originated outside of the U.S. West Haven mayor Nancy Rossi said the attack disabled around 23 servers last week which led their local officials deciding to pay the $2000 in Bitcoin to unlock their servers.

Types of Malware

The Most Frequent Kinds of Malware

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Malware is short for “Malicious Software” and has been around for a very long time.  Way back in the 1980s, trojans and other types of malware were distributed on floppy disk to unsuspecting users. Malware can be used to destroy data, destroy hardware, steal information, create zombies (computers that hackers can control remotely), and other things that you do not want to happen! There are many types of malware, but I have listed and defined each of the most common types of malware that you will see in the wild. Which are the most Frequent Kinds of malware? Adware is … Read more

What is Coinhive Malware?

What is Coinhive Malware?

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A cryptocurrency mining code called Coinhive is creeping onto unsuspecting websites around the net. Coinhive uses javascript to harness computer users CPU capacity when they visit a website. So, when you visit a website with Coinhive code your computer is working to mine cryptocurrency for someone. Coinhive itself is not Malware. Coinhive is not malware by itself.  Coihive code is a technique to generate income from websites as an alternative to running ads on the site.  When the user is notified up front and is given the choice to leave the site or continue then we have no moral objection. … Read more

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