A lack of valued cyber-security skills has left businesses open to attacks resulting in reputation damage and data loss .Cyber-security skills shortage leaves companies vulnerable. Being aware of latest cyber-attacks and common attacks will help your organisation to be better equipped to avoid being victim of cybercrimes. Anglo African brings you the weekly cyber-attack news wrap-up and remedy tips to support your business to defend against hackers.
A cybercriminal known as ‘Peace’ has listed the credentials for 200 million alleged Yahoo accounts for sale on the dark web. Samples of the data reveal usernames and dates of birth, along with other bits of personal information – and the massive set is being sold for just 3 bitcoins, roughly $1,860. Yahoo has neither confirmed nor denied the claims, and many users may now want to change their passwords.
Advertisements on mobile devices aren’t just annoying, they can also be malicious. According to a report from cybersecurity experts, a Chinese group has spread malware to Android users that is generating over $300,000 per month in revenue. The findings come from security firm Check Point, which started tracking the malicious virus. Since it was first discovered, the malware, known as HummingBad, has wormed its way onto 10 million Android devices.
An Israeli hacker has breached the website of Iranian Internet Service Provider (ISP) Daba and is claiming to have leaked the details of 52,000 registered users. Daba provides dial-up, ADSL communication, VOIP services and internet cards to users in Iran. The hacker named Zurael_sTz took to his Twitter account to share three files containing leaked data acquired from the Daba domain (Parsiva.daba.co.ir).
US financial organisations are at increased risk of falling victim to cyberattacks, according to a new report by cybersecurity rating and continuous risk monitoring firm SecurityScorecard. The firm’s research revealed that 75% of the top 20 commercial banks in the US were infected by malware. Several malware families, including Ponyloader, Vertexnext and Keybase were detected among many of the top 20 banks.
The most common cyber attacks that your business could face and ways to avoid them.
- Malware – Malware is an all-encompassing term for a variety of cyber threats including Trojans, viruses and worms. The best way to prevent malware is to avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown senders.
- Phishing – Often posing as a request for data from a trusted third party, phishing attacks are sent via email and ask users to click on a link and enter their personal data. Verify any requests from institutions that arrive via email over the phone.
- Password Attacks – A password attack is exactly what it sounds like: a third party trying to gain access to your systems by cracking a user’s password. Strong passwords are really the only way to safeguard against password attacks.
- Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks – A DoS attack focuses on disrupting the service to a network. Attackers send high volumes of data or traffic through the network, until the network becomes overloaded and can no longer function. The best way to prevent an additional breach is to keep your system as secure as possible with regular software updates, online security monitoring and monitoring your data flow to identify any unusual or threatening spikes in traffic before they become a problem.
- “Man in the Middle” (MITM) – By impersonating the endpoints in an online information exchange (i.e. the connection from your smartphone to a website), the MITM can obtain information from the end user and the entity he or she is communicating with. The best way to prevent them is to only use encrypted wireless access points that use WPA security or greater.
- Drive-By Downloads – Through malware on a legitimate website, a program is downloaded to a user’s system just by visiting the site. The best way is to be sure all of your operating systems and software programs are up to date.
- Malvertising – A way to compromise your computer with malicious code that is downloaded to your system when you click on an affected ad. The best way to prevent falling victim to malvertising is to use common sense. As always, up-to-date software and operating systems are your best first line of defense.
- Rogue Software – Malware that masquerades as legitimate and necessary security software that will keep your system safe. The best defense is a good offense—in this case, an updated firewall. It is also a good idea to install a trusted anti-virus or anti-spyware software program that can detect threats like rogue software.
Intrusions happen, threats emerge and your security operation needs to be at its peak efficiency. The SOC products Reveelium and SIEM can quickly intercept threats and thus help in avoiding data breaches. For more information about cyber security kindly contact Anglo African on 2331636 or by e-mail at contact@infosystems.mu
