Tech Support Scams Put UK Users at Risk

This article talks about how users of Spotify’s free service have noticed that many advertisements automatically open their web browser, without them clicking on the advertisement. These websites contain virus and malware, and can contaminate the device without the user taking any action in it. Not only are the users directed to malicious sites, but malware can automatically be downloaded from these sites in attacks known as “drive-by-attacks”. These “malvertising” campaigns are the results of scripts being hidden in advertisements, which does everything automatically. What worries me, a lot of times advertisements are not thoroughly screened before being accepted. It wouldn’t surprise me if we start seeing more of these types of attacks.

Link: http://www.securityweek.com/spotify-falls-victim-malvertising-attack

Many organizations no longer view cybersecurity as a barrier to change, nor as an IT cost. PwC conducted an information security survey 2017 that found there is a distinct shift in how organizations view cybersecurity. According to the survey, 59% of respondents said they have increased cybersecurity spending as a result of digitization of their business ecosystem. In this process, organizations not only create products, but also deliver complementary software-based services for products that extend opportunities for customer engagement and growth.

The survey also found that the majority of organizations run IT services in the cloud. Could models gain more trust and usage at present. Organizations are also embracing both managed security services and open-source software to enhance cybersecurity capabilities. More than half (53%) of respondent employ open-source software and 62% of respondents say they use managed security services for cybersecurity and privacy.

Link: http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/pwc-security-is-no-longer-an-it/

National researchers in Australia developed a hack proof computer code called microkernel. It is the barest bone of an operating system. By keeping an operating system as simple as possible, the harder it is to crack because you eliminate vulnerabilities in the system. We are now in the Internet of Things age where most of the devices we have connects to the internet, making them susceptible to hacking. Recently in the news we seen how hackers were able to take control of cars, could you imagine how dangerous that could be if someone was driving on a highway at 65mph and someone hacked into their car and took control of the vehicles acceleration and braking. Better yet an Airplane with hundreds of people on board. The more we introduce technology into our everyday lives we increase the risk of vulnerabilities that someone can exploit. If these researchers could develop a hack proof code they will change the world of technology as we know it.

http://www.aol.com/article/news/2016/10/05/this-hack-proof-code-could-change-the-cybersecurity-game/21575179/

It seems like everyday more and more cyber attacks to organizations are being found however many consumers are reluctant to change their online habits. A study performed by Mary Theofanos found that people are sick and tired of remembering more and more passwords, making people use the same password for multiple sites. In this study people believed that since they did not work for a government agency or finance company. Many users are also frustrated with the extra steps required for this security on other websites. If people are frustrated with using multiple passwords they need to start using password managers and other alternatives to make sure that their information is secure, or else many people will be susceptible to attacks.

Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37573795