Cybersecurity News – Hackers Aim No Worse Than Cupid

February 14, 2019
Cybersecurity News

Take a glance at the most discussed cybersecurity news of the week.

Hackers target online dating profiles in the same way that spear-phishing exploits corporate employees through extracting credentials and sensitive information. Where did cybersecurity news stop, listing IoT dangers? Kids’ toys? Vehicles? Now you can add the electric scooters to the list.

Happy Valentine’s Scam

Dark Reading on February 13, 2019

“Love is a dangerous game…,” a romantic hacker said and started sending scams to the users of dating sites.

Recently the US-CERT published a notice about how consumers can avoid scamming on dating sites, personal messaging systems, and online strangers, promising the unforgettable romance.

What is noteworthy, scam attacks happen not due to the technical vulnerabilities – they prey on human factor. Hackers target online dating profiles in the same way that spear-phishing exploits corporate employees through extracting credentials and sensitive information.

Certain times of the year, Valentine’s Day included, bring out both the best and the worst in us. Given the emotions, it is no surprise that romance scam losses, averaging $2,600 each, are seven times greater than most other frauds.

Anupam Sahai, vice president of product management at Cavirin

Grab your helmet – a popular electric scooter can be hacked

Wired on February 12, 2019

When the 20th-century science fiction writers were describing our high-tech future, they probably could not imagine that almost every device, connected to the Internet, would be a potential threat to its user.

Where did cybersecurity news stop, listing IoT dangers? Kids’ toys? Vehicles? Now you can add the electric scooters to the list. Researchers found out that Xiaomi’s popular M365 scooter model has a worrying flow, allowing an attacker to remotely control the acceleration and braking systems.

The connection steps are rather easy – a malefactor can access the scouter via Bluetooth without being asked to enter a password and then put malware to take full control over it. Xiaomi said it is aware of the bugs but does not have the ability to disclose them because Bluetooth implementation module is provided by a third-party developer.

Thus, do not forget to timely update your device and wear a helmet!

Chinese state agencies are allowed to ‘pen-test’ local companies

ZD Net on February 9, 2019

The last update of the China’s Cybersecurity Law seems to be a truly decisive step towards cybersecurity regulations.

New provisions give state agencies the legal authority to remotely conduct penetration testing on any internet-related businesses that operate in China. Moreover, the results of the inspections may be copied and shared among government officials.

Actually, the Cybersecurity Law was adopted in 2017 and gave the Chinese government the right to analyze the source code of technologies used by foreign companies. The aim seemed noble – ensuring national security.

While any company, providing internet-related service with more than five internet-connected computers is under new regulations, it is unsurprising that some companies have already emphasized that new cybersecurity provisions put customers’ privacy at risk. According to Recorded Future experts, almost all foreign businesses will be subject to in-person facility searches, invasive checking for ‘illegally published materials,’ and remote inspection of company networks.

Cybersecurity News: Study finds out countries with the best and the worst cybersecurity

The Times of India on February 8, 2019

A recent study, conducted by Comparitech, ranked countries on the basis of malware attacks, readiness to cyber attacks and cybersecurity legislation. Are you ready to guess the top list?

According to the study, Japan is the most cyber-secure country in the world, followed by France, Canada, Denmark, and the United States. Nearly 1% of its phones and about 8% of computers are vulnerable to malware attacks. India ranked 15th among 60 countries for the worst cybersecurity. Furthermore, the study finds that 21% of Indian computers and the fourth of the mobile phones are infected with malware.

The least cyber-secure country is Algeria (23% of phones and 32% of computers are infected). The list of high-ranking countries also includes Indonesia, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Uzbekistan.

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