How Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Helping Cyber-criminals

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How Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Helping Cyber-criminals

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already changing the digital world, with Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT) devices flooding homes, workplaces, and nearly every aspect of daily life. Along with many benefits, including greatly improved cybersecurity [link to the previous post about AI as a security tool], AI has a dark side. Cybercriminals are employing AI tactics and automation, machine learning, and agile software development to more quickly and effectively discover and exploit security vulnerabilities.

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5 Ways to Shield Executives from Whaling Attacks

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5 Ways to Shield Executives from Whaling Attacks

In 2015, the CEO of an Austrian aircraft parts manufacturer was dismissed after he fell victim to a whaling attack that cost the company €40.9 (approx. $50 million at the time). Although whaling attacks aren’t new, they are becoming increasingly common, endangering not only the jobs of C-level employees but also the financial and brand security of the organizations they work for.

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How to Proactively Identify and Report “Vishing” Attempts

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How to Proactively Identify and Report “Vishing” Attempts

A reformed cyber-criminal who popularized the term “social engineering attack” famously pointed out that “it is far easier to trick someone into handing over, say, their password than to go to the trouble of hacking them.” This approach has taken hold in the cyber-crime world, with social engineering and phishing attacks—when an attacker poses as an authority figure via email or a website to trick a victim into divulging sensitive data—costing businesses $676 million in 2017, according to the FBI. Now an even simpler attack is gaining traction.

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Don't Be Fooled by Padlocks and SSL Certificates

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Don't Be Fooled by Padlocks and SSL Certificates

If you check for the green padlock symbol in your browser to ensure you’re accessing a safe and legitimate site, you’re not alone. According to a 2018 PhishLabs survey, more than 80% of those surveyed thought the green padlock in the address bar guaranteed the legitimacy/safety of a website. The reality is the padlock doesn’t mean the site is legitimate and it doesn’t mean you’re safe from hackers.

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Why Users Should Never Auto-fill Forms: Browser Exploit Overview

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Why Users Should Never Auto-fill Forms: Browser Exploit Overview

Life is hectic. As a result, we all look for ways to eliminate inconvenience, ease our stress levels, and save precious time. However, some comforts might come at too high of a price. Unfortunately, the auto-fill function on your browser might be a more of a risky convenience than most people realize. For years, security insiders have argued the dangers of the auto-fill function: the handy tool that automatically provides your name, address, phone number, and such for web page forms. It turns out, they are right.

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The Newest Type of Phishing Attack: Cloud-Based Documents

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The Newest Type of Phishing Attack: Cloud-Based Documents

Phishing has become a well-known term, even showing up in prime-time commercials and rolling off the tongue of tech-savvy, scam-weary seniors. Despite the widespread awareness of phone, email, and even in-person phishing scams, new and creative attacks remain the bane of security staff. The latest phishing threat gaining traction? Cloud-based documents.

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5 Online Business Banking Best Practices

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5 Online Business Banking Best Practices

Online banking has been ubiquitous for some time—and cybersecurity attacks that target business’ banking information are just as common. Stories of companies large and small that have had their banking data and accounts compromised date back to the beginning of online banking. Are you taking all the necessary steps to protect your company’s banking assets?

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How to Identify and Defend Against a Cryptocurrency Heist

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How to Identify and Defend Against a Cryptocurrency Heist

Misinformation relating to cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, continues to increase public exposure and vulnerability to cyber crime. Some people have developed an overconfidence in the technology behind cryptocurrency (blockchain), while others have a misunderstanding of how it works entirely. However, the majority of those who trade digital currency have one common characteristic: They don’t fully recognize or mitigate against the risks and threats associated with cryptocurrency holdings.

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What Exactly is a Bitcoin Heist? Real Life Examples

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What Exactly is a Bitcoin Heist? Real Life Examples

With the growth of bitcoin popularity comes the danger of hacker attention. Industry insiders estimate that cryptocurrency attacks have cost governments and businesses nearly $11.3 billion in the past decade. As more people invest in bitcoins—some less savvy about security than others—there are new avenues for bitcoin attacks.

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Selling a Social Engineering Attack

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Selling a Social Engineering Attack

Social engineering techniques are not only becoming more common but also more sophisticated. Attackers seem to be taking notes from Marketing 101, ensuring that their lures strike a chord with their victims with emails that include customized messages with very official looking logos and layouts, fraudulent phone calls that cite actual employee names and titles, and even well-rehearsed seemingly innocuous facility access attempts.

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Safe Browsing 101: What Is a Cross-Site Scripting Attack?

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Safe Browsing 101: What Is a Cross-Site Scripting Attack?

Many users naively believe they can browse the Internet, and as long as they don’t click on anything, they are safe. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks are one of many malicious threats looming in the web world—in fact, XSS vulnerabilities are rampant out there. Read and learn how to browse as safely as possible.

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Components of Cyber Resilience Part 3: Thinking Beyond Risk Management

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Components of Cyber Resilience Part 3: Thinking Beyond Risk Management

In our two previous posts on cyber resilience (CR)—how you manage operational risk and protect your assets—we explored how a holistic approach is best practice for a security-minded organization. Continuing to build on that knowledge foundation, this third part in the series explores risk management, external dependencies management, training and situational awareness.

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Components of Cyber Resilience Part 2: Thinking Beyond Vulnerability Management

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Components of Cyber Resilience Part 2: Thinking Beyond Vulnerability Management

Cyber resilience (CR)—how you manage operational risk and protect your assets—is, or should be, the goal of every security-minded organization. Building on our previous CR post, let’s explore additional tenets of CR, including vulnerability, incident, and service continuity management.

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Business Email Compromise Attacks Explained

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Business Email Compromise Attacks Explained

Business email compromise (BEC) attacks are increasing at a staggering rate. These social engineering attacks are cleverly disguised and can fool even the best of them. So, what exactly is a BEC attack and how can you protect your company from falling victim?

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4 Best Practices to Prevent Social Media Phishing Attacks

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4 Best Practices to Prevent Social Media Phishing Attacks

Social media phishing attempts continue to increase at an alarming rate, putting your staff and your organization at risk. To protect your business, educate yourself and your employees about what to look for to avoid social media phishing attacks. Through education and diligence, you can prevent costly outcomes to avoidable attacks.

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Components of Cyber Resilience: Thinking Beyond Situational Awareness Part 1

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Components of Cyber Resilience: Thinking Beyond Situational Awareness Part 1

According to the Cyber Resilience Review (CRR) guide, cyber resilience (CR) is an organization’s ability to “manage operational risk to critical services and their associated assets,” and situational awareness is just one of many tenets of CR that contributes to a holistic cyber security posture. In part one of this series ...

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Phishing Scam Subject Line Red Flags

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Phishing Scam Subject Line Red Flags

Phishing scams are on the rise—and even more prevalent through the holiday season. One way to effectively combat these attacks is to recognize that suspicious emails start with suspicious subject lines. However, whether subject lines look suspicious depends on the awareness of the user ...

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Bah Humbug! Holiday Phishing Attacks on the Rise

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Bah Humbug! Holiday Phishing Attacks on the Rise

Phishing is not only widespread—it’s on the rise, and the holidays are traditionally a very lucrative time for phishers. In the recent Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) Phishing Activity Trends Report, the statistics are enough to scare Ebeneezer Scrooge ...

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