Posts Tagged ‘cybercrime’
by FireHost Evangelist on October 30th, 2009
McAfee’s study, “The Security Paradox” examines how small and medium organizations that employ between 51-1,000 workers address IT security and growing cyber threats.
An overarching theme of the report reveals that SMBs around the world (and particularly in North America) believe they are too small and pose too little value to hackers to be worth their time, but recent trends in hacker and cybercrime activity reveal that’s just not the case.
In reality, SMBs’ limited resources, inadequate security, and lack of technical expertise make them more vulnerable to cyber attack, and hackers are taking notice.
Jeff Green, Senior VP of McAfee Avert Labs confirmed, “High profile attacks [on larger enterprises] are becoming less frequent because they are often detected quickly. Attackers are favoring stealth attacks that quietly infiltrate systems [of small and medium businesses].”
To change this trend, small and medium-sized organizations will need to make significant shifts in their fundamental values and budgetary allocations.
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Tags: cybercrime, Hackers, Secure Cloud Hosting, SMB security
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by FireHost Evangelist on October 16th, 2009
Between TJ Max and Heartland Payment Systems, cyber thieves compromised a quarter of a million credit card numbers. Court records from the trial of Albert Gonzalez, a hacker that plead guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in both cases, reveal just how easily the thieves behind these breaches were able to obtain the information.
Cyber Criminal Technique #1: War Driving
War driving means “cruising” for WiFi signals. Once detected, cybercriminals use FREE password-breaking software to intercept the signal broadcasting from any home or business.
Monitoring WiFi networks over time, cyberthieves can establish a virtual private network and connect directly to a server or database.
Cyber Criminal Technique #2: SQL Injection
SQL injections are a popular way for cybercriminals to get inside “protected networks”. In a SQL injection attack, the hacker types random characters into a web form, such as a log in page. The attack may be carried out manually or using a robot to penetrate the form. Once inside, hackers can gain access to databases containing sensitive, personal information.
War driving and SQL injection attacks are the means to a cyber criminal’s end. Once the target server is breached, he or she implants a “sniffer” program. (Sniffers are widely available for free, and they are capable of logging all traffic moving across a network). Savvy hackers have devised and sell sniffers designed specifically to detect and record credit and debit card information.
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Tags: cybercrime, data theft, SQL Injections, war driving
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by FireHost Evangelist on August 7th, 2009
Panda Security‘s most recent report indicates that thirty percent of small and medium size businesses worldwide have been infected with malware, and businesses based in the US are even more susceptible. Close to half (44%) of US based SMBs have lost time and productivity due to some form of cybercrime.
A lack of threat awareness is not the problem. The study shows that almost all businesses in this category have installed anti-virus programs and kept security systems up to date, but a large number of SMBs still become victims of cyber crimes. When disaster strikes, viruses (41%) followed by spyware (26%) are most often the cause.
In a conversation with SC Magazine, Luis Corrons, PandaLabs technical director suggested, “these companies often lack the in-house staff and resources to fight off increasingly sophisticated and exponentially more targeted Internet attacks.” (more…)
Tags: cyber security, cybercrime, Hackers, Vulnerabilities, Website Security
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by FireHost Evangelist on August 4th, 2009
Raytheon, a National Defense Contractor is actively hiring hundreds of “Cyber Warriors” in response to President Obama’s announcement that cybersecurity is one of our country’s most urgent priorities.
Steve Hawkins, Raytheon’s VP of Information Security Solutions, told FoxNews.com that there are more than 30 different job descriptions available, and applicants must pass the most stringent security clearances. Qualified individuals must understand computer systems and have a handle on the interaction between hardware and software down to the nitty-gritty. Additionally, applicants should know how the adversary [ cybercriminals ] thinks and adopt their perspective, but in an ethical way.
Raytheon isn’t alone in the movement to beef up the US cyber army. The Center for Strategic and International Studies recently kicked off a nationwide talent search for high school and college students to encourage cybersecurity as a career path. (more…)
Tags: cyber security, cybercrime, Secure Cloud Hosting
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by FireHost Evangelist on July 21st, 2009
There are four million British identities for sale according to a weekend story from the UK’s Times Online. The compromised data contains highly sensitive, personal financial information like credit card details, bank account numbers, and PIN’s, and it’s all available to the highest bidder.
You may be wondering how such a large bounty of confidential information was collected, and what organization is responsible for the massive data breach. The startling answer is that no one is directly responsible for the leak; it appears everyday email users like you divulged their digits to these hackers.
“Most of the personal data has been gathered as a result of phishing. Unsuspecting victims hand over the information by e-mail to people posing as reputable sources such as banks or online stores. Other data has been stolen after criminals infect a person’s personal computer with viruses and then raid it for information,” the story states.
(more…)
Tags: cybercrime, Hosted Exchange, Identity Theft, Phishing, Spam Protection
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