Independent – Page 51 – Computer Security Articles

New Ransom Payment Schemes Target Executives, Telemedicine

December 8, 2022 admin alex holden, cl0p, clop ransomware, emsisoft, fabian wosar, Hold Security, ransomware, ta505, The Coming Storm, Tripwire, venus ransomware, Web Fraud 2.0

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2022 18:25:04 +0000

Ransomware groups are constantly devising new methods for infecting victims and convincing them to pay up, but a couple of strategies tested recently seem especially devious. The first centers on targeting healthcare organizations that offer consultations over the Internet and sending them booby-trapped medical records for the “patient.” The other involves carefully editing email inboxes of public company executives to make it appear that some were involved in insider trading.

ComputerWorld Independent

Apple finally adds encryption to iCloud backups

December 7, 2022 admin apple, computers and peripherals, Data Privacy, Endpoint Protection, iPhone, Security

Apple today introduced several new security features focused on fending off threats to user data in the cloud, including end-to-end encryption for backups for iCloud users.

Along with end-to-end encryption for iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage and computing platform, the company announced iMessage Contact Key Verification, allowing users to verify they are communicating only with whom they intend.

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Apple also announced hardware Security Keys for Apple ID, giving users the choice to require two-factor authentication to sign into their Apple ID account. (Hardware security keys use devices, such as USB thumb drives or near-field communication (NFC) dongles, to enable access to a service or application.)

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ComputerWorld Independent

A compliance fight in Germany could hurt Microsoft customers

December 7, 2022 admin Data Privacy, Government, microsoft

Credit to Author: eschuman@thecontentfirm.com| Date: Wed, 07 Dec 2022 04:32:00 -0800

If there are two things that should never mix, it’s cybersecurity/privacy compliance and corporate politics. And yet, that’s at the heart of a compliance fight between Microsoft and German authorities that might wind up punishing the company’s customers.

The German Datenschutzkonferenz — the regulatory body entrusted to handle Germany’s flavor of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — has publicly declared that “no data protection-compliant use of Microsoft Office 365 was possible.”

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ComputerWorld Independent

UK set to mandate right to request flexible work from first day on the job

December 6, 2022 admin employee protection, Regulation, remote work

The UK government is backing proposed legislation that would give workers the right to request flexible working arrangements from day one of their employment.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw millions of workers start working from home as lockdown orders were enforced, most employees continued to have flexibility over how and when they work, with many organizations now practicing a hybrid work model.

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Independent Krebs

Judge Orders U.S. Lawyer in Russian Botnet Case to Pay Google

December 5, 2022 admin A Little Sunshine, dmitry starovikov, glupteba botnet, google, halimah delaine prado, Igor Litvak, Ne'er-Do-Well News, royal hansen, Web Fraud 2.0

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2022 19:44:50 +0000

In December 2021, Google filed a civil lawsuit against two Russian men thought to be responsible for operating Glupteba, one of the Internet’s largest and oldest botnets. The defendants, who initially pursued a strategy of counter suing Google for tortious interference in their sprawling cybercrime business, later brazenly offered to dismantle the botnet in exchange for payment from Google. The judge in the case was not amused, found for the plaintiff, and ordered the defendants and their U.S. attorney to pay Google’s legal fees.

ComputerWorld Independent

Biometrics are even less accurate than we thought

December 5, 2022 admin Android, iOS, Mobile, Security, small and medium business

Credit to Author: eschuman@thecontentfirm.com| Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2022 09:43:00 -0800

Biometrics is supposed to be one of the underpinnings of a modern authentication system. But many biometric implementations (whether that be fingerprint scanes or face recognition) can be wildly inaccurate, and the only universally positive thing to say about them is they’re better than nothing.

Also — and this may prove critical — the fact that biometrics are falsely seen as being very accurate may be sufficient to dissuade some fraud attempts.

There are a variety of practical reasons biometrics don’t work well in the real world, and a recent post by a cybersecurity specialist at KnowBe4, a security awareness training vendor, adds a new layer of complexity to the biometrics issue.

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