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Ransomware Virus Shuts Down Electric and Water Utility

Ransomware Virus Shuts Down Electric and Water Utility

Apr 29, 2016
Ransomware has become an albatross around the neck, targeting businesses, hospitals , and personal computers worldwide and extorting Millions of Dollars . Typical Ransomware targets victim's computer encrypts files on it, and then demands a ransom -- typically about $500 in Bitcoin -- in exchange for a key that will decrypt the files. Guess what could be the next target of ransomware malware? Everything that is connected to the Internet. There is a huge range of potential targets, from the pacemaker to cars to Internet of the Things, that may provide an opportunity for cybercriminals to launch ransomware attacks. Recently, the American public utility Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL) has announced that the company has become a victim of Ransomware attack that knocked the utility's internal computer systems offline. Also Read: FBI Suggests Ransomware Victims — ' Just Pay the Ransom '. The attack took place earlier this week when one of the compan
Microsoft to Store Data on DNA — 1,000,000,000 TB in Just a Gram

Microsoft to Store Data on DNA — 1,000,000,000 TB in Just a Gram

Apr 29, 2016
In Brief Do you know — 1 Gram of DNA Can Store 1,000,000,000 Terabyte of Data for 1000+ Years. Microsoft has purchased 10 Million strands of synthetic DNA, called Oligonucleotides a.k.a. DNA molecules, from biology startup Twist and collaborated with researchers from University of Washington to explore the idea of using synthetic DNA to store huge amount of data. Microsoft is planning to drastically change the future of data storage technology as we know it today. The volume and rate of production of data being produced and stored every day are so fast that the servers and hard drives needing to be replaced periodically, potentially increasing the risk of corruption and data loss. According to stats, 5.4 zettabytes (4.4 trillion gigabytes) of digital data, circulating and available worldwide, had been created by 2015, and it will boost to 54 zettabytes (ZB) by 2020. How will the world suppose to store this 10 times amount of data in next four years? For this, Microsof
Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Mar 21, 2024Operational Technology / SCADA Security
When you read reports about cyber-attacks affecting operational technology (OT), it's easy to get caught up in the hype and assume every single one is sophisticated. But are OT environments all over the world really besieged by a constant barrage of complex cyber-attacks? Answering that would require breaking down the different types of OT cyber-attacks and then looking back on all the historical attacks to see how those types compare.  The Types of OT Cyber-Attacks Over the past few decades, there has been a growing awareness of the need for improved cybersecurity practices in IT's lesser-known counterpart, OT. In fact, the lines of what constitutes a cyber-attack on OT have never been well defined, and if anything, they have further blurred over time. Therefore, we'd like to begin this post with a discussion around the ways in which cyber-attacks can either target or just simply impact OT, and why it might be important for us to make the distinction going forward. Figure 1 The Pu
U.S. Supreme Court allows the FBI to Hack any Computer in the World

U.S. Supreme Court allows the FBI to Hack any Computer in the World

Apr 29, 2016
In Brief The US Supreme Court has approved amendments to Rule 41, which now gives judges the authority to issue search warrants, not only for computers located in their jurisdiction but also outside their jurisdiction. Under the original Rule 41, let's say, a New York judge can only authorize the FBI to hack into a suspect's computer in New York. But the amended rule would now make it easier for the FBI to hack into any computer or network, literally anywhere in the world. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can now Hack your computers anywhere, anytime. The FBI appeared to have been granted powers to hack any computer legally across the country, and perhaps anywhere in the world, with just a single search warrant authorized by any United States judge. The U.S. Supreme Court approved yesterday a change in Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure that would let U.S. judges issue warrants for remote access to electronic devices outside their jurisdict
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Automated remediation solutions are crucial for security

websiteWing SecurityShadow IT / SaaS Security
Especially when it comes to securing employees' SaaS usage, don't settle for a longer to-do list. Auto-remediation is key to achieving SaaS security.
In-Brief: Telegram Vulnerability, Malware in Nuclear Plant, Anti-Tor Malware and Hotpatching Exploit

In-Brief: Telegram Vulnerability, Malware in Nuclear Plant, Anti-Tor Malware and Hotpatching Exploit

Apr 28, 2016
Clickjacking Vulnerability in Telegram Web Client The official Telegram web-client that allows its users to access messenger account over desktop's web browser is vulnerable to clickjacking web application vulnerability. Egyptian security researcher Mohamed A. Baset told The Hacker News about a flaw in Telegram that could allow an attacker to change sensitive information of a Telegram user, including password and the recovery e-mail. [ Watch Video Demo ] "Telegram web client is not protecting itself from clickjacking with the typical X-Frame-Options header but uses a JS frame busting technique to prevent the website to be iframed," Mohamed says. However, by exploiting one of HTML5 Features, Mohamed was able to open the Telegram account's settings page with a sandboxed iframe to prevent redirecting to top window, which also allows him to execute cross-site request forgery (csrf) vulnerability on the web-client. " I sent [bug report] it to them [Telegram team]
Child Porn Suspect Held in Jail for 7 Months for refusing to Decrypt Hard Drives

Child Porn Suspect Held in Jail for 7 Months for refusing to Decrypt Hard Drives

Apr 28, 2016
In Brief A suspect of child pornography possession, Francis Rawls, who is a former Philadelphia Police Department sergeant, has been in solitary confinement without charges for last seven months and will remain until he complies with a court order forcing him to decrypt his password-protected hard drives seized in connection with a child pornography investigation. Remember Ramona Fricosu? In 2012, a Colorado woman was ordered to unlock her laptop while investigating financial fraud, but she refused to unlock it saying that she did not remember the password. Later the US Court ruled that Police can force defendants to decrypt their electronic devices, of course, as it does not violate the Fifth Amendment that prevents any citizen from having to incriminate themselves. Forget the password? It might be a smart way to avoid complying with a court order, but not every time. A Philadelphia man has been in jail for seven months and counting after being refused to comply with a c
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