Category Archives: Internet Security
Client-Side Scanning: A New Front In the War on User Control of Technology – Just Security
As technology has improved to provide users more secure, encrypted communication options, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have pursued various ways to gain access to citizens communications, particularly under the guise of stopping the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). I have previously discussed the problems with these approaches, including encryption back doors and regulating the content of app stores. A newly proposed technique known as client-side scanning (CSS) presents a possible solution to the challenge of investigating the trafficking of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), nominally without the need to degrade user security. But the issue of whether CSS actually resolves the law enforcement vs. strong encryption debate underscores an often overlooked and foundational question about how much control people should have over the technologies they own. The importance of this issue stems from two sources, the ubiquity of technological devices in our lives and the sheer bulk of personal information we entrust to them.
For nearly thirty years, U.S. law enforcement and national security agencies have criticized the use of strong encryption in computing and communications, claiming that cryptographic systems will severely curtail legitimate law enforcement activity by making data unreadable and thus rendering digital police investigations useless. This argument has met with little success, due mainly to the lack of evidence that law enforcement investigations have been impeded as much as had been claimed, as well as a broad acknowledgement of the critical role encryption has come to play in our everyday security. Indeed, Julian Sanchez has recently explained the important role encryption has played in American society since the founding of the nation.
The distribution of child pornography online, however, has sent law enforcement agencies back to technology companies once again to find a way around the encryption conundrum. Specifically, because strong cryptography can stymie police efforts to investigate the trafficking of CSAM across the internet by rendering data unreadable to anyone without access to the key, law enforcement agencies will be unable to detect or disrupt CSAM distribution networks.
CSS gets around the encryption challenge in investigating CSAM by identifying targeted files through data scans on the users computing device before the user can encrypt them. By conducting these searches locally on the users computer at key moments in data processing when the information is still readable, rather than through a wiretap or device seizure, CSS allows law enforcement agencies to avoid the going dark problem posed by strong encryption. CSS thus appears to be a solution to the extended fight between law enforcement and technology companies over the use of encryption.
A recent article by several widely respected computer security experts has questioned the wisdom of CSSs use, however. In addition to illustrating several ways CSS can fail, such as by mistaking innocuous content for targeted material, or be circumvented or hijacked by bad actors, the articles authors point out that CSS weakens a key purpose of encryptionthe desire of law-abiding users to avoid extralegal or unwanted surveillance. Others have pointed to the dangers of abuse of CSS, where private data can be scanned by others, even if the user has not given explicit permission to do so. But in addition to these valid points, there is an even larger issue raised by CSS, one that goes to the core of what it means to own a computing device today.
The nature of computers makes everything but the interfaces we use to interact with them opaque to most of us, and that is by design. There is quite a lot going on inside our devices that we would rather not have to worry about just to get our computers to do what we want. Those of us who are old enough to remember manually installing device drivers and editing configuration files probably do not relish a return to those days. But that does not necessarily mean we wish to relinquish control over our devices as part of this usability bargain. Like the strong encryption question, this debate about user control over the technologies we own has also been going on for decades, but often less visibly. In fact, technology users have been slowly losing this debate without necessarily knowing of its existence or what is at stake.
Until relatively recently, computers were general-purpose machines. That is, their owners could use them as they pleased, installing or removing components or software as it suited them, and controlling which processes could or could not run on the device. This landscape began to change when technology and entertainment industries created technologies to control user access to content, and strategies like digital rights management started to move certain parts of our devices out of the owners reach. This is something like buying a house where one room is permanently locked and only the builder has access. You can hear machinery operating in that room, but you have no way of knowing what those machines are doing, and there is no way for you to turn them off. Existing laws and policies have driven these changes, which have in turn quietly adjusted our customary ideas about ownership, at least with respect to digital devices and content.
These changes have taken place largely due to efforts to protect intellectual property, and efforts by law enforcement and national security agencies to influence similar changes have generally failed. But for technologies like CSS to work, portions of every computing device must also be walled off from user visibility and control. Search algorithms must be installed on every computing device to enable the scanning of data going in or out. If we allow this partitioning of device access and control for reasons of intellectual property protection, why not law enforcement or national security?
It is a fair question, and there are many who argue that we have already given up too much device control to the former. But CSS poses particularly troubling problems that go beyond existing objections. While CSS algorithms can be configured to scan for CSAM, they can also be configured to search for any other data others might be interested in knowing you have on your device, including private communications, location data, and personal documents. It does not require too active an imagination to foresee how such a system could be abused. And even though you own the device, there is nothing you can do about it.
One can understand the idea that technology ownership is an artifact of simpler days gone by, and that change is necessary to fairly balance the many interests at stake in our increasingly complex society. As technologies change and our uses of them evolve, we should frequently pause to evaluate their costs and benefits to society. Given the worthy goal of countering CSAM trafficking, we could conclude that using CSS on our devices is an appropriate solution. But before reaching that conclusion, we should fully understand what it means when we no longer control the technologies we think we own.
Our use of these devices has rapidly expanded to nearly every corner of our lives, and this has meant that their use is all but a requirement for participating in contemporary society. Because of their importance, we rarely think twice about giving these technologies unfettered access to our most sensitive data. But this requires a significant measure of trust that access to our devices is within our controlwe decide who can or cannot see what information we put there. Maintaining that trust means ensuring users retain control over the devices they own.
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Client-Side Scanning: A New Front In the War on User Control of Technology - Just Security
MSPs, Not Bank Of America, Are The New Ransomware Target, Says ThreatLocker – CRN
Hackers have realized they dont have to go after Bank of America. Instead, they can make a million dollars from an MSP and spread out to its business customers in the process, according to cybersecurity company ThreatLocker co-founder and CEO Danny Jenkins.
Something changed in the last decade where these hackers realized [MSPs] dont have nearly the security that Bank of America or the Department of Defense does, Jenkins said. With a little bit of planning, I can figure out what security software they use, figure out what their staff is like, figure out who they do business with, and now, I can send them direct emails.
MSPs are in the crosshairs, and there are many ways hackers are gaining access. One popular way is for hackers to figure out what security tools an MSP is using. Attackers can use exiting tools against you--and they are--to get into your systems, Jenkins told an audience of MSPs and solution providers at CRN parent The Channel Companys NexGen+ 2021 conference Tuesday.
[Related: ThreatLocker Is Locking Out Ransomware, Providing Peace Of Mind For MSPs]
Once inside an MSPs organization, its easier for the hacker to live off the land--that is, go after the rest of the companys customers, he said.
Adopting a zero-trust framework of never trust, always verify, can help MSPs take control of their own environment, Jenkins said.
We ourselves are seeing a lot of various attempts to breach our security, said David Liu, founder and CEO of solution provider Deltapath, who was in attendance during Jenkins keynote.
The San Jose, Calif.-based company focuses on unified communications and securing VoIP for its customers. Deltapath is no stranger to being a target of hackers looking to breach a solution provider organization, Liu said.
In one case, a Deltapath customer was hacked and a legitimate-appearing email was sent to Deltapath that made it through the companys layers of security. The email looked really authentic, but was luring us to make a document download, which could start an attack. Luckily, the last layer of defense is human and we had enough training to notice something looked fishy, Liu said.
A zero-trust security approach has some limitations, but its a really important strategy, he said.
Removing unnecessary privileges and whitelisting-- which allows everyday applications to have access to things they dont need like PowerShell being able to talk to Microsoft Office--is how MSPs can establish a zero-trust security posture, ThreatLockers Jenkins said.
The only thing QuickBooks needs access to is the QuickBooks folder. SolarWinds didnt need to go out to anything on the internet except SolarWinds. They dont need [access], so take it away, he said. Just checking that box should take away a huge surface area of attack from your system.
Only if access is blocked by default, storage is locked down at the application level and privileges are removed will MSPs be able to get themselves ahead of unavoidable threats, Jenkins said.
We want to be more secure than our neighbors because no ones robbing the house with a big dog, cameras and a gun sign, he said. Its easier to go next door.
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MSPs, Not Bank Of America, Are The New Ransomware Target, Says ThreatLocker - CRN
Comodo Internet Security – Free download and software reviews …
Comodo Internet Security is the awarding winning and free security solution for Windows that uses a powerful combination of antivirus, firewall, auto-sandbox, host intrusion prevention and website filtering to immediately protect your computer from all known and unknown malware. Our real-time scanner constantly monitors your computer for threats, protecting you from the moment you start Windows. Our cloud-based scanner uses real-time virus blacklists, so you don't have to download updates before you receive protection against newly discovered threats. Did you know traditional antivirus software can only detect around 40% of the viruses in circulation? The other 60% of viruses are allowed to run because they are 'unknown' to antivirus software. Comodo Internet Security protects you against this other 60% by automatically isolating all unknown files in a secure container called the sandbox. Applications in the sandbox run with restricted privileges, write to a virtual file system and registry, and are not allowed to access other processes or your private data. This means any potential new malware is securely locked away instead of being allowed to run amok as it would in other antiviruses. Our Secure Shopping feature provides the next-generation of security for online banking and shopping. Under Secure Shopping, websites will open inside a virtual environment which is isolated from the rest of your system, so nothing you download can infect your computer. No other processes are allowed to interfere with your browser, and your online session also benefits from SSL certificate checking, key-logger protection, website filtering, screen-shot blocking and remote connection prevention. This creates a direct, threat-resistant tunnel between you and your target website which cannot be hacked by malware or online thieves. Whether you are an IT novice or an experienced user, Comodo Internet Security is the ultimate protection against today's dangerous online world.
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What Is Internet Security? | Free Internet Security Suite For PC
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Internet security is a branch of computer security which comprises various security measures exercised for ensuring the security of transactions done online. In the process, the internet security prevents attacks targeted at browsers, network, operating systems, and other applications. Today, businesses and governments are more concerned about safeguarding from Cyber attacks and malware programs that originate from the internet. The main aim of Internet security is to set up precise rules and regulations that can deflect attacks that arise from the Internet.
Internet security relies on particular resources and criteria for safeguarding the data that is communicated or transferred online. The safeguarding techniques include different kinds of encryption such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). Besides, the other features of a secure Web setup can include firewalls that prevent undesired traffic, and anti-spyware, anti-malware, and anti-virus programs that work from particular networks or devices to watch online traffic for malicious attachments.
An excellent Internet security safeguards financial details and much more of what is controlled by a company or agencys servers and network hardware. Inadequate Internet security can bring down any business where data (Financial or Sensitive) gets routed over the Web.
One of the best examples of the internet security scams is the internet security essentials a rogue security software behaving to protect the Windows computers against malware and viruses installs itself through the use of a trojan horse. The fake antivirus program affected Microsoft operating systems namely the Windows 9x, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. It relates to the FakeVimes family of fake antivirus malware!
Internet Security Essentials Alert is a fake program which is part of a scam chiefly devised to deceive the user into paying money for malware.
Internet Security Essentials works like a rogue antivirus software. It uses the scare tactics and fakes the user into believing that it has an association with Windows in order to make the user pay for the malware/virus removal. The symptoms of Internet Security Essentials infection are pretty standard. When the computer gets the infection, the user will notice a fake home screen, which is made to look as if it is a window within Windows, as a system component. The fake interface will run phony system scans to deceive the user.
One of the best examples of the internet security scams is the internet security essentials a rogue security software behaving to protect the Windows computers against malware and viruses installs itself through the use of a trojan horse. The fake antivirus program affected Microsoft operating systems namely the Windows 9x, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. It relates to the FakeVimes family of fake antivirus malware!
Internet Security Essentials Alert is a fake program which is part of a scam chiefly devised to deceive the user into paying money for malware.
Internet Security Essentials works like a rogue anti-virus software. It uses the scare tactics and fakes the user into believing that it has an association with Windows in order to make the user pay for the malware/virus removal. The symptoms of Internet Security Essentials infection are pretty standard. When the computer gets the infection, the user will notice a fake home screen, which is made to look as if it is a window within Windows, as a system component. The fake interface will run phony system scans to deceive the user.
The scan comes back with details of many threats found on the user computer which arent actually present. However, few fake malware/virus files are actually planted by the malicious Internet Security Essentials program. Thereafter, the user is requested to click on a button that says Remove all, but when the user tries doing it, the fake Internet Security Essentials comes back with a message asking the user to pay for the full version of its software to complete the malware cleaning process. The user is directed to a false website that alleges to be the company website of Internet Security Essentials, however, thats just the payment site for the scam.
A variety of Internet security devices and tools that can be used for businesses and government organizations are needed today. One type needs to help detect the intrusion while the other is should help prevent the intrusion. These tools will greatly help the IT staff when it comes to recognizing issues and in keeping the computer networks safe from threats.
The sophisticated programs are meant to be capable of recognizing a range of threats and ward off attacks respectively. The whole process would include the detection of viruses, spyware, malware, worms, etc. The detection tools will closely observe the system and raise the alarm for the system team to look into the issue when there is a malicious activity happening on the network. On the other hand, the prevention systems (anti-malware systems) enable live monitoring and has the potential to prevent attacks.
As a matter of fact, the Comodo Internet Security packs it all and provides complete protection 24/7 even when a user is not monitoring their computer!
The Comodo Internet Security Suite protects from most of the online attacks and malware activities that can steal the sensitive data stored on a computer. The security suite will robustly stop hackers from accessing financial details and personal information.
Malware arising from the internet can hold a system as a hostage and demand money, secretly gather sensitive information about the computing habits of users, internet activity, keystrokes, etc. Stay protected from all of these threats with the latest version of Comodo Internet Security!
For more insights, take a look at the official page of Comodo Internet Security!
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What Is Internet Security? | Free Internet Security Suite For PC
VirnetX Zero Trust Networking Technology Implemented by Credit Union Advisor for Ransomware Protection – WSAZ-TV
With Asgard's Zero-Trust EverSafe Backup and Disaster Recovery Service
Published: Oct. 26, 2021 at 9:00 AM EDT|Updated: 11 hours ago
ZEPHYR COVE, Nev., Oct. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VirnetX Holding Corporation (NYSE: VHC), an Internet security software and technology company, announced today that the National Credit Union ISAO ("NCU-ISAO"), enhancing Credit Union cyber resilience through information sharing, intelligence, operational guidance, and workforce education, has implemented VirnetX's Zero Trust Networking Technology with Asgard's Zero-Trust EverSafe Backup and Disaster Recovery Service for ransomware protection. EverSafe is built on VirnetX's Zero Trust Networking Technology platform.
VirnetX's Zero Trust Networking Technology with Asgard's Zero-Trust EverSafe Backup and Disaster Recovery Service protects data backups, data in transit, and data at rest on private secure domains, separate and invisible from the public Internet, therefore ensuring data integrity and availability.
Ransomware is the biggest threat to banking organizations with a 1,318% increase in attacks year over year from 2020 to 2021 and depends on the vulnerability of data backups for a successful attack to ensure payment of ransoms. Secure backup and recovery capabilities are the last line of defense against ransomware. Additionally, zero trust security is now recognized as a critical component of any security strategy with 76% of organizations in the process of implementing zero trust security.
"We believe in VirnetX's Zero Trust Networking Technology and were interested to learn more about how Asgard's EverSafe solution could leverage it to create a safe, zero trust backup solution," said Brian Hinze, NCU-ISAO Director and Vice President. "After implementing the solution at NCU-ISAO, the value of the product quickly became clear when we could not see a visible path to our backups, as was advertised.A trusted partner of ours recently said, 'You can't hack what you can't see,' and it certainly holds true in action."
"VirnetX Zero Trust Networking Technology enables EverSafe to improve upon Veeam's best in class backup and recovery platform with unparalleled zero trust security delivering the most secure data protection available anywhere to our clients," said Asgard Chief Executive Officer Brian Waltermire.
About VirnetX
VirnetX Holding Corporation is an Internet security software and technology company with patented technology for secure communications including 4G LTE and 5G security. The Company's software and technology solutions, including its secure domain name registry and Gabriel Connection Technology, are designed to facilitate secure communications and to create a secure environment for real-time communication applications such as instant messaging, VoIP, smart phones, e-Readers and video conferencing. The Company's patent portfolio includes over 190 U.S. and foreign granted patents, validations and pending applications. For more information, please visit http://www.virnetx.com/.
About the National Credit Union ISAO
The mission of the NCU-ISAO is to enable and sustain Credit Union critical infrastructure cyber resilience and preserve the public trust by advancing trusted security coordination and collaboration to identify, protect, detect, respond and recover from threats and vulnerabilities. For more information, please visit https://ncuisao.org/.
About Asgard
Asgard is the leader in zero trust cloud backup and data recovery solutions servicing clients ranging from government municipalities to the small enterprise organization. Located in New York, New York, Asgard leverages data centers around the world to provide these much needed zero trust data recovery solutions to its valued clients wherever they may be. For more information, please visit http://www.asgardmsp.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact, including the statement regarding VirnetX's technology, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections, and certain assumptions made by management and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the actual results of VirnetXto be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to,including but not limited to (1) the outcome of any legal proceedings that have been or may be initiated by VirnetXor that may be initiated against VirnetX; (2) the ability to capitalize on patent portfolio and generate licensing fees and revenues; (3) the ability of VirnetXto be successful in entering into licensing relationships with its targeted customers on commercially acceptable terms; (4) potential challenges to the validity of VirnetX's patents underlying its licensing opportunities; (5) the ability of the VirnetXto achieve widespread customer adoption of its Gabriel Communication Technology and its secure domain name registry; (6) the level of adoption of the 3GPP Series 33 security specifications; (7) whether or not VirnetX's patents or patent applications may be determined to be or become essential to any standards or specifications in the 3GPP LTE, SAE project or otherwise; (8) the extent to which specifications relating to any of VirnetX's patents or patent applicationsmay beadopted as a final standard, if at all; and (9) the possibility VirnetXmay be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in VirnetX's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those under the heading "Risk Factors" in VirnetX's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 6, 2021 and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as applicable. Many of the factors that will determine the outcome of the subject matter of this press release are beyond VirnetX's ability to control or predict. Except as required by law, VirnetXis under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results.
Contact:Investor RelationsVirnetX Holding Corporation415.505.0456ir@virnetx.com
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The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc.
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VirnetX Zero Trust Networking Technology Implemented by Credit Union Advisor for Ransomware Protection - WSAZ-TV
Unified Technology Solution – An InfoNetworks Service that Delivers Managed IT & Network Security Plus Voice and Internet Solutions – Business…
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InfoNetworks today announced a new and unique service called Unified Technology Solution. Promoted as the answer to fill an existing void in the marketplace, InfoNetworks Unified Technology Solution offers businesses managed IT services, complete network security, voice and telephony services, and connectivity via a complete package from a single provider.
For more than a year, businesses worldwide have faced unprecedented global events that are dictating policies and procedures. Companies have necessarily cut key budget items, face new challenges, and manage their businesses with reduced workforce. Many of these organizations have been tasked with creating remote infrastructure to help mitigate the ever-changing landscape and support work-from-home or hybrid work environments.
InfoNetworks Unified Technology Solution is designed to address these challenges with an all-inclusive platform that allows employees, managers, and executives to stay connected and secure both in the office and remotely. InfoNetworks data connections support the added influx of traffic to the office while the included cloud-based PBX allows for extensions to be accessible via mobile device or laptop. The Unified Technology Solution network supports a mix of Desktop, Softphones, Teams, SIP and PRI interfaces. All technologies are managed by InfoNetworks experienced Technical Support and Network Engineering Teams and are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by the watchful eye of CyberSecure(SM), an advanced Network Security Software capable of locking-down up to 500,000 end points.
Our Unified Technology Solution is a four-pronged approach, said Bruce Hakimi, Senior Executive at InfoNetworks. By delivering Managed IT, Network Security, Voice and Data under one source, we can maximize the efficiency and productivity of any organization. He further explained: By being able to oversee all network elements from the data connection to internal Local or Cloud based Network, InfoNetworks has the advantage of acting and resolving issues quickly without having to wait for other vendors.
Although some data carriers may offer a cloud infrastructure, it is not a true Managed IT service. Their support is mostly limited to their equipment and servers and does not cover software applications, internal equipment such as PCs, Laptops, Printers, scanners, WiFi Routers and internal network security. If a printer is not working, a server is down or a laptop is hacked, their help desk will not assist. InfoNetworks Unified Technology Solution offers full LAN support giving businesses the advantages of having an IT team at their fingertips without the overhead cost.
It is like having an in-house IT Department that manages and maintains your entire network, from your voice services to your laptops, said Hakimi. Just think about it: how many companies can direct you to one support number for every type of trouble on your platform from your internet being down to an issue with your Network Security?
Mapping home internet activity during COVID-19 lockdown to identify occupation related inequalities | Scientific Reports – Nature.com
Our analysis focused on the urban areas of Sydney and Melbourne during a pre-COVID period (which we use as a baseline), during the first pandemic wave in March and April 2020 (with Australia-wide transmission and mobility restrictions), and during the second wave from July 2020 (with substantial transmission and mobility restrictions in Melbourne but not in Sydney). We identify positive correlations between income security and changes to internet activity during COVID-19. These correlations are consistent with the hypothesis that higher income security is associated with more people working from home during lockdown. This hypothesis is further supported by individual-level data from the CARE survey. We observe that in Sydney this trend persists after the release of lockdown restrictions, indicating the possibility of a new normal of remote working conditions, particularly for occupations associated with higher income security. In Melbourne, we find that the role of children conducting their studies online disrupts these correlations due to an inverse relationship between income security and the proportion of families with children.
Income security is distributed spatially according to distinct patterns, with high values in the central and northeast suburbs of both Sydney and Melbourne (Fig. 2a,b). The upper 50% income security quantile (Fig. 2c) favours managerial and office-based occupations, while the lower 50% quantile (Fig. 2d) contains more service staff and other socially-oriented occupations. The frequency distributions of average income security among SA2s in Sydney and Melbourne (respectively) are provided in the Supplementary Fig. S4, which demonstrates that the distributions in the two regions are not significantly different (two sample t-test, (p = 0.552)). High resolution choropleth maps of income security by region can be found in the Supplementary Fig. S6a.
Geospatial and occupational distribution of income security. The choropleth maps in (a) and (b) demonstrate the geospatial distribution of income security in Greater Melbourne and Greater Sydney (respectively) on the scale of Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2). Areas below the median income security index of 0.1809 are colored orange while those above the median are colored purple. The histograms in (c) and (d) demonstrate the distribution of the population in these regions over the income security spectrum, with indicative occupation types for each bin shown in the bottom y-axis labels (the label corresponding to the most prevalent occupation classification for each bin is shown). For both histograms, waiters have the lowest income security, while anaesthetists have the highest.
To examine the qualitative association between income security and the ability to work from home indicated by the distributions in Fig. 2c,d, we apply the occupation classification method developed by Dingel and Neiman37. This results in a binary (0 or 1) value indicating whether or not a particular occupation type can be performed from home. We found a strong association between income security and the ability to work from home (Fig. 3). This association was observed both by occupation (Fig. 3a) and by geographic region (Fig. 3b). See the Supplementary Fig. S5 for histograms of the distributions shown in Fig. 3a as well as the distributions of the x- and y-axis variables used in Fig. 3b.
Relationship between income security and the ability to work from home. Box plots in (a) compare the distributions of log-transformed income security, grouped by the ability to work from home for each of 321 occupations classified by 4-digit ANZSCO codes. The distributions in (a) are computed from the HILDA survey, 2018. The scatter plot in (b) demonstrates the correlation between average income security for each SA2 region, and the corresponding average proportion of individuals who can work from home, computed from the occupation distribution of each SA2 in the Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne regions released in the 2016 ABS Census. [Note: the log-transformed income security data in (a) omits 24 occupations that had a value of 0 for income security (no securely employed HILDA respondents), of these, 2 were grouped into the can work from home category and 22 into the cannot work from home category].
To quantify changes to home internet use during COVID-19 restrictions, we aggregated internet activity data from all SA2 regions within Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne (respectively). Over the pre-COVID baseline, we averaged the per-user upload and download rates from the hours of 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in order to capture a baseline measurement of putative remote work-related internet activity (see Methods). During the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Australia, peaks in case incidence coincided with the implementation of the most restrictive policies, and were followed by increases in total internet use, which peaked approximately 1 to 3 weeks after implementation of the tightest level of restrictions (Fig. 4).
After identifying time intervals representative of the changes induced by the first- and second-waves of restrictions, we examined spatial variation among individual SA2 regions during those periods. The grey bands in Fig. 4 show the periods over which nbn data was averaged for each individual SA2 in order to examine the spatial distribution of changes to internet activity during first and second waves of COVID-19. For visualisation of spatial trends, high-resolution choropleth maps of internet activity changes relative to baseline can be found in the Supplementary Fig. S6b,c.
Timeseries plots of average daytime internet use, COVID-19 case incidence, and restriction policy implementation for (a) New South Wales and (b) Victoria, Australia. Daily average upload rates per household, per 30 min interval between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. are shown as blue dots for weekdays (blue dots, the blue line is the 7-day average). Daily case incidence is shown as black dots (the black line is the 7 day average), and dates on which restriction policies were modified are shown as vertical dashed lines for increasing (red) and decreasing (green) restriction levels. The grey bands indicate the dates over which nbn data was averaged for our analysis of first- and second-wave changes. See the Supplementary Fig. S1 for an equivalent timeseries presenting average downloads rather than uploads.
We found that during the first period of restrictions, areas with higher income security tended to exhibit larger increases in internet volume per household (Fig. 5ac). However, these trends were produced by qualitatively different changes for downloads and uploads, respectively:
During the pre-COVID baseline period, absolute download volume tended to decrease with income security, becoming uncorrelated during the first wave of restrictions (Fig. 5a). This transition produces larger increases in download volume in areas with higher average income security (Fig. 5b,c).
On the other hand, absolute upload volume shows baseline rates that are initially uncorrelated with income security and transition to an increasing trend during the first wave of restrictions (Fig. 5d). This produces changes in upload volume that have similar correlations with income security to those observed for downloads (Fig. 5e,f), but that occur due to the emergence of a positive correlation rather than the removal of a negative correlation with the onset of restrictions.
The negative baseline trend of download rates with income security may result from the activity of children. We observed a strong positive correlation between the proportion of families with children and baseline download rates ((rho ~=~0.72~95%;text {CI}~[0.68,~0.75])), and a negative correlation between the proportion of families with children and income security ((rho ~=~-0.39~95%;text {CI}~[-0.45,~-0.32])). This suggests that children engaged in online activity may establish the negative baseline correlation between download rates and income security (Fig. 5a).
Childrens activities also appear to influence the changes observed during lockdown. During the time interval selected to represent the first wave of restrictions (April 18th to April 24th), school holidays were still in effect in Greater Sydney while in Melbourne, children had returned to their studies remotely. Because regions with higher income security tend to have a lower proportion of families with children, remote learning activity weakens the positive association between upload activity and income security produced by adults working from home. Correlations between income security, the proportion of families with children, and internet activity in Sydney and Melbourne (respectively) during the first wave of COVID-19 restrictions are shown in the Supplementary Tables S2 and S3.
Changes to internet use during the 1st wave of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, plotted against income security for each SA2 region. (a) Shows absolute average household download rates before (black dots) and during (green dots) the selected period (April 18th to April 24th, 2020). (b) Plots the absolute change in average per-household download rate during the first-wave period, and (c) plots the change in download rate relative to baseline. (d) Shows absolute upload rates before (black) and during (green) COVID-19, while (e) shows absolute changes to upload volume, and (f) shows changes to upload volume relative to baseline. In each subplot, the internet traffic quantifiers are plotted against the income security score for the corresponding SA2 region, and Pearsons correlation coefficients with 95% CI intervals are shown in the legends.
For the second wave of COVID-19 (and associated restrictions), we selected the appropriate time period using internet data from Victoria, where the second epidemic wave was concentrated. In Victoria during the second wave, internet activity peaked during the week of August 8th to August 14th. As for the first wave, this home internet activity peak immediately followed the implementation of the highest level of restrictions (Fig. 4b).
Because of the substantially different epidemiological and policy situations in Sydney (New South Wales) and Melbourne (Victoria) during the second-wave period (Fig. 4), we examined the relationship between internet traffic, lockdown policy, and income security for each city separately. Comparing the two cities provides insight regarding changes in behaviour related to the contrasting scenarios. During the second wave, Greater Sydney experienced a series of localised outbreaks with minimal social restrictions, while in Melbourne there was a large-scale epidemic with mandatory movement restrictions.
While household internet traffic declines in Sydney during the second wave relative to the first wave, the positive correlation between income security and internet activity relative to baseline remains prominent for both downloads (Fig. 6a,c), and uploads (Fig. 6d,f). This is despite the absence of formal stay-at-home orders in the Greater Sydney region at that time (though some restrictions on social gatherings remained in place). The time interval between the first and second waves was long enough to support the assertion that behavioural changes made in response to COVID-19 lockdown policies remain observable after those policies have been formally relaxed.
Greater Melbourne behaves similarly in both waves with respect to changes in download traffic as a function of income security (compare Figs. 5a,c, 6a,b). However, changes to upload volumes do not mirror the correlations observed during the first wave (compare Figs. 5d,f, 6d,e). In fact, there are many areas of Melbourne with high income security that show substantial reductions in upload traffic during the second wave, relative to the first. While our data gives no immediate explanation for this counter-intuitive trend, we speculate that it may be due to alterations in work habits that occurred as the lockdown became protracted. Decreases in upload traffic without corresponding decreases in download traffic could result from individuals continuing to perform work activities from home, but participating in less face-to-face online interaction. Conversely, widespread adoption of remote schooling practices could help explain the increase in upload rates for regions in the mid-range of the income security spectrum. Such an effect is consistent with the weak but positive correlations between the proportion of families with children and changes to upload volumes ((rho = 0.15~ 95%~ text {CI}~ [0.033, 0.25]), see Supplementary Table S5). This suggestion is also consistent with the observation that daytime internet activity increases during school holidays, when children are more likely to be in the home (Fig. 1b).
We hypothesise that schooling in the home had a greater impact on internet volume in general, and upload rates in particular, than working remotely from home during the second wave of COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne. This hypothesis is supported by a preliminary principal component analysis, summarised in the Supplementary Fig. S2. This 3-component PCA shows an increased role of children in determining upload rates in Greater Melbourne during the second-wave period. Specifically, Supplementary Fig. S2 demonstrates a qualitative change in the relationship between the proportion of families with children, income security, and second-wave changes to upload activity. Upload rate is positively associated with the proportion of families with children in the first component (explaining 55% of the variance) and positively associated with income security in the second component (explaining 32% of the variance). In both components, income security and the proportion of families with children are negatively associated. These PCA results support the suggestion that occupation-related correlations between net changes to upload activity and income security are disrupted by the activities of children in online schooling. This may be explained as a competing effect because lower average income security is associated with a higher proportion of families with children ((rho = -0.45~ 95%~ text {CI}~ [-0.53, -0.35]), Supplementary Table S5), while the capacity to work from home increases with income security ((rho = 0.90~ 95% ~text {CI}~ [0.88, 0.91]), Fig. 3b).
Changes to internet use during the second wave of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, plotted against income security for each SA2 region. (a) Shows absolute download volumes averaged over the baseline period and second wave of COVID-19 restriction policies (August 8th to August 14th, 2020), which includes baseline (black dots), 2nd wave values for Greater Sydney (blue squares), and second wave values for Greater Melbourne (orange triangles). Plots (b) and (c) show the change in download volumes relative to pre-COVID baseline as a function of income security index for each SA2 in Sydney and Melbourne, respectively. Plots (d), (e) and (f) show the same analysis as (a), (b), and (c), respectively, for uploads rather than downloads. In each subplot, the internet traffic quantifiers are plotted against the income security score for the corresponding SA2 region, and Pearsons correlation coefficients with 95% CI intervals are shown in the legends.
To confirm that the household-level trends inferred from SA2-level aggregate variables corresponded to observations made on the individual level, we analysed representative data from Victoria collected by the CARE study. While the CARE study did not collect data on income security per-se, it did record the annual income bracket reported by each respondent.
One of the survey questions was posed as follows: Have you personally experienced a change in work environment (working from home) because of COVID-19 and the measures to prevent its spread? (yes or no). We computed the proportion of respondents who reported income above and below (or within) the median income bracket for the sample (sample median annual income was $AUD 60,000 to 69,999) who answered yes to this question. We then performed a two-tailed Fishers exact test to determine the resulting odds ratio between the two groups, and its statistical significance given the response numbers (see Table 1). The results demonstrate a strong positive relationship between income and switching to work from home, with an odds ratio of 2.15 (95% CI [1.59, 2.92], (p = 6.8times 10^{-7})) computed for the above-median income group, relative to the median-and-below income group. While the income data tabulated by the CARE survey is not an exact representation of the income security score used in our analysis of internet trends (which incorporated contract classification), this result supports the same conclusion: those with higher financial security have more capacity to change their work environments in response to COVID-19 restrictions.
In summary, our results support the hypothesis that occupational factors link the ability to work from home with income security, and clearly show how this link produces strong positive correlations between income security and increases to home internet activity during COVID-19 restrictions. These correlations are consistent with the assertion that higher income security is associated with more people working from home during lockdown. This assertion is further supported by individual-level data from the CARE survey. We observe that in Sydney this trend persists after the release of lockdown restrictions, indicating the possibility of a new normal of remote working conditions, particularly for occupations associated with higher income security. In Melbourne, we find that the role of children conducting their studies online disrupts these correlations due to an inverse relationship between income security and the proportion of families with children.
Conti’s business model. BillQuick bug exploited to serve ransomware. Hitting BlackMatter. Protecting software supply chains. – The CyberWire
Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Cash-Starved North Korea Eyed in Brazen Bank Hack (Daily Beast) Hackers who stole tens of millions of dollars to fund North Koreas nuclear weapons program in 2016 tried hitting another bank last year, The Daily Beast has learned.
Hacker Attacks Hit Indonesian Agency: Calling for Cyber War? (D-Insights) A cyber attack hits National Cyber and Encryption Agencys (BSSN) website, highlighting the latent threat of cyber warfare.
Operation Secondary Infektion Targets Pfizer Vaccine | Recorded Future (Recorded Future) A fake letter has been discovered that is highly likely an attempt to generate vaccine hesitancy and distrust.
Conti Ransom Gang Starts Selling Access to Victims (KrebsOnSecurity) The Conti ransomware affiliate program appears to have altered its business plan recently. Organizations infected with Conti's malware who refuse to negotiate a ransom payment are added to Conti's victim shaming blog, where confidential files stolen from victims may be
Ransomware Gang Says the Real Ransomware Gang Is the Federal Government (Vice) A day after it was revealed that the US and its allies hacked the infamous REvil ransomware gang, a competing gang published an anti-government rant on its website.
BlackMatter botched tens of millions in ransoms after coding bug caught by Emsisoft (SC Media) Cybersecurity firm helped victims without publicly announcing bug in BlackMatter ransomware, which has since been fixed by the threat group.
Emsisoft cracked BlackMatter ransomware, recovered victims' data (SearchSecurity) Emsisoft found a critical flaw in BlackMatter ransomware, as well as other ransomware families, that helped to decrypt files without paying.
Hackers used billing software zero-day to deploy ransomware (BleepingComputer) An unknown ransomware group is exploiting a critical SQL injection bug found in the BillQuick Web Suite time and billing solution to deploy ransomware on their targets' networks in ongoing attacks.
SolarWinds Hackers Target Another Weak Point in Tech Supply Chain (Wall Street Journal) Firms that resell or manage cloud services are springboards for bigger attacks.
US being hit by huge cyber attacks, Microsoft warns (The Independent) Hundreds of companies and organisations are being hit by a wave of cyber attacks, Microsoft has warned.
Hundreds of U.S. Networks Targeted by Russian Cyber Attack, Microsoft Says (Insurance Journal) The Russian-based agency behind last year's massive SolarWinds cyberattack has targeted hundreds more companies and organizations in its latest wave of
Russia-Linked SolarWinds Hackers Continue Supply Chain Attack Rampage (SecurityWeek) Microsoft warns that the Russia-linked threat group that targeted SolarWinds continues launching supply chain attacks.
Russian Hackers Behind SolarWinds Attack Are Targeting The Supply Chain, Microsoft Says (Daily Caller) The same group of Russian hackers behind the December 2020 SolarWinds attack are targeting companies in the U.S. technology supply chain, Microsoft says.
Russian Cyber Spies Flout Sanctions, Target Tech Sector (Law360) Russian spies behind a cyberattack on software provider SolarWinds that led to breaches at nine U.S. federal agencies have flouted White House sanctions with a new campaign targeting cloud service companies, Microsoft Corp. said Monday.
The Russian hacker group behind the SolarWinds attack is at it again, Microsoft says (NPR.org) According to Microsoft, the group is targeting technology companies that resell and provide cloud services and has been using phishing and password spray to gain entry to targeted networks.
Wave of cyberattacks hitting American companies, Microsoft warns (Newsweek) Microsoft has accused the Russian hacking group Nobelium of being responsible for the attack.
Urgency, Mail Relay Serve Phishers Well on Craigslist (INKY) Craigslist, that old fashioned website people still use to find things locally and urgently has become the latest phishing vector. In addition to the inherent time pressure of its marketplace, a feature on the site that appeals to phishers is the mail relay function. In the service of safety and anonymity, Craigslist lets people seeking or offering things send an email through the system to anyone else.
Cracking WiFi at Scale with One Simple Trick (Cracking WiFi at Scale with One Simple Trick) How I Cracked 70% of Tel Avivs Wifi Networks (from a Sample of 5,000 Gathered WiFi). In the past seven years that Ive lived in Tel Aviv, Ive changed apartments four times. Every time I...
NYT journalist describes his iPhone being hacked, and the precautions he now takes (9to5Mac) A New York Times journalist covering the Middle East has described the experience of his iPhone being hacked, and the security precautions ...
Old Hollywood CCTV camera hack actually works on modern security cameras (CoolTechZone) We decided to prove multiple Hollywood scenes about spoofing video of security cameras and show that in our hands-on research
Janesville schools hit with ransomware attack locking digital systems (Channel3000.com) The School District of Janesville says it was hit with a ransomware attack over the weekend, locking students, staff and parents out of several web-based systems and programs.
Bulletin (SB21-298) Vulnerability Summary for the Week of October 18, 2021 (CISA) The CISA Vulnerability Bulletin provides a summary of new vulnerabilities that have been recorded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Vulnerability Database (NVD) in the past week. NVD is sponsored by CISA. In some cases, the vulnerabilities in the bulletin may not yet have assigned CVSS scores. Please visit NVD for updated vulnerability entries, which include CVSS scores once they are available.
CISA Raises Alarm on Critical Vulnerability in Discourse Forum Software (SecurityWeek) CISA over the weekend issued an alert on a critical vulnerability in open source discussion platform Discourse.
Critical RCE Vulnerability in Discourse (CISA) Discoursean open source discussion platformhas released a security advisory to address a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2021-41163) in Discourse versions 2.7.8 and earlier.CISA urges developers to update to patched versions 2.7.9 or later or apply the necessary workarounds.
2021 Unisys Security Index | Global and Country Insights (Unisys) The Unisys Security Index measures global consumer concerns related to national, personal, financial and Internet security.
Threat Labs Report - September 2021 (Netskope) Cloud-enabled threats: Google Drive remains the app for which Netskope blocks the most malware. Google Gmail, previously not in the top 5, rose as attackers delivered malicious Office documents via email attachments
Appsec Stats Flash (WhiteHat Security) The state of application security is rapidly evolving and there is a need for a more frequent analysis of the threat landscape.
Deepfakes, Cryptocurrency and Mobile Wallets: Cybercriminals Find New Opportunities in 2022 (Check Point Software) Check Point Software 2022 Cyber-security Predictions also anticipates an increase in supply chain attacks in the new year Check Point Software
Menlo Security Survey Sees Orgs Reevaluating Remote Access Strategy (Security Boulevard) A survey of 545 IT decision-makers from organizations in the U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) found three-quarters of respondents (75%) are reevaluating their
As Cyber Events Plague U.S. Execs, Some Still Have No Cyber Plan (PRNewswire) Deloitte's 2021 Future of Cyber survey shows similarities, differences in U.S. and non-U.S. C-suite responses
Its October. Are you aware of cybersecurity yet? (StateScoop) Cybersecurity awareness month gets a ton of flak, especially from those working in cybersecurity. Does it need revision?
(ISC) 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study ((ISC)) The (ISC) Cybersecurity Workforce Study includes the Cybersecurity Workforce Estimate, the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap and insights on the challenges and opportunities surrounding cybersecurity workforce development.
How We Can Narrow the Talent Shortage in Cybersecurity (Dark Reading) Filling crucial roles in cybersecurity and addressing the talent shortage requires rethinking who qualifies as a "cybersecurity professional" and rewriting traditional job descriptions.
Cybersecurity M&A Roundup for October 11-24, 2021 (SecurityWeek) A total of 15 cybersecurity-related acquisitions were announced October 11-24, 2021.
Piiano Raises $9M Seed Round to Transform Enterprise Data Privacy (BusinessWire) Piiano, a pioneer of data privacy engineering for the cloud, announced today that it has raised a $9M seed round. The round was led by cybersecurity-f
Devo Whips Up $250M Series E At $1.5B Valuation (Crunchbase News) Cambridge, Massachusetts-based cybersecurity firm Devo Technology has closed a $250 million Series E as the company hopes to ride its strong growth and disrupt the security analytics market.
Onfido acquires EYN to provide innovative acoustic-based liveness detection amid record-breaking global revenue growth (Onfido) -Increased investment in research and development spurs EYN acquisition, pioneers in industry-first acoustic-based anti-spoofing technology-Key strategic hires in CFO and CCO
TransUnion Enhances Consumer Identity Protection Offerings with Agreement to Acquire Sontiq for $638 million (GlobeNewswire News Room) The combined company will offer comprehensive identity solutions, further empowering consumers and businesses to shape and protect their financial futures...
Amentum again hits accelerator with PAE acquisition (Washington Technology) Amentum in year one of its relaunch as a standalone company went out and acquired DynCorp International. Now in year two, Amentum has set its sights on a second major transaction and this time it's buying PAE.
BackBox closes $32 million Series A for the hybrid multi-cloud era (CTECH) The news also comes with the appointment of Andrew Kahl as the new CEO and a move to Dallas
2019 Cybersecurity Workforce Study ((ISC)) The (ISC) Cybersecurity Workforce Study, 2019 is downloadable here. The study is conducted annually to assess the cybersecurity workforce or skills gap and how to recruit, build and strengthen cybersecurity staff or teams.
Researcher Earns $2 Million for Critical Vulnerability in Polygon (SecurityWeek) Security researcher Gerhard Wagner earned a $2 million bug bounty reward for a critical vulnerability in Polygons Plasma Bridge that could have allowed a malicious user to submit the same withdrawal transaction 224 times.
GCHQ 'signs deal with Amazon' to host top-secret material (Computing) The UK's spy agencies will use the cloud to boost the use of AI, analytics and other technologies
Amazon signs deal with British spy agencies to boost use of AI for espionage -FT (Reuters) Britain's spy agencies have given a contract to Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host classified material in a deal aimed at boosting the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) for espionage, the Financial Times reported on Monday.
Northern Virginia Technology Council Announces 2021 NVTC Capital Cyber (PRWeb) The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), the trade association representing the national capital regions technology community, today announced the wi
Salt Security Named 2021 CISO Choice Award Winner for Application Security (PR Newswire) Salt Security, the leading API security company, today announced it was named the winner in the Application Security category of the 2021 CISO...
Darktrace Plunges After Peel Hunt Forecasts 50% Downside (Bloomberg) Some experts consider product a gimmick, broker says. Spokeswoman says firm provides protection, customers satisfied.
Cybersecurity firm Darktrace tumbles after brokers bearish note (Times) A high flying cybersecurity specialist lost just over a fifth of its market value yesterday after concerns were raised over the quality of Darktraces products and size of its target market. The group, which listed on Londons main market in April, is set to enter the FTSE 100 tomorrow, replacing th
US retail giants pull Chinese surveillance tech from shelves (TechCrunch) Home Depot, Best Buy, and Lowe's removed the Chinese video surveillance makers over links to human rights abuses.
Cofense Joins Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA) (BusinessWire) Nominated for membership based on Cofense PhishMe's Recipient Sync feature, Cofense has joined the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA).
CIS Mobile Launches Mobile Integration Center in Northern Virginia Headquarters (EIN) Company Partners with Multiple Tech Providers to Secure Mobile Devices In, Around Federal Facilities
Aryaka Names Ed Pearce as National Channel Director North America (BusinessWire) Aryaka, the leader in fully managed SD-WAN and SASE, chooses Ed Pearce as National Channel Director for North America
Keeper Security Expands Leadership Team with Tristen Yancey as VP of Public Sector (PR Newswire) Keeper Security, the leading provider of zero-knowledge security and encryption software covering password management, dark web monitoring,...
Rick Waddell, Lieutenant General (Ret.), U.S. Army Reserve Joins KnectIQ Advisory Board (PR Newswire) KnectIQ Inc., an innovator in cybersecurity technology, today announced Rick L. Waddell, Lieutenant General (Ret.), U.S. Army Reserve has...
Jumio Launches End-to-End Orchestration for its KYX Platform to Deliver Holistic View of Consumer Identities and Risk (BusinessWire) Jumio, the leading provider of AI-powered end-to-end identity verification, eKYC and AML solutions, today announced the launch of an intuitive no-code
Quest Releases SharePlex 10.1.1 to Expand Oracle Data Replication to Azure Cloud Services, Maximizing Resiliency, Lowering Costs and Reducing Risk (GlobeNewswire News Room) SharePlex 10.1.1 helps customers move their Oracle data in real-time into Microsoft Azure cloud servicesFacilitates continuous high-speed replication of...
AT&T Launches 5G Managed Advanced Security Capabilities to Further Protect Enterprise Network Infrastructure (PR Newswire) What's the news? AT&T* is introducing comprehensive, managed advanced security capabilities for 5G network deployments. The first security...
Illumio Introduces Illumio CloudSecure for Cloud-Native Application Visibility and Control to Accelerate the Path to Zero Trust (Illumio) New Agentless Solution Delivers Zero Trust Segmentation of Cloud-Native Applications in Multi- and Hybrid Cloud Environments
Check Point Software Brings Infosec Institute's Award-Winning Security Awareness Training to Leading Cyber Solutions Platform (Yahoo Finance) Infosec Institute, the leading cybersecurity education company, today announced it has partnered with Check Point Software Technologies to bring its award-winning security awareness training and phishing simulator to the Check Point Technology Partner Alliance. Check Point Software is a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions to governments and corporate enterprises globally.
Group-IB Fraud Hunting Platform Delivers Substantial ROI (PR Newswire) Group-IB, one of the leading providers of solutions dedicated to detecting and preventing cyberattacks, identifying online fraud, investigation...
CrowdStrike & AWS Provide Protection Against Ransomware & Identity-Based Threats (CrowdStrike) CrowdStrike announced new features to the Falcon platform that work with Amazon Web Services to protect customers from complex ransomware & cyber attacks.
ionir Extends Support for CI/CD Pipeline Acceleration (PR Newswire) ionir, a leader in Kubernetes Data Services, today announced updates to its cloud-native data services platform with new capabilities focused...
Veriff Launches New Account Onboarding, Arming FinTech Companies with Next-Gen Security Features (WIBW) Innovative, built-in KYC requirements ensure trust between businesses and consumers online
Hiscox CyberClear Offering Expands to 50 States (Hiscox) Florida is the latest and final state to be admitted
Ivanti Extends Neurons Platform to Help Customers Further Improve Network Security, Automate Compliance, and Maximize Productivity (Ivanti) Ivanti, the provider of the Ivanti Neurons automation platform that discovers, manages, secures, and services IT assets from cloud to edge, today anno
Remediation and Hardening Strategies for Microsoft 365 to Defend Against UNC2452 (Mandiant) In December 2020, FireEye uncovered and publicly disclosed a widespread campaign conducted by the threat group we track as UNC2452. In some, but not all, of the intrusions associated with this campaign where Mandiant has visibility, the attacker used their access to on-premises networks to gain unauthorized access to the victims Microsoft 365 environment.
Expert Q&A: How to use honeypots to lure and trap bots (PerimeterX) As bots become more sophisticated, detection and blocking need to stay one step ahead of them.
Dev-Sec Convergence: New Research Details Progress and Challenges on the Road to Secure Innovation (PR Newswire) Nearly all organizations are increasing their investment in application security this year, but they continue to struggle to fully embrace...
Socure Publishes Industrys First Digital Identity Fairness and Inclusion Report (BusinessWire) Socure, the leading provider of digital identity verification and fraud solutions, today at Money 20/20 announced the industrys first Digital Identit
What is a cybersecurity degree? (ZDNet) Thinking about pursuing cybersecurity training? A cybersecurity degree could boost your future career. Here's what to expect in cybersecurity school.
New hacking efforts show Russia undeterred by US actions (TheHill) A year after Russian government hackers compromised almost a dozen U.S. federal agencies, renewed efforts by the same group to target the global IT supply chain are painting a picture of a defiant Russia undeterred by U.S.
China is accused of exporting authoritarian technology. But the west has done so, too, more covertly (The Conversation) While it may be difficult to enact a global set of regulations on surveillance technologies, individual countries can take the lead with enhanced monitoring and stronger laws.
Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen Calls for New Tech Laws in Europe (Wall Street Journal) Frances Haugen tells U.K. lawmakers that social-media platforms should be required to disclose actions to combat misinformation and hate speech.
Facebook whistleblower testifies to UK parliament (TechCrunch) Frances Haugen, one of (now) multiple Facebook whistleblowers who have come forward in recent years with damning testimony related to product safety, gave testimony in front of the UK parliament today where, in one key moment, she was invited to clarify her views on end-to-end encryption fo
Britain Wants to Use Its New Cyber Command to 'Hunt' Ransomware Gangs (Gizmodo) A week or so after revelations about an FBI plot to hack a prominent ransomware gang, Britain has announced new offensive operations against cybercrime groups.
Australia plans to force parental consent for minors on social media (Reuters) Australia unveiled plans on Monday to make social media companies obtain parental consent for users under the age of 16, with multimillion dollar fines for failing to comply.
YouTube, TikTok Defend Teen Privacy Plans Amid Facebook Scrutiny (Bloomberg) Senators say Facebook shows protection needed across the board. Companies to argue they have existing protections in place.
WSJ News Exclusive | State Department to Form New Cyber Office to Face Proliferating Global Challenges (Wall Street Journal) The organizational changes are intended to confront cybersecurity challenges like ransomware and waning global digital freedom, the latest overhauls by the administration aimed at prioritizing cyber threats as a top-tier national security issue.
State Department will form new cyber bureau (CNN) The Biden administration is launching a new bureau for cyberspace and digital policy at the State Department as part of an effort to strengthen diplomats' cyber expertise, Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced in an email to the department's workforce on Monday.
US State Department to establish new cyber bureau led by ambassador ( The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com ) The US State Department said on Monday it plans to establish a bureau of cyberspace and digital policy that will be led by a Senate-confirmed ambassador at large, spokesperson Ned Price said.
First on CNN: Biden administration expected to name GOP official who challenged Trump's lies to key election security role (CNN) The Biden administration is expected to name Kim Wyman, a Republican secretary of state who challenged former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud, to lead the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to protect future elections from foreign and domestic interference, multiple people familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Julian Assange: what to expect from the extradition appeal (the Guardian) US has assured courts he could be jailed in native Australia and not held under maximum security
Kansas Man Admits Hacking Public Water Facility (SecurityWeek) Roughly seven months after being indicted for his actions, a Kansas man admitted in court to tampering with the systems at the Post Rock Rural Water District.
Secure email group Proton wins Swiss appeal over surveillance rules (Reuters) Geneva-based Proton AG, the company behind ProtonMail and ProtonVPN, has won an appeal regarding its treatment under Swiss law governing telecommunications surveillance, a Swiss court said on Friday.
New Standard Contractual Clauses: 10 Things You Need to Know (cyber/data/privacy insights) On the third anniversary of the General Data Protection Regulation, Cooley launched a series of webinar focused on the GDPR. The GDPR permits the transfer of data from the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA) to third countries using standard contractual clauses (SCCs), which are a
FBI Given Power To Unlock Capitol Riot Suspect Phone With His Fingerprint (Forbes) January 6 investigators get a warrant to open devices using a defendants fingerprint. Though hed been accused of assaulting officers with pepper spray, forced fingerprint unlocks remain a legally-questionable power.
Adams Township clerk speaks out after being removed from election responsibilities – The Hillsdale Daily News
The Michigan Bureau of Elections has relieved Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott of her duties in administering elections, including next week's vote.
The Michigan Secretary of States Office pressrelease indicated Scott failed to comply with legal requirements necessary to ensure the safety and security of upcoming elections and that Hillsdale County Clerk Marley Kasts office will supervise elections in Adams Township until further notice.
The voters of Adams Township expect, deserve, and have a right to have their election carried out in accordance with all state and federal laws, said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. I am confident that the Hillsdale County Clerk's office will administer the election in a manner that ensures that it is legal, transparent, and secure.
The release said the Adams Township clerk did not allow preventative maintenance on voting equipment, a necessary safeguard to ensure tabulators and voter assist terminals used by voters with disabilities are functioning properly on election day.
According to the Secretary of State, Scott also stated she was unwilling to complete required certifications of Public Accuracy Testing of voting machines which confirms vote counting machines are accurate and is done transparently with public viewing allowed to affirm faith in their performance.
Reportedly, Scott also said she may try to conduct future elections without the certified voting equipment selected by Hillsdale County.
Following multiple letters from the Bureau of Elections, she refused to confirm that she would fulfill her legal requirements, the release stated.
In a telephone interview Tuesday morning, Scott, who was elected in November 2020, said her issues started with the March special election in Adams Township where she had questions surrounding the ballot tabulator that were not being answered.
Scott said she was not provided enough ballots to properly test the machine to verify its accuracy in March and when she brought the issue to Kasts office, she was deferred to an outside third party.
Then, following Marchs election, Scott was asked to turn in the tabulator to the clerks office for maintenance, but she declined to do so.
Scott said the tabulator contained a cell card and a modem, which led her to believe the device is capable of connecting to the internet and, therefore, susceptible to hacking.
As a clerk, I have no control over that internet security, it all sits at the county level, Scott said. People need to contact the county clerks office to ask if the machines could be online during a vote. Im not saying anyones up to nefarious activities, but that should raise enough flags for anyone to have concerns over.
And Scott said she is now being threatened with misdemeanor charges because of her actions, in addition to having her access to certain materials or databases removed, effectively diminishing her ability to do the job Adams Township residents elected her to do.
In a follow-up conversation with Kast regarding Scotts concerns, Kast said the tabulators print unofficial results following an election and then electronically send results to her office via cell towers. The results are then compared to the print-out and certified by the Board of Canvassers whichworks diligently to certify election results.
Kast said the equipment is tested annually to verify it has not been tampered with by outside sources in order to reassure the public on election integrity at the direction from the state of Michigan.
The news release on Oct. 25 from the Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, speaks for itself, Kast said. I can tell you that I am not happy about running this upcoming Nov. 2 special election in Adams Township as my staff is already taxed to the limit. However, I am willing to serve the electors and run this election in the North Adams-Jerome Public School District during this difficult time.
Voters in Adams Township will take to the ballot box to decide the fate of a school operating millage for the North Adams-Jerome Public Schools Nov. 2.
Go here to see the original:
Adams Township clerk speaks out after being removed from election responsibilities - The Hillsdale Daily News
What is Norton Family and what does it do? – TechRadar
Norton Family is a parental control suite from the respected antivirus vendor, which covers PCs and mobiles. Its an in-depth product that seeks to ensure that your kids stay safe online.
But how does it do that, and exactly what features are included?
In this article, were going to provide a breakdown of the functionality included with Norton Family and what devices it supports, before discussing how good this suite is for parental control duties.
Today's best Norton Family and Norton 360 Deluxe deals
Norton Family is a parental control suite that is designed to keep your children safe when theyre online or offline for that matter (more on that later). It rather niftily provides protection for all your kids, no matter how many, with unlimited devices covered.
The kind of features offered here include monitoring to see what your offspring is up to online, the ability to restrict device usage to certain times, and of course defenses to keep kids from stumbling onto any nastiness while browsing the web.
Note that you also get this parental control package if you buy the more advanced security suites from this firm, namely Norton 360 Deluxe or Norton 360 Premium (in these suites its called Parental Control rather than Norton Family, but its the same thing).
Norton Family can be installed on unlimited devices, and supports not just Windows PCs, but also Android and iOS devices (the only thing you dont get here is support for Macs, basically). Windows 10 (but not Windows 10 S Mode) and Windows 8 are supported but not the Edge browser and on mobile, you need to be running Android 6.0 or better, or if you have an Apple device, iOS 13 or newer.
Want to know what this suite is capable of? Lets look at some of the highlights of Norton Familys feature set. Note that some abilities are only available on certain platforms so app blocking, for instance, is just on Android and well flag this up wherever this is the case.
Web Supervision
A core element of any piece of parental control software, this lets you see where your kids are browsing on the web, and facilitates the blocking of inappropriate sites. Its possible to block content over a whole host of diverse categories (not just the usual options relating to pornography, drugs and so forth).
Time Supervision
As the name suggests, this allows for setting time limits and managing when your kids can use their devices, blocking them off at bedtime or maybe meal times (or you can use Instant Lock to temporarily, but instantly, block a device).
School Time
With home schooling perhaps still on your mind following lockdowns in some countries, this feature helps to manage remote learning on the childs device, keeping them focused on work and not allowing any distractions by limiting web access strictly to educational content (which could be useful for homework time, too).
Search Supervision
This lets you monitor your childs web searching activities to see if theyre looking for anything inappropriate. It also implements Nortons Safe Search to filter out unsuitable search results. Furthermore, videos watched at YouTube are monitored and you can see a thumbnail and description to quickly let you judge whether a viewed clip might be anything potentially dodgy.
Mobile App Supervision
With this feature you can see what apps your kids have downloaded, and block any that you feel are unsuitable. Note, however, this this is for Android devices only, so iOS users are left out here (that said, this isnt Nortons fault, as the reason is wrapped up in the way Apple implements its mobile OS with tight security measures).
Location Supervision
For parents worried about where their child might be not when online, but in the real world instead, Norton Family offers a full system of location tracking (and a 30-day history of where theyve been) for both Android and iOS mobiles. Alert Me is a further feature tied in with this which delivers automatic alerts when a child reaches certain defined locations (school, home and so forth), with impressively in-depth options and controls for these functions.
Monthly/Weekly Reports
Some equally in-depth reports are provided on everything your kids have done, and these can be accessed from a well-organized web portal.
Norton has a good reputation within the security world and the Norton antivirus engine is consistently ranked highly by the independent test labs. That, of course, isnt strictly relevant to the Norton Family product itself, but the pedigree of the developer is always a consideration and this is a quality parental control suite which blends power and convenience with some great filtering and location controls - our Norton Family review goes into more detail.
The asking price for Norton Family is more than reasonable given that it delivers support for an unlimited amount of devices, so no matter how big your family and how much kit is owned therein youll be covered with one subscription.
Thats an impressive value proposition, but the other consideration is whether you might want to plump for Norton 360 Deluxe instead, which includes the Parental Control module.
Now, Norton 360 Deluxe is a bit more expensive if you go by the recommended asking prices, but the internet security suite is invariably heavily discounted, and after price-cutting is generally only a little more expensive than Norton Family (if not the same price, at times). The trade-off is that only five devices are supported by Norton 360 Deluxe, but if thats all you need, then you get a fully-fledged security suite with a whole host of extra features for not a lot more money.
Its worth thinking about, certainly, but the bottom line is both these products offer good value, and feature-wise they compare favorably to rivals very favorably in the case of Norton Family.
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What is Norton Family and what does it do? - TechRadar