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Cryptominers – The Next Generation

In less than a decade, cryptocurrency became almost mainstream. Many people are familiar with Bitcoin, which was the first decentralized digital currency. In fact, there are more than 10 different cryptocurrencies with a market cap exceeding 1 billion US dollars. Some are very similar, but others significantly differ in the mathematical and...
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Iran CERTCC Warns against Tyrant Ransomware Distribution Campaign

The Iran Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (Iran CERTCC) has warned users of an ongoing distribution campaign for Tyrant ransomware. First spotted by G Data security researcher Karsten Hahn, the strain is currently making its way to unsuspecting users via modified versions of the Psiphon VPN app. Upon successful infection, Tyrant...
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12 Top Talks from the 2017 Retail Cyber Intelligence Summit

On October 2-4, 2017, the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC) hosted Securing Retail 002, the second iteration of its annual summit first held in April 2016. Speakers from Microsoft, Target and other Fortune 500 companies shared their thoughts on the retail digital security landscape with attendees over the course of the two-day event....
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LokiBot Banking Malware Triggers Ransomware if User Tries to Remove It

A new variant of Android banking malware known as LokiBot triggers ransomware capabilities if a victim attempts to remove it from their infected device. The malware, which bears the same name as a Windows info-stealer that can exfiltrate credentials from over 100 software tools, is making its rounds as a kit sold on hacking forums. Interested...
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Women in Information Security: Carrie Roberts

In my last interview, I spoke to Katherine Teitler, who is the director of content for MISTI Training Institute. She also helps run the InfoSec World conference. This time, I spoke with Carrie Roberts. She has a senior red team role with Walmart. She's also a pretty good cartoonist if I say so myself. Kimberly Crawley: Tell me a bit about what you...
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How to Block Ransomware Using Controlled Folder Access on Your PC

Microsoft has released a new feature called "Controlled Folder Access" that helps Windows users protect their data against ransomware. First announced in June 2017, Controlled Folder Access is an option in Windows Defender Security Center that went live in mid-October. Its purpose is to protect files contained in designated folders against...
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How Safe Are You on Public WiFi? Not Very

At the U.S. Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year, more than 1,200 people connected to free WiFi networks with names like “I Vote Trump! Free Internet,” “I Vote Hillary! Free Internet,” and “Xfinitywifi.” They transferred gigabytes of data, doing things like checking e-mails and chatting. Some even shopped on Amazon or logged into...
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Google Unveils Bug Bounty Program for Popular Android Apps

Google has announced a bug bounty program covering other developers' popular Android apps available for download in its Play Store. On 19 October, the American multinational technology company launched its Google Play Security Rewards Program. Here's a high-level description of the new framework: "Google Play is working with the independent bug...
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The Need for Increased Investment in Medical Device Security

In 2014, the FBI warned that healthcare systems, including medical devices, were at an increased risk of cyber-attacks due to the unfortunate coupling of poor cybersecurity practices in the healthcare industry with patient health information (PHI) that commands high value on the dark web. This warning has largely been realized. The cost and...
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New Android Malware Found in Minecraft Apps on Google Play

A new, “highly prevalent” strain of Android malware was found infecting several Minecraft-related apps on the Google Play store, adding compromised devices into a botnet. According to security researchers at Symantec, at least eight mobile apps – with an install base ranging from 600,000 to 2.6 million devices – were infected with Sockbot. “The...
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419 Scammers Offer $60M in Exchange for Adopting Their Teenage Son

419 scammers are tempting unsuspecting users with a fake offer of $60 million in exchange for adopting their teenage son. The scam begins when a user receives a Twitter DM from the account of someone who appears to serve in the armed forces. Such unexpected correspondence could (and should) strike the recipient as odd. But the United States, the...
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How to make your Google account more secure than ever before

Nobody welcomes the prospect of having our online accounts hacked. It's a pain in the neck resetting passwords, warning your contacts, and worrying about the prospect that your identity may be stolen. But for some of us, the consequences of having our Gmail account compromised by state-sponsored hackers could be even more catastrophic and even life...
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‘KnockKnock’: New Attack on Office 365 Discovered

Microsoft’s Office 365 suite of cloud applications is now the most popular cloud service in the world by user count. While this has fast-tracked Microsoft’s path to becoming a cloud-first enterprise software company, it has also put a bulls-eye on Office 365, making it a target of choice for hackers. Given the fact that enterprises store a...
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Survey Says: Soft Skills Highly Valued by Security Team

Continuing the discussion around the skills gap our industry is facing, I’m excited to share our final set of results from the Tripwire skills gap survey. My previous post highlighted the need for technical skills. But as this next set of findings indicates, soft skills in cybersecurity are not be overlooked. Every single participant in our survey...
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Women in Information Security: Katherine Teitler

In my last interview, I spoke with Tarah Wheeler, who is a technology and cybersecurity executive, entrepreneur, hacker, keynote speaker, scientist, and author. She's also the author of Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories. This time, I spoke to Katherine Teitler. She's the director of content...