Keeping you in the loop with all the latest cyber-crime and security talk
Cyber experts warn users of smart device dangers
Today we see all devices becoming ?smart?. Smart TV?s, Smart Watches and Smartphones are all devices we are beginning to store a lot of personal data on and cyber security experts have warned that these devices could be used to hold people ransom. Ransomware, which is a piece of software that encrypts data and makes it unusable until the owner pays a ransom, has been increasingly on the rise in the past couple of years, with more and more versions of malware being created every day. Find out what malware gave victims 96 hours to pay before it started deleting files.
Security experts warn that it?s only a matter of time until criminals begin to target our smart devices rather than our computers, in October, hackers were using household smart devices to attack popular websites such as Twitter, Spotify and Reddit.
Read our blog ?Security that makes your business vulnerable? for more details.
Abta hit by cyber attack
The travel trade organisation, Abta, have announced they were hit by a cyber-attack on their website and that 43,000 people could have been affected. Members of Abta may have had their email addresses, passwords, contact details and any data they have uploaded to the website stolen. Chief executive Mr Tanzer has said that he would like to ?personally apologise for the anxiety and concern? and that “It is extremely disappointing that our web server, managed for Abta through a third party web developer and hosting company, was compromised and we are taking every step we can to help those affected.“
Men arrested for Yahoo breach:
Last week it was announced that the US has charged 4 individuals for the Yahoo breach back in 2014 which affected over 500 million Yahoo user?s accounts. The data stolen during the breach were the email addresses and passwords to 500 million Yahoo accounts, including Sky and BT customers. Yahoo, Sky and BT could only ask their customers to change their passwords promptly, however, their customer?s credentials were still stolen and personal data like email addresses in the hands of cybercriminals, where it can be sold on an potentially be used for credit fraud. One of the most effective and prevalent ways of stealing credentials is phishing and more and more businesses are being attacked by phishing scams making it imperative that we learn more about what methods of stealing your credentials cyber criminals used and how to stay protected.
