Newly discovered malicious software dubbed VPNFilter has infected hundreds of thousands of routers and network attached storage (NAS) devices globally and could be used to steal sensitive data or wipe out (“brick”) the devices, the company said.
Threats
Episode 96: State Elections Officials on Front Line against Russian Hackers
In this episode of The Security Ledger Podcast (#96): with primary elections taking place in states across the United States in the coming weeks, we talk to John Dickson about how state elections offices have become the front line in a pitched battle with state-sponsored hackers – with the fate of a 240 year democracy hanging in the balance. Also: we talk about the looming threat posed by so-called “deep fake” videos that use computer manipulation to make famous celebrities appear to say nearly anything.
Russian Fake News Ecosystem Targets Syrian Human Rights Workers
Kremlin linked news sites like RT and Sputnik figure prominently in an online disinformation campaign portraying Syrian humanitarian workers (“White Helmets”) as terrorists and crisis actors, according to an analysis by researchers at University of Washington and Harvard.
Opinion: Don’t Be Blinded by APTs
In this industry perspective, Thomas Hofmann of Flashpoint says that sensational coverage of advanced persistent threat (APT) actors does little to help small and mid sized firms defend their IT environments from more common threats like cyber criminals. The key to getting cyber defense right is understanding the risks to your firm and prioritizing investments to protect critical IT assets.
BLU settles with FTC over unauthorized transmission of personal customer data to China
Florida-based mobile device maker BLU has settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over charges it allowed a Chinese partner to collect detailed personal customer information from some of its devices without authorization or consent.
