Tag: APT

Episode 97: On eve of GDPR frightening lack of data privacy, security in US

In this episode, #97: we talk with Robert Xiao, the Carnegie Mellon researcher who investigated Location Smart, a free web application that allowed anyone track the location of a mobile phone using just the phone’s number. Also: we welcome University of Washington Researcher Kate Starbird back into the SL studio to talk about her latest research: examining the web of bloggers, news web sites, conspiracy theorists and government actors targeting human rights workers in Syria.

People Line up to Vote

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. 

Cyber Attacks May Be Early Consequence of Trump Exiting Iran Nuclear Deal

President Trump’s decision to exit from the Iran nuclear deal doesn’t bode well for U.S. cybersecurity and likely will spur cyber attacks on a number of U.S. industries from the Islamic State, a new report from Recorded Future has found.

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.