Improved cybersecurity for governments and the private sector is expected to feature in US President Barack Obama’s annual State of the Union Address delivered on Tuesday night (US time) to Congress. The…
Hacking and making a profit isn’t as easy as it looks.
Reuters
In the wake of the latest high-profile hack of Sony and claims of “cyber-vandalism” being thrown about, it’s normal to feel a sense of unease. Just this week, yet another proposal for new cybersecurity…
A year in which security was caught napping.
eprater
Looking back, 2014 was not a good year for keeping things safe under digital lock and key. If a score was being kept, it might seem that the cybercriminals are in the lead, despite the valiant efforts…
It could happen to anyone – there’s no stereotype in the victims of online romance scams.
Suus Wansink/Flickr
Online dating and romance scams continue to lure in Australians with figures this week showing people have lost more than A$23 million this year alone, with average individual losses at A$21,000 – three…
Hacking can, and should, keep us on our toes.
Alexandre Dulaunoy
The world is already short of computer security experts, but by 2017 that shortfall is going to have reached about two million. Criminal hackers cause damage running to billions of pounds every year…
Did they get any Jennifer Lawrence pics?
EPA/Rodong Sinmun
The recent cyber attack on Sony Pictures was so extensive there were notices placed on the entrance doors telling staff not to log in to the company’s network when they reached their desks. Sony’s entire…
Is it a crime scene or just a store checkout? Could be both.
Marlith
Shoppers have launched into the holiday buying season and retailers are looking forward to year-end sales that make up almost 20% of their annual receipts. But as you check out at a store or click “purchase…
When all your appliances are internet-enabled, whose hands are holding the remote control?
Hands image via www.shutterstock.com.
An ever-increasing number of our consumer electronics is internet-connected. We’re living at the dawn of the age of the Internet of Things. Appliances ranging from light switches and door locks, to cars…
If cyber-crime is the tier one (most serious) threat that we are told it is, and we are experiencing upwards of 2-3 million cyber-threats each year, then why have we only had 350 or so prosecutions under…
We should know by now - don’t click that link.
Bill Buchanan
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Computer security relies on a great number of links, hardware, software and something else altogether: you. The greatest threat to information security is…
With a few lines of code, cyber criminals and governments have able to infiltrate the security of banks and retailers and steal hundreds of millions in customer records.
Shutterstock
JPMorgan Chase early last month disclosed that cyber thieves pilfered account data on 76 million households and seven million small businesses over the summer, one of the biggest breaches ever and only…
First rule of advertising: don’t believe the advertising.
Bloomua/Shutterstock
At the recent Information Security Solutions Europe conference, former White House cybersecurity adviser Howard Schmidt claimed that most security threats may be persistent, but are not as “advanced” as…
Roll up, roll up for your free money.
Kaspersky Lab
How safe is Microsoft Windows? After all, the list of malware that has caused major headaches worldwide over the last 15 years is long – viruses, worms and Trojans have forced computers to shut down, knocked…
The internet has made crime bigger in scope and easier in practice.
Photosani/Shutterstock
Criminals have always done their best to use new technology to their advantage and the rapid development of new digital technologies and online markets has provided the criminal entrepreneur with as much…
Stolen credit card details, cheaper by the dozen when you buy online.
Chris Young/PA
Imagine if UK banks decided to send out new credit cards to all their customers, but they were all “lost in the post” and the details ended up for sale on some dubious website. The recently discovered…
The changing face of security threats.
Vincent Diamante
Jamie Shea, London School of Economics and Political Science
Late one Saturday evening in March, NATO’s Headquarters experienced a large-scale cyber-attack at the hands of a group calling itself Anonymous Bierkut from Ukraine. Non-classified networks were targeted…
Who will keep our selfies safe?
www.david baxendale.com/Flickr
Never mind the celebrities; let’s say you and I had naked photos of ourselves (selfie-steams) floating in Apple’s iCloud. If somehow those photos were exposed, we would have little recourse under Australia’s…
Google’s Project Zero targets the shadowy world of cybercrime.
Flickr/Robert Scoble
Google’s new Project Zero team adds some welcome muscle in the fight against cybercrime and could also lead to better privacy for all, making it harder for intelligence agencies to spy. The team will be…
We’re most at risk from cyber scams when distracted by events such as the World Cup.
Flickr/Nelson Oliveira
As rival football teams have been battling it out in this year’s World Cup, cyber criminals have had their eye on a different goal – to cash in on this global distraction at any opportunity. Among the…