Security Briefing 1.3.17
Thai authorities have detained at least nine people on suspicion of hacking, a senior junta official said Monday, following days of disruption to government websites sparked by the passing of a controversial cyber censorship law (a committee can take down websites).
Spammers are turning to an old technique known as hailstorm to slip past anti-spam and anti-malware filters. Researchers say that hailstorm spam, first spotted in 2008, has been improved and is once again being used, only this time to spread Dridex banking malware and Locky ransomware.
‘Methbot’ is a sophisticated cybercrime scheme that has hit major US advertisers and publishing brands and pilfered millions of dollars per day. Russia hits it out of the park with this one. It’s an advertising hijack that is taking in nearly $3 to $5 million per day USD. Internal botnet automated clickfraud.
No, Britney Spears is not dead. Yet her fans’ hearts may have skipped a beat today when tweets purportedly from Sony Music Entertainment said “RIP @britneyspears #RIPBritney 1981-2016” and “Britney spears is dead by accident! We will tell you more soon #RIPBritney.”
Turkey is investigating 10,000 people suspected of terror-related activity on the internet or posting comments on social media insulting government officials, the interior ministry said on Saturday.
A recently detected phishing campaign designed to steal credit card information employed a series of attack tactics previously associated with malware distribution, Proofpoint security researchers reveal. This is sort of a technical article, but the moral of the story is to not open things from people you don’t recognize.
How the internet gets across the globe is no mystery and, it’s actually quite frightening to think about, it is largely unsecured. Large bundles of fiber-optic cable are simply laying in deep water across the globe, and this presents a growing security concern as they are very vulnerable to physical attacks. There are multiple levels of redundancy, but cutting even one of this intercontinental cables could put a damper on the internet at large. The more that are cut, the worse it gets.
U.S Customs and Border Patrol is rolling out a new ‘optional’ request – asking foreign travelers for their online presence when entering the country. This has been opposed for months and is considered highly invasive. The name of the article says it all: Welcome to America! Now, what’s your Twitter handle?