Small banks and home businesses targeted by cyber criminals, new malware remotely reconfigures vulnerable routers, Wickr expands the reach of its network, a Russian trojan is spotted, and how cyber criminals get the most bang for their buck are on the list of this week's top #infosec reads.
Smaller Banks Under Fire From Phishing Attacks
Our #1 InfoSec read this week examines the heightened phishing threats to smaller banks. These attacks increase daily withdrawal limits of account holders rapidly, with pre-paid debit cards being especially vulnerable. These types of attacks have been happening for over a year now and have been responsible for the loss of millions of dollars from banks around the world.
New Malware Component Changes Router's DNS Settings Remotely
Research from ESET has picked up an 11-year-old botnet that is resilient to detection and has infected a number of broadband gateway routers. Win32Sality is another development in modular trojans that infect homes and small businesses in the hundred thousands while avoiding discovery, made worse by neglectful router vendors and ISPs. "A router has become the single point of failure for wide range of internet-linked devices."
Wickr Spreads Its 'Leave No Trace' Messaging
The privacy-conscious messaging technology is now being offered to other messaging providers and social media platforms in an effort to expand the startup's reach. Their bottom line is to create an environment that is untraceable by governments, corporations, or anyone else intending to gain by exploiting user privacy.
Russian Trojan Spotted Attacking Middle Eastern Banks
A botnet called "Sandroid" targeting banks in the Middle East has caught the notice of security experts whose preliminary suspicions point to Russia as the perpetrator of the malware. It prompts users to install a phony security program in order to gain access to bank accounts and breach privacy.
Cyber Criminals Operate On A Budget, Too
Believe it or not, the guys hacking emails and stealing credit card information online don't have an unlimited supply of software tools at their disposal. Most modern cyber threats are new iterations of existing cyber-criminal tactics that have been tweaked on a dime to stay ahead of security experts and law enforcement.
Comments