Nothing is more difficult than making predictions. Instead of trowing out wild ideas what might be coming, will be making educated guesses based on what has happened during the last 12 months and several years before that.
The past year has seen a rapid increase in the adoption of up-and-coming technologies. Everyday items are getting
smarter and more connected. Companies are saving millions with new technologies and cities are racing to
implement smart solutions. 5G promises to bring wireless high speed broadband to everywhere. On the other hand those solutions add new kinds of vulnerabilities. Competing in today’s digital marketplace requires that organizations are cyber-savvy. 2020 is when cybersecurity gets even weirder, so get ready.
Here are some trends and predictions for cyber security in 2020:
Cyber Attacks: Cyberattacks grow in volume and complexity.Many countries that are going to emerge as major threats in the 2020s. Nation-state backed cyber groups have been responsible for major incidents over the last decade. And now more countries want the same power. Cyberattacks range from targeting your database to steal information that can be sold on the dark web, to hijacking unused CPU cycles on your devices to mine for cryptocurrencies, or trying to infect vulnerable systems so they can be used later as part of a botnet.
IoT security: IoT security is still getting worse until it starts to get better. IoT security is an extremely hot topic right now and will be hot for many years to come. Industrial IoT risk has been discussed a lot. Physics dictates local application deployment, because the control rate of most industrial systems is 10 milliseconds or below. Smart Building Security Awareness Grows. The risks of the IoT in financial services are great. An explosion in IoT devices significantly raises the threat level. Gartner predicted that the world will see nearly 21 billion IoT devices by next year and it would be nice if all of them would be secure, but many of them unfortunately are not secure. Hackers are continually looking for ways to exploit device vulnerabilities. From smart TV’s, IP cameras, and smart elevators, to hospital infusion pumps and industrial PLC controllers, IoT and OT (Operational Technology) devices are inherently vulnerable and easy to hack. Why? Because IoT security is complicated and security should consider and integrated with IoT deployments. Gartner Says Worldwide IoT Security Spending Will Reach $1.9 Billion in 2019, and will raise to $ 3.1 billion in 2021, making it one of the fastest growing segments in cybersecurity industry. IoT landscape is complex, and so are the security solutions. These tackle the different challenges of IoT- device hardening, encryption, discovery, data protection, malware and anomaly detection, policy enforcement and more. You might have to do a little work with your internet of things devices to stay secure. A failure by many IoT device manufacturers to follow cryptographic best practices is leaving a high proportion of the devices vulnerable to attack. One in every 172 active RSA certificates are vulnerable to attack. It is a good idea to build a separate network segments for IoT devices so that they are isolated from the normal office network. FBI recommends that you keep your IoT devices on a separate network.
IoT privacy: Silicon Valley Is Listening to Your Most Intimate Moments. The world’s biggest companies got millions of people to let temps analyze some very sensitive recordings made by your “smart” speakers and smart phones. A quarter of Americans have bought “smart speaker” devices such as the Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod. Consulting firm Juniper Research Ltd. estimates that by 2023 the global annual market for smart speakers will reach $11 billion, and there will be about 7.4 billion voice-controlled devices in the wild. That’s about one for every person on Earth. The question is, then what? Having microphones that listen all the time is concerning. Also some attackers are terrifying homeowners and making them feel violated in their own homes.
Medical systems security: Cyberattacks on Medical Devices Are on the Rise—and Manufacturers Must Respond. Attacks on networked medical devices, and the data they collect and transmit, can be costly. Patient safety is a critical concern, especially with devices such as defibrillators and insulin pumps that could cause patient harm or death if they malfunction. It’s shocking that a few years after WannaCry and NotPetya, the healthcare industry is still not prepared to deal with ransomware attacks. Many hospitals and healthcare networks that have been hit by ransomware over the past few months.
Surveillance cameras: Surveillance cameras are capturing what we do on the streets, at airports, in stores, and in much of our public space. China’s Orwellian video surveillance gets a bad rap but the US isn’t far behind as US has nearly the same ratio of security cameras to citizens as China.And the numbers are growing all over the world. One billion surveillance cameras will be deployed globally by 2021, according to data compiled by IHS Markit. Russia is building one of the world’s largest facial recognition networks and it may even be bigger than China’s 200 million camera system. China’s installed base is expected to rise to over 560 million cameras by 2021, representing the largest share of surveillance devices installed globally, with the US rising to around 85 million cameras. Now US, like China, has about one surveillance camera for every four people (in 2018 China had 350 million cameras and USA 70 million). Surveillance cameras are getting better, smaller and cheaper and can be installed almost anywhere. It would be very easy to sneak another device onto a hotel’s Wi-Fi network, stream that video over the internet to the computer.
Facial recognition: Private companies and governments worldwide are already experimenting with facial recognition technology. Facial recognition software is touted as making us safer. But mass surveillance has downsides of major proportions. Massive errors found in facial recognition tech. Facial recognition systems can produce wildly inaccurate results, especially for non-whites. Russia is building one of the world’s largest facial recognition networks. Individuals, lawmakers, developers – and everyone in between – should be aware of the rise of facial recognition, and the risks it poses to rights to privacy, freedom, democracy and non-discrimination.
Shut off Internet: Worrying worldwide trend employed by various governments: preventing people from communicating on the web and accessing information. Amid widespread demonstrations over different issues many countries have started cutting Internet connections from people. Some countries, namely China, architected their internet infrastructure from the start with government control in mind. Russia is aiming to this direction. Iran, India, Russia. For better or worse, an internet blackout limits the government’s ability to conduct digital surveillance on citizens.
Security First: Implementing Cyber Best Practices Requires a Security-First Approach. Competing in today’s digital marketplace requires that organizations be cyber-savvy. The best defense is to start with a security-driven development and networking strategy that builds a hardened digital presence from the ground up. This not only ensures that your online services and web applications are protected from compromise, but also enables security to automatically evolve and adapt right alongside the development of your digital presence, rather than it having to be constantly rigged and retrofitted to adapt to digital innovation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Many of the most damaging breaches have been the result of users gaining access to unauthorized levels of network resources and devices. Zero Trust is an enforceable, identity-driven access policy that includes seamless and secure two-factor/OTP authentication across the organization. Zero Trust Network Access ensures that all users and devices are identified, profiled, and provided appropriate network access. It also ensures that new devices are automatically assigned to appropriate network segments based on things like device profiles and owners. When combined with Network Access Control (NAC), organizations can also discover, identify, grant appropriate access, and monitor devices, thereby enhancing your access and segmentation strategy.
Anti-virus software: Only Half of Malware Caught by Signature AV. The percentage of malware that successfully bypassed signature-based antivirus scanners at companies’ network gateways has increased significantly, either by scrambling
code known as “packing” using basic encryption techniques or by the automatic creation of code variants. It seems that new approaches like machine learning and behavioral detection are necessary to catch threats. Meanwhile, network attacks have risen, especially against older vulnerabilities.
Ransomware attacks: Ransomware will remain a major threat in the coming year, as the criminal business model continues to flourish. That’s a move that security professionals have long condemned, warning that paying the ransom in a ransomware attack could end up causing more turmoil for victims – as well as inspire other cybercriminals to launch ransomware attacks. Microsoft never encourage a ransomware victim to pay. What to do with this is question. How much does a large-scale ransomware attack cost, as opposed to just hiring an adequate number of skilled IT personnel, and having disaster recovery plans in place? There is no complete security solution that could stop all attacks, but you should have decent protection. It would seem prudent to have adequate staff and offline BACKUPS to deal with this kind of situation, so decent recovery would be possible. Having no backup system is the gamble many companies and public entities seem to be playing. Good backups helps to recover from ransom attacks. There are new tactics coming to use in ransomware. A new Snatch ransomware strain that will reboot computers it infects into Safe Mode to disable any resident security solutions. Another new tactic by ransomware developers is to release a victim’s data if they do not pay the ransom – they will publish data that they steal to a competitor if the ransom is not paid.
Public sector: Public Sector Security Is Lagging. The state of cybersecurity and resilience in the public sector needs an
urgent boost in many countries. U.S. citizens rely on state governments and local municipalities to provide a host of services everything from access to public records, law enforcement protection, education and welfare to voting and election services. Cybercriminals have been targeting state and local governments with ransomware tools, which infect an organization’s computer networks and lock up critical files.
Consumer confidence: Winning consumer confidence is crucial to the development of new digital services. In a PwC study, consumers are prepared to share personal information if it is of sufficient value to them. On the other hand, consumer confidence also needs to be earned that you keep the information safe.
API security: APIs now account for 40% of the attack surface for all web-enabled apps. It’s a good time to pay attention to API security, since some recent high-profile breaches have involved API vulnerabilities. OWASP, the Open Web Application Security Project known for its top 10 list of web application vulnerabilities, published the release candidate version of its API Security Top 10 list at the end of September 2019. Also it’s almost 2020 and some sysadmins are still leaving Docker admin ports exposed on the internet.
Skills gap: Security teams are already grappling with serious challenges due to the growing cybersecurity skills gap, are being tasked to secure an ever-expanding network footprint. Security teams are often left to secure virtual and cloud environments, the implementation of SaaS services, DevOps projects, the growing adoption of IoT, mobile workers, and an expanding array of personal connected devices after they have already been implemented. They often do not have enough people and enough knowledge on those new technologies to do their work well. The cybersecurity unemployment rate is zero, with over 1 million jobs currently unfilled, a number that is expected to climb to 3.5 million by 2021. 145% Growth is Needed to Meet Global Demand.
Think Like Your Adversary: Cybersecurity leaders need to access the potential vulnerabilities (from the mindset of the adversary) and devise effective defensive countermeasures unique to their company’s needs. Programmers Should Think like Hackers. Security must be taken into account in all programming steps.
Third party security: Most Companies Don’t Properly Manage Third-Party Cyber Risk. It’s been established that good cybersecurity requires not just an internal assessment of an organization’s own security practices, but also a close look at the security of the partners that businesses rely upon in today’s modern, interconnected world. Developing a Third-Party Cyber Risk Management (TPCRM) strategy is becoming more common with every news headline regarding a major breach that stemmed from a company’s relationship with a third-party.
Privacy and surveillance: Fears Grow on Digital Surveillance. Americans are increasingly fearful of monitoring of their online and offline activities, both by governments and private companies. More than 60 percent of US adults believe it is impossible to go about daily life without having personal information collected by companies or the government. Google and Facebook help connect the world and provide crucial services to billions. But their system can also be used for surveillance. Amnesty International says Facebook and Google’s omnipresent surveillance is inherently incompatible with the right to privacy and is a danger to human rights. The claim is that the companies’ surveillance-based business model is inherently incompatible with the right to privacy and poses a threat to a range of other rights including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, and the right to equality and non-discrimination. Amnesty International has called for a radical transformation of the tech giants’ core business model and said that Google and Facebook should be forced to abandon what it calls their surveillance-based business model because it is “predicated on human rights abuse.”
5G: Forecasting that 2020 will be “the year of 5G” no longer qualifies as a bold prediction. Billions of dollars’ worth of 5G rollouts are scheduled for the coming year, which will bring the emergent technology to countries around the world. The arrival of 5G will fuel an explosion of never-before-seen IoT machines, introducing uncharted vulnerabilities and opening the door for cyber-criminals to compromise our increasingly intertwined cities. Claims that 5G offers “better security” for IoT may not ring true.
5G security: The new 5G mobile networks will be the backbone of future digitalized operations. Therefore, it is also important to ensure the security and immunity of 5G networks.The Council of the European Union has warned member states that the introduction of 5G networks poses increased security risks while also bringing economic and infrastructure benefits. ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity has published a ThreatLandscape for 5G Networks, assessing the threats related to the fifth generation of mobile telecommunications networks (5G). Organised cybercrime, rogue insiders and nation-state-backed hackers are among the groups that could soon be targeting 5G networks. Claims that 5G offers “better security” for IoT may not ring true – with the technology remaining vulnerable to SIM-jacking attacks within private Industry 4.0-style deployments. 5G SIM-swap attacks could be even worse for industrial IoT than now. Criminals can convince telcos to port a victim’s number to a new SIM card controlled by the criminal. Trust your hardware or operator? Pah, you oughta trust nobody. Do not put all your security and identification to this SIM card.
DNS Over HTTPS (DoH): DoH encrypted DNS queries are already set to arrive in Chrome and Firefox web browsers. Microsoft Will Bring DNS Over HTTPS (DoH) to Windows 10 in an attempt to keep user traffic as private as possible. DoH support in Windows means encrypted DNS queries. Microsoft says that DoH doesn’t require DNS centralization if adoption is broad among operating systems and Internet service providers alike.
Firewall configuration: Now, more than ever, it is important to automate firewall processes to prevent misconfigurations and data breaches. Gartner has warned that “50% of enterprises will unknowingly and mistakenly have exposed some IaaS storage services, network segments, applications or APIs directly to the public internet, up from 25% at YE18.”. This is a human problem, not a firewall problem.
Bot attacks: Bots are being used to take over user accounts, perform DDoS attacks, abuse APIs, scrape unique content and pricing information and more. Organizations are Failing to Deal With Rising Bot Attacks.
Network security: Networks are continually growing in complexity and the cyberattack surface is constantly expanding. The network perimeter of today is elastic, expanding and contracting with the demands of both users and the business. In a rush to adopt digital business practices, many of these new network expansion projects are often being implemented ad hoc by individual lines of business. Routers sit at the edge of the network and see everything and they can be utilized to Making the Network the First Line of Defense. A critical step in building a stronger security posture and more robust data protection strategy is a 24×7 facility whose mission is to monitor, detect, investigate and resolve active threats. Cybercriminals only need to be successful once in finding a way to access the network – but the security team needs to monitor everything on the network and be right all the time to ensure security. Today’s core network is continually adapting to the introduction of new devices, applications, and workflows, along with shifting network configurations to support business requirements, requiring the use of advanced, intent-based segmentation.
Security-Driven Networking: Security-Driven Networking is a new, strategic approach to security that enables the seamless expansion of network environments and services without ever compromising on security. Essentially, it begins by crafting a comprehensive security policy that covers the entire organization. It outlines the protocols, enforcement and inspection technologies, policies, and protections required to be in place before any new network environment or solution is even placed on the drawing board. It requires the selection and full integration of security tools that not only work together to share and correlate intelligence and coordinate a unified response to threats, but that also work seamlessly across the widest variety of environments possible.
Critical infrastructure: Determined threat actors have, for some time, been extending their toolsets beyond Windows, and even beyond PC systems. In recent years, we have seen a number of high-profile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities and these have typically been aligned to wider geo-political objectives. Expect targeted attacks on critical infrastructure facilities to increase. APT33 has shifted targeting to industrial control systems software. We need to be worried about Cyber-Physical Security of the Power Grid. To protect this infrastructure you need to prioritize strategic risks that affect critical infrastructure: Concern yourself with the most important hacks, Understand the critical pieces of your infrastructure and Know your inter-dependencies.
Payment security: Payment security backslides for second straight year in 2019. Verizon’s 2019 Payment Security Report found that full compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) fell to36.7% globally, down from 52.5% in 2018. At the same time EU’s PSD2 (Payments Services Directive) lays down regulatory requirements for companies that provide payment services, including the use of personal data by new fintech companies that are not part of the established banking community. Security of online, including mobile, payments is a key aspect of the legislation. Nevertheless, as banks will be required to open their infrastructure and data to third parties. Although SSLv3 has been considered obsolete and insecure for a long time, a large number of web servers still support its use.
Election security: Nowadays, no elections can be held any longer without debate on influencing voters through online services. There are on-going accusations of Russian interference in US elections and fears about a possible reboot of this in the run-up to the 2020 elections. U.S. military cyber experts are plotting strategy in a fight against potential Russian and other cyberattacks ahead of the 2020 American and Montenegrin elections. As the 2020 Presidential election looms closer in the United
States, a key focus will be on securing election infrastructure to prevent tampering. Most of the largest US voting districts are still vulnerable to email spoofing. Also disinformation campaigns for political purposes are deeply rooted in cybercriminal endeavors. It’s quite possible that we will see changes to legislation and policy, as governments look to define more clearly what is and what isn’t allowed. Hacking is considered to be the biggest tech threats to 2020 elections in USA. Legislators are working on new laws, but it is not going to be enough in an era when technology is turning out entirely new attack surfaces.
False Flags: The use of false flags has become an important element in the playbook of several APT groups. This can be used to try to deflect attention away from those responsible for the attack or what is really happening.
Common attack tools: Cyber actors continually use commodity malware, scripts, publicly available security tools or administrator software during their attacks and for lateral movement, making attribution increasingly difficult.
Vulnerability disclosure: Most “white hat” cyber engineers seem to be driven by a sense of social responsibility best expressed as, “If you find something, say something.” Across the industry, the ethos is to share information quickly, whether the problem is a newly discovered exploit or an evolving cyber threat. The goal is to impel the affected vendor—hardware or software—to take quick action and produce a fix. There are good and bad ways to make vulnerabilities known. A premature “full disclosure” of a previously unknown issue can unleash the forces of evil, and the “black hats” often move faster than vendors or enterprise IT teams. The preferred path is a “responsible” or “coordinated” disclosure that happens behind the scenes. Public announcements occur after a specified period of time—typically 90 or 120 days. But things don’t work this way always.
Ransomware: Cybercriminals have become more targeted in their use of ransomware. It is inevitable that the cybercriminals will also attempt to diversify their attacks to include other types of devices besides PCs or servers. There is a Ransomware ‘Crisis’ in US Schools and in many cities in USA.
Supply chain: Use of supply chains will continue to be one of the most difficult delivery methods to address. It is likely that attackers will continue to expand this method through manipulated software containers, for example, and abuse of packages and libraries. Medium-sized companies are being targeted even more heavily by cyber criminals. They are often the weakest link in supply chains that include large corporations. There is the growth of counterfeit electronics.
Mobile: The main storage for our digital lives has moved from the PC to mobiles over last 10 years. Several countries have started demanding their own software (maybe in some cases also malware) to be installed to all smart phones. Putin signs law making Russian apps mandatory on smartphones, computers.
Android: Today 80% of Android apps are encrypting traffic by default. To ensure apps are safe, apps targeting Android 9 (API level 28) or higher automatically have a policy set by default that prevents unencrypted traffic for every domain. The heterogeneity of the Android versions will continue to be a problem in the coming year.
DDoS attacks: DNS amplification attacks continue to dominate distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, while mobile devices make up a larger share of traffic. The number of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks rose 86% in the third quarter compared to a year ago. DNS amplification attacks accounted for 45% of the attacks, while HTTP
floods and TCP SYN attacks accounted for 14%. Mobile Devices Account for 41% of DDoS Attack Traffic.
Business security: Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) increasingly recognize that a reactive security posture is no longer sufficient for protecting their networks. Breaches will happen. Companies should treat cyberattacks “as a matter of when” and not “whether.” Inside threads are still a big issue as Employees are one of your biggest assets, but human beings are the weakest link in the security chain. Data leaks help attackers to craft more convincing social engineering attacks. Plan proper incident management because Quick, reliable, multichannel communication is a vital part of any incident management solution. Cybercriminals often choose very small companies as their targets because small businesses rarely spend significant money on security systems. Medium-sized companies are being targeted even more heavily by cyber criminals. They are often the weakest link in supply chains that include large corporations.
Cyber insurance: Cyber Has Emerged as a Risk That is Not Specifically Covered by Other Insurance Policies. Since business is now urged to take a risk management approach to cyber security, it is natural and inevitable that cyber insurance should be considered as part of the mix. Cyber insurance is set to grow.
New encryption: The problem with encrypted data is that you must decrypt it in order to work with it. There is a powerful solution to this scenario: homomorphic encryption. Homomorphic encryption makes it possible to analyze or manipulate encrypted data without revealing the data to anyone. Just like many other populr forms of encryption, homomorphic encryption uses a public key to encrypt the data. There are three main types of homomorphic encryption: partially homomorphic encryption (keeps sensitive data secure by only allowing select mathematical functions to be performed on encrypted data); somewhat homomorphic encryption (supports limited operations that can be performed only a set number of times); fully homomorphic encryption (this is the gold standard of homomorphic encryption that keeps information secure and accessible). Cryptographers have known of the concept of homomorphic encryption since 1978 but Gentry established the first homomorphic encryption scheme in 2009.The biggest barrier to widescale adoption of homomorphic encryption is that it is still very slow. Duality, a security startup co-founded by the creator of homomorphic encryption, raises $16M.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): The buzzword for 2019 that we have all heard a thousand times was Artificial Intelligence, AI. The term AI is often interchanged with machine learning. There is a lot of research to examine AI applications on cyber security. As cyberattacks grow in volume and complexity, hopefully artificial intelligence (AI) is helping under-resourced security operations analysts stay ahead of threats. Cybersecurity tools currently use this data aggregation and pattern analysis in the field of heuristic modeling: THE TRUE FUNCTION OF AI WILL BE TO DETERMINE WITH A LONG ARC OF TIME AND DATA, WHAT “NORMAL” LOOKS LIKE FOR A USER. AI can act as an advisor to analysts, helping them quickly identify and connect the dots between threats. Finnish cyber security company F-Secure is making research on AI agents and on that Mikko Hyppönen says that AI should not used to try to imitate humans and that artificial intelligence-based attacks are expected in the near future. Another Finnish cyber security company Nixu says that Artificial intelligence is going to revolutionize cyber security. According to Orlando Scott-Cowley from Amazon Web Services machine learning is the new normal in cyber security. Advanced Machine Learning layers are to be integrated into the latest Windows cybersecurity products. Leaders in artificial intelligence warn that progress is slowing, big challenges remain, and simply throwing more computers at a problem isn’t sustainable.
2020 problems: Has your business prepared for the ‘2020 problem’? Software updates for Windows 7 will end on January 14, 2020. As of Jan. 14, 2020, Windows 7 and Server 2008 technical support and software updates will no longer be available from Windows Update. There will no longer be updates for Office 2010. Some business users can buy extended security update support with extra money for some time. Python will stop supporting Python version 2 on January 1, 2020. Beginning on January 1, 2020, un-patched Splunk platform instances will be unable to recognize timestamps from events where the date contains a two-digit year. December 2019 Patch Tuesday was the last time Microsoft ever offered security updates for devices running Windows 10 Mobile.
Crypto wars continue: A decades-old debate: Government officials have long argued that encryption makes criminal investigations too hard. Governments all over the world say that Encrypted communication is a huge issue for law enforcement and the balance between the privacy of citizens and effective policing of criminal activity is top of mind for governments, technology companies, citizens and privacy organisations all over the world. The international police organization Interpol plans to condemn the spread of strong encryption. Top law enforcement officials in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, the larger group will cite difficulties in catching child sexual predators as grounds for companies opening up user communications to authorities wielding court warrants. Congress warns tech companies: Take action on encryption, or we will. US lawmakers are poised to “impose our will” if tech companies don’t weaken encryption so police can access data.
Do not weaken encryption: Companies, they say, should build in special access that law enforcement could use with a court’s permission. Technologists say creating these back doors would weaken digital security for everyone. Unfortunately, every privacy protection mechanism is subject to abuse by the morally challenged. That’s just a truth that must be accepted and overcome. Invading the privacy of the masses in order to catch criminals is unacceptable. Remember three things: One, that strong encryption is necessary for personal and national security. Two, that weakening encryption does more harm than good. And three, law enforcement has other avenues for criminal investigation than eavesdropping on communications and stored devices. If back-doors are added to encryption, they will be abused. If You Think Encryption Back Doors Won’t Be Abused, You May Be a Member of Congress. Bad encryption can have business consequences. Apple and Facebook told the committee that back doors would introduce massive privacy and security threats and would drive users to devices from overseas. In Australia 40% of firms say they have lost sales say they have lost sales or other commercial opportunities as a result of the encryption law being in place.
2FA: The second authentication factor might be a minor inconvenience, but it provides a major security boost. With past years riddled with security breaches, it is high time we evaluated the way we secure our online presence. Two factors are much better than one, but can still be hacked. Attacks that phish 2FA to access email accounts cost $100-$400; such attacks can be prevented with physical security keys. Also some physical security keys can be hacked as they turn to be less secure that what they were told to be in the advertisements.
Myth of sophisticated hacker in news: It’s the latest lexical stretch for an adjective that’s widely used in reports of cybersecurity incidents — and widely loathed by researchers as a result. If everything is sophisticated, nothing is sophisticated.
New security models: Google moved from perimeter-based to cloud-native security. Google’s architecture is the inspiration and template for what’s widely known as “cloud-native” today—using microservices and containers to enable workloads to be split into smaller, more manageable units for maintenance and discovery. Google’s cloud-native architecture was developed prioritizing security as part of every evolution.
Hacktivists: Hacktivists seek to obtain private information about large companies in order to embarrass or expose the company’s controversial business practices. Many companies are a treasure trove for personal information, whether they realize it or not. Experian is predicting that the emerging cannabis industry will experience an increase in data breaches and cybersecurity threats in 2020.
RCS messaging: RCS, expanded as Rich Communications Services, is a protocol that aims to replace SMS.RCS messaging has rolled out to Android users in the US. The update brings a lot of new features like chat, send hi-res videos and photos and create group chat. One criticism of RCS is that it doesn’t provide end-to-end encryption. RCS could be also better in many other security aspects. Researchers have discovered that the RCS protocol exposes most users to several cyber attacks. These risks are said to be mitigated by implementing the protocol with the security perspective in mind. The standard itself allows for poor security implementation, but GSMA advises its members to deploy rcs with the most secure settings possible.
Data breaches: Billions of Sensitive Files Exposed Online all the time. During the first six months of 2019, more than 4 billion records were exposed by data breaches. That’s a shocking statistic that’s made even more so when you realize that passwords were included in droves. On December 4, a security researcher discovered a treasure trove of more than a billion plain-text passwords in an unsecured online database. Many businesses wrongly assume they are too small to be on the radar of the threat actors. The truth is that it is all about the data, and small businesses often have less well-guarded data stores. All organizations are exposed to security breaches: from large multinationals to SMEs and public administrations. A common thread is unsecured cloud-based databases that left the sensitive information wide open for anyone to access online.
Phishing: Phishing remains 1 of the most pervasive online threats. Phishing emails are still managing to catch everyone out. Phishing e-mails which are used to steal credentials usually depend on user clicking a link which leads to a phishing website that looks like login page for some valid service. Google Chrome now offers better protection against it as safe Browsing displays warning messages to users ahead of visiting dangerous websites and before downloading harmful applications. New advanced ways to phish are taken to use.With dynamite phishing, the cyber criminals read the email communication from a system already infected with an information stealer. The infected user’s correspondents then receive malicious emails that quote the last “real” email between the two parties and look like a legitimate response from the infected user. Attacks that phish 2FA to access email accounts cost $100-$400; such attacks can be prevented with physical security keys.
Windows: Microsoft Doesn’t Back Up the Windows Registry Anymore. It’s still possible to perform Windows Registry backups, but the option is disabled by default. It’s time to disconnect RDP from the internet as brute-force attacks and BlueKeep exploits usurp convenience of direct RDP connection. Microsoft is ready to push a full-screen warning to Windows 7 users
who are still running the OS after January 14.
Linux: Support for 32 bit i386 architecture will be dropped by many Linux distributions. It turns out that there are essentially no upstream development resources dedicated to x86_32 Linux. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was badly broken.
Drones: Turkey is getting military drones armed with machine guns. Drone hacking happens. There is now Dronesploit – Metasploit for drones. Metasploit-style CLI framework tailored for tinkering with everybody’s favourite unmanned flying objects.
World market war: China tells government offices to remove all foreign computer equipment. China has ordered the replacement of all foreign PC hardware and operating systems in state offices over the next three years. This will mean that China to ditch all Windows PCs by 2022.China has already some of their own Linux distros like Kylin and Deepin. Many western countries are more or less banning Huawei teleocm equipment.
Cloud security: Traditional security tools and methodologies are ill-suited to protect cloud native’s developer-driven and infrastructure-agnostic multicloud patterns. The vision as laid out by these renown analysts is straightforward. The legacy “data center as the center of the universe” network and network security architecture are obsolete and has become an inhibitor to the needs of digital business. They describe the underpinning shift to cloud infrastructure, a digital transformation that has been underway for ten years. They also point out that the corporate network cannot protect end users who consume cloud applications from any location and any device without the contorting, expensive, backhaul of traffic through the corporate data center. Gartner coins a new term for the future of security and networks, SASE (pronounced sassy), Secure Access Service Edge, which is not anything really new. SASE promises to create a ubiquitous, resilient, and agile secure network service—globally. Most of the stolen data incidents in the cloud are related to simple human errors rather than concerted attacks. Expect that through 2020, 95% of cloud security failures will be the customer’s fault. A common thread is unsecured cloud-based databases that left the sensitive information wide open for anyone to access online. Also it’s almost 2020 and some sysadmins are still leaving Docker admin ports exposed on the internet.
Autocracy as a service: Now Any Government Can Buy China’s Tools for Censoring the Internet. “Autocracy as a service” lets countries buy or rent the technology and expertise they need, as they need it. China offers a full-stack of options up and down the layers of the internet, including policies and laws, communications service providers with full internet.
Geopolitics: US-China Tech Divide Could Cause Havoc. It is possible that world’s next major conflict can start in cyberspace. USA has ordered to ban certain hardware from China (Huawei and ZTE). China orders ban on US computers and software. Chinese government to replace foreign hardware and software within three years. Who needs who more?
International cyber politics: Lack of international standards for proper behavior in cyberspace prevents the United States and allies from policing adversaries as they wish to. US can’t ‘enforce standards that don’t exist’. We have international norms in the maritime; we don’t have those in cyber. It makes it difficult to enforce standard that don’t exist, and to therefore hold nations accountable for nefarious behavior. NATO did confirm in 2017 that it could invoke Article 5 of its charter should one or more member nations find themselves under a serious cyberattack that threatens critical military and civilian infrastructure.
Sources:
https://pentestmag.com/iot-security-its-complicated/
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https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12/09/dronesploit_framework/
https://www.securityweek.com/blunt-effect-two-edged-sword-vulnerability-disclosures
https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.0.0/ReleaseNotes/FixDatetimexml2020
https://threatpost.com/email-voted-a-weak-link-for-election-security-with-dmarc-lagging/150909/
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12/04/council_of_eu_5g_risks/
https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/05/major-voting-districts-vulnerable-email-security/
https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2019/12/241053-hack-for-hire/fulltext
http://read.uberflip.com/i/1180978-siliconexpert-growth-of-counterfeit-electronics-3/0?acctid=6759
https://www.zdnet.com/article/2020-is-when-cybersecurity-gets-even-weirder-so-get-ready/
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12/09/china_orders_ban_on_us_computers_and_software/
https://www.securityweek.com/case-cyber-insurance
https://www.eetimes.eu/ai-will-empower-industry-4-0-when-it-arrives/
https://www.pandasecurity.com/mediacenter/security/2019-the-ransomware-tsunami/
https://blog.paloaltonetworks.com/2019/12/cloud-native-security-platform-age/
https://github.com/dhondta/dronesploit/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/1-in-every-172-active-rsa-certificates-are-vulnerable-to-exploit/
https://nationalcybersecurity.com/hacking-the-biggest-tech-threats-to-2020-elections/
https://www.welivesecurity.com/2019/12/17/bluekeep-time-disconnect-rdp-internet/
https://www.eff.org/wp/behind-the-one-way-mirror
https://www.gdatasoftware.com/blog/2019/12/35671-early-detection-and-repulsion-of-dangerous-attacks
https://www.is.fi/digitoday/tietoturva/art-2000006342803.html
https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/30/duality-cybersecurity-16-million/
https://www.wired.com/story/sobering-message-future-ai-party/
https://security.googleblog.com/2019/12/an-update-on-android-tls-adoption.html?m=1
https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-all-android-users-in-the-us-just-got-rcs-next-gen-sms/
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/12/scaring_people_.html
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-announce/2019-June/001261.html
https://lwn.net/ml/oss-security/CALCETrW1z0gCLFJz-1Jwj_wcT3+axXkP_wOCxY8JkbSLzV80GA@mail.gmail.com/
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-australia-46463029
https://cyware.com/news/rcs-technology-most-users-are-vulnerable-to-hacking-b53f9a6f
https://hub.packtpub.com/core-python-team-confirms-sunsetting-python-2-on-january-1-2020/
https://www.cnet.com/news/congress-warns-tech-companies-take-action-on-encryption-or-we-will/
https://cyware.com/news/rcs-technology-most-users-are-vulnerable-to-hacking-b53f9a6f
https://edri.org/facial-recognition-and-fundamental-rights-101/
https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/10/insider-threats-startups-protect/
https://uk.pcmag.com/windows-10/121518/microsoft-doesnt-back-up-the-windows-registry-anymore
https://threatpost.com/ransomware-attack-new-jersey-largest-hospital-system/151148/
https://chiefexecutive.net/bridge-cybersecurity-skills-gap/
https://systemagic.co.uk/has-your-business-prepared-for-the-2020-problem/
https://news.yahoo.com/massive-errors-found-facial-recognition-tech-us-study-215334634.html
https://www.securityweek.com/most-companies-dont-properly-manage-third-party-cyber-risk
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/11/21/hyoty-panee-jakamaan-tietonsa-luottamus-ratkaisee/
https://pentestmag.com/advice-for-a-cybersecurity-leader-think-like-your-adversary/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/11/google-facebook-surveillance-privacy/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol30/1404/2019/en/
https://www.securityweek.com/compromised-connection-5g-will-unite-cities-and-also-put-them-risk
https://www.securityweek.com/amnesty-international-calls-facebook-google-rights-abusers
https://www.securityweek.com/microsoft-will-bring-dns-over-https-doh-windows
https://www.securityweek.com/cybersecurity-workforce-gap-145-growth-needed-meet-global-demand
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/11/19/successful-soc/
https://www.securityweek.com/making-network-first-line-defense
https://techbeacon.com/security/how-prioritize-strategic-risks-affect-critical-infrastructure
https://www.securityweek.com/transitioning-security-driven-networking-strategy
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/16/5g_iot_report/
https://www.securityweek.com/us-montenegro-plot-cyber-warfare-ahead-2020-elections
https://www.securityweek.com/fears-grow-digital-surveillance-us-survey
https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/attack-on-online-retail/31786/
https://www.securityweek.com/implementing-cyber-best-practices-requires-security-first-approach
https://securelist.com/advanced-threat-predictions-for-2020/95055/
https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/smart-building-security-awareness-grows/d/d-id/1336597
https://www.cisomag.com/the-future-of-ai-in-cybersecurity/
https://www.ibm.com/security/artificial-intelligence
https://www.welivesecurity.com/2019/12/13/2fa-double-down-your-security/
https://cannatechtoday.com/experian-predicts-an-increase-in-global-cannabis-industry-data-breaches/
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/11/21/f-secure-tutkimaan-tekoalyagentteja/
https://www.securityweek.com/ongoing-research-project-examines-application-ai-cybersecurity
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10151-mikko-hypponen-tekoalyn-ei-pida-matkia-ihmista
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10124-nixu-selvitti-tekoaly-mullistaa-kyberturvan
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10120-kyberturvassa-koneoppiminen-on-uusi-normaali
https://www.is.fi/digitoday/tietoturva/art-2000006316233.html
https://www.cyberscoop.com/apt33-microsoft-iran-ics/
https://blog.malwarebytes.com/exploits-and-vulnerabilities/2019/11/exploit-kits-fall-2019-review/
https://www.enisa.europa.eu/news/enisa-news/enisa-draws-threat-landscape-of-5g-networks/
https://systemagic.co.uk/has-your-business-prepared-for-the-2020-problem/
https://smartgrid.ieee.org/newsletters/november-2019/the-cyber-physical-security-of-the-power-grid
https://www.wired.com/story/un-secretary-general-antonio-guterres-internet-risks/
https://codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/russia-facial-recognition-networks/
https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/9/21002515/surveillance-cameras-globally-us-china-amount-citizens
https://www.wired.com/story/iran-internet-shutoff/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/fbi-recommends-that-you-keep-your-iot-devices-on-a-separate-network/
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-interpol-encryption-exclusive-idUSKBN1XR0S7
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/to-the-point/does-facial-recognition-software-threaten-our-freedom
1,468 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
LEAKED REPORTS SHOW EU POLICE ARE PLANNING A PAN-EUROPEAN NETWORK OF FACIAL RECOGNITION DATABASES
https://theintercept.com/2020/02/21/eu-facial-recognition-database/
A POLICE INVESTIGATOR in Spain is trying to solve a crime, but she only has an image of a suspect’s face, caught by a nearby security camera. European police have long had access to fingerprint and DNA databases throughout the 27 countries of the European Union and, in certain cases, the United States. But soon, that investigator may be able to also search a network of police face databases spanning the whole of Europe and the U.S.
According to leaked internal European Union documents, the EU could soon be creating a network of national police facial recognition databases. A report drawn up by the national police forces of 10 EU member states, led by Austria, calls for the introduction of EU legislation to introduce and interconnect such databases in every member state.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Backdoor to encryption back on agenda in absurdly named bill
https://9to5mac.com/2020/02/21/backdoor-to-encryption/
An absurdly named bill is set to form the latest attempt to create legislation requiring tech giants to provide a backdoor to encryption.
The Eliminating Abuse and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2019 (EARN IT Act) is co-sponsored by Lindsey Graham (R-SC), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)…
The acronym is intended to suggest that tech companies should be required to “earn” the right to Section 230 protections, which mean that companies proving communication platforms can’t be held legally liable for things posted by users.
Reuters reports that the bill seeks to impose conditions on this protection, and that providing a backdoor to encryption is believed to be one of them.
Tomi Engdahl says:
These activists use makeup to defy mass surveillance
https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/jge5jg/dazzle-club-surveillance-activists-makeup-marches-london-interview
London is the second most surveilled city in the world. Dazzle Club is the activism group using anti-facial recognition paint to bring awareness towards this.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://pentestmag.com/artificial-intelligence-and-cybersecurity/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Almost half of connected medical devices are vulnerable to hackers
exploiting BlueKeep
https://www.zdnet.com/article/cybersecurity-warning-almost-half-of-connected-medical-devices-are-vulnerable-to-hackers-exploiting-bluekeep/
According to figures in a new report from researchers at healthcare
cybersecurity company CyberMDX, 22% of all Windows devices in a
typical hospital are exposed to BlueKeep because they haven’t received
the relevant patches. And when it comes to connected medical devices
running on Windows, the figure rises to 45% meaning almost half are
vulnerable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
16 DDoS attacks take place every 60 seconds, rates reach 622 Gbps
https://www.zdnet.com/article/16-ddos-attacks-take-place-every-60-seconds-rates-reach-622-gbps/
With over 23,000 recorded attacks per day, customer-facing enterprise
services are bearing the brunt of attacks.. When it comes to strength,
the most powerful DDoS attack recorded by the company during H2 2019
was 622 Gbps. However, as noted by Netscout, such attacks can
generally be considered “overkill” and will draw the attention of law
enforcement; and as such, attacks are now generally within the 100 –
200 Gbps range
Tomi Engdahl says:
Five years after the Equation Group HDD hacks, firmware security still
sucks
https://www.zdnet.com/article/five-years-after-the-equation-group-hdd-hacks-firmware-security-still-sucks/
In a report published today, Eclypsium, a cyber-security firm
specialized in firmware security, says that the issue of unsigned
firmware is still a widespread problem among device and peripheral
manufactures.. Also
https://threatpost.com/lenovo-hp-dell-peripherals-unpatched-firmware/152936/
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Ransomware Trends to Watch in 2020
https://www.recordedfuture.com/ransomware-trends-2020/
This is the fourth year that Recorded Future has asked me to write up
my predictions for where ransomware is headed in the coming year.
Trying to predict the future when it comes to these attacks is always
a challenge. Unfortunately, the one prediction that I am confident in
is that ransomware attacks will continue to grow as cybercriminals get
more sophisticated in their methods and expand their . In fact, two
verticals that we are following closely state and local governments,
and healthcare have both seen a 20% increase in ransomware attacks
over this time last year (with the caveat that the numbers are small
this early in the year).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Threat actors attempt to capitalize on coronavirus outbreak
https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2020/02/coronavirus-themed-malware.html
Using the news to try and increase clicks and drive traffic is nothing
new for malicious actors. We commonly see actors leveraging current
news stories or events to try and increase the likelihood of
infection. The biggest news currently is focused on the new virus
affecting the world, with a focus on China: the coronavirus. There are
countless news articles and email-based marketing campaigns going at
full throttle right now, as such, we wanted to take a deeper look at
how this is manifesting itself on the threat landscape.
Tomi Engdahl says:
We have always been at war with Cryptography
https://medium.com/@vmoscaritolo/we-have-always-been-at-war-with-cryptography-a36d90ced73f
As with fashion cycles, it would seem that the Crypto wars are back in style again. In an effort, to protect us from the dangerous criminals who use ubiquitously available technology, the government is threatening to curb its use from those who obey the law already.
If we can just pass a few more laws, we could all be criminals!”
— some guy on the internet
Let’s put this statement in perspective.
Software is hard to do correctly. It’s impossible to get it right the first time. Software that has a security goal that is in opposition to itself — be secure, but let certain parties break it — is even harder. It will be under attack from honest people who don’t want to be spied on. It will be under attack by criminals.
Jon Callas — Senior Technology Fellow, ACLU
As a guy with some 30+ years experience developing security software and veteran of the crypto wars, I will attest that Jon was being conservative; It is impossible to build a crypto back-door that won’t get exploited by bad guys.
On the other hand, I have strong empathy for the folks of law-enforcement who have to deal with these pernicious scum who traffic in child-porn. They exist and they use the same products that every-day consumers do. In the same way that both bad-guys and cops use, for instance, Glocks. They work as advertised.
The bottom line is suggesting that we weaken the locks that protect us to make us a better society is both intellectually dishonest and ineffective.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Check out this handy Border Search Pocket Guide designed to be printed, folded, and carried in your pocket while traveling: https://www.eff.org/document/eff-border-search-pocket-guide
Tomi Engdahl says:
KPMG on Key Cybersecurity Considerations for 2020
https://www.securityweek.com/kpmg-key-cybersecurity-considerations-2020
A multi-cloud approach is without doubt more difficult and less secure than focusing on a single CSP — but there are often good economic reasons (costs, business continuity, avoiding single supplier lock-in) to go the multi-cloud route. As a result, a major factor in preparing for cloud threats is to increase the cloud skill level of the security team, whether that is with additional staff or upskilling existing staff — without diminishing the existing skill levels for on-prem technologies.
Outside of cloud specifics, KPMG sees two further areas that need to be given careful consideration. The first is the increasing level of regulation, which KPMG expects to continue. “Companies should institute ongoing testing of regulatory compliance programs – in terms of design, implementation and effectiveness – to identify where improvements are needed.,” it warns. KPMG suggests the CISO should be tightly integrated with someone in the company, such as the CRO or CFO or deputy CEO with a broad understanding of the company’s operating model.
The second is consumer authentication. For many years, the drive in authentication has simply been to make it more secure at almost any cost. But consumer habits are changing, and consumers are increasingly moving to online commerce. Brand loyalty online is more fickle than off-line — and consumers will readily change brands based on their purchasing experience.
“Brick and mortar is slowly disappearing, and whoever reigns supreme in terms of the digital customer experience is likely to enjoy the greatest market share,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
RSAC 2020: Three Reasons Why the “Human Element” is a Timeless Theme
https://www.securityweek.com/rsac-2020-three-reasons-why-human-element-timeless-theme
1. Humans will always be essential to security.
2. Humans that are highly skilled in cybersecurity are in short supply. Given the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals which has now surpassed 4 million according to ISC2
3. Humans are our weakest link. Due to the proliferation of personal devices and applications in the workplace, and the belief that the responsibility for security rests solely with the employer, the weakest link in security will continue to be the human element. I
the “Human Element” is a great lens through which you can view and help assess the value of companies you partner with for security.
Tomi Engdahl says:
RSAC 2020 Keynote: Changing the World’s False Perception of Cybersecurity
https://threatpost.com/rsac-2020-keynote-changing-the-worlds-false-perception-of-cybersecurity/153203/
The reality of the cybersecurity industry is starkly different than what’s perceived by the rest of the world.
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, cybersecurity is portrayed in the media and by businesses as an ongoing complex conflict between defenders and cybercriminals, with heightened noise around hyper-technical proof-of-concept attacks, or nation state threats. But, the reality is starkly different, said Rohit Ghai, president of RSA, speaking on Tuesday at the RSA Conference.
The security industry needs to branch out beyond its historically “narrow culture” and change how it is perceived by the rest of the world. The narrative around cybersecurity needs to instead emphasize the human players behind cybersecurity, including the IT teams working in companies, the cybercriminals who are launching cyberattacks, the businesses who are working with security teams – and, importantly, the end users who are often the true victims.
Often, hackers are portrayed as “technical sorcerers” while defenders are “hapless techies focused on zero-day vulnerabilities and only the most advanced threat vectors,” Ghai said. In reality, that’s not true, he said.
Cybercriminals are not always sophisticated, and in fact, more script kiddies exist than technically savvy hackers, said Ghai. The difference is that cybercriminals are more organized and create tools and exploit kits that allow less sophisticated actors to become well equipped in launching attacks.
To hit back against this difference with reality, the security landscape needs to change the narrative of its story, he said. “We need to reclaim our narrative, reorganize our defense, and rethink our culture.”
Ghai asserts that the cybersecurity landscape needs to better engage the media and share not just losses, but also wins. While the city of Atlanta‘s 2018 ransomware attack was widely covered in the media, what didn’t hit the headlines as much were the small “wins” in how the city dealt with the attack.
Most importantly, he said the cybersecurity industry needs to shift from a “culture of elitism to one of inclusion” by looking for defenders that are outside of the tech community. For instance, IT teams in industrial companies are also finding themselves increasingly dealing with operational technology teams in an effort to better secure industrial control systems.
Ghai said that business leaders and risk officers are now also interested in the story of cybersecurity – and in fact, more than 76 percent say cyber risk will increase in 2020 – but they remain on the sidelines. Instead, board and risk officers need to be the actors in the story, “the ‘zero-th’ line of defense, he called it.
“Our story has global mindshare now – but we have lost control of the narrative,” he said. “We need to find the story of our industry playing its part.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Said It Wasn’t Listening to Your Conversations. It Was.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wjw889/facebook-said-it-wasnt-listening-to-your-conversations-it-was?utm_source=vicefbuk
Facebook’s excuse? All the other tech companies were doing it, too.
Facebook isn’t randomly turning on your microphone to sell you more targeted ads, as some conspiracy theories have asserted — but on Tuesday, the social media giant admitted that it has, in fact, been listening in on some users’ conversations.
Following an investigation by Bloomberg, the company admitted that it had been employing third-party contractors to transcribe the audio messages that users exchanged on its Messenger app.
Facebook Paid Contractors to Transcribe Users’ Audio Chats
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-13/facebook-paid-hundreds-of-contractors-to-transcribe-users-audio?utm_source=twitter&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3mL_CkEgYxRjRsV4MKhzvUiybCZSEvVAtR5I76pJB0mx4sSWNjH3i2XgA&fbclid=IwAR2fS-CDI_Fi6vtvg1cKFauGAUAF-jWYITQtF_poIZj2HC9Yi_Mmk–0AdI&fbclid=IwAR3ghD9NCAVO9_EG4C6E2nyTB6gKOk2bWIxHhmHHGZpjIm7WdUo-xMblgQQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to hack an election without touching a voting machine
https://www.techrepublic.com/google-amp/article/how-to-hack-an-election-without-touching-a-voting-machine/?__twitter_impression=true
In a RSA 2020 simulation, the Red Team compromised email accounts, deepfake videos, and disinformation on Election Day in Adversaria.
Bad actors who want to muck up an election can do plenty of harm without tampering with voter rolls or voting machines. Business email compromise, social media hijacking, and even access to city cameras and traffic signals can cause enough trouble to influence voters and election results.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hannah Gilberstadt / Pew Research Center:
Pew: 74% of Americans have little or no confidence in tech companies like Facebook and Google preventing misuse of their platforms to influence 2020 election — Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) express little or no confidence in technology companies like Facebook …
Few Americans are confident in tech companies to prevent misuse of their platforms in the 2020 election
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/24/few-americans-are-confident-in-tech-companies-to-prevent-misuse-of-their-platforms-in-the-2020-election/
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) express little or no confidence in technology companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to prevent the misuse of their platforms to influence the 2020 presidential election, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January. At the same time, 78% say these companies have a responsibility to prevent such misuse.
Confidence in technology companies to prevent the misuse of their platforms is even lower than it was in the weeks before the 2018 midterm elections, when about two-thirds of adults had little confidence these companies would prevent election influence on their platforms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cyber attack maps, various
https://norse-corp.com/map/
https://www.csoonline.com/article/3217944/8-top-cyber-attack-maps-and-how-to-use-them.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Facts: Mozilla’s DNS over HTTPs (DoH)
https://blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/2020/02/25/the-facts-mozillas-dns-over-https-doh/
The current insecure DNS system leaves billions of people around the world vulnerable because the data about where they go on the internet is unencrypted. We’ve set out to change that. In 2017, Mozilla began working on the DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) protocol to close this privacy gap within the web’s infrastructure. Today, Firefox is enabling encrypted DNS over HTTPS by default in the US giving our users more privacy protection wherever and whenever they’re online.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Privacy Concerns Raised Over New Google Chrome Feature
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/privacy-concerns-raised-over-new-google-chrome-feature/
With the release of Google Chrome 80, Google quietly slipped in a new feature that allows users to create a link directly to a specific word or phrase on a page. A Brave Browser researcher, though, sees this as a potential privacy risk and is concerned Google added it too quickly.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Goes Rogue, Drops Unilateral TLS Certificate Guillotine
https://securityboulevard.com/2020/02/apple-goes-rogue-drops-unilateral-tls-certificate-guillotine/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Safari will no longer trust TLS certificates that last longer than 13 months. Yes, you read that right. IT and DevOps are spitting blood.
Are they serious? Which standards committee agreed to that?
Nobody agreed to it. Apple just went rogue.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to hack a company by circumventing its WAF through the abuse of a different security appliance and win bug bounties
https://www.redtimmy.com/web-application-hacking/how-to-hack-a-company-by-circumventing-its-waf-through-the-abuse-of-a-different-security-appliance-and-win-bug-bounties/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Parents Can Answer Kids’ Questions About Staying Safe Online
Young people around the world are learning how to protect themselves from cyberbullying.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/unicefusa/2020/02/13/how-parents-can-answer-kids-questions-about-staying-safe-online/
“Don’t talk to strangers” is one of the first lessons parents teach kids to keep them safe. But with children exposed to the Internet at an early age — through online gaming and smartphone apps like Tik Tok — it’s a rule that’s hard to enforce. Especially when the internet makes it easy for strangers to disguise themselves as “friends.”
Thanks to a club UNICEF helped found at her middle school three years ago, Maria now knows how to spot “friend” requests from fake social accounts and how to stay safe both on and offline.
“If we understand what our rights are, we can play a role in protecting and promoting them,” says Maria.
Sadly, not every child or teen is as well informed about how risky sharing personal information on social media can be.
Today, more than one-third of children are regular internet users. That proportion is only expected to grow, and with it, an alarming trend unless parents and young people take greater care to block the harmful content and abuse kids can be exposed to online. According to a September 2019 UNICEF poll of 170,000 13-24-year-olds in 30 countries, one in three young people said they had been a victim of online bullying.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hyvästi salattu viestintä internetissä: Yhdysvallat aikoo pakottaa
viranomaisille takaportin kaikkeen tietoliikenteeseen
https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/tv/47babfae-08cf-485c-92ba-f9a4d812b9da
Yhdysvaltain oikeusministeriö myönsi painostavansa maan lainsäätäjiä
hyväksymään lain, joka jättäisi viranomaisille takaportin kaikkeen
salattuun tietoliikenteeseen. Ministeriö myöntää käyttävänsä hyväkseen
tietotekniikkayhtiöiden heikentynyttä julkisuuskuvaa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ransomware victims thought their backups were safe. They were wrong
https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-victims-thought-their-backups-were-safe-they-were-wrong/
Ransomware victims are finding out too late that their vital backups
are online and also getting encrypted by crooks, warns cybersecurity
agency.
Tomi Engdahl says:
As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Covid-19 Themed Malware
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/as-coronavirus-spreads-so-does-covid-19-themed-malware/
Threat actors are still taking advantage of the ongoing COVID-19
global outbreak by attempting to drop Remcos RAT and malware payloads
on their targets’ computers via malicious files that promise to
provide Coronavirus safety measures.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MI5 boss thinks tech companies should provide ‘exceptional access’ to encrypted messages
https://www.cultofmac.com/688171/mi5-boss-thinks-tech-companies-should-provide-exceptional-access-to-encrypted-messages/
The UK’s director general of intelligence agency MI5 thinks that tech companies should provide it with “exceptional access” to encrypted messages when required.
Sir Andrew Parker made his remarks for an ITV documentary broadcast on Thursday about the domestic intelligence agency. He said that it is “increasingly mystifying” why intelligence agencies are not able to easily read the secret messages being sent and received by terror suspects they are monitoring.
MI5’s boss is not the first person in law enforcement and intelligence to speak out against strong encryption.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.csoonline.com/article/3217944/8-top-cyber-attack-maps-and-how-to-use-them.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.kali.org/tutorials/kali-everywhere/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Face-recognition respirator masks.
Unlock your devices with a surgical mask that looks just like you.
https://faceidmasks.com/?fbclid=IwAR0wCA2LYAANjONBc3WOP08estLZ0tWBaR0XfWEMVp-5vG21ym1jB5-0wyI
Tomi Engdahl says:
Don’t Ditch Your Pentesters – Alternate Them!
https://pentestmag.com/dont-ditch-your-pentesters-alternate-them/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://ics-radar.shodan.io/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Social Engineering Risks: How to Patch the Humans in Your Organization
https://pentestmag.com/social-engineering-risks-how-to-patch-the-humans-in-your-organization/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://toool.us/
The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers, or TOOOL, is an international group of lockpicking enthusiasts dedicated to advancing the general public knowledge about locks and lockpicking through teaching, research, and competition.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Graham-Blumenthal Bill: A New Path for DOJ to Finally Break Encryption
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/graham-blumenthal-bill-new-path-doj-finally-break-encryption
Members of Congress are about to introduce a bill that will undermine the law that undergirds free speech on the Internet. If passed, the bill known as the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act, will fulfill a long-standing dream of U.S. law enforcement. If passed, it could largely mark the end of private, encrypted messaging on the Internet.
The Department of Justice and the FBI have long seen encryption as a threat.
U.S. law enforcement agencies spent the next 25 years villainizing the widespread adoption of encryption and highlighting a series of awful criminal acts in their efforts to scare elected officials into requiring backdoors.
In recent years, they’ve used acts of terrorism like the mass shootings in San Bernardino and Pensacola to press for draconian changes to the law.
William Barr have blamed encryption for sexual crimes against children. Not only are these crimes horrific to hear about, but they are nearly impossible to get objective information about.
Meanwhile, we face immense challenges to building secure systems, and strong encryption is one the best tools we have available to protect ourselves. Encryption preserves the ability to have private, secure communications in an increasingly insecure world. Members of the government, the military and law enforcement themselves use encryption to protect their communications, as do journalists, activists and those at risk of domestic abuse, among many others. We should not sacrifice the power of these fundamental technologies, even in the name of important law enforcement goals.
What “best practices” would that commission demand in the name of protecting children? We know that offering backdoors to encryption would be high on the list. Attorney General William Barr has demanded “lawful access” to encrypted messages, over and over again. So have his predecessors.
The ability to have a private conversation is fundamental in a democratic society, and Congress should not be disincentivizing these companies from developing secure platforms.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://cointelegraph.com/news/what-are-zk-snarks-and-how-do-they-affect-digital-privacy
Tomi Engdahl says:
Through apps, not warrants, ‘Locate X’ allows federal law enforcement to track phones
https://www.protocol.com/government-buying-location-data
Federal agencies have big contracts with Virginia-based Babel Street. Depending on where you’ve traveled, your movements may be in the company’s data
Tomi Engdahl says:
Social Engineering Risks: How to Patch the Humans in Your Organization
https://pentestmag.com/social-engineering-risks-how-to-patch-the-humans-in-your-organization/
#pentest #magazine #pentestmag #pentestblog #PTblog #social #engineering #risks #cybersecurity #infosecurity #infosec
Tomi Engdahl says:
Phishing is the leading cause of all breaches, succeeding because impersonation, redirection, and social engineering methods are always improving.
How To Know If An E-Mail Is Trustworthy
http://on.forbes.com/61851qCJh
Bottom Line: Phishing is the leading cause of all breaches, succeeding because impersonation, redirection, and social engineering methods are always improving. And, phishing is only one way emails are used in fraud. Businesses need to understand if an email address can be trusted before moving forward with a transaction.
Phishers’ Favorite Trojan Horse Is Office365 Followed By Cybersecurity Companies
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10541-yrityksilla-keskimaarin-13-53-petatavua-dataa-suojaus-puutteellista
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ammattihakkerit paljastavat: Suomalaisten tietoturva on heikoissa kantimissa
https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/03/04/ammattihakkerit-paljastavat-suomalaisten-tietoturva-on-heikoissa-kantimissa
Tomi Engdahl says:
TSA Admits Liquid Ban Is Security Theater
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/03/tsa_admits_liqu.html
The TSA is allowing people to bring larger bottles of hand sanitizer with them on airplanes
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://howto.cyberknowtz.com/how-to-remove-your-personal-information-from-search-engines
Tomi Engdahl says:
Geofences: What They Are, What They Aren’t, and Why They’re Effective
https://www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/geofences-what-they-are-what-they-arent-and-why-theyre-effective/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel x86 Root of Trust: loss of trust
http://blog.ptsecurity.com/2020/03/intelx86-root-of-trust-loss-of-trust.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to allow pasting password when blocked on Google Chrome
https://www.cyberciti.biz/linux-news/google-chrome-extension-to-removes-password-paste-blocking-on-website/
use the gpass password manager to store my randomly generated unique password for each site. However, many sites such as net banking prevent you from pasting a password when signing up. The site owner or webmaster disables pasting into password input fields. Want to paste your password on such site? Give it a try to don’t f*ck with paste Google Chrome extension.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Protect Your Network Infrastructure and Apps from DDoS Attacks?
https://pentestmag.com/how-to-protect-your-network-infrastructure-and-apps-from-ddos-attacks/
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is one of the most common security attacks that happen to mobile apps. While this type of attack often renders network apps ineffective and non-responsive, we can prevent them from happening by simply taking some proactive measures.
Let us define and explain the DDoS attacks before explaining the ways to combat such attacks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
7 Cybersecurity Blunders in Big Data
https://pentestmag.com/7-cybersecurity-blunders-in-big-data/
There is a vast amount of data available to us and the more access we have to it, the more the threat has been hovering over us. Data security has rightfully become more crucial than we ever thought by the courtesy of the big data web.
This data is packed with sensitive information and without advanced systems, it is impossible to protect it 360 degrees
Tomi Engdahl says:
Remote File Inclusion (RFI) – Detecting the Undetectable
https://www.imperva.com/blog/remote-file-inclusion-rfi-detecting-the-undetectable/
Remote File Inclusion [RFI] is an attack exploiting the functionality in web applications which allows the inclusion of external source code without validating its content or origin.
An RFI payload is a link that points to a malicious file that an application will include in its code (example: url=[h]ttp://rfi.nessus.org/rfi.txt). Thereafter, the malicious code will be executed on the server with the privileges of the running application.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://micky.com.au/warning-dont-use-2fa-on-older-smartphones/