What Can I Do With A Hijacked Email Account? Part 2

On Monday we opened this discussion about hijacked email accounts, and showed some examples of the phishing tricks that attackers use to get you to reveal your email password.  Today we will explore the many useful and profitable exploits that a compromised email account offers a cyber-criminal or other attacker.

I consider email account compromise to be one of the most personally harmful cyber-exploits.  When another person has access to your email ...

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26
JUL
0

authentication, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, Dark Web, Identity Theft, passwords, Phishing, ransomware, Security, social engineering, surveillance, Trojan

Weekend Update

FBI Releases Article on Protecting Business Email Systems

05/31/2017 07:45 PM EDT

(***Watch for our 4 part series on Email Account Hijacking starting Monday***)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released an article on Building a Digital Defense with an Email Fortress. FBI warns that scammers commonly target business email accounts with phishing and social engineering schemes. Strategies for preventing email compromises include avoiding the use of free web-based email accounts; using multi-factor ...

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22
JUL
0

Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, Phishing, Weekend Update

Ten Easy Steps to Getting Hacked

Here is a quick little survey to help you determine how likely you are to be the victim of a cyber-attack or cyber-criminal exploit.  Give yourself a point for each “Yes” answer.

  1. Security is generally a waste of time and money.
  2. I am too small or uninteresting to be a target of a cyber crime.
  3. Passwords are a hassle, so I keep them short and easy to remember.
  4. I like to use the same ...
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19
JUL
0

Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, training

Speaking at 2017 ISSA International Conference

I am honored to be presenting at the 2017 ISSA International Conference, October 9-11 in San Diego, CA. This year’s theme is “Digital Danger Zone.” Please join me for networking, education, and fun.

I will be presenting “Shields Up for WordPress Web Sites and Blogs.”  This presentation covers the threat of website hijacking, what an attacker wants to do with your ...

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17
JUL
0

certification, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, Security, social engineering, Web Design, WordPress

Weekend Update

Verizon says data of 6 million customers leaked online

If you are a Verizon customer, you may want to consider updating your user information and account password.

About 6 million Verizon subscribers’ personal data was leaked online thanks to a security lapse from Nice Systems, an Israel-based company that partnered with Verizon to analyze customer service calls. The information stemmed from recorded customer service calls over the past six months.

The leaks included customer names, cell phone numbers and account PINs, which can ...

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15
JUL
0

botnet, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, Weekend Update

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Who Is The Real Inventor of Blockchain?

It is widely believed that Satoshi Nakamoto is the inventor of an encryption technique called “blockchain.”  I just read a new book by Sarah Westall titled “FIRST: Meet the Inventor of Blockchain” that credits Dr Kelce Wilson as the true inventor of blockchain, a concept he developed between 2000 and 2001 while serving ...

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14
JUL
0

authentication, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, encryption, law and policy, Security

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Latvian Cyber Crook Extradited for 2010 Star Tribune Malvertising Exploit

Back in February 2010, the Minneapolis StarTribune website was the victim of a malvertising exploit.  Visitors to the Strib website would download malware that caused the computer to become slow and malfunction.  Then a pop-up window would appear that advised the visitor that their computer was infected with malware, and the purchase of a $49.95 anti-malware product would solve the problem.  I remember working on the computers of several clients ...

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10
JUL
0

Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, malware, Rogue Security Programs, Security

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Weekend Update – Recent Cybersecurity Alerts

Not sure if Weekend Update is going to become a regular feature on Saturdays, but you might keep an eye out for a few more of these.  What follows is a copy and paste from alert emails I receive from the FBI, Department of Justice, FTC, and US-CERT.  Also content from other bloggers, such as Sophos Naked Security block, Brian Krebs, Bruce Schneier, WordFence blog, and others that I read ...

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8
JUL
0

authentication, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, News and politics

Ransomware is not Dead Yet

Toward the end of last year I made a pair of bold predictions.  The first, that ransomware exploits would start declining, because anti-malware software companies were bringing products online that would prevent the encryption from taking place.  The second, there would be an increase in Business Email Compromise (BEC) exploits, as cyber-criminals turned to new income streams.  I was only half right.

BEC exploits have increased, because the potential returns are ...

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7
JUL
0

backup, Computers and Internet, cybersecurity, encryption, malware, ransomware, Security, social engineering

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