Password Spraying is a New Type of Brute Force Attack

Password spraying is a new password exploit that is being used effectively against larger networks.  It’s become enough of a problem to merit an alert from US-CERT entitled TA18-086A: Brute Force Attacks Conducted by Cyber ActorsHere’s how it works.

Typically, in a traditional brute-force password attack, the password cracking software runs a long list of every possible password against a system.  ...

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Weekend Update

A quick Saturday digest of cybersecurity news articles from other sources.


 Second company claims it can unlock iPhone X

A tiny US company called Grayshift is reportedly quietly touting software it claims can unlock Apple’s flagship handsets, the iPhone X and 8.


How women are helping to ...

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Millions of Insecure Windows XP Systems Still In Use

Windows XP was released on 2001 replaced by Windows Vista (ugh) in 2006, and Windows 7 in 2009.  Official support from Microsoft, including security updates, ended in 2014.  It is now 16 years old.  Yet 7% of PCs worldwide are still running Windows XP.  Considering there are about 3 billion PC in use, that’s a whopping 210 million computers.  It is easy to assume that most of these computers are ...

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Securing Your Smart IoT Devices

It seems that everything you can buy comes with a smartphone app and an Internet connection.  As cool and shiny and modern as this is, every Internet connected device is one more place for a cyber-attacker or criminal to get onto your network and into your business.  There are steps you need to take to protect these cool toys from exploitation.

These devices include security cameras, refrigerators, thermostats, light bulbs and ...

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How To Check Your Router For Security Holes

For nearly all home computer users, and many small businesses, the router that connects your home or business to the Internet is the first line of defense. How can you know if there are vulnerable security holes or open ports on your Internet router that might allow access for an attacker?

These routers are also called cable modems or DSL modems, ...

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New Exploit Uses Disk Images to Deliver Malware

There is a new email attachment exploit making the rounds, that uses a file type called a disk image.  The file extension for this kind of file is ISO.  ISO files are not inherently dangerous, and in the exploit work much the same way that a ZIP attachment works.  This file type can sneak past email security filters because it is generally seen as ...

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SCADA Plus Smartphone Equals Insecure Utilities

What if cyber-criminals or enemy nations could take over the computer control systems that run electric utilities, water systems, or traffic control systems for traffic lights and commuter trains.  The effects could be disastrous.

We have written about these systems before.  These are known as SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) or ICS (industrial control systems).  One of the claims of the industries that use SCADA systems is that they are ...

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