Password Hacking and You

There are 2 primary methods to hack passwords: Brute Force and Password Guessing. Of the 2, believe it or not, it is easier to guess someone’s password than to try every combination of letters, numbers and symbols. In a brute force attack, password attempts would progress from: a, b, c; to aa, ab, ac; to aaa, aab, aac; and so on.   The core question is not, “Can my password be hacked?”, but rather “How long would it take?”. That’s where password entropy comes into play for our (the user’s) benefit. Loosely defined, entropy is disorder. Since a brute force attack is a very orderly attack, the more disorder you have in your password = better.   Numbers GameWith 5 lower case characters, an online attack...

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Everyth1ng Y0u Kn0w Ab0ut P@ssw0rds 1s Wr0ng

Everyth1ng Y0u Kn0w Ab0ut P@ssw0rds 1s Wr0ng...

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New router-based solution protects home IoT devices

As we bring more and more smart devices into our homes, we potentially open ourselves up to a variety of new risks with devices opening back doors into networks or falling prey to botnets. German antivirus company Avira is launching a new approach to home security which needs no new infrastructure on the domestic network and no configuration done by the user. SafeThings sits within the home router and works with cloud-based machine learning. Avira licenses the product to router manufacturers and internet service providers, enabling them to protect networks from misuse and to deliver value-added IoT security services directly to end users. "At Avira, we have been at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence innovation for a decade,...

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12 Ways to Secure Your Wi-Fi Network

Sometimes the best thing to say about a wireless router in your house is that once it's set it, you forget it exists. As long as the devices that need the Wi-Fi connection can get on and function, that's all that matters, right? Maybe, but we also live in the age of leaks, wiki and otherwise. If you're worried about the security of your home and by extension your personal data—especially from hackers who could casually sit in a car outside and get access to your systems—then you need to put a padlock on that wireless. You may also want to prevent others from using your network, and freeloaders alike. So what do you do? Follow these tips and you'll be well ahead of most home Wi-Fi users. Nothing will make you 1,000...

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SURVEILLANCE MALWARE APPS MANAGE TO INFILTRATE GOOGLE PLAY STORE

Google’s Play Store has become home to some of the over a thousand malicious apps, known as ‘SonicSpy’, which have been deployed since February. Of the large number of spyware apps, believed to have come out of Iraq, at least three versions of the malware have appeared in the Play Store in the last six months, according to mobile security company Lookout. The malicious app most recently found on the Play Store was called Soniac – which was marketed as a customised version of cloud-based instant messaging service Telegram. However, it contained capabilities to silently record audio, takes photos, make outbound calls, send text messages to specific numbers, and retrieve information such as call logs, contacts and information about...

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Google just made it waaaay easier to backup any PC

It's time to back up your PC. Here are 6 things to consider Google just launched a new way to back up your PC data. 6 things you should know about backing up your PC Is it time to rethink the old ways of archiving your data? Maybe all but one of them... Last week, Google announced the new desktop version of its Backup and Sync app, and it got me thinking: What does desktop backup even mean in 2017? Not so long ago, there was one and only way to protect the precious data riding around in your laptop: Connect an external drive (or, if you were really fancy, a network drive), then perform a complete system backup. But is that really necessary anymore? It's time to inject some modern thinking into the old notions...

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The Malware Used Against The Ukrainian Power Grid Is More Dangerous Than Anyone Thought

Image: CheepShot/Flickr Researchers have discovered a new powerful—and dangerous—malware that targets industrial control systems. Last December, when attackers hacked a power transmission company in Ukraine and cut electricity to tens of thousands of customers for an hour around midnight, it was considered a less severe assault than one that occurred the previous December. The latter attack cut power to more than 230,000 Ukrainians for one to six hours during peak dinner hours in the dead of winter. But new analysis of malware used in the more recent attack suggests it may be more sophisticated and dangerous than previously believed. Researchers who examined the malicious code say it's a modular...

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Routers don't keep you safe from hackers

Many people assume that their router will keep them safe from hackers. It couldn't be further from the truth. There are a few things that routers offer, but they aren't enough. Port blocking isn't enough because hackers can get in through other ports. Unless you have an enterprise level router, the hardware is too weak to do much. 90% of people just have the router their ISP provides. It just doesn't have enough horsepower to do any meaningful analysis of traffic or any intelligent threat detection. Routers have static security measures that are outdated the moment they leave the factory. Hackers are constantly updating their tactics. This is why CUJO has security features that are intelligent and adapt to new threats. CUJO is...

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25 Scariest Things You Didn't Know About Using Public Wi-Fi

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Protect your PCs and laptops + Android devices for free: Best free antivirus software

Here are the best free antivirus programs from companies you probably didn't even know offered security software for fr...

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Alert (TA16-336A) Avalanche (crimeware-as-a-service infrastructure)

Systems Affected Microsoft Windows Overview “Avalanche” refers to a large global network hosting infrastructure used by cyber criminals to conduct phishing and malware distribution campaigns and money mule schemes. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is releasing this Technical Alert to provide further information about Avalanche. Description Cyber criminals utilized Avalanche botnet infrastructure to host and distribute a variety of malware variants to victims, including the targeting of over 40 major financial institutions. Victims may have had their sensitive personal information stolen (e.g., user account credentials). Victims’ compromised systems may also have been used to conduct...

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