The NSA’s cybersecurity info sheet contains cybersecurity recommendations and specific security tips for remote workers, organizations, and all internet users. It includes tips like implementing network segmentation, securing WiFi routers, and using remote access VPN solutions. The NSA also highlights general best practices like covering up webcams and microphones, regularly rebooting devices to clear any malicious software, addressing email phishing threats, and more. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large percentage of the world’s workforce has shifted to a remote or hybrid work model....

Many of the targeted government bodies have received ransom demands. Authorities are yet to fully evaluate the extent of the attacks, and it is unclear exactly how much government and taxpayer data stands compromised at the moment. Details of the Conti Ransomware Attack In April, multiple Costa Rican government bodies were the targets of cyberattacks that shut down their computer networks. A Conti threat actor identified as “unc1756” has claimed responsibility for the attack....

SOS Online Backup Company Profile Based in the US, SOS Online Backup is a secure cloud-based backup provider, offering personal and business packages to customers around the world. They claim to be a “multi-awarding” provider and “The World’s Most Secure Online Backup” cloud service. SOS Online Backup’s marketing and website emphasize 100% data privacy, safety and security across all devices as their USP and standout feature against competitors. They have 12 data centers around the world in the US, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, India, Ukraine, and South Africa....

The exposed database potentially compromised the privacy and security of 100,000s of PhotoSquared users by revealing a massive amount of sensitive photos and personal information. PhotoSquared could have easily avoided this leak, but instead, it represents a lack of basic security protocols by the company. Company Profile PhotoSquared is a USA-based app available on iOS and Android. Users upload photos to the app which are turned into lightweight printed ‘photo tiles’ for decoration....

Central Bank’s Urgent Response to Data Breach The Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Te Pūtea Matua, is responding “with urgency” to a breach of one of its data systems. The Bank released a statement on Sunday confirming that a third-party file sharing service had been illegally accessed. The Bank used this service to share and store some sensitive information. It remains unclear when the breach took place and who may be behind it....

VPNMentor: You founded CyberGhost in 2004, What made you do that? It was a coincidence really. We started CyberGhost as part of a software range in a software publishing house in Germany. We were doing a few tools and someone said “let’s do a product that can access free web proxies. We will crawl all VPNs and put them in a nice interface to choose from.” We also did some speed tests and it was out there as part of another set of tools....

Samsung’s “Message Guard” will come to all Galaxy devices running One UI 5.1 or later sometime this year, the company said. The feature has already been rolled out for Samsung Galaxy S23 handsets. Samsung’s announcement said Message Guard is a new line of defense against these covert threats that arrive in a user’s inbox in the form of an image loaded with malicious code. “Samsung Message Guard takes that security one step further by preemptively protecting your device, limiting exposure to invisible threats disguised as image attachments,” the company explained, noting that the new feature consolidates the high security already present in Samsung’s in-built Knox smartphone security system....

The leaked data reportedly includes personal information like names, addresses, and employment history. The breach occurred in March this year, Reuters said, citing a letter from Snap to a former employee. Snap, a California-based company, is believed to have over 6000 employees on its payroll. It is unclear how many employees were affected by this incident. No Snapchat Users Affected Snap said the breach didn’t compromise its systems or expose any Snapchat users’ data....

Most Americans, however, do understand that what companies know about their online behaviors might harm them. On Tuesday, the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania released its report on the Fall 2022 study, saying that the researchers’ goal was “to determine if current ‘informed consent’ practices are working online.” U.S. federal and state laws — as well as decisions made by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — require user permission to opt in or out where consent is concerned....

In tests carried out on May 31st, Herfurt, an Austria-based Bluetooth security specialist, found that a Tesla car can be stolen using any Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) device. The exploit depends on the attacker adding their key to the car within the 130-second window when the car starts after being unlocked. Trifinite demonstrated Herfurt’s Proof-of-Concept (PoC) in a YouTube video titled “Gone in under 130 seconds.” The video shows how Herfurt’s weaponized “TeslaKee” software can successfully hijack a Tesla....

Fortunately, we’ve tested hundreds of top-quality VPNs across a range of performance criteria, with the view of finding you the best VPNs for San Francisco. We checked all the best VPNs without servers in San Francisco, and we’re told these VPNs currently have no plans for servers within the city. All of these VPN providers have been tested to make sure they provide the fastest speeds along with fantastic security, keeping you anonymous and your files safe....

The Maze Cartel The Maze cartel came into being in June 2020 and was formed by the Maze, a well-established Russian cybercriminal group. Maze was the group that introduced the technique of stealing victims’ data and then threatening to publish it online if the victim did not pay. Previously the data was just being encrypted and victims could sometimes get around paying the ransom by restoring from backup. Initially the cartel comprised of Maze and LockBit, which started operations in September 2019....

The automobile manufacturer said it is still investigating the extent of the breach and has notified the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) about the incident. According to the Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) website, the carmaker has over 1 million customers in India. It is not clear at present, though, how many customers have been impacted. The breach is the latest high-profile cyber episode Toyota has faced as a global company in the last year....

Self-Made Tech Mogul Many people in the West-Australian city of Perth know Zhenya Tsvetnenko as a colorful entrepreneur. The self-made tech mogul used to be a big name in the tech start-up industry. In 2010 he received Ernst & Young’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, with the jury describing his ability to grow his mobile text alert business as “extraordinary”. Russian-born Zhenya Tsvetnenko was just 12 years old when he moved to Perth with his parents....

If you want to protect yourself from this type of attack, here’s what you have to do: Visit 1Password A brute force attack is a trial-and-error attempt at guessing a user’s login credentials, meaning their username and password. These attempts are based on an algorithm that uses either a dictionary or a list of possible credentials. The algorithm will try different variations until it finds a successful login. That’s the basics of it — but modern brute force attacks are much more complex....

You’re less likely to be added to a blacklist You won’t have to go through as many extra verification processes You’ll be able to email faster You can easily work from home A dedicated IP address also comes with some disadvantages. Firstly, it affects your online privacy. Secondly, it’ll often cost you extra. Even so, a dedicated IP is the perfect solution for many VPN users. Would you like to use a dedicated IP?...

It spreads via fake text messages that require users to download an app This app disguises itself as a service or a system app If users download and install the app, it asks for several kinds of permissions. If granted, these permissions allow the app to gain control over the device and cause significant harm. It can even trick users into giving up their financial details. FluBot is particularly scary as it functions in the background and is hard to detect....

Why Passwords Aren’t Enough To create a secure password, you should put in place ALL the following: More than six characters, preferably at least ten characters Should contain a minimum of one uppercase, one lowercase, one number and one symbol Should not contain consecutive keys on the keyboard or alphabet or numbers Should be unique from every other password you use – no duplicate passwords Should be changed at least every six months to a new unique password you haven’t used yet Should be memorable, but not based on birthdates, easily guessed words, or phrases...

What kind of abuses are most common on messaging apps? Although so far there hasn’t been much in the way of large scale scamming, I would characterize the use of messaging apps is either highly targeted or experimental. Generally it involves abusing someone’s trust that “encrypted” messaging also means “trusted” when they are no more inherently trustworthy than other messaging apps. They provide you protection against eavesdropping but there are many other forms of malfeasance....

The House made a total of 60 amendments to the bill, which now awaits Royal Assent. However, the Australian Greens has raised concerns over its privacy implications and questioned the need for the reforms. Three New Warrants for Australian Law Enforcement The bill is officially titled ‘Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020.’ It gives two agencies, namely the AFP and the ACIC, new powers to deal with online crime....