From biometrics to Dridex in Europe and a fascinating insight into how different nations pay for things online - this week's security review is a busy one.
Biometrics goes from fantasy to reality
The idea of biometrics used to be anything but real, the stuff of science fiction novels and films, but that’s changed, as a We Live Security feature highlighted. Not only is the technology for this kind of security already here – Apple’s Touch ID one notable example of this – but also there is a real interest in it from a consumer point of view, the article elaborated. A survey from Visa Europe suggests, for example, that 24% of Brits would be be willing to share their DNA with their bank for added security.
Dridex steps up its onslaught in Europe
ESET’s Josep Albors reported on the latest Dridex campaign, which has been exceptionally prolific in Europe. Spain and Slovakia, Mr. Albors pointed out, have been targeted the most on the continent, whereas outside of Europe, South Africa has also been subject to a higher rate of infection. “It may sound particularly strange but ... Dridex is using an attack vector … that was quite popular in the late 90s: malicious macros included into MS Word and Excel files,” the expert stated. “We may have thought that we overcame this attack vector many years ago but it seems that we didn’t.”
Keeping parents on top of information security
As our recent animation conveyed, a lot has changed in a seemingly short space of time with regards to technology. So much so in fact that it can be hard to keep up, especially when it comes to keeping children safe online. With this in mind, We Live Security put together an introductory guide for parents, offering them four top tips on information security. This includes securing all mobile devices – smartphones and tablets – and introducing best practice from an early age.
Credit cards for Americans, PayPal for Europeans
When it comes to paying for goods via the world wide web, Europeans are a lot more likely than their international counterparts to embrace modern payment solutions, explained ESET’s security evangelist, Ondrej Kubovic. Russia, in particular, has been more experimental – close to 7% of respondents use this cryptocurrency when shopping online. The nearest rival to this was Germany with 1.60% happy to pay with Bitcoins. Americans, however, still prefer traditional methods, with almost half (49.44%) opting for a credit card.
Couple in the UK arrested for malware encryption charges
A young couple in the UK were arrested by the National Crime Agency on suspicion of selling malicious software encryption services. In addition to trading the ability to “disguise malware”, they are alleged to have been offering others the ability to circumnavigate anti-virus software. Reporting on the story, security analyst and blogger Graham Cluley said: “The site offered to scan malicious programs against a wide array of anti-virus products, helping criminals determine that as few security products as possible were capable of detecting their malware – increasing the chances of successful infection.”
Cybercriminal attempts to extort UAE bank
A cybercriminal, who has been attempting to extort a bank in Sharjah, which is one of the states that makes up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been releasing customer data on Twitter, Gulf News revealed. The fraudster, who goes by the name of Hacker Buba, was asking for $3 million in Bitcoins to stop leaking the sensitive information. The bank, which has admitted that its systems were breached, said that it won’t bow to the ransom demands, conceded that this sort of attack is likely to become more widespread.
Trident ‘needs to be better protected’ against cyberattacks
The UK’s nuclear deterrent programme Trident has been the subject of much debate lately, with those for and against its renewal at loggerheads over its future. A new element of the conversation was added by former defence secretary Des Browne, who said that the system needs to be able to withstand numerous kinds of cyberattacks. In an interview with the Guardian, he explained that “weak spots [need to be] protected against a high-tier cyber threat”, otherwise the system cannot be relied upon as a viable and strategic asset.
