Hacking Tool Downloads on the Rise As cybercrime continues to evolve, there are more opportunities for lower-level criminals to connect with bigger players within organized crime, researchers said. Likewise, there are more opportunities for hackers to download advanced tools that can break through businesses’ defenses and breach their systems — ransomware being a favorite among both high and low-ranking cybercriminals. There has been a 65 percent increase in downloads of hacking tools from underground forums and filesharing websites between the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021, the report said....

Particularly worthy of mention, in this case, is that there is evidence to suggest that a PoC (Proof-of-Concept) exists for three of the vulnerabilities in the report. What is PoC? PoC or Proof-of-Concept is an information security term for when remote threat actors (hackers) discover a working method to exploit a security flaw. IBM Security Guardium is Vulnerable Technical analysis by security researchers has confirmed that a PoC is available for three of the vulnerabilities, stemming from security holes in an open-source component called the Jackson library....

These time-tested internet safety tips can help to protect your child: Educate your child about the dangers online. Create a safe environment and encourage them to tell you about their online experiences. Keep devices in a shared space and supervise children when they’re online. Set secure passwords and teach kids how to do this too. Use the privacy settings built into apps and devices. Set healthy limits and rules for internet usage....

Growing Number of Networked Devices Research company Vansom Bourne conducted a survey on IoT practices, commissioned by PaloAlto Networks. They polled 1,350 IT business decision-makers in 14 countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. PaloAlto summarized the results in their IoT Security Report 2020. It reveals some of the threats posed by networked devices to large companies, and how CIOs view this issue. The vast majority of respondents (95%) are confident that they have a good overview of the IoT devices on their organization’s network....

Since 2018, Bitcoin shot up to $20,000 and plummeted to $7,500. The recent plummet has experts claiming it is the end of Bitcoin and the bubble has finally popped. But, can Bitcoin really die? We take a look at the history of Bitcoin, how cryptocurrency has changed over the years, what experts are saying about it, and if perhaps there’s a better alternative than the ever-popular Bitcoin. Bitcoin functions on its own Bitcoin was invented in 2009 as a peer-to-peer online payment system that does not require a trusted central middleman – such as a bank or payment gateway – to verify and control the transaction....

With more than 5.5 million English articles and an edit rate of 10 edits/second, Wikipedia is probably the world’s largest repository of information. However, it is not as freely accessible as it should be. Wikipedia is blocked in many countries. For example, Turkey blocked Wikipedia because the website refused to delete certain articles that alleged links between the Turkish government and terrorist organizations. Russia and China also blocked Wikipedia at different times....

I wanted to find out why WireGuard has been causing such a stir, whether it really is a safe alternative to OpenVPN, and just what the difference is between the two protocols. There are only a handful of high-performing VPNs that support Wireguard, so I took them for a test to see how they performed in terms of security, speeds, and server features. My top recommendation is CyberGhost. It has easy-to-manoeuvre apps that make WireGuard configuration a cinch....

Gen Digital has acquired other leading antivirus providers, including Avast, Avira, and AVG. Despite the merger, these brands will continue to operate separately. Norton is an antivirus program currently known by multiple names, such as Norton 360 and Norton Security Suite. It’s available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS and can therefore protect all your devices. We thoroughly tested the Norton Security Suite and compared it with its competitors, such as McAfee and Kaspersky, to see if it’s worth buying....

This news follows last month’s warning regarding a different phishing attack, also concerning Microsoft users. Attack Relies on ‘Open Redirects’ Tool The campaign relies on multiple links that attempt to fool users. Clicking on a link in the phishing campaign causes a series of redirections, which first lead the user to a Google reCaptcha page. The user is then directed to a malicious login page, where their Office 365 credentials are stolen....

A VPN gets around geoblocks by letting you “borrow” an IP address from a country where Pornhub content isn’t blocked. This makes the site think that you’re watching from a different country and allows you to access the video. My team and I tested more than 60 VPNs and found the best ones to unblock Pornhub. My top VPN for Pornhub is ExpressVPN. The service has servers in over 80+ Pornhub-friendly countries and lightning-fast speeds to watch videos without interruptions....

The data included several files such as Ferrari’s internal documents, repair manuals, datasheets, and more. The incident took place days after Ferrari signed on Bitdefender as their new cybersecurity sponsor for their Formula 1 racing team. ‘RansomEXX’ Swiped 7G of Data From Ferrari The ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) gang reportedly made off with nearly 7 GB of data, though the exact names and the types of the stolen files have not been publicly disclosed....

General Vulnerability Statistics A rise in what are called CVE reports (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) since 2020 has been reflected in official statistics (update September 2022: source’s site no longer available). In 2020, according to stack.watch (a web page that sources data from the National Vulnerability Database), a total of 17030 vulnerabilities have been published. By contrast, in 2019 that number was 16090. As for this year, the number is currently at 10971 already and should surpass last year’s figures....

Built by the US non-profit When Georgia Smiled, Aspire News App can be installed on a user’s phone to appear as a news app. However, it also features an emergency help section with resources for domestic abuse victims, including a function for them to send emergency distress messages to a trusted contact person. Although it’s now secured, this data breach represents a significant lapse in basic data security by Aspire News App and When Georgia Smiled....

We unearthed an Elasticsearch database containing over 380 million records, including login credentials and other user data being validated against the Spotify service. The origins of the database and how the fraudsters were targeting Spotify are both unknown. The hackers were possibly using login credentials stolen from another platform, app, or website and using them to access Spotify accounts. Working with Spotify, we confirmed that the database belonged to a group or individual using it to defraud Spotify and its users....

Digitsole Warm Insoles, Modius Headband and Ivy Health Kids Thermometer were all found to be collecting and exposing personal information, putting their users’ privacy at risk. In the case of Digitsole and Modius, hackers were able to pair with a user’s device and control it, allowing them to cause physical harm to the person using it. We describe the details of our findings below. What is Wearable Tech? Wearable Tech, which stands for wearable technology, are smart gadgets that you wear....

Researchers at Whizcase gathered a year’s worth of data about stolen accounts from January 2022 through 2023. “The account values show several effects of supply and demand,” Whizcase said. “And the fact that no one is safe from cybercrime.” Researchers noted that by far, “the most abundantly available accounts were that of social media.” LinkedIn, Facebook, Discord, Instagram, and several other platforms’ hacked accounts were up for sale on the dark web, with prices ranging from $6 up to $45....

It’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday time again! The perfect moment to shop for that VPN plan you’ve been meaning to get. Almost all VPN providers have amazing deals with large discounts for you to enjoy. We’ve made a list of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday VPN deals. Below you’ll find the best deals, along with our experience with these VPN providers. You can be ensured you’ll find the perfect deal this way!...

Any one of these free trials would make an excellent choice. However, we’ve got to go with CyberGhost. You get a 24-hour trial on PC with no credit card or payment required, a three-day trial on iOS, and seven days on Android. If you sign up for a subscription, you’ll have a 45-day money-back guarantee. Contact 24/7 customer service live chat before the trial ends, and you’ll have your money back within five days....

If you’ve done that search already, you may have come across a few websites advertising free streaming. Sounds perfect, right? Not so much. Free Streaming Websites Can be Dangerous Free streaming sites are illegal and will likely install cookies and ad-trackers onto your computer. And some will even just let you watch a few seconds, and then cut the broadcast, and tell you that you need to register and download a program to watch the rest....

Improving Privacy Protection for Teens According to TikTok, the changes will be rolled out globally in the coming months. The new protections will target users under the age of 18. Some of the new protections are: New users, aged 16-17, will have direct messages set to ‘No one’ by default. Existing users will receive a prompt to review and confirm their settings. Teens aged 16-17 will be able to decide whether their videos can be downloaded by others....