Tag Archive for: Affect

Cyber feud between Anonymous and Killnet groups unlikely to affect others

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A demonstrator waves a flag of the hacking group known as “Anonymous” during The People’s Assembly Cost of Living Crisis protest on April 2, 2022. in London. (Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Anonymous “is officially in cyber war against the pro-Russian hacker group [Killnet],” the largest Twitter account representing the hacker collective announced Saturday. It follows Killnet announcing it was at war with Annonymous two months earlier. The level of fascination is high. The risk of spillover affecting your organization is low.

You could bill this as a fight between high-profile citizen cyber warfare groups backing opposite sides of a kinetic conflict. But in practice, in the context of huge beasts of war causing geopolitical strife and the risk of spillover, “Brainy Smurf and Handy Smurf are getting into a fight,” said Allan Liska, an analyst with Recorded Future.

The risk of an escalating conflict between the two groups affecting the outside world is minimal, said Liska, as neither group has had much disruptive impact during the conflict affecting the outside world by attacking it directly.

The declaration of conflict made it as far as the mainstream media.

The two groups are no strangers to headlines. The Anonymous brand name was built through high-profile protests, though it has declined in the hierarchy of threats for most organizations since its heyday. Throughout the war in Ukraine, Anonymous took credit for nuisance attacks on Russian targets, including hack and leak operations involving its largest bank and an energy customs broker, reprogramming Russian media to show clips of the conflict, and DDoS operations against the country’s space agency. Killnet briefly disrupted the Italian Senate servers and an automotive club with its own DDoS and failed at a high-profile attack on the Eurovision music contest.

Soon after declaring war, Anonymous successfully DDoSed the Killnet website.

“Compare what Anonymous and what Killnet are doing to what Conti has done in Costa Rica. When you want to talk about real damage, that is what cybercriminals are capable of doing. And Anonymous and Killnet aren’t doing that,” said Liska.

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How text message phishing can affect the enterprise

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Phishing is a digital threat that has grown since the birth of the internet, and it has evolved to encompass a broader range of endpoints and vectors.

An organization’s security strategy needs to encompass the potential for phishing attacks from all sorts of methods, including texts and phone calls on mobile devices.

Phishing targets victims via email, texting and other forms of messaging to pose as a legitimate organization to get a victim to reveal credit card details, passwords or additional sensitive information.

As a method of cyber attack, phishing began with the birth of email and the commercial internet in the mid-1990s. This type of hacking continues to grow into the 2020s, with social media, voice and phishing text messages becoming the most popular attack mechanisms.

Why is text phishing rising in popularity?

Phishing text messages are a logical evolution of the spoofing phenomenon. SMS or text phishing, often called smishing, targets victims via text messaging rather than the traditional email approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many employees working from home, further separating them from an IT department, the corporate network and organizational security protocols. This opens up a new level of threat for mobile phishing scams. 

Smishing attacks are soaring, with criminals impersonating everything from banks to governments. The goals of these attacks range from accessing people’s bank information to downloading malware onto users’ cellphones. However, from an organization’s perspective, the biggest risk is hackers infecting the corporate network.

Smishing attacks have increased nearly 700% in the first six months of 2021, according to software company Proofpoint. In addition, 45% of people reply to texts, whereas just 6% respond to email messages, according to Gartner. This makes smishing a prime attack vector for hackers. 

A phishing text message can resemble an innocent notification that someone might receive from a package delivery company, a bank or a local government agency. The aim is to get you to click on a malware link embedded in the text or reply with bank details, a…

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3G networks shutting down in 2022 could affect your car’s GPS

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The 3G wireless network was once among the world’s hottest innovations. Today, it feels old-fashioned with fifth-generation (5G), and even sixth-generation (6G), networks soon dominating the tech world.

In fact, 3G will soon be extinct — and that could mean bad news for your car.

Every major mobile carrier plans to shut down its 3G network this year, largely to free up mobile bandwidth for upcoming 5G network rollouts. If your smartphones and tablets were purchased within the past decade, they should have 4G capability, meaning they’ll likely be unaffected.

However, your car might be a different story.

As multiple auto blogs have pointed out recently, the 3G shutdown will affect dozens of vehicle models released anytime between 2010 and 2021. Some cars will lose the ability to update your location and traffic data while navigating. Others will become unable to connect with your smartphone, voice assistants or emergency call services.

If you’re driving certain models from Honda, Nissan or Volvo, you might need to act before AT&T’s 3G shutdown date in February. Verizon-aligned brands like Toyota and Lexus might have more time: Verizon says its 3G shutdown will happen “no later” than December 31. T-Mobile plans to shut down its Sprint and T-Mobile 3G networks between March and July.

Some major auto companies have released information on which of their car models will be affected by the shutdown — and what steps owners can take, if any, to ensure that their cars don’t lose certain connected features once the shutdown occurs.

Other carmakers, like Bentley and Stellantis, have acknowledged that some of their cars will be affected, but have declined to specify which models.

Here’s a current list of publicly known affected models:

Acura: 

  • MDX models produced between 2014 and 2017
  • ILX (2016-2017)
  • RDX (2016-2017)
  • RDX (2019-2021)
  • RLX (2014-2016)
  • TLX (2015-2017)
  • NSX (2017)

Acura’s website identifies seven different vehicle models with AcuraLink features running on 3G, including real-time traffic and maintenance reminders, emergency calls and enhanced roadside assistance services, as well as some personal concierge services. The Japanese luxury brand, which is owned by Honda, says drivers should contact…

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Cyberattack on US pipeline could affect gas prices

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A cyberattack on a vital U.S. pipeline is threatening to send gas prices skyrocketing across the country.

The Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline was forced to shut down the pipeline after it was hit by a ransomware attack, in which hackers from a cyber-criminal gang called DarkSide, infiltrated their network, seized data and locked up computer systems.

“This is one of my worst nightmares comes to light,” said cyber security expert Theresa Payton, with Fortalice Solutions.

The 5,500-mile system carries gasoline and diesel from Texas to states throughout the Southeast and up to New York harbor. Over the weekend, the national average price of gas climbed above $3 per gallon.

However, according to AAA, the attack shouldn’t impact gas prices in Tampa and throughout Florida, since the state isn’t largely reliant on the system.

But AAA leaders warn prices may increase due to supply needs in other areas of the country.

The Department of Energy is leading the federal response to the incident. Homeland Security and the FBI are also involved.

“It’s an all hands on deck effort right now. And we are working closely with the company, state and local officials to, you know, make sure that hey get back up to normal operations,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

As of Monday morning, there was no clear timeline for when they would be able to restore the system.

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