Tag Archive for: cautions

Cyber security speaker cautions about evils lurking online | Livingston/Tangipahoa


The introduction of the internet several decades ago came with the tremendous promise of a new era of communications that could bring people and businesses together from around the world.

At the same time, the internet ushered in a new dark side that opened the door to the theft of everything from one’s money to their personal life in a way that was perhaps unseen when the web first became a part of almost everyone’s life.

The terms hacked and scammed became dreaded words. When personal computers and sophisticated computer systems run by large corporations and government entities were hacked, serious damage usually ensued.

Computer experts are working tirelessly to counteract the deeds of those who seek to profit using the internet in ways for which it was never intended.

Andres A. Calderon, a cybercrime professional, recently addressed a class at the Southeastern Livingston Center in Walker on how one can avoid becoming a victim of theft via the internet. His lecture, “Shining a Light on the Darkness of the Web,” was an extensive examination of how scammers find ways to steal from the unwary.

Calderon, an electrical engineer by training and an expert on computer and internet use, has been involved in cybersecurity research for more than 30 years. He teaches classes on the subject at LSU, Tulane University and for a national health care provider.

He opened the class by showing a random group of facial portraits and posed the question, “Are these people real or not?”

At first glance, the class members generally nodded their agreement that the faces were of real individuals. Calderon then showed the pictures again and pointed out subtle differences in each portrait that were giveaways to the fact that the pictures were not of real people but were generated using artificial intelligence.

He went on to show that subtle differences in a picture can determine whether or not the image is fake or real. For example, in a picture of a woman wearing glasses, the right frame of the glasses was different from the left frame.

He cautioned, “You just…

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CERT-In cautions Internet users against Ransomware ‘Akira’ attack


An Internet ransomware virus ‘Akira’ that steals vital personal information and encrypts data leading to extortion of money from people has been reported in the cyberspace, the country’s federal cyber security agency has said in a latest advisory.

This computer malware is targeting Windows and Linux-based systems, it said.

“A recently emerged ransomware operation dubbed Akira is reportedly active in cyberspace. This group first steals the information from victims, then encrypt data on their systems and conducts double extortion to force the victim into paying the ransom.

“In case the victim does not pay, they release their victim’s data on their dark web blog,” the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said in a latest advisory to Internet users.

The agency is the central technology arm to combat cyber attacks and guards the cyber space against phishing and hacking assaults and similar online attacks.

It said the ransomware group is “known to access victim environments via VPN (virtual private network) services, particularly where users have not enabled multi-factor authentication.”

Ransomware is a computer malware that infects and blocks users from using their own data and system and they can get it back against a pay-off.

This ransomware group has also utilised tools such as AnyDesk, WinRAR, and PCHunter during intrusions, it said, adding these tools are often found in the victim’s environment, and their misuse typically goes unnoticed.

Describing the technical intrusion of the virus, the advisory said ‘Akira’ deletes the Windows Shadow Volume Copies on the targeted device.

The ransomware subsequently encrypts files with a predefined set of extensions and a ‘.akira’ extension is appended to each encrypted file’s name during this encryption process, it said.

In the encryption phase, the ransomware terminates active Windows services using the Windows Restart Manager API. This step prevents any interference with the encryption process, the advisory stated.

The ransomware encrypts files found in various hard drive folders, excluding the ProgramData, Recycle Bin, Boot, System Volume Information, and Windows folders.

The CERT-In also advised Internet…

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RSS cautions against cyber threat from China – The Hindu


The Hindu

RSS cautions against cyber threat from China
The Hindu
Contending that China posed a threat in cyber technology and communications, a resolution said the neighbouring country, with huge investments in cyber warfare security, had become so strong that it could cripple the technological capabilities of even
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