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While technological developments every other day add new products, services and conveniences to human life, they also continue to open the doors to new problems and threats.
People’s tendency to closed-circuit security systems/cameras (CCTV) to control their homes and families has recently become the new target of some hacker groups, Deniz Unay, a social media expert, told Anadolu Agency amid alarming reports on this issue.
Unay recalled that in March last year, the news that nearly 150,000 cameras — served by a security company in the US — were hacked had wide repercussions.
It was because this security firm was handling the security works of some strategic places, such as hospitals, prisons, and Tesla headquarters, he said.
He also touched upon the “dramatic news” back in 2018 and 2019 about the smart home systems and home security cameras.
He emphasized that, especially in the UK, after a home security camera was hacked, a child abuser tried to contact the child at home.
“This revealed to us how great the danger is. And it was not the last. A family’s baby monitor camera was hacked in the US,” he added.
“I am afraid that these are just the ones we have heard. Unfortunately, many more are happening, and if precautions are not taken, they will continue to have worse results,” he warned.
Hacking smart home systems and remotely interfering with electronic items at home will have dangerous consequences when considering “some bad scenarios,” Unal said.
For instance, he said, operating an oven or a fire-prone device with remote access may cause a fire in the house and building, or remotely hacked devices may break down and cause serious economic losses.
How are security systems hacked?
There is more than one way to hack a security system, Unay said.
“When the servers of the company providing security camera services are hacked, an administrator key that provides access to all cameras and smart home systems served by that company is seized,” he stressed.
Noting that these administrator keys are used by the employees of the security company for remote access and support to the users, Unal said that “malicious use” of these keys or the hacking of the employees’…
A new form of Android malware has been discovered in the wild that can root and take complete control of the infected Android device.
Discovered by researchers at Lookout Inc. and revealed late last week, the new malware has been dubbed “AbstractEmu.” Although the Australian flightless bird may come to mind with the name, the origins are from its infection path. AbstractEmu used code abstraction and anti-emulation checked to avoid running while under analysis.
The researchers discovered 19 related applications to AbstractEmu, with seven containing rooting functionality. One infected app found on Google Play had more than 10,000 downloads. The app has since been removed from Google Play, but the malicious AndroidEmu functionality can be found in apps on third-party stores.
Android malware is not new, but what makes AndroidEmu stand out is that malware with root capabilities is rare in 2021. According to the researchers, the ability to root has become harder as Android has matured, making it less useful for threat actors.
The ability to root a device can be potentially dangerous. By gaining privileged access to an Android device, the threat actor can silently grant themselves dangerous permissions or silently install additional malware. Typically, Android malware requires user interaction. The access also gives the malware access to sensitive data from other apps.
What isn’t known is who is behind AbstractEmu. The best guess of the Lookout researchers is that it’s a well-resourced group with financial motivation. There were also notable similarities to banking trojans found in the code.
“AbstractEmu is a sophisticated and far-reaching malware. Exploiting a chipset vulnerability can allow a hacker to read/write physical memory, ” Doug Britton, chief executive officer of cybersecurity testing company Haystack Solutions Inc., told SiliconANGLE. “As a result, this can allow modification of user privilege. This is a fundamental piece of hardware to hundreds of thousands, even millions of devices. This combined with other highly technical exploits makes AbstractEmu a significant vulnerability.”
Saryu Nayyar, CEO of security information and event management company…
For long periods since the pandemic began, so much of our lives have taken place behind a screen. Everything from socialising with friends and family to working full-time requires internet access, with demand for PCs and laptops skyrocketing. Even as the world begins to open up again, our dependence on these devices shows no signs of decreasing.
However, despite all the benefits they provide, have you ever stopped to consider how secure your devices really are? Cyber threats are constantly evolving, making it hard for the security features built into Windows, macOS, iOS and Android to keep up. As soon as one potential vulnerability is patched, another often emerges.
With that in mind, we’d highly recommend bolstering your online security with dedicated software. Norton is one of the most well-known companies in this sector, and with good reason – Norton provides some of the most comprehensive solutions you can buy. That includes multiple layers of security and real-time threat protection, meaning your PC stays safe without even having to think about it.
Norton 360 offers a wide array of security features across its four plans, but the same core functionality is available as standard. This includes antivirus, a cornerstone of effective online security. Norton’s is undoubtedly up to the task, protecting against 100% of threats in AV-Test’s latest report. That’s above the 99.3% industry average, making the likelihood of a virus remaining undetected incredibly low. If this is ever the case after contacting a member of the 24/7 support team, Norton will give you a full refund on your subscription.
However, security software is about far more than just antivirus these days. Even with the most robust antivirus software, there are plenty of other ways your personal data could be at risk. The most obvious one is while surfing the web, where your IP address (and consequently online activity) is usually visible to your internet service provider (ISP), the government or potentially even cyber criminals. Norton’s secure VPN provides bank-grade encryption between your device and a server on the internet, meaning privacy is maintained even when using an unfamiliar network.
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