Tag Archive for: Downloads

Frustrated by slow downloads on your PC?

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Frustrated by slow downloads on your PC?

We have all been there. What is supposed to be a quick PDF download becomes a test of patience and determination. Will the download take three minutes or 30? Some days you do not have time to roll the dice: You want the files you download to take less time than, say, constructing a full-scale model of the Golden Gate bridge.

With that in mind, I rounded up some reasons your downloads and your computer in general have slowed down.

Reason #1: A security issue

What is that old saying about hating to be the bearer of bad news? Well, it certainly applies here. Your speed could be bogged down if your systems are infected in any way. Hackers will use your systems to send out spam emails, steal your contacts, track browsing sites and habits and deliver invasive and targeted ads. Consider professional support for your laptops and desktops, factory resets for your mobile devices and a replacement networking system, such as one of the new mesh network systems.”

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Report: Majority of malware downloads in 2021 were traced to cloud apps

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According to a new report by Netskope, more than two-thirds of malware downloads came from cloud apps in 2021.

Examining changes in the malware landscape in 2021, the report highlights that attackers are enjoying more success abusing cloud apps to deliver malware payloads to their victims. For example, in Q2 2020, Netskope saw a sudden spike in malicious Office documents driven primarily by Emotet, which launched a large-scale and highly effective mal-spam campaign that delivered malicious Office documents using popular cloud apps. Since then, copycat groups have continued to abuse Office documents to deliver malware, and the quantity of malicious documents remains high above pre-Emotet levels.

Credential attacks against managed cloud apps continue at the same rate as 2020, but with a shift in the sources of the attacks. The top source of credential attacks in 2020 were a few heavy hitters responsible for numerous login attempts. In 2021, however, credential attacks came from a much larger number of sources, each responsible for fewer login attempts.

Title: Top credential attack source countries 2021. United States is 19%, China is 11%, Vietnam is 9%, Brazil s 6%, Pakistan is 4%, Thailand is 3%, Russia is 3%, India is 3%, and others are 41%.

Finally, Netskope analyzed a different type of data risk — insider threats. In 2021, Netskope observed users leaving their jobs at twice the rate of 2020. Users leaving the organization pose a serious data security risk, with more than one out of every seven people using personal cloud storage apps to take data with them when they leave. The report examines how cloud storage apps’ overall popularity among users is a primary driver for their appearance at the top of the malware download and insider threat leaderboards.

Read the full report by Netskope.

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TrendMicro Titanium Internet Security 2012

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Hacking Tool Downloads Jump in First Half of 2021

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The hacking tools in wide circulation are surprisingly capable.

A new HP report shows a 65% increase in the use of hacking tools downloaded from underground forums and filesharing websites during the first half of 2021 compared to the second half of 2020.

The HP report also shows a significant increase in the frequency and sophistication of cybercrime activity. The data was gathered within HP Wolf Security customer virtual machines during the first half of this year.

The hacking tools in wide circulation are surprisingly capable, according to HP. For example, one tool can solve CAPTCHA challenges to perform credential stuffing attacks against websites.

More broadly, the report found cybercrime is more organized than ever. Underground forums provide a perfect platform for threat actors to collaborate and share attack tactics, techniques and procedures.

Surprisingly Low Detection

HP's Alex Holland

HP’s Alex Holland

Alex Holland is senior malware analyst at HP.

“One of the more surprising findings was seeing how effective obfuscation can be at evading traditional detection technologies,” he said. “In March, we investigated a multi-stage obfuscated Visual Basic Script malware campaign that targeted senior business executives. An initial malicious script was used by the attacker to establish persistence on the victim’s computer and deliver secondary stages of malware. What surprised us was the low detection rate of the malware, with only 21% of antivirus scanners on VirusTotal detecting it as malicious at the time.”

The increase in hacking tool downloads likely points to growing attacker intent and capability, Holland said.

“The cybercrime ecosystem today is driven by ransomware affiliates, who have created demand for specialized services needed to conduct successful attacks, such as initial access to networks and malware distribution,” he said. “We believe this demand is having the effect of encouraging more financially-motivated criminals into cybercrime, feeding into increased levels of attacker desire and the expectation that attacks will succeed.”

Notable Threats

Among key findings in the HP report:

  • Cybercriminal collaboration is opening the door to bigger attacks…

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