Tag Archive for: expert

Expert Warns of Growing Android Malware Activity

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Kaspersky has unveiled its annual analysis of the mobile threat landscape, revealing a striking 52% surge in attacks on mobile devices in 2023 compared to the previous year. Presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the report underscores the escalating risks facing mobile users globally.

According to the report, the number of mobile attacks soared to nearly 33.8 million in 2023, marking a significant increase from the previous year’s figures. Among the several threats detected, adware emerged as the most prevalent, constituting 40.8% of all identified threats. Notably, the UK experienced 258,929 mobile attacks during the same period.

While there was a decline in the number of banking Trojan installation packages, attacks using mobile bankers remained steady. In particular, Kaspersky uncovered over 1.3 million malicious installation packages, with 154,000 of these containing a mobile banking Trojan. 

According to Kaspersky, cybercriminals are employing diverse tactics to distribute mobile threats, infiltrating both official and unofficial app stores. Malicious applications were observed infiltrating Google Play, with fake investment apps being a common disguise. Additionally, malicious WhatsApp and Telegram mods aimed at stealing user data were identified as prevalent attack vectors.

Read more on these threats: Spy Module Discovered in WhatsApp Mods

“The surge in Android malware and riskware activity throughout 2023 marks a concerning shift after a period of relative calm,” commented Anton Kivva, mobile security expert at Kaspersky.

“Reaching levels reminiscent of early 2021 by year-end, this uptick underscores the significant threat users face. It’s a stark reminder of the importance of remaining vigilant and implementing robust security measures to protect against evolving cyber-threats.”

To mitigate these threats, Kaspersky offered several recommendations, including downloading apps only from official stores, scrutinizing app permissions, utilizing reliable security solutions and regularly updating operating systems and essential apps.

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Cyber-security expert believes it will take months before Fulton Co. recovers from cyberattack

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A cyber-security expert says it could take months before Fulton County fully recovers from a ransomware attack.

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It’s been nearly three weeks since the county government’s computer system was hacked, disrupting many services.

Channel 2′s Bryan Mims was in Roswell where county officials are also saying some personal information may have been leaked.

They haven’t said whether it was county employees or residents whose information may have been compromised.

Many services are still down. The East Roswell Library is open, but all the computers are out of service.

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Cybersecurity expert Rajiv Garb says you can protect yourself if you’re concerned your information has been exposed.

Garb says that could take weeks to months and we’re three weeks into this attack.

Chairman Robb Pitts said if any personal information has been compromised, the county will offer services to protect the victims.

The county is providing updates on the breach on its website.

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Fulton County tech troubles continue, expert believes it’s a ransomware attack

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Possible ransomware attack on Fulton County

Technology trouble continues to be a problem for Fulton County after a cyberattack at the end of January, but a cybersecurity expert believes a ransomware attack may be to blame.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – Technology trouble continues to be a problem for Fulton County after a cyberattack at the end of January, but a cybersecurity expert believes a ransomware attack may be to blame.

A number of systems remain offline, creating a big headache for residents.

The county has remained tight-lipped and will not answer many questions, other than to say it is “under investigation.”

“When it happened on Monday, I was expecting it to be taken care of by Tuesday,” said Rajiv Garg, a Cybersecurity Expert and Associate Professor at Emory’s Goizueta Business School.

There are rumblings inside and outside the county that this is a multi-million dollar ransomware attack. Officials will not confirm if that’s true. Garg says based on his experience, it’s likely because of how long it’s been going on.

“The issue here is they have some data that is probably not backed up that is either lost or encrypted because of the ransomware,” he said.

What is being impacted by cyberattack?

The attack is impacting phones and court and tax systems. Fulton County residents are caught in the middle.

“The only thing that they’re accepting is a check or money order and if you don’t have that, then you can’t pay,” said Angie Allen, a Fulton County resident.

Residents are being told that their tax payments will not be posted until the system is back online. Joe Jordan paid his property tax bill with a check Monday. His proof of payment is some writing on the back of a business card.  

“That is the only receipt that I have,” he said.

During a Monday afternoon news conference, Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts gave an update on the cyberattack. He did not take any questions about what’s happening, but said this about the investigation.

“There is no evidence or reason to believe that this incident is related to the election process or other current events,” he said.

The county says it has been working around the clock to get systems back up and…

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Hack of Kyivstar exposes gap in IT understanding of cybersecurity, expert says

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It will take time to fully restore Kyivstar’s infrastructure after the Dec. 12 hacker attack, and the restoration will be carried out in stages, cyber security expert Kostiantyn Korsun wrote in his column for NV Business on Dec. 14.

“I think voice(calls) will be restored relatively quickly, data transmission – after that, and everything else – later,” the expert said, recalling that Russia has already made attempts to leave Ukraine without communication.

“Almost the entire infrastructure can be restored, even if a missile hits a data center, as long as people are not injured.”

“The Russians tried hard to shut down all Ukrainian operators and providers in February-March 2022, but failed,” Korsun noted.

The operators managed to pull through because the Internet access industry in Ukraine is private, he added.

Read also: Kyivstar’s competitors can only absorb a 10% increase in subscribers

“The Ukrainian Internet access industry is almost entirely private and is still not regulated by the state, which is why it retains amazing resilience,” the expert said.

“And yes, nationalizing Kyivstar is a bad idea.”

Even IT professionals may not fully comprehend cyber risks, so conclusions must be drawn from the attack on Kyivstar, Korsun wrote.

“I would advise CEOs and CISOs of large companies to change the passwords to the domain controller and corporate VPN right now, patch everything that needs to be patched, and then order an infrastructure security audit,” he said.

“This is the first step. And then conduct training with staff and separate specialized training on cybersecurity for IT specialists. Because, oddly enough, quite often an IT specialist does not understand cybersecurity.”

Russian hackers from the Solntsepek group earlier claimed full responsibility for the cyberattack on mobile operator Kyivstar. Ukraine’s SBU security service responded to this information.

Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, suffered a large-scale outage on the morning of Dec. 12. Service problems have been reported throughout Ukraine.

The company announced a technical failure that may result in the unavailability of communication and Internet access services for part of its subscriber base.

The…

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