Tag Archive for: experts

Browser Mistakes Tech Experts Say You Should Stop Making To Protect Your Device From Hackers And Viruses

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You may spend more time thinking about your apps these days — which apps are more likely to sell your data, which apps are killing your battery power, etc. But your browsers like Safari and Google Chrome may continue to fly under the radar a bit more. If you’re like most of us, you may take advantage of your browsers and assume they’re just there and that they require zero maintenance or thought. But this isn’t the entire truth. 

What you aren’t doing to your browser could be contributing to putting you at greater risk for hackers and viruses. Tech experts say these are the top browser mistakes you should stop making. 

Not Updating Your Browser

Browsers are similar to apps in that both need to be updated whenever updates become available. Your browser may show signs of little issues, like bugs, that can make it more vulnerable to hackers and viruses. App developers will release updates when they discovered problems with the apps, and downloading these updates can ensure your app is safer and more secure. If a browser update becomes available, make sure you download it ASAP.

Saving Passwords In Your Browser

 

At first, it seems like an extreme convenience. Your browser offers to save your passwords, and what could go wrong? At worst, this will allow you to not have to keep track of yet another complex password. But think of this from the perspective of a hacker who gains entry into your phone or computer — you’ve handed them your most important passwords on a silver platter when you save them in your browser. Even if a website asks to save your password in your browser, don’t give into the temptation.

Never Clearing Your Cookies and Cache

 

Your browser can get loaded down fast with information from websites that it stores in its cookies and cache. Although this isn’t an immediate security problem or one that leaves you more vulnerable to hackers, not clearing your cache can result in glitches when you visit certain sites and it can slow your device down. Resolve this by clearing your cache in Safari by going to Safari > Preferences > Advanced tab > Preferences > Empty Cache. On Chrome, go to More > Clear Browsing Data.

 

Keep these three browser mistakes in mind when…

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US grid rules preclude reliability, security benefits of cloud computing, experts warn

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Cloud technologies could provide significant cost, security and reliability benefits to the U.S. electric grid but critical infrastructure rules do not allow them to be used for certain larger assets, multiple speakers said Thursday at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s annual reliability conference.

The Critical Infrastructure Protection rules, or CIP, are managed by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. and currently require grid asset owners to have certain control or knowledge of the devices operating their software. Cloud computing makes that difficult or impossible, experts agreed, in particular for what are known as high- or medium-impact grid assets.

Current NERC standards “do not provide clear guidance” on how regulated entities can implement new technologies that may not have been envisioned by the current CIP rules, Joseph Mosher, portfolio manager at EDF Renewables, told the commission. “Attempts to incorporate newer technology into the NERC CIP standards can be painful and time consuming,” he said.

Experts expressed concerns over the outdated CIP rules, at a time when grid officials say they face growing threats.

“One can definitely make the argument that the grid is less secure today than it would be” if cloud computing solutions were allowed, “and that gap is growing every day,” security consultant Tom Alrich said. “This is the biggest problem with NERC CIP today.”

A related problem — that important information about those systems can’t today be stored in the cloud — will be fixed beginning next year when two revised CIP standards come into effect, he said.

A sector under attack

The cyber threat to the electric power sector is growing, and grid officials say they must utilize new tools to counter it.

“The electricity sector is under constant attack by nation states and organized criminals. We see billions of attempts a day to survey our networks, identify vulnerabilities or gaps in protection, steal credentials or data, or exact a ransom,” Manny Cancel, senior vice president and CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, told regulators…

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Inside the cyber ‘war room’ where Israeli AI experts work to locate Hamas hostages

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“I have not slept for almost two weeks now, but every time I start falling asleep I have pictures of the hostages on my desk that get me up and running again,” says Omri Marcus, who is heading one half of the Gitam BBDO “war room” in Tel Aviv.

This time two weeks ago, Gitam BBDO was not a “war room” at all. It was a leading creative agency based in the Israeli capital.

The day after Hamas launched its attack on the country, it restyled itself into what it calls a war room, made up of volunteers who have abandoned their day jobs to turn their efforts towards trying to rescue the 203 hostages the militant group captured and are holding across the border in Gaza.

The Gazan enclave is under Israeli siege with food, fuel and water access blocked off. The territory, often likened to an “open air prison” has been under Israeli bombardment since Hamas, the militant group which govern it, launched the attack on Israel in which the hostages were taken and civilians deliberately targeted to be killed.

The war room in Tel Aviv has two floors – one utilises the talents of creatives to build support for the hostages around the world, while the other is more practical. It uses face recognition tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to verify whether hostages are dead or alive, and pinpoint their last recorded location within Gaza.

(Photo: Gitam BBDO group)

Refael Franco took i through the process of tracking the hostages. The group collects data on social media usage within Gaza, with graphs showing the number of texts sent and app usage on the tracked phones – even down to the number of times particular emojis were sent.

Data collected from social media usage and photos and videos from the Gaza strip are then uploaded to a software called tag box, which links it to hostages using images of them provided by their families and the military.

Any matches detected are shared with the IDF’s newest unit – the task force for finding missing and displaced people.

Franco, who founded Code Blue, a crisis management company based in Israel and Germany and is the former head of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, showed i how one hostage had been detected from a TikTok uploaded from Gaza…

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2 Israeli cybersecurity experts are relatively unconcerned about hackers’ tactics

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Hi there, it’s tech reporter Alexandra Sternlicht.

This morning I interviewed two cybersecurity executives in Israel: Gil Messing, chief of staff at Check Point Software Technologies, and Avi Shua, chief innovation officer and cofounder of Orca Security. Both executives were sheltering in place during our calls. While they face the threats of bombs, rockets, and terrorism to their homes, families, and communities, they are also combating cyber warfare from their shelters for their respective jobs. But when it comes to hacking and digital warfare, they are relatively unconcerned.

“Cyberattacks are increasing by the day and getting more serious, but it’s still in the lower range of creating damage,” Messing said. “If you compare them to the physical attacks, it’s very, very marginal.”

Still, Israelis of all ages have been receiving threatening text and WhatsApp messages from Yemen and Afghanistan phone numbers. On the enterprise side, there have been over 100 attacks to public services, websites, and media outlets conducted by about 40 hacking outfits. These attacks last anywhere from minutes to hours, Messing said.

Schools have moved to online learning with mandatory shelter-in-place orders, and Hamas is infiltrating classroom Zoom lessons with hostage footage, according to Orca’s Shua. “The most important thing—and this is something that I know most people do—is to make sure that kids have their access limited, because they can be really affected by these kinds of messages,” Shua said.

In some case, Israelis’ smart home technologies have also fallen prey to Hamas and its supporters. Fewer than 100 Israelis have experienced attackers controlling their curtains, flicking lights and appliances, per Check Point. “The entire agenda here is to freak people out with invasive tactics,” Messing said.

Israel has been long-regarded as a global cybersecurity hub. This is in large part due to its military prowess; members of the Israeli Defense Force’s 8200 cyber warfare unit have often gone on to serve in top roles at cybersecurity companies or found their own. These include $15 billion (market cap) publicly traded Check Point and $1.8 billion Orca (valuation). Now…

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