Tag Archive for: Hawk

Hackers Are Exploiting WordPress Themes, Plugins to Hawk Scams

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Photo shows a magnifying glass over a screen with computer code.

Thousands of WordPress sites have been hacked via known vulnerabilities in recent months, according to security firm Sucuri.
Photo: Jack Guez/AFP (Getty Images)

If you’ve visited a website in recent days and been randomly redirected to the same pages with sketchy “resources” or unwanted ads, it’s likely the site in question was 1) built with WordPress tools and 2) hacked.

Researchers at Sucuri, a security provider owned by GoDaddy, revealed on Wednesday that the hackers behind a months-long campaign focused on injecting malicious scripts into WordPress themes and plugins with known security holes were at work yet again.

It’s important to note that these hacks are related to themes and plugins built by thousands of third-party developers using the open source WordPress software, not WordPress.com, which offers hosting and tools to build websites. Automattic, WordPress.com’s parent company, is a major contributor to the software but does not own it.

According to Sucuri, there are 322 WordPress sites with plugins and themes that have been affected by this new exploit, although the “actual number of impacted websites is likely much higher.”

In April alone, hackers used this tactic to infect nearly 6,000 sites, Sucuri malware analyst Krasimir Konov stated.

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Sucuri noticed the hackers’ intrusions this past Monday while investigating WordPress sites that complained of unwanted redirects. All of the websites shared a common issue, Konov explained; they contained a malicious JavaScript hidden in their files and databases.

The JavaScript creates redirects that lead users to a range of poisoned apples, including phishing pages and malware, the researcher explained. Worst of all, visitors might not even notice they’re going down the internet’s version of a dark and dangerous alley, as the redirect landing page looks fairly innocent.

“This page tricks unsuspecting users into subscribing to push notifications from the malicious site. If they click on the fake CAPTCHA, they’ll be opted in to receive…

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Robotic Assistance Devices Identifies Red Hawk Casino as a

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Detroit, Michigan, Feb. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (OTCPK:AITX), today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD) has named Red Hawk Casino in Placerville, California as the deployment location for a ROAMEO mobile security robot, previously announced in a press release dated December 8, 2021.

“The industry’s interest in ROAMEO is building, and we’re building ROAMEOs as fast as we can,” said Mark Folmer, President of RAD. “It’s great to be able to identify Red Hawk Casino as the next deployment for ROAMEO.”

RAD also announced that it is producing a series of online videos documenting the manufacturing and deployment process for Red Hawk’s ROAMEO. The first installment of ‘ROAMEO: From the REX to Red Hawk Casino’ is online at AITX’s YouTube channel.

“We are eager to have ROAMEO on our property,” said Christer Farr, Vice President of IT at Red Hawk Casino. “ROAMEO will be deployed as a much-needed asset for our security team, and as an attraction for our guests. I’m excited to see how our ROAMEO’s production is developing.”

“Occasionally we’re able to name clients as deployment and implementations occur, especially on public-facing robots like Red Hawk’s ROAMEO,” said Steve Reinharz, CEO of AITX. “It’s going to be a beautiful site seeing ROAMEO patrol their property and interacting with their guests,” Reinharz added.

ROAMEO is a mobile security robot that is nearly 7 ft. tall and weighs over 700 lbs. According to the company, ROAMEO is built to autonomously patrol a property or periphery and survey its surroundings, conducting routine patrols, recording, and reporting back to the central command center. The security robot’s dual 21.5” web-connected touch screens provide customizable information and concierge services for guests that it may encounter while on patrol.

Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD) is a high-tech start-up that delivers robotics and artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex security challenges, and fuel new business ideas at reduced costs. RAD…

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Trump’s national security pick is a cybersecurity hawk

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Michael Flynn, the man President-elect Donald Trump plans to name as U.S. national security advisor, believes the government is falling behind on cybersecurity.

Trump named Flynn to his cabinet on Friday after the former military intelligence leader acted as the top military advisor to Trump’s presidential campaign. Flynn previously was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and has served in U.S. intelligence operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Flynn holds strong views on cybersecurity. He’s called U.S. cyber capabilities “underwhelming.”

“We have competitors out there that are rapidly catching up with us,” he said in a speech posted online last year. In 2014, after retiring as a general, he started a consulting firm called Flynn Intel Group that specializes in preventing cyber threats for clients.

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