Tag Archive for: risk

UK At High Risk Of ‘Catastrophic Ransomware Attack,’ Parliamentary Committee Warns

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The U.K.’s apparent lack of preparedness and insufficient investment in cybersecurity has reportedly left it highly prone to “catastrophic ransomware attacks,” as per a parliamentary committee.

What Happened: The joint committee on the national security strategy has raised concerns about the U.K.’s susceptibility to a cyber-attack capable of disrupting critical national infrastructure or CNI such as energy, water supply, transport, healthcare, and telecommunications services, reported The Guardian.

The committee criticized the U.K. government and the Home Office for their failure to address ransomware threats adequately and underscored their lack of sufficient investment to deter large-scale cyberattacks.

See Also: This AI Can Predict Your Passwords With A 95% Accuracy Rate Based On Your Keyboard Clicks

Recent ransomware attacks on U.K. public services, including the NHS and, Redcar and Cleveland council, were pointed out as indicators of the looming threat. The committee also expressed concerns about the vulnerability of the U.K.’s CNI due to its dependence on outsourced IT systems.

The report warned of potential threats to human lives from future ransomware attacks if cyber criminals manage to interfere with CNI operations. The NHS was identified as a particular area of concern given its outdated IT services and lack of investment.

Additionally, the committee pointed out ransomware groups in Russia, North Korea, and Iran as primary threats targeting the U.K., based on information from the National Cyber Security Centre or NCSC.

Harjinder Singh Lallie, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Warwick, suggested regularly updating operating systems and computer hardware could mitigate overall costs and disruption.

In response to the report, a government spokesperson said, “The UK is well prepared to respond to cyber threats and has taken robust action to improve our cyber defenses, investing £2.6bn under our cyber security strategy and rolling out the first ever government-backed minimum standards for cybersecurity through the NCSC’s cyber essentials scheme.”

Why It Matters: This warning comes on the heels of increased ransomware attacks globally. Just last…

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Connected vehicles can be at risk of hacking, consumer awareness paramount: experts

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TORONTO — Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

TORONTO — Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

But experts warn modern, connected vehicles, which are heavily packed with microchips and sophisticated software, can offer an open door to hackers.

These cars are vulnerable to hackers stealing sensitive information or even manipulating systems such as steering wheels and brakes, said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at cybersecurity solutions company Check Point in Canada.

“Cars are tracking how fast you’re going, where you’re going, what your altitude is — and all the different pieces of information are being calculated … It’s all computerized,” he said.

“Unfortunately, security is not always the primary thought when these (features) are developed.”

A global automotive cybersecurity report by Upstream shows remote attacks — which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and connected networks — have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, accounting for 85 per cent of all breaches between 2010 and 2021.

That proportion grew to 97 per cent of all attacks in 2022, the report said.

There’s a growing concern about privacy breaches among connected cars, experts added.

“Let’s say someone is driving on the highway and the doors get locked, the car speeds up and the (driver) gets a message asking for bitcoin or they’ll crash the vehicle,” said AJ Khan, founder of Vehiqilla Inc., a Windsor, Ont.-based company offering cybersecurity services for fleet cars.

“That scenario is possible right now.”

Khan added any car that can connect to the internet, whether gas-powered or electric, could be at risk of hacking.

But electric vehicles are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity thefts.

Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found significant weaknesses in their 2022 study of public and private EV charging stations across Canada — all of them connect…

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Connected vehicles at risk of hacking, Markham cybersecurity expert warns

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In wake of global automotive cybersecurity report showing remote attacks, which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, experts are raising awareness about potential security issues

TORONTO — Blasting the heat with a remote sensor before you even get into your vehicle on a brisk winter morning is a welcome convenience. So are the comforts of lane assistance, voice command, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. 

But experts warn modern, connected vehicles, which are heavily packed with microchips and sophisticated software, can offer an open door to hackers.

These cars are vulnerable to hackers stealing sensitive information or even manipulating systems such as steering wheels and brakes, said Robert Falzon, head of engineering for Markham, Ont.-based cybersecurity solutions company Checkpoint Canada.

“Cars are tracking how fast you’re going, where you’re going, what your altitude is — and all the different pieces of information are being calculated … It’s all computerized,” he said.

“Unfortunately, security is not always the primary thought when these (features) are developed.”

A global automotive cybersecurity report by Upstream shows remote attacks — which rely on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and connected networks —  have consistently outnumbered physical attacks, accounting for 85 per cent of all breaches between 2010 and 2021.

That proportion grew to 97 per cent of all attacks in 2022, the report said.

There’s a growing concern about privacy breaches among connected cars, experts added.

“Let’s say someone is driving on the highway and the doors get locked, the car speeds up and the (driver) gets a message asking for bitcoin or they’ll crash the vehicle,” said AJ Khan, founder of Vehiqilla Inc., a Windsor, Ont.-based company offering cybersecurity services for fleet cars.

“That scenario is possible right now.”

Khan added any car that can connect to the internet, whether gas-powered or electric, could be at risk of hacking. 

But electric vehicles are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity thefts.

Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found significant weaknesses in their 2022 study of public and private EV charging stations…

Source…

I’m a hacking expert – never tap or click four common bank-draining words or risk strangers stealing your credit card

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GADGET users are being warned over a dangerous type of pop-up message that could leave your bank empty.

Cybercriminals can use pop-ups to hijack your computer or smartphone, experts have warned.

Be careful what you click

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Be careful what you clickCredit: Unsplash

Crooks will often use a type of software called spyware to watch what you’re doing online.

Once they’ve tricked you into downloading spyware, there’s almost no limit to what a hacker can do.

“The impact of spyware on identity theft cannot be understated,” said a cybersecurity expert from McAfee.

“By stealthily recording sensitive personal and financial information, like usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers, it presents a significant risk to a user’s identity.”

A crook could install spyware on your device if they had physical access to it.

But it’s more more likely that you’ll end up being a victim of spyware due to a mistake online.

Criminals often attempt to trick you into installing spyware by making you think you’re downloading something else.

“Preventing spyware from infecting your system starts with practicing good online habits,” the McAfee expert explained in an official security memo.

“Avoid downloading files from untrusted sources, especially torrents and software cracks notorious for being riddled with spyware.”

But you might also find yourself downloading spyware after interacting with a pop-up message.

If you end up on a suspicious website, you might find a notification appearing on the screen.

These may seem harmless, but if you see the following four words, you might be in trouble.

“Never click ‘Agree,’ ‘OK,’ ‘No,’ or ‘Yes’ in a pop-up, as these actions can trigger an automatic spyware download,” McAfee warned.

“Instead, close the pop-up by hitting the red X or shutting down your browser altogether.”

Don’t forget!

Of course avoiding rogue pop-ups isn’t the only way to stave off spyware.

You should also regularly update the operating system on your device – whether that’s iOS, Android, Windows or macOS.

Read more on the Irish Sun

“These patches often contain fixes to known vulnerabilities that spyware and other malicious programs exploit,” the McAfee cyber-expert explained.

“Also, ensure to download and use your web…

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