Tag Archive for: stay

‘Ethical’ hacker tries to stay a step ahead of the bad guys

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The internet is a tough neighborhood and Nikolas Behar is a hacker. He’s among the many who show up every year at DEFCON in Las Vegas, the hacker convention. But Niko, as everyone calls him, insists he’s on the right side of the firewall.

He considers himself an ethical hacker, and he works for groups that need protection from criminal hackers trying to break into their vaults of valued passwords and data.

“A lot of people, when they think about hackers, they think about people in hoodies,” Behar said. “But there’s a movement in the industry that’s trying to change that narrative and show that hackers aren’t necessarily bad.”

As an ethical hacker, Behar has to think like a criminal. When he works for a client, he tries to break into their system to spot vulnerabilities. One example, he was able to hack into the system of a hospital client.

“So what I was able to do was park across the street in my rental car with a special antenna. And I was able to connect to their Wi-Fi and communicate with a heart monitor on their network from across the street,” he said. “All because they didn’t configure their Wi-Fi correctly and it was leaking outside the building.”

Another time when he was working for a hedge fund, he got into their building after hours and jumped over a cubicle wall to find two unlocked computers.

“So we demonstrated that we would have been able to make a $5 million trade without anybody really noticing because there’s a cubicle that’s supposed to be secure and the wall of the cubicle doesn’t go all the way to the ceiling. And the stuff in the cubicle is not locked or encrypted.”

So, who exactly are the unethical hackers? Sometimes, they work for national governments that want to pose a security threat to the U.S. Sometimes, they’re just looking for money, and that’s why they target people like us and your personal information.

“First name. Last name. Social security. Date of birth. And then you take all that data and you can sell in bulk to the highest bidder,” said Christian Dehoyos, a cybersecurity architect who leads San Diego’s chapter of the group the Open Worldwide Application Security…

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Stay Protected: The Best Free Internet Security Tools You Need to Know

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Welcome to the digital age, where everything is just a click away. While embracing the endless possibilities that come with the internet, there’s no denying the growing concern for online safety. Cyber threats loom around every corner, waiting to exploit vulnerabilities and compromise your privacy. But fear not! In this blog post, we will unleash a powerful arsenal of free internet security tools that will keep you shielded from hackers, malware attacks, and all other malicious entities lurking in cyberspace. Get ready to navigate the virtual world confidently as we unveil top-notch protective tools designed exclusively for your peace of mind!

Introduction to Internet Security

Internet security is a vital aspect of our online lives, and it has become increasingly important as technology continues to advance. With the internet being an integral part of our daily lives, it has also opened up new avenues for cyber threats and attacks. As a result, protecting ourselves and our personal information while using the internet has become more critical than ever.

But what exactly is Internet security? In simple terms, it refers to the measures taken to protect our devices, systems, networks, and data from any type of malicious attack or unauthorized access over the internet. These attacks can include viruses, malware, spyware, phishing scams, identity thefts, hacking attempts and more.

The need for robust internet security measures has become paramount due to several reasons. Firstly, with the rise in popularity of social media platforms and online shopping sites, we have been consistently sharing sensitive information such as credit card details and personal data on the internet. This makes us susceptible targets for cybercriminals who are constantly looking for ways to exploit vulnerabilities in websites or apps to gain access to this information.

Why You Need Internet Security Tools

In today’s digital age, the internet has become an integral part of…

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How to Stay Anonymous on the Internet in 12 Steps

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The internet can be a fun and social experience, but it can also have a dark side. In this digital age, protecting your information is more critical than ever. The web can leave you open to danger when your information is not protected, like malware and cybercriminals attempting to steal your identity. Whenever you shop online, browse a site or check your social media, websites track and collect data on your online preferences, search history and web activities.

Maintaining online anonymity is a priority, as you are at constant risk of online tracking, surveillance and data breaches when using the web. Staying anonymous online helps safeguard you from cyberattacks and keeps your online activities hidden from malicious hackers. 

Although it’s impossible to stay 100% anonymous online, we’ll cover 12 surefire steps to staying as anonymous on the internet as possible, ensuring your online activities remain private and secure.

1. Disable Browser Cookies

Cookies are tiny files that websites store on your computer to track your online actions, jeopardizing your privacy. You can increase your online anonymity by turning off cookies. By changing the settings, you can quickly disable cookies in common browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Safari. Doing this reduces the chance of online spying by stopping websites from gathering and tracking your data.

To block cookies in Google Chrome, for example:

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Click the three vertical dots (kebab menu) in the top right corner
  3. Click Settings, and a new window will open
  4. Click the Privacy and Security tab
  5. Click the Third-party cookies tab
  6. Turn on “Block third-party cookies.”

Additional methods of hiding your online activity include switching to incognito mode in your browser or enabling a “do not track signal” under privacy and security. This will prevent websites from tracking your data but will still record your IP address. 

2. Use an Ad Blocker

Ad blockers are browser add-ons that block invasive adverts, frequently hiding tracking cookies and scripts. By blocking these ads, you can prevent these sites from tracking your online actions. A proper ad blocker should be compatible across all browsing platforms like…

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Silent cyber coverage here to stay? New Jersey Appellate Court rejects insurers’ attempt to expand scope of the war exclusions to cyber claims

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The War and Hostile Action Exclusions have been standard exclusions in property and general liability policies for decades. With the rise of cyber claims, insurers have turned to these exclusions to deny coverage where the bad actor may have governmental roots. In a win for policyholders, the New Jersey Appellate Division rejected the insurers’ attempt to deny coverage and held that the hostile/warlike action exclusion did not apply to non-military, cyber-attack claims. See Merck & Co. v. ACE American Insurance Co.1 This ruling affirms the traditional scope of these exclusions and establishes that coverage under a commercial property policy for property damage caused by cyber-related incidents, colloquially known as “silent cyber” coverage, persists.

Merck & Co. v. ACE American Insurance Co.

On June 27, 2017, New Jersey pharmaceutical company, Merck & Co. (“Merck”), suffered a cyber-attack that left thousands of Merck’s computers damaged and encrypted by the malware known as NotPetya. The malware caused large-scale disruption to Merck’s business, resulting in $699,475,000 in losses. Although the exact origin of the malware was unknown, it was believed to have originated from the Russian Federation.

Merck tendered the claim to its all-risk property insurance carriers. The insurers reserved their right to deny coverage pursuant to hostile/warlike action exclusions and then subsequently denied coverage. Specifically, these exclusions exclude coverage for “loss or damage caused by hostile or warlike action” which was caused by “any government or sovereign power . . . or by military, naval or air forces . . . or by an agent of such government . . . .”2 The insurers argued that the word “hostile” should be broadly read to mean any antagonistic, unfriendly, or adverse action by a government or sovereign power, including the Russian Federation. Rejecting the insurers’ argument, the trial court held that the hostile/warlike action exclusions were inapplicable to the NotPetya related claims. The insurers appealed.

The New Jersey Court of Appeals Narrowly Construed the Hostile/Warlike Action Exclusion

On appeal, the Court looked to the plain and ordinary…

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