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How to stop quantum computers from breaking the internet’s encryption

July 1, 2023/in Computer Security

Keeping secrets is hard. Kids know it. Celebrities know it. National security experts know it, too.

And it’s about to get even harder.

There’s always someone who wants to get at the juicy details we’d rather keep hidden. Yet at every moment, untold volumes of private information are zipping along internet cables and optical fibers. That information’s privacy relies on encryption, a way to mathematically scramble data to prevent any snoops from deciphering it — even with the help of powerful computers.

But the mathematical basis of these techniques is under threat from a foe that has, until recently, seemed hypothetical: quantum computers.

In the 1990s, scientists realized that these computers could exploit the weird physics of the minuscule realm of atoms and electrons to perform certain types of calculations out of reach for standard computers. That means that once the quantum machines are powerful enough, they could crack the mathematical padlocks on encrypted data, laying bare the world’s secrets.

Today’s quantum computers are far too puny to defeat current security measures. But with more powerful quantum machines being regularly rolled out by the likes of IBM and Google, scientists, governments and others are beginning to take action. Experts are spreading the word that it’s time to prepare for a milestone some are calling Y2Q. That’s the year that quantum computers will gain the ability to crack the encoding schemes that keep electronic communications secure.

“If that encryption is ever broken,” says mathematician Michele Mosca, “it would be a systemic catastrophe.”

Y2Q is coming. What does it mean?

Encryption pervades digital life — safeguarding emails, financial and medical data, online shopping transactions and more. Encryption is also woven into a plethora of physical devices that transmit information, from cars to robot vacuums to baby monitors. Encryption even secures infrastructure such as power grids. The tools Y2Q threatens are everywhere. “The stakes are just astronomically high,” says Mosca, of the University of Waterloo in Canada, who is also CEO of the cybersecurity company evolutionQ.

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How to stop hackers from spying on you through a Ring camera or video doorbell

June 1, 2023/in Computer Security

People who use internet-enabled security camera systems like Amazon Ring or Google Nest to keep their homes safe could be opening up their virtual worlds to hackers, or even employees of the companies.

The devices, typically placed on the outside of homes and aimed at entryways, record live footage of who is approaching the premises, with many residents using the technology to deter package thieves and otherwise monitor their homes. But users who don’t properly secure their devices could be inviting criminals to snoop around their digital networks and potentially gain access to reams of sensitive personal data.

In a case highlighting such vulnerabilities, Amazon this week agreed to pay $5.8 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle allegations it gave its Ring surveillance employees “unfettered” access to personal videos. The agency in its lawsuit also claimed that Amazon failed to protect customer security, leading to hackers threatening or sexually propositioning Ring owners.

Gavin Millard, a cybersecurity expert at Tenable, a firm that alerts clients to tech vulnerabilities, said there are ways to leverage video doorbells and cameras’ security features without exposing one’s private lives and information to bad actors. Here are five ways users of the technology can protect themselves.

Reset default username and password

Never keep the username and password that a home security system assigns you by default. Because they can be easily guessed by hackers, they should be changed immediately, Millard said.

“Often when consumers buy the devices, they don’t change them from their default, insecure configurations,” Millard told CBS MoneyWatch.

Changing this password is crucial because once hackers breach one device, they can explore others that are connected to the same home network. For example, bad actors can use search engine Shodan to scan the whole internet for any connected devices, from webcams to smart lightbulbs.

“I can ask it to show me every single internet-connected camera and try ‘Admin’ and ‘Password’ as the username and password, and you could access the video streams of any that are vulnerable,” he explained.

Two-factor authentication

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Google Chrome users ALERT! Beware of this error message, stop loss

May 7, 2023/in Computer Security

If you are a Google Chrome user you need to be a bit careful before clicking on any of unknown links. Several security experts have warned users of a fake Google Chrome error message. Informing about the same, a blog post by Trend Micro stated, “Google Chrome users who use the browser regularly should be wary of a new attack campaign that distributes malware by posing as a Google Chrome update error message. The attack campaign has been operational since February 2023 and has a large impact area.” Another report by NTT Security has also informed of the same.

How this malware works

The malware attacks the users when they visit a legitimate or compromised website that has been infected with a malicious code, including code relating to adult sites, blogs, news sites, and online stores. As a person visits these websites, a fake Google Chrome error message will pop up asking to download an update to fix a supposed security issue.

According to the blog post, in the name of the update, what will really be downloaded is a ZIP file that has an EXE file inside. This EXE file contains a Monero miner that will use the user’s computer’s processing power to mine cryptocurrency for the attackers.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder

According to a report by The Sun, the prompt message reads “An error occurred in Chrome automatic update. Please install the update package manually later, or wait for the next automatic update.”

It can be known that mining crypto needs a huge amount of power, which might increase your energy bills. Notably, if you become a victim to this malware, your computer may slow down and become unresponsive. The downloaded malware also has the potential to acquire sensitive information such as log-in credentials and financial data from your computer. Most importantly, your device will be vulnerable to further malware attacks.