Tag Archive for: Stop

Delete this malicious extension and stop hackers from stealing your Gmail messages

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A cybercriminal threat group from North Korea is using a malicious Chrome extension to steal Gmail emails, according to a report released by Bleeping Computer. Let’s dive into how they’re doing this and the steps you should take right now to protect yourself. 

The group, which uses the name Kimsuky, has been known to use spear phishing for cyber-espionage in attacks targeting people with high-profile jobs, such as diplomats, journalists, government agencies, politicians and university professors. According to the Director of National Intelligence, “spear phishing is a type of phishing campaign that targets a specific person or group and will often include information known to be of interest to the target, such as current events or financial documents.” 

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The attack starts with a phishing email that urges potential victims to install a Chrome extension known as AF, which can also be installed in Microsoft Edge, Brave and other Chromium-based browsers.  Once installed, AF immediately begins stealing the contents of emails from your Gmail account. 

Here's what to know about keeping your Gmail messages safe from hackers.

Here’s what to know about keeping your Gmail messages safe from hackers. (CyberGuy.com)

BEWARE OF NEW MACSTEALER MALWARE THAT CAN STEAL YOUR ICLOUD KEYCHAIN DATA AND PASSWORDS 

Once your Gmail account is taken over by AF, Kimsuky uses Google Play’s web-to-phone synchronization feature for installing apps from your computer onto your smartphone to infect victims’ phones with Android malware. This allows hackers to drop, create, delete or steal files as well as retrieve your contacts, make calls, send text messages, turn on your camera and more. 

Beware, because in addition to this AF malware, Kimsuky has a variety of Android malware on the market, including other programs called FastViewer, Fastfire or Fastspy DEX.  These programs are disguised as plug-ins for security as well as for viewing documents. 

What can I do to prevent this from happening to me? 

1) The first thing to remember is to never click on a suspicious email. If you open a phishing email by accident, do not click on any links embedded…

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Hackers could try to take over a military aircraft; can a cyber shuffle stop them?

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Hackers could try to take over a military aircraft; can a cyber shuffle stop them?
Aboard the 58th Special Operations Wing’s C-130 transport aircraft at Kirtland Air Force Base, Christy Sturgill, Jacob Hazelbaker, Eric Vugrin and Nicholas Troutman, from left to right, were part of the Sandia team working on a moving target defense that makes a computer network commonly used on space and aircraft less vulnerable to cyberattack. Credit: Craig Fritz

A cybersecurity technique that shuffles network addresses like a blackjack dealer shuffles playing cards could effectively befuddle hackers gambling for control of a military jet, commercial airliner or spacecraft, according to new research. However, the research also shows these defenses must be designed to counter increasingly sophisticated algorithms used to break them.

Many aircraft, spacecraft and weapons systems have an onboard computer network known as military standard 1553, commonly referred to as MIL-STD-1553, or even just 1553. The network is a tried-and-true protocol for letting systems like radar, flight controls and the heads-up display talk to each other.

Securing these networks against a cyberattack is a national security imperative, said Chris Jenkins, a Sandia cybersecurity scientist. If a hacker were to take over 1553 midflight, he said, the pilot could lose control of critical aircraft systems, and the impact could be devastating.

Jenkins is not alone in his concerns. Many researchers across the country are designing defenses for systems that utilize the MIL-STD-1553 protocol for command and control. Recently, Jenkins and his team at Sandia partnered with researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, to test an idea that could secure these critical networks.

Their results, recently published in the scientific journal IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, show that done the right way, a technique already known in cybersecurity circles, called moving target defense, can effectively protect MIL-STD-1553 networks against a machine-learning algorithm.

“When we talk about protecting our…

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Got pop-ups? How to stop them, according to cyber security experts

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Serious adult woman, focusing on her work, while thinking what to do.

Pop-ups on your computer can be a sign of a malware infection, in some cases. (Photo: Getty)

When you run across a pop-up on your favorite website, it’s admittedly annoying. Still, you can easily click that little X in the corner within seconds, and go about your browsing. But when pop-ups randomly show up on your computer and you’re not surfing the web, it’s understandable that you’d be alarmed. What’s going on here? And what, exactly does this mean for the health of your computer? Computer security experts break it down.

What is a pop-up, again?

Sure, odds are high you’ve at least seen a pop-up before, but you might be a little fuzzy on what they actually are. At a basic level, pop-ups are online ads that show up when you visit a website.

“A pop-up is a graphic display, typically a small window, that appears unexpectedly on your computer,” Mikko Laaksonen, chief executive officer of Responsible Cyber, tells Yahoo Life. “The pop-up in itself is not malicious, but is an ad.” Plenty of websites use pop-ups to try to sell you on something or offer you a promo code before you leave, and that’s pretty harmless.

But sometimes pop-ups can be a sign that something is off with your computer. “Browser pop-ups may also indicate the presence of unwanted code running on your device,” Joseph Steinberg, cybersecurity and emerging technologies advisor, tells Yahoo Life. “Likewise, pop-ups appearing on your computer outside the constraints of a web browser are often the result of a malware infection.” (Malware, in case you’re not familiar with the term, is software that’s created to damage your computer or network.) A program like Malwarebytes Premium could help protect you.

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Even if the pop-ups don’t seem to be doing anything to harm your computer, Steinberg points out that “unwanted adware is malware.” Basically, if pop-ups are showing up on your computer, it’s annoying at best…

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This Is The One iCloud Setting You Have To Stop Using Immediately

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icloud-sign-in-page

If you’re using iCloud to safely store files and other data, you’re already one step ahead of the game when it comes to protecting yourself online. But even iCloud storage isn’t 100 percent safe and secure, and it helps to be aware of settings that can put you more at risk for hacking attempts. “In today’s digital age, personal data is one of the most valuable assets we have,” said Tech Expert Kosha Shah, digital strategist at Technostacks Infotech Pvt. Ltd. “From credit card information to private messages, our devices hold a wealth of information about us that, if accessed by the wrong person, can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, and a host of other issues.. That’s why it’s so important to be aware of the various settings on our devices that can leave our data vulnerable to attack.”

One of the most commonly used features on Apple devices is iCloud Backup, according to Shah. “This feature automatically backs up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud, including all of your personal data such as photos, contacts, and messages. It’s a convenient way to make sure your data is safe, but it can also be a security risk.” Here’s what you need to know about this setting and why it’s a good idea to turn it off. 

What is the iCloud setting in question?

The iCloud Backup feature is the setting that automatically backs up your device to iCloud, Shah said. “This includes all of your personal data such as photos, contacts, and messages. It’s a great way to make sure your data is safe, but it can also be a security risk.”

Why is it a security risk?

“The problem with iCloud Backup is that if an attacker gains access to your iCloud account, they can easily access and download all of this sensitive information,” Shah said. “They can also use this information to gain access to your other accounts, such as your bank account or social media profiles. This is because many people use the same login information for multiple accounts, making it easy for an attacker to gain access to multiple systems.”

Another issue with iCloud Backup is that it stores your data in the cloud, which means it’s accessible from anywhere with an…

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