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Permanent TSB introduces new security feature to block scam links – The Irish Times

October 12, 2023/in Mobile Security

Permanent TSB has launched a new in-app security tool that will help detect potential scam websites that are targeting the bank’s customers.

PTSB Protect will alert customers if they receive a text message containing a fraudulent link or block them from accessing a suspicious website on their mobile device.

It is an opt-in feature that will require users to allow it to access browser and text message content to work correctly. But it will work differently depending on what mobile platform customers are using, Android users will get an alert when a fraudulent website is found in a text message; iPhone users will have the content blocked, preventing access to the fake site.

PTSB Protect depends on a daily-updated list of fraudulent links that are posing as legitimate websites, trying to scoop up personal details. The links that are received or accessed on the customer’s phone will be compared to it, with content blocked or an alert generated when fake websites are detected.

The move is in response to an increasing problem with fraudulent payments. While extra security measures such as two-factor authentication have been implemented for card payments and access to online banking, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated in response.

According to figures from the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), card fraud cost Irish consumers €85 million in 2022. That was an increase of almost 9 per cent on the year before.

“Attempts to defraud customers through criminal activity has increased significantly over the last number of years. Our own research suggests that 75 per cent of Irish consumers have experienced an attempt of fraud with 27 per cent falling victim to it. With scams getting more sophisticated, consumers need to continue to be on their guard at all times,” said PTSB chief operating officer Peter Vance. “By introducing PTSB Protect as a new line of defence to our mobile app, we can now directly identify the source of this activity and help protect our customers before their accounts can become compromised. Financial fraud is a significant threat and it is often being targeted at groups that may think they are less vulnerable.”

The feature has…

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Mitnick, hacker turned security guru, dies – Times News Online

July 21, 2023/in Computer Security

Kevin Mitnick, whose pioneering antics tricking employees in the 1980s and 1990s into helping him steal software and services from big phone and tech companies made him the most celebrated U.S. hacker, has died at age 59.

Mitnick died Sunday in Las Vegas after a 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer, said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of the security training firm KnowBe4, where Mitnick was chief hacking officer.

His colorful career – from student tinkerer to FBI-hunted fugitive, imprisoned felon and finally respected cybersecurity professional, public speaker and author tapped for advice by U.S. lawmakers and global corporations – mirrors the evolution of society’s grasp of the nuances of computer hacking.

Through Mitnick’s professional trajectory, and what many consider the misplaced prosecutorial zeal that put him behind bars for nearly five years until 2000, the public has learned how to better distinguish serious computer crime from the mischievous troublemaking of youths hellbent on proving their hacking prowess.

Much fanfare accompanied Mitnick’s high-profile arrest in 1995, three years after he’d skipped probation on a previous computer break-in charge. The government accused him of causing millions of dollars in damages to companies including Motorola, Novell, Nokia and Sun Microsystems by stealing software and altering computer code.

But federal prosecutors had difficulty gathering evidence of major crimes, and after being jailed for nearly four years, Mitnick reached a plea agreement in 1999 that credited him for time served.

Upon his January 2000 release from prison, Mitnick told reporters his “were simple crimes of trespass.” He said “I wanted to know as much as I could find out about how phone networks worked.”

He was initially barred for three years from using computers, modems, cellphones or anything else that could give him internet access, and from public speaking. Those requirements were gradually eased but he wasn’t allowed back online until December 2002.

Mitnick’s…

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Australia-United States Joint Leaders’ Statement – An Alliance for our Times

May 20, 2023/in Internet Security

We, Prime Minister Albanese and President Biden, meet at a uniquely consequential time for our Alliance, the Indo-Pacific, and the world.

Our partnership reflects more than one hundred years of trust, respect, friendship and shared sacrifice. Our relationship is founded on a shared commitment to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, and a peaceful, inclusive and rules-based international order based on respect for international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. It is anchored in shared values of democracy, the rule of law, and the protection and promotion of human rights.

Today we renew these bonds as we enhance the Alliance to respond to evolving challenges.

Addressing Climate and Biodiversity Action, and Clean Energy Transition

Today we have signed a statement of intent to advance our climate cooperation through the Australia-United States Climate, Critical Minerals, and Clean Energy Transformation Compact. We are taking urgent action to elevate global climate ambition, accelerate the global clean energy transition, and support mitigation, adaptation and resilience efforts in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The Compact affirms the position of climate and clean energy as the third pillar of the Alliance, alongside our defence and economic cooperation.

Under the Compact, Australia and the United States intend for our private sectors, resources, and industrial strength to drive innovation and accelerate the establishment of a responsible, secure, and inclusive global clean energy economy. We intend to coordinate to spur the diversification and expansion of clean energy supply chains, address the growing energy demands of the Indo-Pacific, and enhance the Indo-Pacific’s role as a primary driver of global prosperity. The newly-established Australia-U.S. Forum on Clean Energy Industrial Transformation and Taskforce on Critical Minerals will allow both our countries to deepen cooperation to deliver sustainable, resilient, and secure critical minerals and clean energy to the world and reduce emissions.

Our countries are committed to halting and reversing environmental degradation, including via environmental…

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Chatgpt’s Arrival Raises Personal Data Theft, Hacking Risks Many Times Over

May 6, 2023/in Internet Security

(MENAFN– IANS) By Shrey Srivastava
New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) As millions embrace AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT, cybersecurity risks associated with generative AI models have become a pressing concern for individuals and businesses alike.
While these generative AL models are designed to facilitate communication and provide helpful responses, experts have raised concerns that these pose great risks of hacking and data breaches that could compromise personal information.
A report by Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 showed recently that ChatGPT-related scams are surging and despite OpenAI (the creator of ChatGPT) giving users a free version of ChatGPT, scammers lead victims to fraudulent websites, claiming they need to pay for these services.
“They might collect and steal the input you provide. In other words, providing anything sensitive or confidential could put you in danger. The chatbot’s responses could also be manipulated to give you incorrect answers or misleading information,” said researchers from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42.
The report observed an increase of 910 per cent in monthly registrations for domains related to ChatGPT between November 2022-April 2023.
AI has long been a part of the cybersecurity industry. However, generative AI and ChatGPT are having a profound impact on the future.
Neelesh Kripalani, CEO of IT services and consulting company Clover Infotech, said: “ChatGPT can impact the cybersecurity landscape through the development of more sophisticated social engineering or phishing attacks. Such attacks are used to trick individuals into divulging sensitive information or taking actions that can compromise their security”.
With the ability to generate convincing and natural-sounding language, “AI language models like ChatGPT could potentially be used to create more convincing and effective social engineering and phishing attacks,” he warned.
OpenAI admitted in March that some users’ payment information may have been exposed when it took ChatGPT offline owing to a bug.
The Microsoft-backed company took ChatGPT offline due to a bug in an open-source library which allowed some users to see titles from another active user’s chat history.

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