Tag Archive for: unveils

Kaspersky Unveils 5 Tips for a Flawless Cleanup – IT News Africa

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As life returns to normal post the festive season break, now is the optimal time to conduct much-needed cleaning of your digital footprint. This not only provides a ‘fresh’ start to the year but also enhances productivity.

Here are 5 tips from Kaspersky experts to boost your digital hygiene:

1. Delete Unnecessary Files:

Start by cleaning up your desktop, removing shortcuts and folders you no longer need. Subsequently, eliminate unnecessary files accumulated while surfing the internet, such as those in the downloads folder. Utilize the performance tab of an Internet security app, like Kaspersky, to identify and remove large files, duplicates, and temporary files. Afterward, ensure to empty the Recycle Bin.

2. Clean Up Your Email and Messengers:

Begin by unsubscribing from newsletters you never read. Delete old emails, especially those left unread for extended periods. Declutter messenger chats irrelevant to your job or personal life, and clear out the spam folder weekly. Always verify the URL when unsubscribing from email messages to prevent potential phishing attacks.

3. Uninstall Unused Applications:

Whether on your smartphone or laptop, uninstall apps you haven’t used in a long time. Start by deleting one unused app per day to free up storage space, memory, and mitigate potential security risks posed by outdated apps.

4. Turn Off Unnecessary Notifications:

Manage the overwhelming number of digital notifications by identifying and disabling notifications from apps that abuse them. Many devices offer a focus mode that temporarily disables notifications during specific tasks or activities.

5. Check Your Passwords:

Address the common practice of using the same password for multiple accounts by adopting good password management practices. Use tools like Kaspersky Password Manager to identify unsafe passwords, create secure and unique ones using random generators, and store them in encrypted form across all your devices.

Brandon Muller, Technical Expert for the MEA region at Kaspersky, emphasizes the importance of incorporating cyber hygiene into everyday routines and using reliable security solutions like Kaspersky Premium to enhance online security and…

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Appdome unveils advanced Anti-Malware protections against Android accessibility service threats

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Appdome, a leader in mobile application security, has announced its new anti-malware protections designed to detect Android Accessibility Service Malware. The protection targets threats such as Xenomorph, Brasdex, Octo, Sharkbot, Flubot, TeaBot, PixPirate, Sova, Spynote, and Joker. These are malicious software used in large scale attacks on mobile banking apps, crypto wallets, and other financial services apps.

Despite being created as an Android framework to aid disabled users with their mobile applications, Android’s Accessibility Service has quickly turned into a playground for fraudsters. Abusive individuals carry out cyberattacks by deploying malware that connects through Accessibility Service into sensitive applications, like banking and mCommerce platforms.

Appdome’s CEO Tom Tovar, shed light on the severity of the issue, saying, “Once the Accessibility Malware is on a user’s device, it can listen, collect, intercept and manipulate Android Accessibility Service events to perform harmful actions without the user’s knowledge.” Fraudsters often mimic human actions within the mobile app, such as harvesting login credentials and completing transactions. Advanced variants like BrasDex and Xenomorph even employ Automated Transfer Systems (ATS) malware, capable of executing end-to-end transactions without a user’s active involvement.

The overall threat this malware poses led to the development of the new defense, explained Tovar. “This is a difficult problem to solve. To support the community, we created a defence that allows legitimate use of Accessibility Service, while at the same time prevents ATS malware from using Accessibility Service for nefarious purposes.”

Appdome’s new Prevent Accessibility Malware feature includes numerous protective measures. These involve multiple detection methods for ATS Malware, detection of potential methods used by ATS Malware in the context of Accessibility Service, and setting Trusted Accessibility Services. This way, brands can recommend trustworthy Accessibility Service applications to users. To further bolster these measures, Appdome also included an Accessibility Service Consent feature that allows users to approve…

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New Zealand unveils defense strategy documents. Here’s what they say.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has released three defense and national security documents outlining prevailing challenges, principals for its military and ways to improve the force.

Defence Minister Andrew Little on Aug. 4 presented to lawmakers a 36-page “Defence Policy and Strategy Statement,” a 12-page “Future Force Design Principles” document and an inaugural 44-page “National Security Strategy.”

“A year ago we commissioned the Defence Policy Review, to provide a roadmap for the future of Defence as part of the national security of New Zealand, and to do so in the context of the rapidly changing conditions we see around us,” Little said, per a transcript of a speech in which he introduced the documents. “One of the first actions [Prime Minister] Chris Hipkins government took was to speed up work on that review.”

Overall, the documents outline challenges and pressures; introduce “sliding principles” and four underlying assumptions; and conclude that, in the mid- to long-term period, investment in the military is needed to “continue to protect and promote New Zealand’s interests.”

Threats

“In 2023 we do not live in a benign strategic environment,” Little said. “New Zealand is facing more geostrategic challenges than we have had in decades — climate change, terrorism, cyberattacks, transnational crime, mis and disinformation, and competition in our region which, up until recently, we thought was protected by its remoteness.”

Those challenges appear to have overtaken expectations, with the government writing that the military “is designed for a relatively benign strategic environment, and not the challenges of increased strategic competition and the adverse effects of climate change that the Defence Policy and Strategy Statement 2023 identifies. As a result, it is not in a fit state to respond to future challenges.”

“A rough sea can still be navigated,” the government wrote, and “even in difficult times we can act to find our way through.”

But it’s unclear how that could be the case, given the “Defence Policy and Strategy Statement” acknowledges it “does not in itself address capability investment questions or require…

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CRITICALSTART® Unveils Mid-Year Cyber Threat Intelligence Report Highlighting Key Threats Disrupting Businesses

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Report finds two-step phishing attacks increasing; Beep malware top of mind for organizations; state-sponsored cyber-espionage on the rise

PLANO, Texas, June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Critical Start, a leading provider of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) cybersecurity solutions, released its biannual Cyber Threat Intelligence Report, featuring the top threats observed in the first half of 2023, and emerging cybersecurity trends impacting the healthcare, financial services, and state and local government (SLED) industries. The report also includes actionable insights to help organizations strengthen their security posture and proactively mitigate potential risk.

The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving, and threat intelligence is essential for identifying and responding in real-time. Cybercrime has become the world’s third largest economy, and estimated to generate $8 trillion (about $25,000 per person in the US) by the end of 2023. The Critical Start Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) team analyzed a range of intelligence sources, such as customer data, open-source intelligence, vulnerability research, social media monitoring, and dark web monitoring to identify the most pressing cybersecurity threats of the first half of 2023.

Key report findings include:

  • The Critical Start Security Operations Center (SOC), which monitors millions of endpoints with over 80,000 investigations a week, saw increases overall in the number of investigated alerts, alerts escalated to customers, and alerts that were of high or critical priority. In the first quarter of 2023, the SOC saw a 38.88% increase in the number of high or critical priority alerts escalated to customers over the previous quarter.
  • Two-step phishing attacks are on the rise, with attackers using convincing emails that resemble legitimate vendor communications, often related to electronic signatures, orders, invoices, or tracking information.
  • The new Beep malware is top of mind for organizations and individuals. This pervasive threat is delivered via email attachments, Discord, and OneDrive URLs.
  • State-sponsored cyber espionage is becoming increasingly common, with threat actors operating out of Russia,

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