Tag Archive for: What’s

What’s it like to work as a malware researcher? 10 questions answered

/in


Three ESET malware researchers describe what their job involves and what it takes to embark on a successful career in this field

Just days ago, we looked at how you can jump-start your career in the broader field of cybersecurity, leveraging insights from ESET security researchers with decades of experience under their belts. Since today is Antimalware Day, a day when we recognize the work of security professionals, we thought it apt to ask a trio of ESET malware researchers to ‘pick up the baton’ and share their thoughts and experiences about what their daily tasks involve.

Perhaps solving riddles is your thing? Have an inquisitive mind that thrives on new knowledge? Or you’re already contemplating carving out a career in the fight against cybercrime, but aren’t quite sure if you’re cut out for it? Or ‘just’ appreciate the fine work of malware researchers and wonder why they chose this career path?

Whatever the reason (perhaps a little bit of everything?), you need look no further than our Q&A with ESET’s Lukas Stefanko, Fernando Tavella and Matías Porolli to learn what the job of an expert in deconstructing malicious software is like.

First off, how did you get into malware analysis/research?

Lukas: It all started when I became more familiar with software reverse engineering and tried to understand how a piece of software works and behaves without having access to its source code. From there, curiosity took me further to gain an understanding how malicious software works, what its purpose is, how it communicates, and so on. It was a new experience that I hugely enjoyed – and still do!

Fernando: Most of all, I always liked the research part, whether it was focused on security or other activities. But after I actually started to work in security I realized that I liked reverse engineering best. This was because of its complexity and general allure, and so I started participating in capture-the-flag competitions (CTFs) and dived into various related topics. At one point, I came across a piece of malware and realized just how interesting it is…

Source…

What’s Being Hacked (And What Changed with Covid)

/in


Each week in October, as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’ll publish an article packed with facts and stats, to give you an in-depth look at the state of cybersecurity in today’s world. We’ll start with the basics, then cover vulnerabilities, risks, costs – and much more.

Following Part 1: Hacking Basics of our Hacking the World series, in Part 2 we’re focusing on what exactly is being hacked – from data to devices and applications. And, extending a nod to the impact the pandemic has had, we’ve also included several facts about hacking during times of COVID-19.

Need a refresher of key hacking terms and definitions? Here’s a link to our helpful cybersecurity glossary we published in Part 1.

Jump to a section below, or read on:

Risk Data, Devices & Applications

The Covid Effect

Risk Data, Devices & Applications

The data, devices, and applications that hackers target with cyberattacks, and the methods they use to conduct these attacks.

Financial Records Are Vulnerable

Companies collect a treasure trove of sensitive customer data: names, addresses, bank details, credit card information, even medical records. All of this information is readily available to employees and poorly protected more often than not.

This is music to the ears of your average hacker. Financial data is valuable and can allow criminals to carry out any number of fraudulent activities. 

The vulnerability and value of financial records explain why finance companies were such a common target during COVID-19. As employees worked hard to soften the ensuing economic turmoil, cybercriminals were busy leveraging phishing attempts, hacking systems, and capitalizing on employee errors.

Globally, the financial sector experienced a 238% increase in cyberattacks from February 2020 to the end of April 2020.  Altogether, nearly three-quarters of financial companies were attacked in 2020.

Losing financial records is costly. According to the Ponemon Institute, cyberattacks cost the average banking company $18.3 million in 2020.

Financial Data Leaks: Root Causes

Hackers exploit web applications, miscellaneous errors, and “everything else” (including phishing and social engineering) in 81% of…

Source…

What’s the Most Significant Hack in History?

/in





diagram

© Illustration: Vicky Leta/Gizmodo


On some level, all of us are waiting for the big one—the hack that downs the internet, paralyzes infrastructure, maybe launches a couple nukes. If that day never arrives, it will be largely thanks to the legions of malefactors who, over the years, have hacked this or that government or corporation and thus forced those institutions to plug up their vulnerabilities, or at least try to. Some of these hacks have been staggering in scope—acts of sabotage and/or theft inconceivable in an unconnected world. But which of these can lay claim to being the most destructive? What was, in other words, the most significant hack of all time? For this week’s Giz Asks, we reached out to a number of experts to find out.

Director and Professor, Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, whose research focuses on computer hacking and malware, among other things

The first that comes to mind is the Morris worm, from 1988. A college student named Robert Tappan Morris wrote a piece of code that he claimed he thought would simply ping servers and assess the size of the internet at that time. But there was either a deliberate or unfortunate error in the code, and instead of simply pinging and reporting back, it started to replicate and spread, and effectively caused a denial-of-service attack against almost the entire internet. Morris claims this wasn’t intentional, but he nonetheless became one of the first people successfully prosecuted for a piece of malicious software, and the whole incident led to the formation of the first Computer Emergency Response Team. Because the internet at that time was mostly limited to universities, NASA, government entities, etc., the idea behind CERT was to get all these different players around the table to try to figure out a rapid solution to eliminate future problems, and then shore up their resources to make sure it couldn’t be effectively used again.

Another contender for the most significant hack is the Office of Personnel Management data breach around 2014. This was thought to have been performed by China, in order to acquire the sensitive data used for FS86 forms for the government. FS86 forms are…

Source…

What’s the big deal?, Telecom News, ET Telecom

/in


Cyber security for mobile networks: What’s the big deal?By Randeep Raina, CTO, Nokia India

In today’s digital world, where the internet has become a part of life, growing digitalization and networking has also seen incidents of cybercrime and data breach becoming more and more common. Cyber threats are constantly evolving, becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect.

India ranks amongst some of the most cyber attacked countries in the world. As per the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, there have been close to 7 lakh cyber-attacks reported in the country in 2020 (till Aug).

Importance of digital trust and key attributes

CSPs are relying on 5G to generate new revenue streams by offering new/ innovative services to end consumers, enterprises, and businesses. Their success depends partly on their ability to build ‘digital trust’ in the eyes of their customers by ensuring that their confidential enterprise or personal data is safe. The security needs will vary with the user and type of service, for example, the security needs of a retailer will be different from those of an enterprise, e.g., financial organization. 5G will allow connecting millions and millions of new IoT end points and devices to the network. The lagging security protection of many IoT devices can offer the opportunities for launching cyber-attacks through a much greater number of access points.

Adaptation, speed, integration and automation have emerged as the key attributes for 5G security. A flexible and adaptive 5G security solution will be needed to be able to respond to the sophisticated cyber-attacks. Integrated security solutions complemented by technologies like AI/ ML, analytics and automation can quickly spot the threat and alert the security apparatus for swift and timely action.

Delivering end to end security

5G architecture is broadly built up of Distributed/ Cloud RAN, Edge Core and Cloud Core. End-to-end security, from the mobile core to the edge of the network to end point devices, is vital to protect the network and associated services.

5G standards were developed on the principle of ‘Secure by Design’- more security features were included in the standards so as to offer an inherent higher level of protection on network level…

Source…