Hackers Playing Secret Santa

Take a glance at the most discussed cybersecurity topics of the week.

Ha-ha! This joke will make only hackers laugh. Researchers have discovered a new kind of malware that receives instructions through hidden code integrated into Twitter memes.
London is the capital of Great Britain as well as of developing biometric technology.

You will not laugh for long – Twitter memes that will break your computer down

Threatpost on December 18, 2018

Ha-ha!

This joke will make only hackers laugh. Researchers have discovered a new kind of malware that receives instructions through hidden code integrated into Twitter memes. The malicious procedure is quite obvious: a user downloads an infected image from a hostile Twitter account that contains embedded command driven by the remote access Trojan (RAT).

By the way, Twitter memes case is an example of steganography – the technique that hides code within image files. Although it is one of the oldest cybercriminals’ tools, this instance is unique due to the usage of images viral by nature. Moreover, the threat is notable because malware’s commands are received via the legitimate social networking platform. Thus, it can be removed only if the Twitter account is disabled.

Best gifts for hackers in 2018 – top of the weakest passwords

Daily Mail on December 14, 2018

Let’s play a game? We bet you will definitely win! You have only one attempt to guess what is the most popular password. A little tip for you – it is a challenging combination of digits. Yeah, we hope the passwords of your devices are more difficult than 123456.

Actually, the recent research of one cybersecurity firm unveiled the most easily hacked passwords. After “123456” and “password”, the next five top passwords on the list are simply numerical strings. Furthermore, most of the leaked passwords, evaluated for 2018 list, were held by North America and Western Europe users.

Hackers have great success using celebrity names, terms from pop culture and sports, and simple keyboard patterns to break into accounts online because they know so many people are using those easy-to-remember combinations.

Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData

Indeed, to minimize cyber threats, in addition to using a different password for each login, it is important to avoid using default passwords.

Smile! You are being tapped by hidden cameras

Forbes on December 17, 2018

London is the capital of Great Britain as well as of developing biometric technology.

This week the UK Metropolitan Police Service tested facial recognition software that is capable of scanning hundreds of faces in a second. The aim of the experiment was to help the forces to control the crime in public places during the Christmas fever. If the system alerted, the Met confirmed person’s identity via comparing the image with the existing database of criminals, suspects, protesters, football fans and innocent people.

Do not hurry to criticize the Met – officers were opened in their use of the technology. Also, there were posters in the area of Soho, Piccadilly Circus, and Leicester Square and people were handled the information leaflets.

In order to show transparency and continue constructive debate, we have invited individuals and groups with varying views on our use of facial recognition technology to this deployment.

Ivan Balhatchet, the Met’s strategic lead for live facial technology

Do not allow hackers to control your home light

SC Magazine on December 20, 2018

Close your eye, leaving the other to read this news, and imagine, you are coming back home, taking off your coat and turning the light on via a popular app on your phone. Then the bulb starts blinking! Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie. However, this case can be easily explained.

Researchers found that Wi-Fi-enabled IoT devices are insecure so that hackers can easily come away with passwords, email addresses, and other sensitive information. For example, the app, downloaded on the phone for light regulation, may request a user’s information making him or her send it to the cloud. If malefactors get this data, homeowners could find themselves in the awkwardness of having their lights controlled by someone else.

Therefore, to mitigate possible threats users should change the default passwords, use a special account for the IoT devices and timely update their firmware.

The post Hackers Playing Secret Santa appeared first on EdGuards – Security for Education.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from EdGuards – Security for Education authored by edguards. Read the original post at: https://edguards.com/egnews/cyber-insights/hackers-playing-secret-santa/