Tag Archive for: antihacking

Interior ministry suggests seven anti-hacking tricks

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Content image - Phnom Penh Post

The interior ministry’s information technology department suggests seven ways to protect computers from hackers. Interior ministry

The Ministry of Interior’s Department of Information Technology has presented seven tips to protect the security of computers and computer systems across the Kingdom to prevent hackers from trespassing and committing cybercrimes.

The department said that while computers play an important role in facilitating many general tasks in the modern world, they also have the potential to cause harm, as any computer that is connected to the internet is capable of being hacked.

They said there were many computers around the world that had been hacked and used to commit various crimes, like extortion, fraud, or the ordering

of illegal goods. To prevent theft

through technology, the ministry has shared seven key tips – using a firewall, updating system and software, avoiding “free” security scans, downloading files with precautions, installing reputable security software, backing up important data; and using a pop-up blocker.

According to the department, a firewall is a protective barrier between a computer and the internet. Everything that goes in and out of a computer must pass through the Firewall. If any viruses attempt to enter the computer, the firewall will immediately block them from access.

The software and internal systems of each company’s computer are constantly being updated for security reasons, so it is important to update the operating system and software regularly, every time an update is issued.

The department also advised people against using anti-virus software that is available for free download from any website as it may contain links to viruses.

People should avoid downloading programmes from any website that they are not familiar with and refrain from downloading files, videos or songs that anonymous people have sent to them as they could contain viruses.

As a precaution, they are advised to use anti-virus and anti-spyware software to remove any viruses that may be on their computer and to prevent new ones from attaching themselves to the system. If the computer already has this software installed, viruses will not be able to…

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State’s Cyber Diplomacy Bureau Props Up Anti-Hacking Alliances

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The State Department’s new bureau focused on cyberspace is expected to elevate the issue’s place in international affairs as the U.S. looks to join forces with other nations to stem a rising tide of hacks.

The Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy will likely play a role in the White House’s enlistment of other countries to counter increasingly common and costly ransomware attacks, former government officials say. Cyber diplomats also could add to U.S. efforts to press Russia to take responsibility for ransomware groups that continue their attacks despite sanctions imposed by the Biden administration, they said.

Another item on the horizon is upcoming United Nations talks toward a cybercrime treaty. The talks are set to raise thorny issues for defining and exchanging information on allegedly criminal behavior online, said Duncan Hollis, a former State Department official who’s now a professor at Temple Law School.

“Those negotiations will require a pretty savvy diplomat,” Hollis said. He added that the talks are likely to draw a lot of attention as the U.S. and its allies confront countries like Russia and China that so far have objected to international cyber agreements.

A Senate-confirmed ambassador will lead the State Department bureau, with a purview over cybersecurity as well as economic and human rights issues related to the internet, according to an Oct. 25 briefing from agency spokesman Ned Price. Its structure and scope represent a step up from past iterations of the department’s work on cyber.

Beyond Security

The State Department installed its first cyber diplomat during the Obama administration. Under the Trump administration, the department started a cyber bureau narrowly focused on security.

The latest bureau’s aim is to prevent cyberattacks while protecting digital freedoms such as free speech online, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Oct. 27 remarks to the Foreign Service Institute. The bureau’s work also is planned to include other digital policy issues like promoting trusted telecommunications systems, according to a State Department spokesperson.

It’s significant that the planned bureau’s scope is broader than just cybersecurity,…

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Supreme Court Issues Radical New Reading of Anti-Hacking Law

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Morning commuters walk by The U.S. Supreme Court building May 24, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Morning commuters walk by The U.S. Supreme Court building May 24, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker (Getty Images)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday said a Georgia police officer had not violated the country’s main anti-hacking law by improperly accessing a government database for financial gain, a decision likely to curtail prosecutions under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) of individuals who misuse computer systems to which they have legal access.

The police officer, Nathan Van Buren, was arrested and charged under the 1986 law after accepting payment from an FBI informant to search a law enforcement database of license plate information. The government charged Van Buren with violating the CFAA, which prohibits people from knowingly “exceeding” their “authorized access” to a computer system.

The ruling is widely viewed as a win for criminal defense lawyers who’ve long criticized the statute as overly ambiguous and who’ve accused prosecutors of employing an overly expansive interpretation. The government has previously brought charges under the CFAA against people accused of violating corporate computer policies and website terms of service.

The ruling is “an important victory for civil liberties and civil rights enforcement in the digital age,” the American Civil Liberties Union said.

In its 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court found Van Buren’s use of the license plate database—however improper—was not “unauthorized,” insofar as the CFAA is concerned.

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“In sum, an individual ‘exceeds authorized access’ when he accesses a computer with authorization but then obtains information located in particular areas of the computer—such as files, folders, or databases—that are off limits to him,” the court’s opinion, delivered by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, says.

Barrett went on to note the government has never argued that Van Buren was prohibited from accessing the database, even if his motives for doing so, in this case, were immoral. “The only question is whether Van Buren could use the system to retrieve license-plate information. Both sides agree that he could,” she wrote.

Justices Clarence Thomas,…

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The Supreme Court Is Ruling On an Anti-Hacking Law

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The US Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday for a case that could change how the nation treats hacking and cybercrime.

The ruling will come sometime later this year or early next year, and it could be either way. Best case scenario: We’ll start being more fair to white-hat hackers who locate and warn of major security vulnerabilities. Worst case? Lying about your height on Tinder becomes a federal crime.

That’s right, the stakes are high on this one. Here’s what to know about the last 30-plus years of US hacking law.

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Since 1986, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) has been the single biggest cybercrime law in the US. It’s widely considered outdated, as you might expect from a law about the internet that was passed just a year after the last season of Stranger Things was set.

Because it’s so old and vaguely worded, the law can be used to prosecute any hackers. But a “hacker” is anyone who exploits an online security bug or flaw, and exploiting a flaw is pretty much the only way to determine that one exists. So, under the CFAA, anyone who helps an existing site strengthen its security — potentially protecting the private data of millions in the process — could be prosecuted for a federal crime.

This isn’t a hypothetical, either. Take the massive 2017 Equifax data breach, which saw the credit reporting company expose its data on 143 million U.S. consumers, from names and Social Security numbers, to addresses, birth dates, and even drivers license numbers. A security researcher had actually spotted the vulnerability months earlier, and had warned Equifax, but didn’t go public with the information due to the legal and professional risk.

The Van Buren v. United States Case

The case in question here is Van Buren v. United States. The defendant is Nathan Van Buren, a former Georgia police sergeant, who was convicted under CFAA of taking a bribe and using his access to a police license plate database to look up an individual without authorization. He was prosecuted on two counts — for getting a kickback for accessing the database and for violating the CFAA — but only the CFAA violation stuck. If Van Buren v. United States goes his…

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