Tag Archive for: bandwidth

Bandwidth: We defeated ‘unprecedented’ ransomware hack in ‘running gun battle’


RALEIGH – Hackers did indeed attack Raleigh-based communications provider Bandwidth seeking a ransom, but its CEO said the company didn’t pay and ultimately defeated what he called an “unprecedented” assault and “running gun battle.”

CEO David Morken briefed Wall Street Analysts in a conference call Monday after Bandwidth reported quartertly earnings and formally acknowledged losing as much as $12 million as a result of the September hack described as a DDOS, or distributed denial of service.

Bandwidth had denied to even acknowledge that the cyber attack was indeed ransomeware before Monday’s call.

“We did not pay a ransom and instead relied on innovative solutions and strategies to confront the threat, head on. To sum up, we believe, Bandwidth is now stronger than ever and we plan to leverage what we’ve learned to help make the ecosystem safer for enterprise communications,” he said.

Learning from the attack, Bandwidth has deployed additional safeguards – what he called prophylactic security” – against future hacks, he added.

Ransomware attacks, which have soared in recent years, have led to payoffs as much as $67 million plus inflict remediation cosots on average totalling more than $2 million.

Bandwidth projects bigger revenue loss from hack attack, stock drops

“It is a small price to pay right now as a prophylactic security to have that additional nominal step at the beginning of a user experience,” Morken explained.

Bandwidth is a global provider of communications services such as 911 access to a host of tech giants.

Bandwidth’s customers include Microsoft, Google, Zoom and many others that utilize internet-based services in Bandwidth’s product portfolio.

Morken also sought to assure analysts that the company, whose stock (Nasdaq: BAND) is down nearly 50% this year due in part to the attack, is regaining some customers who turned to other service providers in the VoIP [voice over internet protocol] marketplace for voice and data as Bandwidth suffered outages and service delays.

“Those conversations [with customers], unexpectedly have become extremely positive regarding Bandwidth being the most resilient and best place to…

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Has your internet connection bandwidth been sold? Here’s how to check






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Cybercrimes have increased so much these days that even one’s internet connection bandwidth is not spared. Hackers target devices which are connected to the internet for making money, stealing personal information, encryption data for ransom, performing data and identity theft, stealing cryptocurrency stored locally and much more. 

Proxyware is a technology that is used to target internet-connected devices with malware, as spotted by Cisco Talos. Proxyware is not illegal and it is being used for several genuine purposes. But hackers use it to extract illegal money from innocent people. Some software is being used to create hotspots with their internet connection, further allowing users to get paid during its usage.

If this process is used in several internet-connected devices, then it has the potential to fetch enormous money and innocent users will suffer huge monetary losses.

“It is this format, provided by legitimate services including Honeygain, PacketStream, and Nanowire, which is being used to generate passive income on behalf of cyber attackers and malware developers,” ZDNet said.

Here’s how to STOP your Internet connection bandwidth from hacking:

1. It is always important to check your gadget for all the apps and then delete them if you don’t see anything on downloading.

2. Always get the apps from the official app store like Google Play Store and Apple App Store, on computers and other devices.  But also be careful of the fact that these app stores can also have malicious apps. Therefore, keep checking and banning them. 

3. Also ensure that the built-in security scanner is active and enabled and it scans the computer for infections and security flaws regularly.

4. If you find any links from strangers, it should be immediately deleted, while the ones from known contacts should be checked before clicking.

5. After you detect a problem app, users must run an infection cleaner service that can clean the PC before Windows is booted, making it easier to remove the malware from your system.

6. Stay away from pirated apps and games online

Live TV

#mute

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Attackers Are Selling Their Victims’ Internet Bandwidth


Breach Notification
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Endpoint Security
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Incident & Breach Response

Report Claims Criminals Are Installing Proxyware Service

Attackers Are Selling Their Victims’ Internet Bandwidth
Criminals exploit internet-sharing “proxyware” platforms such as Honeygain. (Source Honeygain.com)

Security firm Cisco Talos reported this week that cybercriminals have found a new way to make money from their victims, by abusing internet-sharing “proxyware” platforms such as Honeygain and Nanowire to illegally share their victim’s internet connection.

See Also: Autonomous Systems: The Future of Cyber Security

Cisco Talos researchers Edmund Brumaghin and Vitor Ventura report that malicious actors are silently installing proxyware services on a victim’s computer to hijack their bandwidth without alerting the victim.

The attackers also patch the client to stop any alerts that would warn the victim, and hide their presence by installing the legitimate platform client by using Trojanized installers, the researchers say, adding that they also install digital currency miners and information stealers.

“We believe attackers are highly likely to abuse these proxyware platforms, as they can be used to disguise an attacker’s origin more efficiently than Tor, since the exit nodes cannot be cataloged,” the researchers note.

Further problems for the victims can result, the researchers say, due to: “The abuse of their resources, eventually being blacklisted due to activities they don’t even control, and it increases organizations’ attack surface, potentially creating an initial attack vector directly on the endpoint.”

Cisco Talos advises…

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Windows 10 silently uses your bandwidth to send updates to others – ZDNet


ZDNet

Windows 10 silently uses your bandwidth to send updates to others
ZDNet
While WUDO doesn't present any known security risks at present, security expert Graham Cluley was keen to point out that hackers have previously managed to exploit weaknesses in the Windows Update mechanism, using it to spread the Flame malware.
Windows 10 uses your bandwidth to help strangers download updatesGraham Cluley Security News

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