Tag Archive for: happening

Hacking companies is happening and will only increase


While the idea of a teenage “script kiddie” – a novice hacker using unsophisticated tools – might seem like the stuff of a bad 1990s movie, the threat to some of Australia’s biggest businesses is very real. “Optusdata”, the anonymous hacker who in late 2022 made away with the personal data of more than 10 million Optus customers before backing down from a $1.5 million ransom threat, was described as “unprofessional” and “stupid” by their hacker peers on the dark web.

The Optus mass data breach occurred through an unprotected and publicly exposed end point, meaning anyone who discovered it could connect to it without submitting a username or password. The attack was far from sophisticated, according to O’Reilly and other experts.

“For attackers, especially those utilising low-cost, high-reward strategies, the investment is minimal compared to the potential pay-off, which can range from financial gain to significant data breaches, or even reputational damage to the targeted organisation,” O’Reilly says.

According to the Australian Signals Directorate, more than 127,000 hacks against Australian servers were recorded between the 2022 and 2023 financial years – an increase of more than 300 per cent over the prior year – and O’Reilly says that matches what he’s seeing on the ground.

In the shadows

O’Reilly spends much of his time monitoring the dark web, which ransomware groups use to leak data and boast about their bounties. He regularly reports his findings to the Australian Signals Directorate.

The dark web is a shadowy part of the internet accessible only through special software, allowing users to remain anonymous. It is commonly used for illegal activities such as buying and selling drugs and weapons, as well as stolen credentials.

The group suspected to be behind the 2022 Medibank data breach, Russian cybercriminal gang REVil, posted customer names, birthdates and Medicare details under “good” and “naughty” lists on its dark web site, called Happy Blog. The leaked data included patients who had undergone treatment for drug addictions and terminated non-viable pregnancies.

“I recommend to sell Medibank stocks,” the group said in the…

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Is your computer freezing up? Here’s what could be happening


Question: My computer has begun to freeze on an intermittent basis; what should I do?

Answer: One of the most annoying situations in computing is when the computer freezes up in the middle of an important task, seemingly out of nowhere.

The reality is that when this happens, it’s a sign that you have a significant issue that needs to be addressed.

Ignoring the freeze-up and rebooting every time can lead to a variety of additional problems, like filling your hard drive up with junk files.

It’s also one of the more complicated issues to troubleshoot because it’s intermittent, which can get frustrating.

What to do if your browser freezes

Since we all spend so much time on the internet, your browser could be the only problem. To determine this, the next time your web browser freezes, switch to your word processor or another browser to see if they are functioning properly.

If other programs function properly, you’ll want to spend time looking into various browser-related causes and if nothing else works, your problem likely resided with the operating system or faulty hardware.

Common causes for browser freezes include malware, too many tabs opened, third-party add-ons that are conflicting with one another, or a corrupted cache.

Running a full security scan of your computer can check for malware in all areas of your computer. Opening your browser in Safe Mode (https://bit.ly/3NIDuex) will disable third-party add-ons or extensions to see if things run smoothly without them.If you are a “taboholic” who tends to surf with a large number of tabs open, you may be running into a memory issue that can be resolved by closing unneeded tabs or adding RAM (random access memory) to your computer.

Clearing your cache can help

To test for corruption in your browser’s cache (a local copy of commonly used websites), try bypassing it (https://bit.ly/44wvrYh) which forces everything to be downloaded from scratch.

If the freezing goes away, it’s time to clear your cache (https://bit.ly/415MugN), and if it doesn’t, try uninstalling and reinstalling the browser, especially if another browser works without freezing.

Computer hardware might be faulty

This one can get a little tricky to…

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Mobile App Data And Identity Theft Is On The Rise. Here’s The Best Way To Avoid It Happening To You


Credit: 155782380 / Computing © Sasinparaksa | Dreamstime

It’s easy to understand why consumers struggle when it comes to apps, data, and their security. Even the most popular, well-regarded, and well-used apps can become a vector for attack, and consequently it’s more important than ever to take control and ensure that data isn’t leaking to the dark corners of the Internet.

Earlier this month New Zealand’s politicians were told that the popular social media application, TikTok “posed a security threat.” This came just days after studies found that the metaverse, which will play a big role in both social media and applications, is a big data leak concern.

At the same time that report came out, another report shared the news that a batch of malware-filled apps had been discovered on Google Play. Unfortunately that was not before those apps had been downloaded 10 million times. Through them, the malicious app developers the ability to subscribe users to premium services, steal their social media accounts, and push intrusive ads.

It’s clearly a challenge to know what apps to avoid and how to safely use them. There are some positive signs that governments around the world are responding. Lawmakers in the EU are particularly encouraging, with a “privacy reboot” on the cards as new laws around sensitive data are being implemented. However, while those will help, they’re not going to stop criminals from trying to use apps to get access to user’s data, and so consumers will need to heighten their own vigilance.

What are the security best practices with apps?

Some of the key ways that users can protect themselves while using mobile devices include:

1) Take advantage of the full suite of authentication options

2) Avoid connecting to public WiFi networks

3) Use a password manager

4) Fake some of the data attackers value

5) Delete apps that you’re not using and that fall out of support

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How to stop security camera hacking from happening to you


Installing an internet-connected security camera in your house won’t necessarily bring a wave of hackers to your Wi-Fi network — but losing privacy resulting from a device’s security shortcomings is surprisingly common. Last year, an ADT home security customer noticed an unfamiliar email address connected to her home security account, a professionally monitored system that included cameras and other devices inside her home. That simple discovery, and her report of it to the company, began to topple a long line of dominoes leading back to a technician who had spied, over the course of four and a half years, on hundreds of customers — watching them live their private lives, undress and even have sex.



Chris Monroe/CNET


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Chris Monroe/CNET





© Chris Monroe/CNET


ADT says it has closed the loopholes that technician exploited, implementing “new safeguards, training and policies to strengthen … account security and customer privacy.” But invasions of privacy are not unique to ADT, and some vulnerabilities are harder to safeguard than others.

Whether you’re using professionally monitored security systems such as ADT, Comcast Xfinity or Vivint, or you just have a few stand-alone cameras from off-the-shelf companies like Ring, Nest or Arlo, here are a few practices that can help protect your device security and data privacy.

Read more: Ring’s police problem never went away. Here’s what you still need to know.

Is my security system vulnerable?

Before jumping into solving the problems of device insecurity, it’s helpful to understand how vulnerable your devices really are.

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Major professionally monitored security systems — and even individually sold cameras from reputable developers like Google Nest and Wyze — include high-end encryption (which scrambles messages within a system and grants access through keys) almost across the board. That means as long as you stay current with app and device updates, you should have little to fear of being hacked via software or firmware vulnerabilities.

Likewise, many security companies that use professional installers and technicians have strict procedures in place to avoid precisely what happened at ADT….

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