The 160+ Best Black Friday Deals of the Thousands We've … – The New York Times
The 160+ Best Black Friday Deals of the Thousands We’ve … The New York Times
The 160+ Best Black Friday Deals of the Thousands We’ve … The New York Times
A malware named “WhatsApp spy mod” has attacked Telegram users more than 3.4 lakh times in October alone. This malware mainly targeted users who communicate in Arabic and Azeri, according to the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.
The malware enters the devices through third-party WhatsApp mod application, which are generally used for additional features such as scheduled messages and customisable options.
As per the report, such mod applications also contain a malicious spyware module that can compromise users personal data. When installed, such mod WhatsApp application allow the malware to run in the background and gather sensitive information from the infected device, including its IMEI number, phone number, country and network codes and more.
The malware can transfer data every five minutes. It can even record audio from the a device’s microphone and steal data from external storage.
The highest attacks were recorded in Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Turkey and Egypt, although the malware also affected users from other countries, including the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Permanent TSB has launched a new in-app security tool that will help detect potential scam websites that are targeting the bank’s customers.
PTSB Protect will alert customers if they receive a text message containing a fraudulent link or block them from accessing a suspicious website on their mobile device.
It is an opt-in feature that will require users to allow it to access browser and text message content to work correctly. But it will work differently depending on what mobile platform customers are using, Android users will get an alert when a fraudulent website is found in a text message; iPhone users will have the content blocked, preventing access to the fake site.
PTSB Protect depends on a daily-updated list of fraudulent links that are posing as legitimate websites, trying to scoop up personal details. The links that are received or accessed on the customer’s phone will be compared to it, with content blocked or an alert generated when fake websites are detected.
The move is in response to an increasing problem with fraudulent payments. While extra security measures such as two-factor authentication have been implemented for card payments and access to online banking, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated in response.
According to figures from the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), card fraud cost Irish consumers €85 million in 2022. That was an increase of almost 9 per cent on the year before.
“Attempts to defraud customers through criminal activity has increased significantly over the last number of years. Our own research suggests that 75 per cent of Irish consumers have experienced an attempt of fraud with 27 per cent falling victim to it. With scams getting more sophisticated, consumers need to continue to be on their guard at all times,” said PTSB chief operating officer Peter Vance. “By introducing PTSB Protect as a new line of defence to our mobile app, we can now directly identify the source of this activity and help protect our customers before their accounts can become compromised. Financial fraud is a significant threat and it is often being targeted at groups that may think they are less vulnerable.”
The feature has…
Kevin Mitnick, whose pioneering antics tricking employees in the 1980s and 1990s into helping him steal software and services from big phone and tech companies made him the most celebrated U.S. hacker, has died at age 59.
Mitnick died Sunday in Las Vegas after a 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer, said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of the security training firm KnowBe4, where Mitnick was chief hacking officer.
His colorful career – from student tinkerer to FBI-hunted fugitive, imprisoned felon and finally respected cybersecurity professional, public speaker and author tapped for advice by U.S. lawmakers and global corporations – mirrors the evolution of society’s grasp of the nuances of computer hacking.
Through Mitnick’s professional trajectory, and what many consider the misplaced prosecutorial zeal that put him behind bars for nearly five years until 2000, the public has learned how to better distinguish serious computer crime from the mischievous troublemaking of youths hellbent on proving their hacking prowess.
Much fanfare accompanied Mitnick’s high-profile arrest in 1995, three years after he’d skipped probation on a previous computer break-in charge. The government accused him of causing millions of dollars in damages to companies including Motorola, Novell, Nokia and Sun Microsystems by stealing software and altering computer code.
But federal prosecutors had difficulty gathering evidence of major crimes, and after being jailed for nearly four years, Mitnick reached a plea agreement in 1999 that credited him for time served.
Upon his January 2000 release from prison, Mitnick told reporters his “were simple crimes of trespass.” He said “I wanted to know as much as I could find out about how phone networks worked.”
He was initially barred for three years from using computers, modems, cellphones or anything else that could give him internet access, and from public speaking. Those requirements were gradually eased but he wasn’t allowed back online until December 2002.
Mitnick’s…