Ransomware, banking malware, and other threats aimed at smartphones increased sharply in volume last year and will pose a growing threat to organizations and individuals in 2018 and beyond. Report Trend Micro found 30,000 more malicious applications published on Google Play last year than it did in 2016. The threats were harder to detect because [...]
The WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware epidemics demonstrated how quickly malware can spread across the globe and cripple businesses. Their impact extended beyond traditional IT infrastructure into operational systems used to control industrial, manufacturing, and critical infrastructures. The scale of these incidents is forcing organizations to consider the financial impact and business exposure associated with cyber [...]
Cloud computing continues to transform the way organizations use, store, and share data, applications, and workloads. It has also introduced a host of new security threats and challenges. With so much data going into the cloud—and into public cloud services in particular—these resources become natural targets for bad actors. Contrary to what many might think, [...]
Common threats like adware and spyware have a new tricky classmate called “cryptojacking”. Cryptojacking secretly uses your system or laptop or mobile device to mine cryptocurrency when you visit an infected site. Malicious miners aren’t new in themselves, but cryptojacking has exploded in popularity over the past few weeks, because it offers a clever twist. [...]
Attackers have an over-growing list of vulnerabilities to exploit in order to maliciously gain access to your web applications, networks and servers. Whether you’re a novice WordPress user or a sophisticated hosting service, if truly determined then an attacker will find any vulnerability you’ve failed to patch and use it to their advantage. New vulnerabilities [...]
In a world where seconds matter, the right endpoint solution can be the difference between a successful patch management strategy and one that leaves your organization at risk. Hackers are racing to exploit vulnerable computer systems before software vendors publish patches and you can apply them. When hackers win the race, you lose productivity and [...]
Security staff put a lot of emphasis on advanced persistent threats, or APTs, and rightly so. They are extremely difficult to defend against if a hacker is specifically targeting an organization. But with everyone's focus on APTs, we may be missing a different type of attack vector: advanced persistent infrastructure. The evolution of the Apache [...]
A new nonprofit has launched a free Domain Name System (DNS) service that filters malicious domains linked to botnets, phishing campaigns, and other malicious activity. The new Quad9 DNS service built by IBM Security, Packet Clearing House, and the Global Cyber Alliance, is aimed at consumers and small- to midsized businesses, and doesn't share or [...]
The Internet of Things (IoT) and, specifically, the hunt for exploitable IoT devices by attackers, has been a primary area of research for F5 Labs for over a year now—and with good reason. IoT devices are becoming the cyber weapon delivery system of choice by today’s botnet-building attackers. And, why not? There are literally billions [...]
Cybercrime is very much a psychological game and ransomware is no exception. Psychology plays a major role in almost all aspects of ransomware from the moment an attack is launched to the moment the victim pays, or refuses to pay the ransom. Most ransomware is distributed through phishing emails, instant messages, and text messages. Distributors [...]