Last week, IT security experts revealed a sharp increase in so-called “fileless” malware — device and network infections that are not readily apparent since they’re embedded directly into a computer’s actual memory. These malicious agents can quietly infiltrate data for months or even years, as more than 140 companies in 40 different countries have learned over the last two years.
Barely one month into 2017, cybercrime is already making headlines. Two major stories broke just this week: first, 2016 shattered all previous data beach records, with more than four billion records compromised worldwide. In the United States alone, more than 2,000 data breaches were reported — 10 times as many as the United Kingdom, which came in second with 203. And from those breaches, United States companies lost nearly 3 billion total records — again, 10 times as many as Russia, the second-place finisher on that list.
No matter where you live or what you do, the New Year serves as an inspiring moment. Want to commit yourself to achieving a personal goal or change the way you approach your career? The first few days of January are a great time to do it.
But as historian and teacher Joseph M. Marshall III says, “Success is rarely the result of one fell swoop, but more often the culmination of many small victories.
In the latest cybercrime twist, the IRS recently reported that hackers are now targeting tax preparers by employing email phishing scams and hacking attempts. Why? For the same reason behind every breach: cybercriminals want to steal Social Security numbers, personal information, and financial data.
If 2013 went down in IT history as the year of the data breach, then 2016 will always be remembered as the year of ransomware. In February, a Southern California hospital was forced to negotiate with hackers to recover its critical data; a week later, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services suffered a similar attack.
Starting last week, hurricane season is officially upon us. For those that live far from the East or Gulf Coasts, remember that you’re not out of harm’s way, either — severe storms have plagued the Midwest, Great Plains, and Texas this spring, while wildfires in Canada have devastated whole towns.
Last week, Microsoft announced that it was changing the amount of free storage available through its OneDrive cloud offering from 15 GB to 5 GB. In addition, OneDrive will discontinue its 15 GB camera roll bonus — and a 50 GB plan will replace paid 100 GB and 200 GB options.
With spring in full swing, severe weather has become the norm across much of North America. Heavy rains across whole swaths of the Plains, major flooding and large hail in Texas, wildfires in Kansas and Oklahoma, and even April snow in New England all remind us that the change of seasons also brings the potential for damaging storms.
Ransomware, a type of computer virus that arrives via email attachment, website link, or other online exploit, continues to present a major problem for businesses. Once a virus infects a host computer, it connects to illicit servers, usually located in a foreign country, that then transmit personal information like your IP address, geographic area, system setup, and login details.
Cyberattacks are on the rise — and they’re not just coming from one direction. According to recent news reports, phone calls claiming to be from the IRS are targeting elderly people. The caller states that money is owed and has to be paid by the end of the day, followed by personal questions intended to ferret out further identifying information.
