This Week in Technology

This Week in Technology

By Eric Corcoran
Posted in Technology Week in Review
On July 26, 2019

Monday 7/22

Fake FaceApp Challenge Apps Are Installing Malware. Here's What You Need To Know

The first detections of the FaceApp fake were a week ago but, according to data, there have been 500 unique users infected within the last 48 hours.

http://bit.ly/2M4nDHu

The rising tide of ransomware requires a commitment to best practices

The long-term impact of this ransomware trend has to be a commitment to best practices. Let's start by not leaving the door unlocked.

https://zd.net/2y11lOH

Adware is the malware you should actually worry about

Your smartphone offers attackers the perfect environment to unleash ad malware. Attackers can distribute apps tainted with adware through third-party app stores for Android and even sneak adware-laced apps into the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store.

http://bit.ly/2Y5Zq5L

Tuesday 7/23

What is formjacking, and how can you protect your business?

Formjacking is the virtual form of credit card skimming. Instead of a skimmer being attached to a gas pump or ATM, the information is skimmed through an online form.

http://bit.ly/2Oh4xAs

Cloud-based virtual desktop provider hit by ransomware

iNSYNQ, a cloud computing provider of virtual desktop environments, has been down in a major outage that has lasted nearly a week after its servers were infected last Tuesday, July 16, with ransomware.

https://zd.net/2Sz0E8t

Microsoft dumps $1 billion into ‘artificial general intelligence’ project

OpenAI's stated mission is to develop "artificial general intelligence," or AGI. In layman's terms, AGI is AI that can think like a human (possibly even better) while carrying out complex tasks autonomously. 

http://bit.ly/2XZxO7b

Wednesday 7/24

PCI DSS to NIST Cybersecurity Framework Mapping Released

The PCI DSS Council released overview and mapping documents to map PCI DSS requirements to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

http://bit.ly/2M73vV6

BEC Scams Remain a Billion-Dollar Enterprise, Targeting 6K Businesses Monthly

BEC scams—also known as email account compromise (EAC), CEO fraud, or whaling—have been around since at least 2013. Between October 2013 and May 2018, more than $12 billion in domestic and international losses were attributed by the FBI to BEC scams.

https://symc.ly/2YpkAjB

APT34 spread malware via LinkedIn invites

Researchers noticed the campaign in late June 2019 using LinkedIn professional network invitations to deliver the malicious documents that included the use of three new malware families.

http://bit.ly/2Ym9kVk

Thursday 7/25

How cybercriminals are still snaring victims using seven-year-old malware

Some of the most popular strains of malware on underground forums are open-source or cracked versions of malicious software that use exploits that are years old, but still effective. The top choices were simple-to-use, readily-available forms of malware.

https://zd.net/2SE7Fos

FIN8 actors’ recent activity buoyed by new malware toolset: report

FIN8 first burst on the scene last month with a new ShellTea variant, they’re now back with BADHATCH, a reverse shell malware that has drawn comparisons to the PowerSniff/PUNCHBUGGY fileless downloader.

http://bit.ly/2Z84nMY

Friday 7/26

Mobile malware attacks are booming in 2019: These are the most common threats

Researchers at Check Point examined cyberattacks in the first half of 2019 and found that those targeting smartphones and other mobile devices have risen by 50% compared with last year.

https://zd.net/2YnYBp4

EvilGnome – Linux malware aimed at your desktop, not your servers

EvilGnome starts life as a self-contained file that consists of 522 lines of text – what’s called a shell script because it’s designed to run directly inside a Linux command shell, such as the command prompt you get in a terminal window – followed by a compressed blob of data that carries the rest of the malware along with it.

http://bit.ly/30URmXq