Cyber Attacks on the Rise

Around the world, internet based attacks are increasing on critical systems according to a McAfee report.

The latest report from the Internet Security company took a survey of 200 IT executives working for utility companies in 14 countries, and 8 out of 10 said their networks had been targeted by hackers during the past year.

Since October 2010 in the UK, potential cyber attack has been recognized as one of the top four national security threats facing the country, but are we doing enough?

Cyber Criminals Target Business Secrets

Last week we reported on a collaborative move by the UK and US governments to train future generations in the fightback against cyber criminals.  This week a report by McAffe supports the fear that intellectual property and business secrets are fast becoming a target for cyber thieves.

Security has always been a key component to building a successful business data platform because, as we all know, there have always been net thieves attempting to compromise PCs using viruses and trojans in a search for logins or credit card details.

However, what has been highlighted in the report, is that there is now a market ready to do business for the data they are finding. In some cases, thieves are running campaigns to get at particular companies or certain types of information.

In the wake of the report and of a series of recent calculated attacks, we urge companies to know who looks after their data as it moves into the cloud or third-party hosting centres.

For support or advice on your voice and data security systems call us now 0115 970 1471

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The Rising Threat of Telephone Fraud

Hackers Running Rampant

Hackers Running Rampant

Security firm McAfee has compiled a report that reveals that hackers have been running rampant through the networks of at least five oil and gas firms since 2009.

The report details a combination of con tricks, computer vulnerabilities and weak security controls that enabled the unnamed multinational firms to succumb to sustained attacks.  In a long-running campaign, the hackers methodically worked to penetrate the computer networks of these firms and stole secrets relating to oil exploration and bidding contracts.  

Related article:  The Rising Threat of Telephone Fraud

Hi-Tech Criminals turn attention to Business Mobiles

Net giant Cisco has suggested that mobile phone operating systems are becoming increasingly popular with hi-tech criminals.

In their annual report they have predicted that 2011 will see a significant number of attacks directed at smartphones, mobile software and users.  That said, the vast majority of criminal activity continues to be aimed at Windows and the programs that run on it.

2009 brought a significant turn in trend for mobile malware with the appearance of a virus call Zitmo.  This was a mobile version of the Zeus Windows trojan that has proved hugely popular with criminals keen to steal logins to online bank accounts.

Apple products are proving to be a target as statistics gathered by Cisco suggest a growing number of vulnerabilities are being found in Apple operating systems.

The relative youth of the Android Operating Systems makes them a vulnerable platform to.  Trojans aimed at Android, that booby trap apps that run on phones, or bury premium rate links in ads were also starting to turn up. For instance, in late December 2010 the Geinimi trojan for Android was found that can steal almost any of the data on a handset.

Mobile security cracked open

A pair of security researchers have demonstrated an eavesdropping toolkit that highlights potential holes in many parts of the most widely used mobile technology.

Using four cheap Motorola telephones and open source software, Karsten Nohl and Sylvain Munaut are able to eavesdrop on mobile calls and texts made on any GSM network. 

In a demonstration at the Chaos Computer Club Congress (CCC) in Berlin, the pair took attendees through the layers of the snoop.  Starting from locating a particular phone to seizing its unique ID, then leap-frogging from that to getting hold of data swapped between a handset and a base station as calls are made and texts sent.

Mr Nohl said the motivation for carrying out the research was to create awareness around the problem and perhaps prompt operators to improve security.  He acknowledged that a few simple steps could make it much harder for potential eavesdroppers.

Adodo’s Guide to Keeping Your Password Safe

Yahoo, Twitter and LinkedIn are amongst the online organisations that are encouraging their users to reset passwords in the wake of the recent hacker attack to Gawker.com.  With that in mind here are some top tips on resetting your password.

1. Never use the same password across lots of different websites.
2. Do not use a word that you – or a hacker – could find in the dictionary: these are susceptible to so-called ‘brute force’ attacks.
3. Try to include some digits and special characters to add a layer of complexity that will make life difficult for a criminal.
4. Pick a phrase or mnemonic that helps you to remember your password.
5. You can avoid having to remember passwords altogether by using a password manager program.  

Hack Attacks Prompt Password Resets

Whilst the WikiLeaks revelations continue to ripple and its founders appeal is pending, massive hacker attacks feature high in the headlines as they shut down yet another website, this time Gawker.com.

When the breach first happened to the online blogging community, some reports stated that they were in response to the WikiLeaks attack campaigns. However, this was later proven untrue. In reality, the attacks happened simply because of the Gawker Media overall stance on hackers and because of ongoing taunts by Gawker media staff.

Regardless, the repercussions of the hack have been felt across the web, as millions of web users are being asked to reset their passwords as concerns spread.  Yahoo, Twitter and LinkedIn have all asked users to change their details, there have been few other reports of damage directly linked to the breach.

That said; many companies have taken steps to identify users at risk and warn them to take preventative action. A spokesman for LinkedIn said it necessary to take "proactive security measures" to screen users thought to be in danger.

Microsoft have spoken out against sick PCs on the net

A senior researcher at software giant Microsoft has suggested that virus-infected PCs should be banned from the internet if they pose a risk to other machines.


Very similar to the way that public health risks are treated, the proposal implies that putting infected PCs into a temporary quarantine would prevent the spread of any virus and allow time for it to be cleaned.


The idea is designed to tackle botnets, which are networks of infected computers. They are very popular with cybercriminals. Networks can consist of a few hundred to a few thousand Windows machines. However, some can contain millions of PCs.


Computers are recruited into a network when they become infected with a virus. Usually they are distributed by criminals as attachments in e-mail messages, and occasionally as software downloads masquerading as legitimate programs.


Whilst the suggestion does put an end to their concerns, it raises further problems, claims Scott Charney of the firm's trustworthy computing team, for example;


"An individual might be using his or her internet device to contact emergency services and, if emergency services were unavailable due to lack of a health inspection or certificate, social acceptance for such a protocol might rightly wane.”


There are other models being discussed around the world, such as throttling internet access once a user is suspected of having an infection, but they too are not without controversy. Watch this space.

Password Security Scare

A team led by Richard Boyd from the Georgia Tech Research Institute has suggested that the growing use of graphics cards as surrogate supercomputers could spell trouble for users of short passwords.

Graphics Cards now have similar number crunching abilities to the multi-million dollar supercomputers built about a decade ago, said Mr Boyd.


The parallel processing systems inside graphics cards are very good at carrying out so-called "brute force" attacks that effectively try every possible combination of letters and numbers until the right one is found.


This means that a password of seven characters or less could soon be "hopelessly inadequate". The researchers suggest passwords should be at least 12 characters long to be safe. Ultimately users will need to rely on whole sentences that are a mix of numbers and letters to ensure no-one else can guess their passwords.

StreetView: The American Conspiracy Theory

Street View is at it again, as the popular Google project is now being accused of collecting personal information of members of Congress, including some involved in national security issues.



The accusation was made by leading advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog. They want Congress to hold hearings into what data Google's Street View actually possesses. They go further in launching a Conspiracy Theory about Google’s intentions:

"We think the Google Wi-Spy effort is one of the biggest wire tapping scandals in US history," John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog

Google has admitted that the problems started in 2006 and that it may have mistakenly collected information, transmitted over unsecured wireless networks, as its cars filmed locations for mapping purposes. However the issue only came to light when German authorities asked to audit the data.


Some of the material that could be captured includes parts of an email, text, photograph, or even the website someone might be viewing.

Google Street View in the hot seat again

Google’s highly contentious “street view” is under scrutiny again, this time in Australia as police have been ordered to investigate Google for possible breach of privacy.

The accusation is that Google has gathered personal data from some unencrypted wi-fi services. An accusation that Google has admitted and apologised for, but as a result of public complaints Attorney General Robert McClelland has asked the police to probe the internet giant.

Australian law prohibits people from accessing electronic communications for unauthorised purposes. As such the recommendation from the Attorney General is that the police should investigate possible criminal breaches of the telecommunications privacy laws.

Google have been quite outspoken in recent times about Australia’s plans from internet filtering. They claim that plans to block illegal internet material will slow user speeds and inadvertently block legitimate content.

Google has said that it will co-operate with a police investigation.