Xtra Reporters

Think of your router as the post office for the internet. Most of us would be bereft without Wi-Fi but give a little thought to the technology that beams us the internet. The device we pay so little attention to is called a router. Its main role is to connect networks and send and receive data from an internet provider. But many routers aren’t particularly secure. The importance of understanding how routers work and how to protect them from malicious attacks was highlighted by WikiLeaks’s recent revelations about the existence of an alleged CIA hacking tool, code named “CherryBlossom”. This tool can apparently hack routers, allowing the perpetrator to monitor traffic and perform software exploits on victims. The average person is unlikely to be targeted by this level of attack. But if you’re going to have a router at home, it’s important to understand exactly how it works. How does a router work? A router is like a post office for the internet: it acts as a dispatcher, choosing the fas...

The attack had the hallmarks of something researchers had dreaded for years: malicious software using artificial intelligence that could lead to a new digital arms race in which A.I.-driven defenses battled A.I.-driven offenses while humans watched from the sidelines. But what was not as widely predicted was that one of the earliest instances of that sort of malware was found in India, not in a sophisticated British banking system or a government network in the United States. Security researchers are increasingly looking in countries outside the West to discover the newest, most creative and potentially most dangerous types of cyberattacks being deployed. As developing economies rush to go online, they provide a fertile testing ground for hackers trying their skills in an environment where they can evade detection before deploying them against a company or state that has more advanced defenses. The cyberattack in India used malware that could learn as it was spreading, and altered its ...

The art of war has dramatically changed over the last hundred years with the invention of the airplane and the atom bomb.  The next evolution could involve the Internet, computer security experts, and cyber warfare. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta declared once said “we are now in a world in which cyber warfare is very real. It could threaten our grid system.  It could threaten our financial system…it could paralyze this country, and I think that's an area we have to pay a lot more attention to.” Cyber warfare attacks are becoming increasingly popular and these attacks can and have caused significant damage to both countries and companies by stealing massive amounts of classified data and crippling economies. This report focuses on what cyber warfare is, how it can affect the wars of tomorrow, and which nations are at the forefront of developing cyber war offensive and defensive strategies. KEY FINDINGS  ·      There is a growing concern over cyber warfare...

What is Cyberterrorism? Cyberterrorism is any "premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which results in violence against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents." - U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. What is Cybersecurity? Cybersecurity is the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access. Combating Cyberterrorism with Cyber Security I’m going to take the viewpoint of a business and work in suggestions to develop your own personal cyber security plan. The 3-Pronged Approach to Cyber Security Dealing with cyber terrorists and cyberterrorism takes a thoroughly thought-out and developed plan, and the willingness to take immediate action, preferably before a terrorist event takes place. The following is a simplistic approach to cyber security: Do whatever it takes to protect the in...

Government agencies, law enforcement, hospitals and other businesses are coping with a crippling "hacktavist" locking up computers and holding files hostage demanding ransom $300 in Bitcoin -- or about $750,000. The hackers have wreaked havoc in Ukraine, Russia, Australia, London, and many african countries. It raises the question of, "is your business next?" and how can you protect yourself from a cyber attack of this scale or on any level? They're always happening whether or not we know they're happening. There's always a lot of pre-planning that goes into things. Protecting yourself from becoming a victim is as simple as planning ahead. It might be fun to see that your refrigerator can text you but if you don't have to have one more device that's on your WiFi that you don't protect or secure or update, its a good idea not to be an early adopter of some of those things. If you have to have the latest and greatest new devices, you should con...

Ransomware is a kind of cyber attack that involves hackers taking control of a computer or mobile device and demanding payment. The attackers download malicious software onto a device and then use it to encrypt the victim's information. They threaten to block access to the files until a ransom is paid. It is common for criminals to ask for a fee between 0.3 and 1 Bitcoins (£400 - 1,375).  Such attacks are mostly waged against businesses, but can also affect individuals.  Here are some ways to protect yourself from ransomware.  Back up your files   The greatest damage people suffer from a ransomware attack is the loss of files, including pictures and documents.  The best protection against ransomware is to back up all of the information and files on your devices in a completely separate system. A good place to do this is on an external hard drive that isn't connected to the internet. This means that if you suffer an attack you won't lose any information to the ha...

Early May, 2017, 10 new episodes of the popular Netflix Original show “Orange is the New Black” were leaked as a result of an attack on the streaming service’s post production company, Larson Studios. This breach and act of extortion further exposed a critical chink in enterprise cybersecurity that will continue to be a cause of similar detrimental cyber breaches if appropriate measures are not taken to defend against them. Although investors are rallying behind Netflix at the moment, a breakdown in cyber risk management and oversight could be devastating to its market cap in the future. It’s high-time enterprises large and small acknowledged the massive risk cyber poses to their businesses through direct and in-direct channels. Netflix likely has some of the most advanced cybersecurity defenses in the corporate world, as it is expected to protect the original content that drives its revenue model and relies on big releases to support customer interest and returns. However, vulnerabili...