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Linux, Android Malware Recent Threats Linux computers and android devices are among the fastest growing targets of malware. Over the past few years, anecdotal evidence has suggested that security threats to Linux devices are on the rise. Last fall’s Mirai botnet attacks, which turned thousands of Linux devices into a zombie army used to attack infrastructure via Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), were particularly effective in waking up the Linux community. Now, we’re seeing quantitative statistics to support the Linux malware trend. On the heels of a WikiLeaks release detailing the CIA’s OutlawCountry and Gyrfalcon hacking tools aimed at Linux, both AV-Test and WatchGuard have released reports claiming that Linux computers are among the fastest growing targets of malware over the past year and a half.  You may like:  HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER FROM VIRUS 2017 According to AV-Test, MacOS computers saw the largest increase in malware targeting in 2016 with a 370 percent in...

Being scary of having direct access to your computer was enough to keep you safe in centuries back, but today its far beyond that. Having the right tools may not be enough to keep you safe from computer virus especially in this 2017 but in combination with doing the right thing will keep. Let’s take a look at eight additional ways you can protect yourself from viruses and malware: 1. Keep your software up to date Software makers like Microsoft and Oracle routinely update their software to fix bugs that could potentially be exploited by hackers. Oracle just released on Sunday an update to its Java software to fix a security hole hackers could have used to infect computers with malware. The software patch came after the Department of Homeland Security sent out an advisory late last week about the security flaw recommending computer users disable the Java plug-in in their Web browsers. 2. Don’t click on links within emails A good rule of thumb is if you don’t recognize a sender of an emai...

You can’t lock down all the things all the time, it’s the digital equivalent of hiding in a bunker. Build a personal protection plan that makes sense for you. Look in the Mirror Start your security assessment with what’s known as a threat-modeling exercise. Ask yourself what you want to protect and from whom, and estimate the likelihood that the specific parties would compromise your data. Plug the high-risk holes first. Everything else, you can sweat a little less. Master Your Passwords A good password manager generates, stores, and updates all your passwords with a button press. The actual passwords are encrypted and accessible solely by you, but the system is only as good as your master password. Use a key generated by the Diceware method, which randomly selects words to build a complex but easy-to-remember phrase. Ditch Touch ID It’s a neat way to quickly unlock your phone, but your fingerprint sensor is also one of the easier ways for someone to access your device. Think of it thi...

A latest report suggests that hackers try sending malicious mails to nuclear engineers for hacking in to their IT systems. There’s a lot of hustle in the world of computers these days as malware attacks have been on the rise and have caused mayhem on a global scale. WannaCry shook the world with its widespread infection capabilities as it was based on leaked NSA tools. The concerns regarding such malicious IT attacks have now escalated to another level as reports have claimed that hackers have been trying to infect nuclear plants in the US. A report from federal law enforcement officials has confirmed that hackers have been trying to breach networks of companies that operate nuclear power plants in the United States. The Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, with their plant in Kansas, was one of the companies claimed to have been a target of the malware attack according to a report by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The hackers tried the same old way of spreading ...

Kaspersky Lab researcher Vitaly Kamluk has released the source code of Bitscout, a compact and customizable tool designed for remote digital forensics operations. Bitscout, which is not an official Kaspersky product, initially started as a hobby project a few years ago, and it has been continually improved based on the requirements that arose in Kaspersky investigations involving digital forensics. Bitscout 2.0 – version 1.0 was never released to the public – enables forensic investigators to remotely analyze a system, while allowing the system’s owner to monitor the expert’s activities and ensure that their access is limited to the targeted disks. The tool can be useful to researchers, law enforcement cybercrime units, and educational institutions. The owner of the system on which forensic analysis will be conducted is provided an image file that they must burn onto a removable storage drive. The system is then booted from this drive and the investigator connects remotely to Bitscout ...

Android malware CopyCat  infected 14 million outdated devices The virus made millions by infecting millions of phones with fake apps to churn out fraudulent ad revenue. This CopyCat's got claws. A new strain of a malware called CopyCat has infected more than 14 million Android devices around the world, rooting phones and hijacking apps to make millions in fraudulent ad revenue, researchers at Check Point said Thursday. While the majority of victims are in Asia, more than 280,000 Android devices in the US were hit by the massive hack. Google had been tracking the malware for the last two years and has updated Play Protect to block CopyCat, but millions of victims are getting hit through third-party app downloads and phishing attacks. There was no evidence that CopyCat was distributed on Google Play, according to Check Point. "Play Protect secures users from the family, and any apps that may have been infected with CopyCat were not distributed via Play," Google said in a st...