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February 22, 2022 by Vertical Axion
For most of the history of the internet Linux has been able to stay below the radar of hackers around the world. While there have been some attacks that specifically targeted Linux users, they’ve managed to keep a low enough profile that it hasn’t been a major issue. According to a group of researchers from […]
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February 21, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Researchers have spotted a new phishing campaign you should be aware of. What sets this one apart is that the hackers are using a lowly but specially crafted CSV file to infect machines. They are installing the BazarBackdoor malware. If you’re not familiar with the term CSV stands for “Comma Separated Values” and it’s a […]
February 18, 2022 by Vertical Axion
An increasing number of scammers are using social media to target victims and relying on social engineering tricks to convince people to part with their personal information or money. The problem has grown serious enough that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has issued a formal warning to consumers. According to a recently released FTC report: […]
February 16, 2022 by Vertical Axion
In late 2020 a new strain of malware called UpdateAgent appeared and began infecting Mac users. Initially the strain wasn’t all that worrisome. It stole system information but it was by no means the worst threat on a Mac user’s radar. Since that time, the hackers behind the malicious code have been busy. UpdateAgent has […]
February 15, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Back in September of 2020 Microsoft announced that it was experimenting with the addition of SMTP MTA Strict Transport Security (MTA-STS) support to Exchange Online. This was done in a bid to ensure the email communication and security of their Office 365 customers. In a recent statement by the company the Exchange Online Transport Team […]
February 11, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Hackers have recently hit upon a new money-making scheme. Some groups have started breaking into Instagram accounts belonging to people with high numbers of followers. They are then holding those accounts hostage until the owner agrees to pay the ransom. In some cases, the hackers are charging as much as $40,000 USD to return an […]
February 7, 2022 by Vertical Axion
There is a new phishing campaign to keep a watchful eye on according to email security firm INKY. It’s a particularly fiendish one. The attackers have designed an email template that does an admirable job of imitating the look and feel of emails sent from the US Department of Labor. These are being sent out […]
February 5, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Cisco recently discovered a critical security flaw in their Cisco Redundancy Configuration Manager (RCM) for Cisco StarOS. The vulnerability allowed an attacker to execute code arbitrarily and gain root-level access on any device suffering from the vulnerability which is being tracked as CVE-2022-20649. The good news is that Cisco responded with blistering speed and this […]
February 4, 2022 by Vertical Axion
The WP HTML Mail plugin has been installed on more than 20,000 websites. If you’ve built a WordPress site for your business and you use that plugin, be aware that you are at risk. A high severity security flaw was recently discovered in the plugin that could allow an attacker to perform a code injection […]
February 3, 2022 by Vertical Axion
When Apple first released iOS 15 they posted a promise on their website. That promise was: “If you’re using iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later, you might now see the option to choose between two software update versions. This option allows you to choose between updating to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS 15 […]
February 2, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Scammers delight in impersonating government agencies and well-known brands to lure email recipients into giving up their personal information. That information is then either exploited directly or sold to the highest bidder on the Dark Web. Have you ever wondered which agencies, companies or brands are the most imitated by these attackers? Whether you have […]
January 31, 2022 by Vertical Axion
There’s a new strain of malware called SysJoker to be mindful of. It’s especially dangerous because it can target Windows, Mac or Linux systems. That makes it an equal opportunity strain. Researchers at Intezer are credited with discovering the malware in the wild in December of 2021 during an investigation of an attack on a […]
January 29, 2022 by Vertical Axion
According to the latest Gartner’s statistics, a total of 339.8 million personal computers were shipped in 2021. That was up from 309.1 million in 2020 which amounts to about 10 percent growth in the market. The company noted that the fourth quarter of 2021 saw a 5 percent drop compared to last year, which may […]
January 28, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Chalk up another first for the hackers. For the first time that we know of, a successful hacking attack caused prisoners in New Mexico to be confined to their cells for a time. The Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County, New Mexico went into lockdown on January 5th of this year (2022) when hackers infiltrated […]
January 27, 2022 by Vertical Axion
For those that aren’t aware, PCI SIG is short for the PCI Special Interests Group. They have just announced the release of the latest PCI Express (PCIe) specification which is called PCIe 6.0. It has the entire industry abuzz. Standards aren’t usually all that exciting but, in this case, it’s a very big deal. That’s […]
January 25, 2022 by Vertical Axion
If you have an iPhone by now you’ve almost certainly heard of the security flaw in the HomeKit protocol which allows Apple users to discover and control a wide range of Smart Devices in their home from the HomeKit dashboard. The recently discovered security flaw dubbed “DoorLock” allows an attacker to essentially brick your phone […]
January 24, 2022 by Vertical Axion
You may find many people who would argue that the iconic Blackberry was ahead of its time. It was in many ways the godfather of the entire smartphone industry. When it was initially released it was an absolute game changer. Of course, time allowed other companies including tech giants Apple and Google to catch up […]
January 22, 2022 by Vertical Axion
A research team from Minerva Labs are working in conjunction with the MalwareHunterTeam. They have recently been tracking a Trojan called Purple Fox and have published a warning about it. The group behind the Trojan is now distributing their malicious code disguised as a Telegram installation file. If you’re not familiar with that name Telegram […]
January 21, 2022 by Vertical Axion
By now you’re almost certainly aware of the Log4j Java issue. It’s a serious and fixable flaw relating to java logging. Recently the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a chilling warning to anyone who hasn’t yet fixed the flaw and protected against the vulnerability. The FTC’s statement reads in part as follows: […]
January 19, 2022 by Vertical Axion
It’s the dawning of a new year and the hackers of the world have been busy. This time it’s US Cellular caught in the crosshairs. The company recently reported that their billing system was hacked and they sent breach notification letters to more than four hundred impacted individuals. US Cellular is the fourth largest carrier […]
January 18, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Thank Trevor Spiniolas’ sharp eyes if you own an iPhone. The independent security researcher recently discovered a critical security flaw in iOS that impacts all version from 14.7 to 15.2. If exploited, this flaw can turn your fancy phone into a very expensive paperweight, so it’s one to take seriously. Trevor discovered that by changing […]
January 17, 2022 by Vertical Axion
A new threat has appeared on the horizon. Even if the name is not familiar to you this malware strain is bad news indeed. Called RedLine it is an information-stealing malware that specifically targets popular web browsers including Opera, Microsoft’s Edge browser, and Chrome. Unfortunately, many people have come to rely on their trusty web […]
January 15, 2022 by Vertical Axion
Recently digital media giant Shutterfly was hit by a major ransomware attack. The attack disrupted broad swaths of the company’s services including those offered under their GrooveBook, BorrowLenses, and Lifetouch brands. According to a report received by BleepingComputer, Shutterfly was targeted by the Conti gang. That group was able to encrypt more than four thousand of […]
January 14, 2022 by Vertical Axion
The great thing about standards is that they provide a standard. A common framework that the manufacturers in any given industry can design around. That’s amazing when everything works the way it’s supposed to but sometimes the system goes haywire. Sometimes things just don’t work out as planned. Take the world of HDMI. The HDMI […]
