In 2008, a surprising practical application of electronic currency came into use. This week, we look at what is now known as the Bitcoin; how it works and what it might mean to online economic development. The Internet has grown, and commercialization has brought in worldwide participation. An open exchange of ideas and business models [...]
Back in January of 2016, the food chain Wendy's made the news for a Point of Sale (PoS) data breach. As the details have slowly emerged, it has revealed several good and bad points about the way American retailer payments systems are changing. Not surprising to many, the US has the oldest and most [...]
As more folks talk about “the dark web” and questions build, it may be helpful to return to a basic explanation of what makes the dark web, also known as deep web, work: the Onion Router. RELATED: What is the Deep Web? Known by many as simply TOR, this anonymous network has allowed secret [...]
This post we look deeper into the poorly understood world called the Deep Web. We'll take a look at how large this hidden realm might be and the types of activities that take place far below the surface world of Google and Facebook. Oddly enough, we seem to be surrounded by references to the [...]
In a previous post, we covered Phishing and Spear Phishing. Another trend to be watchful for is a variation of these over mobile platforms. The concepts of "Smishing" and "Vishing" are targeted at mobile electronic devices and work in the same manner as phishing tactics. Smishing is an attempt to trick a victim into [...]
In part 2 of our look at Phishing, we focus on a targeted form that often effects senior leadership in an organization: Spear Phishing. Spear phishing is the targeted effort to trick a small group of employees into letting hackers gain access. Spear phishing efforts often involve one of the familiar tactics of tricking [...]
The term "phishing" can be traced back to the 1970's, when a group of hackers known as "phreaks" would experiment with ways to get in and out of network systems. The earliest phreakers began with telephone systems and mimicked tones to get unauthorized calls to connect. Once they could trick the system into letting [...]
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in France on 13 November, 2015, much attention has been given to how terrorist networks communicate securely over Internet connections. This online activity has led many to look deeper at online behavior. Likewise, illegal activity has led many to look deeper vulnerable networks of industrial systems. In [...]
This post, we take a look at Botnets: what they are, how they work, and how they are shaping the foundations for future software security efforts. A botnet is a collaboration of many computers working together to accomplish a task. On the face, this seems harmless enough. When one considers that most botnets are [...]
The Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) in Los Angeles, California was affected by a malware attack on 05 February. What followed was a series of misquoted ransom demands, conflicting response messages, and jumbled reports of the sequence of events. By 15 February, the hospital reported that they had restored services and were back in [...]
