What Risk We are Posing! Everyone Can Become a Target of the Latest Cyber Security Threats
According to a report by the Washington Post,
hackers may soon be setting up a plan to unfold in 2013 that will
target 30 different U.S. banking institutions. McAfee Labs, who has
compiled a new cyber security report, says that banks should be on the
lookout for software that creates false online transactions or targets
transfers tied to large dollar amounts.
Sources
say that these threats can all be tied back to “Project Blitzkrieg”,
which is a program that has been around since 2008. Within the past four
years, it has already stolen $5 million and plans to continue for as
long as possible. During the past few months, between 300 and 500
victims located within the U.S. have fallen victim to Project
Blitzkrieg’s schemes. By the spring of 2013, McAfee says that things
could get even worse for U.S. banks and their customers.
Experts
note that this scheme may be tied to reports from back in October by
security company RSA that mentioned how a hacker out of Russia named
“vorVzakone” has been openly discussing his plan to recruit a team to
plan the largest Trojan attack tied to banking. McAfee warns that these
threats should be taken extremely seriously as the beginning of 2013 is
soon to unfold. The software can become extremely dangerous to those
doing their banking online because it can replicate transactions and
even delete e-mail notifications about certain transfers.
While
U.S. banks will no doubt be increasing their security protocols to
protect themselves from any unnecessary attacks, most already know that
they are continually being cited as targets from hacking groups around
the globe. Back in September, both JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America
saw their sites crash because of DDoS attacks.
Samsung Smart TV Dangers
The Register has
recently reported that Samsung’s newest Smart TV is completely open and
vulnerable to hacking because it gives hackers the ability to steal
data very quickly. According to security company ReVuln, this
vulnerability most notably affects consumers who own and use their
Samsung 3D TVs for internet purposes.
Those who use their Smart TVs can rent movies, browse the web for a cheap line rental,
go on Facebook, and more. ReVuln claims that they have found an exploit
which allows hackers to see everything the user is doing while they are
using their TV, retrieve and access information like
web history, and hook up an external thumb drive to the TV to
conveniently steal all of this information for future use. While ReVuln
noticed this exploit while using a Samsung 3D TV, the true problem is
that it seems to affect all of the latest Samsung TVs with internet
capabilities, which includes many different makes and models.
As
these TVs continue to act more as larger PCs, it is only a matter of
time until we see even more security vulnerabilities tied to them in the
very near future.
Gas Station Bluetooth Skimming
News site KRCA out
of Sacramento notes that crooks are using Bluetooth devices in order to
steal credit card information from those who are paying for gas at the
pump. The biggest issue the cyber security experts noticed is that these
thieves do not even have to be near the gas station in order to steal
information.
Crooks
are using skimming devices that utilize Bluetooth and contain a variety
of common security keys that can be used to access gas pumps for
maintenance. They don’t simply pull out their device and begin swiping
information for oblivious consumers. Thieves will start by installing
skimmers on the pumps to collect information from those pumping gas and
then pick them back up. Detectives say that these types of devices are
impossible to detect.
According
to experts, thieves can be up to 100 yards away and continually collect
credit card information from unsuspecting users. Because of this, these
crooks are impossible to detect, and the problem may only grow larger
in the near future.
Troublesome QR Codes
QR codes seem to be everywhere these days. They’re typically on
everything from advertisements to products that we purchase on a daily
basis. In the Netherlands, hackers are posting QR codes in heavily
trafficked areas like airports and major streets. When these QR codes
are scanned in by a user’s smart phone, they are taken to a malicious
website that may attempt to phish information from the user or possibly
infect their smartphone with malware.
Disclaimer:- Before perfection, on behalf of Team VOGH, I would like to personally thank Eve Halton for sharing this magnificent article with our readers. Eve is a very much passionate Fleet Street, she has done her graduation in International Business and Journalism. She gained decent experience in writing articles on several fields like global politics, economics, sustainability issues, cyber security & many more.
