Hacked data on millions of US gov't workers is bad news, "Data was NOT encrypted" - this is very very bad

Encryption  - One of the important layer for Security - Why are people still not doing it.

From the Article:

Cox wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided to IDG News Service. "Worst, we believe that Social Security numbers were not encrypted, a cybersecurity failure that is absolutely indefensible and outrageous."

More information:

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2935132/cybercrime-hacking/hacked-data-on-millions-of-us-govt-workers-was-unencrypted.html

Crowti - Is it a new Opensource software? - Nope - just Cryptowall 3.0

Looks like the Ransomware team has released a new version.

From the Article:

Version 3.0 is the latest iteration of Cryptowall, which is also known as Crowti. Like other ransomware families, Cryptowall 3.0 encrypts files stored on a compromised computer and demands a ransom, usually $500 payable in Bitcoin, in exchange for the encryption key. The malware uses numerous channels to communicate and send stolen traffic to its keepers, including I2P and Tor anonymity networks.

The spam campaign uses Yahoo email addresses to send Cryptowall 3.0 via attachments. The attachments are called my_resume.zip and contain an HTML file called my_resume.svg. Duncan said the attackers have begun appending numbers to the file names, such as resume4210.html or resume9647.html.

“Opening the attachment and extracting the malicious file gives you an HTML document. If you open one of these HTML files, your browser will generate traffic to a compromised server,” Duncan wrote. “The return traffic is gzip compressed, so you won’t see it in the TCP stream from Wireshark

Cryptowall is hosted on a number of different docs.google.com URLs

For More Details:

https://threatpost.com/cryptowall-3-0-infections-spike-from-angler-ek-malicious-spam-campaigns/113272

Finally - Microsoft adds HSTS support for IE in Windows 7 and 8.1

Better late than never.
This feature was made available in other browsers a few years back.


From the article:

Short for HTTP Strict Transport Security, HSTS is a browser header that forces any sessions sent over HTTP to be sent instead over HTTPS based on a preloaded list of sites supporting the protocol. HSTS encrypts communication to and from a website, and puts a dent in attempts to man-in-the-middle web sessions. According to OWASP, HSTS also stops attackers who use invalid digital certificates. The protocol denies users the ability to override invalid certificate messages. HSTS also protects users from HTTPS websites that also may include HTTP links or serve content unencrypted.

The addition of HSTS was included in a cumulative update for Internet Explorer released yesterday. 


Click below for more info:
https://threatpost.com/microsoft-brings-hsts-to-windows-7-and-8-1/113258

BrainPrint - Sounds like a new Silicon Valley startup? . No, it is a new kind of Biometrics.(research)

So, does this mean, dump people's Brainprints can be easily stolen (jk)

From the article

You might not need to remember those complicated e-mail and bank account passwords for much longer. According to a new study, the way your brain responds to certain words could be used to replace passwords

For further reading:

https://machineslikeus.com/news/brains-reaction-certain-words-could-replace-passwords

How did I miss this - Nmap 6 has been released

Being a big fan of Nmap, I am not sure how I missed this .


If you are Nmapper then check the link below


http://nmap.org/6/

Watch Out Skype Users - Think Before you click

Well  - I guess we should always think before we click on any link


From the article:

There are nefarious links being spread around through Skype, and if you click them you will be presented with a lot of adware.

The attacker was trying to call with a username that also contains a link to a domain, www.viewror[d]com. Once clicked, a voice directs the user to click the download link and install a "proprietary" video player in order to play the video.

The researchers contacted Microsoft as well as Amazon, which was hosting some of the domains where the attacks and spam were coming from.

Together, the two companies are disrupting this scheme by nuking the Skype accounts involved and going after the IP addresses used.

Click below for more details
http://betanews.com/2015/06/08/adware-spreading-through-skype-links/

If you own D-Links storage - you need to read this

From the Article

The affected devices include the D-Link DNS-320, 320L, 326, 327L, 320B, 345, 325, and 322L.

Researchers have identified dozens of vulnerabilities in several D-Link products, some of which allow attackers to bypass authentication requirements or upload arbitrary files to target devices

The Search-Lab researchers also found what they termed a backdoor on some of the D-Link devices. 

“So a new admin session was created without requiring username and password. After it, the attacker had to do only to set the Cookie to username=admin and full access to the device was obtained.”

For More Information check the link below

https://threatpost.com/slew-of-vulnerabilities-foud-in-d-link-storage-devices/113091