*This blog is originally from August 2018 and was updated April 2019* From connected baby monitors to smart speakers — IoT devices are becoming commonplace in modern homes. Their convenience and ease of use make them seem like the perfect gadgets for the whole family. However, users can be prone to putting basic security hygiene on the backburner when they get a shiny new IoT toy, such as applying security updates, using complex passwords for home networks and devices, and isolating critical devices or networks from IoT. Additionally, IoT devices’ poor security standards make them convenientl ..read more

*This blog is originally from August 2018 and was updated April 2019* From connected baby monitors to smart speakers — IoT devices are becoming commonplace in modern homes. Their convenience and ease of use make them seem like the perfect gadgets for the whole family. However, users can be prone to putting basic security hygiene on the backburner when they get a shiny new IoT toy, such as applying security updates, using complex passwords for home networks and devices, and isolating critical devices or networks from IoT. Additionally, IoT devices’ poor security standards make them convenientl ..read more

*This blog is originally from August 2018 and was updated April 2019* From connected baby monitors to smart speakers — IoT devices are becoming commonplace in modern homes. Their convenience and ease of use make them seem like the perfect gadgets for the whole family. However, users can be prone to putting basic security hygiene on the backburner when they get a shiny new IoT toy, such as applying security updates, using complex passwords for home networks and devices, and isolating critical devices or networks from IoT. Additionally, IoT devices’ poor security standards make them convenientl ..read more

*This blog is originally from August 2018 and was updated April 2019* From connected baby monitors to smart speakers — IoT devices are becoming commonplace in modern homes. Their convenience and ease of use make them seem like the perfect gadgets for the whole family. However, users can be prone to putting basic security hygiene on the backburner when they get a shiny new IoT toy, such as applying security updates, using complex passwords for home networks and devices, and isolating critical devices or networks from IoT. Additionally, IoT devices’ poor security standards make them convenientl ..read more

In collaboration with Northwave As we highlighted previously across two blogs, targeted ransomware attacks have increased massively over the past months. In our first article, we discussed the growing pattern of targeted ransomware attacks where the primary infection stage is often an info-stealer kind of malware used to gain credentials/access to determine if the target would be valuable for a ransomware attack. In the second part, we described the reconnaissance phase of an attacker that controls an infected host or a valid account to access a remote service. Many of them are usin ..read more

Although the use of global events as a vehicle to drive digital crime is hardly surprising, the current outbreak of COVID-19 has revealed a multitude of vectors, including one in particular that is somewhat out of the ordinary. In a sea of offers for face masks, a recent posting on a dark web forum reveals the sale of blood from an individual claiming to have recovered from Coronavirus. What are we doing? Putting our customers at the core is what McAfee does. Daily updates are provided to products across the McAfee portfolio, with vetted information to secure your valuable assets in company o ..read more

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Maze ransomware, previously known in the community as “ChaCha ransomware”, was discovered on May the 29th 2019 by Jerome Segura[1]. The main goal of the ransomware is to crypt all files that it can in an infected system and then demand a ransom to recover the files. However, the most important characteristic of Maze is the threat that the malware authors give to the victims that, if they do not pay, they will release the information on the Internet[2]. This threat has not been an idle one as the files of one company were indeed released on the Internet. Even though the c ..read more

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Maze ransomware, previously known in the community as “ChaCha ransomware”, was discovered on May the 29th 2019 by Jerome Segura[1]. The main goal of the ransomware is to crypt all files that it can in an infected system and then demand a ransom to recover the files. However, the most important characteristic of Maze is the threat that the malware authors give to the victims that, if they do not pay, they will release the information on the Internet[2]. This threat has not been an idle one as the files of one company were indeed released on the Internet. Even though the ..read more

This week McAfee Advanced Threat Research (ATR) published new findings, uncovering security flaws in two popular IoT devices: a connected garage door opener and a “smart” ring, which, amongst many uses, utilizes near field communication (NFC) to open door locks. I’d like to use these cases as examples of a growing concern in the area of product security. The industry of consumer devices has seen some positive momentum for security in recent years. For example, just a few years back, nearly every consumer-grade router shipped with a default username and password, which, if left unchanged, repr ..read more

With 2019’s headlines of ransomware, malware, and RDP attacks almost behind us, we shift our focus to the cybercrime threats ahead. Cybercriminals are increasing the complexity and volume of their attacks and campaigns, always looking for ways to stay one step ahead of cybersecurity practices – and more often using the world’s evolving technology against us. Continuing advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning have led to invaluable technological gains, but threat actors are also learning to leverage AI and ML in increasingly sinister ways. AI technology has extended the ca ..read more