Did you know that identity theft is the second most reported fraud in the US?
In 2015, the number of reports jumped by 47%!
In the U.S. alone, the average annual number of identity fraud victims is around 12 million, with a total financial loss of $26,350,000,000.
Our latest article covers every step that you can take in order to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft.
It’s the kind of threat where it’s better to invest in proactive security measures. Once the damage is done, it may take years to clear your name.
Find out how to prevent identity theft with 20 essential steps.
Now off to the cyber security news of this past week:
Security articles of the week
1. 4 stolen health databases are for sale on the dark web
A cyber attacker takes credit for theft of data on nearly 10 million individuals. They are currently for sale on the dark web, for prices ranging from $96,000 to $490,000 in Bitcoins for each database.
2. Pandora tells users to reset passwords
In the light of the data breaches, music streaming service Pandora advises some of its users to change their passwords.
Not all of them, just users that might have been compromised because of the recent mega-data breaches and reused their passwords on more websites.
3. Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s Quora account was hacked
Cyber attackers breached Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s Quora account and cross-posted to his Twitter profile.
Oculus CEO’s Twitter account also was hacked and the cyber attacker declared himself the new CEO.
4. DDoS attack powered by 25,000 CCTV cameras
Security researchers exposed a new DDoS attack. It was launched against a small business and powered entirely by compromised CCTV units.
5. Zero-Day warning for Microsoft Office 365
Zero-day warning of a ransomware that targets Microsoft Office 365 users.
6. Researcher spots ATM skimmer while on vacation
During his vacation in Vienna, cyber security expert Benjamin Tedesco spotted this ATM skimmer.
7. Live streaming services are the newest front in the war against piracy
“It’s never been easier for Pixar fans to find their favorite animated fish for free. “Finding Dory,” the sequel to 2003’s “Nemo” came out on June 17, and is already quite easy to find (illegally). Alongside the reliable online indexes for pirated videos, like the torrent mega library Pirate Bay and streaming site Solar, live-streaming newcomers like Facebook Live, Periscope, and Meerkat have become another front in the war against piracy.”
8. Stop sharing this Facebook hoax
In case you spotted this Privacy and Permission Notice shared by your Facebook friends, you should know it’s a hoax. Don’t share it and let others know.
9. The threatening evolution of Exploit Kits
A great analysis by the Infosec Institute on one of the most important issues in cyber security today: exploit kits.
10. Guccifer 2.0 FAQ
Hacker Guccifer 2.0 just published an FAQ.
Conclusion
Summer’s here, but that doesn’t mean that cyber criminals went on vacation.
And in this past week we had a little bit of everything: a few data breaches, some hacked accounts, zero-day vulnerabilities, piracy issues, hoaxes, plenty of ransomware attacks and many others cyber threats.
Stick to the basic security steps:
1. Good password habits. That means strong and unique ones. Use password managers and activate two-factor authentication wherever you have the option.
2. Keep your software up to date – from browsers to plug-ins and any kinds of apps. It will help you evade lots of automated cyber attacks this way.
3. Be paranoid. Investigate links before you click on them. Watch out where you share your credentials. Put tape on your laptop.
4. Install as many security layers as possible (here’s how).
5. In case everything else fails, make sure you have a back-up you can count on. Or even two backups.
Keep safe!
