IT Support Archives - Page 3 of 5

Jan202020 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Recommends Disconnecting Vulnerable Citrix Devices from the Internet

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Recommends Disconnecting Vulnerable Citrix Devices from the Internet The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security has issued a security alert, advising Canadian organizations to disconnect their Citrix devices from the internet to prevent cyber-attacks. According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, ongoing exploitation of the security vulnerability in Citrix devices officially designated as CVE-2019-19781 has been observed within Canada. The security vulnerability in Citrix devices allows an attacker to gain direct access to an organization’s local network from the internet. In exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker doesn’t need access to any accounts. As such, exploitation can be performed by any attacker. Citrix, for its part, said that CVE-2019-19781, if exploited, could allow an unauthenticated attacker to perform arbitrary code execution. This vulnerability is rated Critical,…

Jan132020 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Travelex Ransomware Attack: Another Hard Lesson on Skimping Patching

Information Security, IT Support

Travelex Ransomware Attack: Another Hard Lesson on Skimping Patching The recent ransomware attack on Travelex, considered as the world's biggest foreign currency exchange company, highlights the importance of applying security patches in a timely manner. Travelex disclosed that on New Year’s Eve it’s corporate network was hit by the ransomware called “Sodinokibi”, also known as REvil ransomware. In a ransomware attack, legitimate users are prevented in accessing their computers or their data. The company said it immediately took all its systems offline to prevent the spread of REvil ransomware across the company’s network, forcing the company’s staff to resort to using pen and paper. The company’s ransomware attack disclosure came seven days after the attack. The group behind the REvil ransomware told the BBC that it gained access to Travelex’…

Nov252019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Macy’s Website Hit by E-Skimming Attack

IT Support, News

Macy's Website Hit by E-Skimming Attack Macy's recently disclosed that its official website was the victim of an e-skimming attack resulting in unauthorized access to the personal information of its customers. Macy’s, in its data breach notice, said that on October 15, 2019, it became aware of a suspicious connection between macys[dot]com and another website. Further investigation of this suspicious connection revealed that a malicious actor added malicious code into two web pages of the company’s website: (1) the checkout page where credit card data is entered and where “order” button is located; and (2) the wallet page which can be accessed through the customer’s “My Account”. Macy's said the malicious code injected into the two web pages of the company’s website allowed the malicious actor to steal information submitted…

Nov52019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Vulnerability Patch Management: Cost of Doing Nothing

Information Security, IT Support

Vulnerability Patch Management: Cost of Doing Nothing The failure of organizations to apply an available patch to fix a known software vulnerability, simply put: doing nothing, proves to be costly as new research shows that 60% of breaches in 2019 involved unpatched software vulnerabilities. The new research “Costs and Consequences of Gaps in Vulnerability Response” conducted by Ponemon Institute for ServiceNow showed that 60% of breaches in 2019 could have been prevented by more timely patching. What Is a Patch? A patch is a piece of code inserted into a computer program or software. Patches are typically inserted into existing software to improve the functionalities. Patches are also inserted into existing software to fix known security vulnerabilities. According to Ponemon Institute, it takes an average 43 days to see a…

Sep232019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Buffer Flaws & Cross-Site Scripting Named Most Dangerous Software Errors

Information Security, IT Support

Buffer Flaws & Cross-Site Scripting Named Most Dangerous Software Errors MITRE recently published the 2019 Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors, naming buffer flaws and cross-site scripting as the top software errors which according to the organization could lead to serious vulnerabilities in software. MITRE based its CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errorson Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE)and National Vulnerability Database (NVD)data. MITRE is the organization that started the CVE list. Publicly disclosed software security vulnerabilities are given a corresponding CVE identification number for future reference. NVD, which is managed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), obtains data from CVE such that any updates to CVE appear immediately on the NVD. The NVD supplements CVE data with additional analysis and data…

Sep162019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

What Is Malware & How to Prevent or Mitigate Its Effects

Information Security, IT Support

What Is Malware & How to Prevent or Mitigate Its Effects In today’s interconnected world, malware, short for malicious software, is wreaking havoc, affecting not just large organizations but also medium and small-sized organizations. What Is a Malware? Malware, which stands for malicious software, is a code – set of instructions which are executed by a computer – that’s designed to facilitate malicious activities such as gaining unauthorized access to a network, stealing data or damaging systems operation. A malware typically goes through the following process: First, the computer user authorizes, such as by clicking a malicious link or malicious attachment in an email, and/or is using a vulnerable software that allows the downloading and installation of the malicious code. Second, once a computer is infected with malware, the malware…

Aug172019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Time to Patch: New Wormable Vulnerabilities Found in Modern Versions of Windows

Information Security, IT Support

Time to Patch: New Wormable Vulnerabilities Found in Modern Versions of Windows Microsoft is advising Windows users, including users of modern versions of Windows, to apply the recently released security update as this latest update fixes 2 wormable vulnerabilities. What Is Wormable Vulnerability? Wormable vulnerability refers to a security vulnerability in which future malicious software (malware) that exploits this vulnerability could spread from vulnerable computer to vulnerable computer without user interaction, specifically replicating itself in order to spread to other computers. CVE-2019-1181 and CVE-2019-1182are the 2 wormable vulnerabilities that Microsoft fixed in its latest update. Both security vulnerabilities CVE-2019-1181 and CVE-2019-1182 allow an attacker to send a specially crafted request to the target Windows systems via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) – a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, allowing a user to connect…

Jul262019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Time to Patch: BlueKeep Exploit Is Now Up For Sale

Information Security, IT Support

Time to Patch: BlueKeep Exploit Is Now Up For Sale A U.S. company has recently made available, for a fee, a BlueKeep Exploit, that takes advantage of a security vulnerability in the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) service included in older versions of the Windows operating system. While the commercial availability of this BlueKeep exploit gives legitimate cybersecurity professionals a tool to detect exposed RDP-enabled systems, it also gives malicious actors an opportunity to pirate or legitimately buy this tool for malicious activities. What Is BlueKeep? BlueKeep, officially known as CVE-2019-0708, is a vulnerability in the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) service included in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows 2003 and Windows XP. Remote Desktop Protocol, commonly referred to as RDP, is a proprietary protocol developed by…

Jul212019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Warns the Public Against Fileless Malware

Information Security, IT Support

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Warns the Public Against Fileless Malware The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recently released an advisory warning the public of the growing fileless malware campaigns affecting Microsoft Windows users. What Is Fileless Malware? A fileless malware is a malicious software that was first observed in the wild in the early 2000s. According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, fileless malware “remains popular method of attack by cyber adversaries”. The Cyber Centre said fileless malware is a popular method of attack by malicious actors because of its “low observable characteristics”. Ordinary anti-virus or anti-malware solutions have difficulty detecting fileless malware as this type of malware takes advantage of legitimate software programs to cover-up its malicious activity. It’s also hard for ordinary anti-virus or anti-malware solutions…

Jun212019 by genxwordadminNo Comments

New York-based Debt Collector Company Files for Bankruptcy Due to Data Breach

Information Security, IT Support

New York-Based Debt Collector Company Files for Bankruptcy Due to Data Breach Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau, Inc., a New York-based company that collects debt on behalf of third parties under the name American Medical Collection Agency, has filed for bankruptcy, citing large-scale data breach as the main cause of the bankruptcy. Russell Fuchs, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau, Inc., filed last June 17 a bankruptcy petitionbefore the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Fuchs, who has a total of 40 years of experience working at the company, said that the large-scale data breach that the company had been exposed to and the avalanche of events thereafter resulted in a “severe drop-off” of the company’s business, which ultimately led the company to seek relief…