Patrick Domingues

The FBI has a warning for companies in the food and agriculture industries: Hackers are using the tactic known as credential stuffing to hijack your online accounts and drain your cash. The FBI’s Cyber Division recently sent a Private Industry Notification to businesses in these sectors, warning them that hackers have been targeting accounts at grocery stores, restaurants, and food-delivery services.

In the agency’s report, it said that cybercriminals are using stolen passwords at one company to log into another company’s account. They do this hoping that customers had used the same password for both accounts. Cybercriminals usually use automated tools and proxy botnets to attack multiple companies, including grocery and food delivery services.

The FBI warned that companies can be unaware of account compromises until customers complain that their accounts have been compromised. For example, a customer might notice suspicious activities on their accounts such as food orders for … Read the rest

Passwords represent one of the most important and most misused forms of security. I say these passwords are misused because even in a world where everyone is concerned about cyber security and getting hacked, people still create weak, easy-to-crack passwords. Below are some common concepts to consider when creating passwords.

Password Length

The longer a password is, the harder it is to crack. Many security professionals recommend 16 unrepeated characters.

Symbols Numbers, and Letters

While it’s true that complex passwords are difficult to guess, they’re also difficult to remember. Avoid complicating your passwords with random characters unless required. 

Password Managers

A password manager can generate, save, and sync passwords across multiple devices. It’s a handy application that removes the hassle of having to remember all of your login credentials, and prevents bad habits like writing passwords down a or storing them in unsecure documents. 

Changing Passwords

While tedious, it’s smart

Data privacy refers to the handling of personal data. When it comes to their personal information, people have very specific rights. We need customer and employee personal data to run our business successfully. We are trusted to look after this essential information. Mishandled data can have serious repercussions for us, our colleagues and our customers. Each and every employee has a responsibility to understand how to handle and protect personal data.

The Privacy Principles

We have no idea who is tracking us out there on the internet and there is no shame in saying it, we have become complacent when it comes to sharing our content in all this online technology. But you should also know that technology and cyber criminals go hand in hand as they too will get smarter with their tracking abilities and this could potentially put you and your identity at risk. 

The spies of the future!

Have you ever noticed that if you happen to have searched a particular topic online, you start seeing adverts on this topic more frequently as you browse? This is no coincidence, whether you like it or not, your internet activities are being monitored every time you are online. When you are online, advertisers and various programs can track you by using your browser activities.

What information do they collect?

Listen, I know it’s hard out there and there are so many ways to make money that seem legit and we all want an opportunity to make quick money but if you don’t know the signs of a money mule scam you will be taken for a ride. When cybercriminals earn money via illegal means, they need a way of ‘washing’ the money to make it seem legitimate and get it back into mainstream circulation. To do this, they recruit money mules.

The mule is a person who transfers illegally obtained money between different payment accounts, very often in different countries, and earning commission for doing it.

Cybercriminals use online advertising to recruit victims via:

• Social Media
• Emails
• Get rich quick schemes

They even create fake websites that look like legitimate websites to make the job seem like it is coming from an established organization.

Keep an eye out for

Having a proper cyber security posture is up to all of us. All information created in the company is subject to the behavior of every collaborator. Use complex passwords and don’t share them with anyone. Note the sender’s and recipient’s domains when exchanging messages. When dealing with suppliers, have the confidentiality terms in mind.

THE HIGHER THE JOB POSITION, THE WORSE THE LOSSES CAUSED BY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE

Managers and leaders must be an example! Decision-making roles are always on the attackers’ radar. Decision makers exchange a lot of confidential information that, if leaked, can cause great loss to the company’s reputation and finances. Use complex passwords and enable two-step verification to create barriers against the attackers.

IF YOU FIND ANYONE NOT COMPLYING WITH SECURITY PRACTICES, DEMAND PROPER BEHAVIOR

Information leaks affect the daily life of all collaborators. If you find unlocked computers, passwords on Post-it Notes, and information about … Read the rest

Mobile Attacks statistics show that more than 60% of fraud originates from mobile devices.

Much of the world has gone mobile, and so have mobile attacks. Of the world’s cyberattacks, around 60% are initiated on mobile devices. About 80% of attacks against mobile devices take place via apps. Apps give hackers access to your device under the hood, so they can easily access your mobile banking app and initiate multiple levels of cybercrime. 

Here are a few ways to block mobile attacks.

Wifi	• Don’t allow your device to auto-join random unknown public networks. • Try to turn off the WiFi when you aren’t using it. • Never send sensitive information over unknown WiFi connections unless you’re absolutely sure it’s a secure network.
Bluetooth	• Make sure you have automatic Bluetooth pairing disabled. • Always turn Bluetooth off when you don’t need it.
Apps	• Only use apps available