Hello everyone,
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I know for many, today is a bank holiday. But at incognito, we don’t take holidays!! We are always here, watching, and researching, so you don’t have to. 🙂 Today, I want to cover a few things, ranging from ATM skimmers to Mac malware to Bengal tiger malware! Yes, it’s been quite the weekend in terms of cyber security.
As always, if you need advice about anything privacy or security-related, whether for an individual or a business, just let us know. Also, you can contact the privacy care team directly through the incognito application, you can also take a subscription option which will elevate your security. A subscription is unnecessary, as we will help you without it. Privacy is for everybody, not just for those who can afford it. At Incognito, we have your back. If you want to leave us a review, we will be very grateful. If you wanna spread the word about incognito, we would be very grateful. As I’ve said in the past, we are the world’s first anti-spyware and anti-surveillance technology for the average man in the street. We are the oldest and we are the best. Help us get back on top.
Anyway, let’s get started with ATM skimmers..
Modern scammers can modify ATMs in order to steal your card data and even your PIN. They have developed ways to install very thin electronic devices that look like they’re part of the machine and when you put your card in, it’s able to skim the data from your card and even capture your PIN.
When you’re using the ATM, always inspect the card reader and the keypad before starting a transaction. If anything looks out of place or suspicious, do not use that ATM. When you are entering your PIN always cover the keypad with your hand so that if a criminal does have a spy camera trained on the keypad they will not be able to see, as it will be covered by your hand.
You would be surprised, how many times people get robbed every day of the week through dodgy ATM readers put onto legitimate ATMs.
Canada Bans Tiktok
Nearly 2 years ago, I wrote about how TikTok it’s not what you think it is. You can read the article here, but in a nutshell, I talked about how TikTok is a military application, weaponised to get every bit of information they possibly can off your phone which they do, your whereabouts, how you go about your day, your access to other people etc. Essentially, we talked about how TikTok is an espionage tool developed by the Chinese government.
Now, it appears that the Canadian government are beginning to think along the same lines. The Canadian government has ordered that TikTok shut down its operations in the country after conducting a security review. At the moment, users will not be barred from accessing the application but, interestingly, the Canadian government don’t trust TikTok in terms of existing in their country. You can read the full article here
When it comes to social media…
Please be careful about the applications that you share information with. Most of the social media applications that exist today are just tools that are used to feed a massive intelligence machine. Edward Snowden once famously said that it’s not about whether there is a file on you somewhere, it’s just a question of how big is the file. Everything you say, everything you do, is recorded. There is a profile of everybody on the planet. We only talked last week about how advertisers can track your every move. Assume, that everything is being tracked.
Do not feed the beast, it might eat you one day 🙂
New Mac malware
Most people who own a Mac, assume that they are immune to malware and viruses as the consensus is that most malware and viruses target Windows devices. While this was true in the past, Mac malware and Mac viruses are big business.
Here is a great article, about how North Korean hackers are launching multistage malware attacks predominantly targeting cryptocurrency businesses. At the moment, they are breaking into Mac devices by sending malicious PDF attachments disguised as cryptocurrency news. If you open this document, and you have a vulnerable system, your device will be hacked into. Please, never open attachments from people who you don’t know. Never click on the link unless you are sure it is safe. You can send the attachment to us, and you can send the link to us, or you can use our built-in website checker.
New Windows malware
Here is an excellent write-up about a virus that attacks Windows computers using an infected Microsoft Excel file. The article takes you through the whole process, they explain how it works, they explain how they trick people into opening the attachments et cetera.
The article also shows you how this malware can be purchased on the dark web. You purchase it in the same way you purchase any software product. The criminals behind it, have full support teams who will help you break into somebody’s computer with the malware. It’s full software as a service offered by cybercriminals, to cybercriminals. You don’t even need to be technically literate. All you have to do is buy the hacking tool and the creators of it do all of the heavy lifting.
You can read more on the webpage, but just be aware…
Some viruses are not created by kiddies in their parent’s basement anymore. These are big businesses, making billions every year stealing your money. The people who work for these companies, go to work every day, they sit at the desk, they eat their lunch in the canteen with other cyber criminals. It is completely crazy!
Business Owners
If you are a business owner, I’m sure you’ve heard of the term insider threat. If you don’t know what this is, an insider threat refers to a security risk that originates from within your company, where employees, contractors, or trusted individuals, abuse their access to company systems. Threats can come in various forms, such as intentionally malicious actions, negligent behaviour, or even simple mistakes. In both large and small businesses, insider threats can lead to data breaches, financial losses, reputational damage and legal liabilities for the business owner.
Just to put this into context for you insider threats are a growing concern with attacks increasing by 47% over the past two years and 90% of organisations finding them more challenging to deal with external threats.
To protect your business, it’s crucial to adopt a multilayered approach, including employee education, monitoring and advanced threat detection tools. If you’re a business owner, and you’d like to put in place an insider threat protection program, let me know. We are experts at the insider threat. Before we worked with governments on nationwide programs, we were building applications for companies to protect them against insider threats.
Let me know if you need any advice, Sometimes, it can be a very simple fix.
Bengal Tiger
Finally, in a bizarre cyber attack, Hackers are targeting people who type six words into a search engine. If you do a Google search on whether it is legal or not to own a Bengal tiger cat, hackers will redirect you to an infected webpage and they will take control of your system. They do this via search engine poisoning, where they can manipulate the search results. If you are planning to buy a Bengal tiger (!!), which is not only illegal but it’s also immoral be warned that hackers are coming to get you! Read about it here.
I suppose it is a nice change from hackers breaking into children’s hospitals for ransom.
As a closing thought, when it comes to security, do the small things right and everything else will flow behind it. Make sure you’re using a strong password, and make sure you’re using two-factor authentication. Be sceptical about every email and every message you open. It is the Wild West out there. Do the small things right and everything will follow behind.
Anyway, I wish you a beautiful Monday and I look forward to talking to you again on Wednesday 🙂
All the best,
Max