Protect yourself from targeted phishing attacks, malware, spyware, and more. Bad actors and their tactics continue to become more and more sophisticated. Ensure that you change default passwords, always use encryption, learn about safe browsing habits, and maintain security for your home or business network.
A renewed sense of urgency to secure information, networks and electronic devices in order to thwart advanced hacking techniques loomed over the 2013 RSA conference floor in San Francisco. The harsh realization that traditional security measures simply don’t cut it anymore was confirmed by various keynotes and casual hallway conversations between peers.
Here are some simple web safety tips, warnings and general practical knowledge intended for the common Internet user.
News that the European Internet authority RIPE is down to its last block of IPv4 addresses escalates the importance of supporting IPv6. Within a few years, IPv4 addresses will become expensive or impossible to acquire for new businesses or for expanding service providers.
zveloLABS® has reported statistics and trends about the most visited types of malicious URLs by the international end users of zvelo’s technology partners. These OEM Partners include well over 100 of the world’s leading service providers, UTM and gateway appliance vendors, web filtering and parental controls solutions software makers, online advertising and brand safety technology providers, web analytics firms and many more. The data sample was extracted from actual URLs queried to and contextually categorized by the zveloNET® cloud systems during Q3 of 2012, and numbered in the tens of millions, yet far from the billions of non-malicious queries seen daily. The findings, statistics and trends shed new light on the seriousness, frequency, and negative consequences of compromised (hacked) websites hosted worldwide, and more importantly, accentuates the importance of adequate web filtering and network security.
Malware authors are quickly exploiting the vulnerabilities of IPv6 as more and more websites support the new communications protocol. Nefarious IPv6 tools exist that can be used for malicious online activity, even if the tools are intended to facilitate communication between the IPv6 and IPv4 protocols
zveloLABS detected a suspicious-looking email purporting to come from the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) of the U.S. Treasury Department. This email is fraudulent and claims that “Your Federal Tax Payment ID has been rejected.” The payment rejection is falsely attributed to the use of an invalid identification number. Here is an example of the actual phishing email (see image 01), followed by some observations that should raise red flags about its validity.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), now in its 16th year of combatting some of the worst online criminal content, has released its 2011 Annual and Charity Report. In it, the IWF disclosed some alarming trends and statistics about the proliferation of child sexual abuse images online. The IWF also noted significant successes in combatting this inappropriate type of web content, as detailed in the following excerpts.
The media consistently warns people that clicking on links within emails from unknown sources can be dangerous. What about links in seemingly harmless emails received from individuals of trust? More so, what if the URL of a said link points to a familiar website? In recent weeks, zveloLABS® has identified several websites that appear benign in nature at first glance, but after further analysis these sites have been categorized as malware distribution points. What made the following case study interesting is that none of the well-known Internet blacklists and malware analysis tools flagged these URLS as being malicious. The following analysis shows how these trusted control mechanisms were circumvented with nothing more than a guise and a fundamental understanding of how the Internet operates.
I had the privilege of discussing the state of mobile phone payments systems, like Google Wallet, on a local radio station show called “Backbone Radio” in mid-February, 2012, which is co-hosted by Joshua Sharf. The segment aired on 710-AM KNUS in Denver and 1460-AM KZNT radio out of Colorado Springs.
The Safer Internet Day (SID) is a commendable initiative organized by the UK Safer Internet Centre each February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technologies, especially amongst children. Each year hundreds of localized and virtual events are organized to raise awareness about online safety issues.