Last year, I posted a series of articles about a purported “breach” at Ubiquiti. My sole source for that reporting was the person who has since been indicted by federal prosecutors for his alleged wrongdoing – which includes providing false information to the press.

As a result of the new information that has been provided to me, I no longer have faith in the veracity of my source or the information he provided to me. I always endeavor to ensure that my articles are properly sourced and factual.

This time, I missed the mark and, as a result, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to Ubiquiti, and I have decided to remove those articles from my website.

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Fears and phobias. We all have them. But what are your biggest ones? I absolutely detest snakes but spiders don’t worry me at all. Well, new research by McAfee shows that cybercriminals and the fear of being hacked are now the 5th greatest fear among Aussies.

With news of data breaches and hacking crusades filling our news feed on a regular basis, many of us are becoming more aware and concerned about the threats we face in our increasingly digital world. And McAfee’s latest confirms this with hackers making their way into Australia’s Top 10 Fears.

According to research conducted by McAfee, snakes are the top phobia for Aussies followed by spiders, heights and sharks. Cybercriminals and the fear of being hacked come in in 5th place beating the dentist, bees, ghosts, aeroplane travel and clowns!

Aussie Top 10 Fears and Phobias

Snakes
Spiders
Heights
Sharks
Hackers/Cybercriminals
The dentist
Bees or wasps
Ghosts
Aeroplane travel
Clowns

Why Do We Have Phobias?

Fears and phobias develop when we perceive that we are at risk of pain, or worse, still, death. And while almost a third of respondents nominated snakes as their number one fear, there is less than one-in-fifty thousand chance of being bitten badly enough by a snake to warrant going to hospital in Australia, according to research from the Internal Medicine Journal.

In contrast, McAfee’s analysis of more than 108 billion potential online threats between October and December, identified 202 million of these threats as genuine risks. With a global population of 7.5 billion, that means there is approximately a one in 37 chance of being targeted by cybercrime. Now while this is not a life-threatening situation, these statistics show that chance of us being affected by an online threat is very real.

What Are Our Biggest Cyber Fears?

According to the research, 82% of Aussies believe that being hacked is a growing or high concern. And when you look at the sheer number of reported data breaches so far this year, these statistics make complete sense. Data breaches have affected Bunnings staff, Federal Parliament staff, Marriott guests, Victorian Government staff, QLD Fisheries members, Skoolbag app users and Big W customers plus many more.

Almost 1 in 5 (19%) of those interviewed said their top fear at work is doing something that will result in a data security breach, they will leak sensitive information or infect their corporate IT systems.

The fear that we are in the midst of a cyberwar is another big concern for many Aussies. Cyberwar can be explained as a computer or network-based conflict where parties try to disrupt or take ownership of the activities of other parties, often for strategic, military or cyberespionage purposes. 55% of Aussies believe that a cyberwar is happening right now but we just don’t know about it. And a fifth believe cyber warfare is the biggest threat to our nation.

What Can We Do to Address Our Fear of Being Hacked?

Being proactive about protecting your online life is the absolute best way of reducing the chances of being hacked or being affected by a data breach. Here are my top tips on what you can now to protect yourself:

Be Savvy with Your Passwords

Using a password manager to create unique and complex passwords for each of your online accounts will definitely improve your online safety. If each on your online accounts has a unique password and you are involved in a breach, the hacker won’t be able to use the stolen password details to log into any of your other accounts.

Stop AutoFill on Chrome

Storing your financial data within your browser and being able to populate online forms quickly within seconds makes the autofill function very attractive however it is risky. Autofill will automatically fill out all forms on a page regardless of whether you can see all the boxes. You may just think you are automatically entering your email address into an online form however a savvy hacker could easily design an online form with hidden boxes designed to capture your financial information. So remove all your financial information from Autofill. I know this means you will have to manually enter information each time you purchase but your personal data will be better protected.

Think Before You Click

One of the easiest ways for a cybercriminal to compromise their victim is by using phishing emails to lure consumers into clicking links for products or services that could lead to malware, or a phoney website designed to steal personal information. If the deal seems too good to be true, or the email was not expected, always check directly with the source.

Stay Protected While You Browse

It’s important to put the right security solutions in place in order to surf the web safely. Add an extra layer of security to your browser with McAfee WebAdvisor.

Always Connect with Caution

I know public Wi-Fi might seem like a good idea, but if consumers are not careful, they could be unknowingly exposing personal information or credit card details to cybercriminals who are snooping on the network. If you are a regular Wi-Fi user, I recommend investing in a virtual private network or (VPN) such as McAfee Secure VPN which will ensure your connection is completely secure and that your data remains safe.

While it is tempting, putting our head in the sand and pretending hackers and cybercrime don’t exist puts ourselves and our families at even more risk! Facing our fears and making an action plan is the best way of reducing our worry and stress. So, please commit to being proactive about your family’s online security. Draw up a list of what you can do today to protect your tribe. And if you want to receive regular updates about additional ways you can keep your family safe online, check out my blog.

‘till next time.

Alex x

The post Aussies Fear Snakes, Spiders and Getting Hacked appeared first on McAfee Blog.

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Ofcom will be able to issue fines for non-compliance of up to 10% of turnover

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This is a fun story, detailing the hack a group of high school students perpetrated against an Illinois school district, hacking 500 screens across a bunch of schools.

During the process, the group broke into the school’s IT systems; repurposed software used to monitor students’ computers; discovered a new vulnerability (and reported it); wrote their own scripts; secretly tested their system at night; and managed to avoid detection in the school’s network. Many of the techniques were not sophisticated, but they were pretty much all illegal.

It has a happy ending: no one was prosecuted.

A spokesperson for the D214 school district tells WIRED they can confirm the events in Duong’s blog post happened. They say the district does not condone hacking and the “incident highlights the importance of the extensive cybersecurity learning opportunities the District offers to students.”

“The District views this incident as a penetration test, and the students involved presented the data in a professional manner,” the spokesperson says, adding that its tech team has made changes to avoid anything similar happening again in the future.

The school also invited the students to a debrief, asking them to explain what they had done. “We were kind of scared at the idea of doing the debrief because we have to join a Zoom call, potentially with personally identifiable information,” Duong says. Eventually, he decided to use his real name, while other members created anonymous accounts. During the call, Duong says, they talked through the hack and he provided more details on ways the school could secure its system.

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IoT device manufacturers can now incorporate security at the start of the product life-cycle

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Cybersecurity vendor Palo Alto Networks has announced new updates to its Prisma Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform that introduce new Software as a Service (SaaS) security and compliance support for customers, along with enhanced threat prevention and URL filtering capabilities. The firm has also released a new native artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps) solution for SASE to help simplify networking and security operations. The launches come as the hybrid working era persists with organizations increasingly implementing and relying on SaaS applications, introducing new and complex security challenges.

New Prisma features address SaaS security and compliance challenges, help prevent phishing, ransomware, C2 attacks

In a press release, Palo Alto estimated that the average business now uses more than 110 SaaS applications. With vast amounts of sensitive data typically stored in SaaS apps, security misconfigurations pose serious threats to organizations. Its latest features are therefore partly designed to help customers improve their SaaS security and risk management positions, along with enhancing other key elements of modern cyber resilience.

To read this article in full, please click here

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This blog was written by an independent guest blogger.

A company’s IT infrastructure and data are some of its most valuable assets today. Consequently, protecting them is an increasingly critical goal to stave off worst-case scenarios and preserve a business’s value. By the same token, robust cybersecurity can make a company more valuable.

Many organizations understand the importance of cybersecurity as a defense but may overlook its role as an asset. IT security will become a more important differentiator as cybercrime rises and digital systems play a more central role in business. Here’s a closer look at how stronger cybersecurity adds value to a company.

Reduced expenses

Maintaining robust cybersecurity requires additional spending, but it actually lowers expenses in the long run. The average data breach cost $4.35 million as of 2022, a figure that keeps rising over time. Stronger cybersecurity prevents these costly events, improving a company’s bottom line.

Cyberattacks are too common to assume you’ll never encounter one, either. These attacks happen every 39 seconds, and more than half of all businesses have experienced some kind of security incident. A company will suffer an attack without reliable cybersecurity, and it will be costly. Consequently, stopping them is a critical part of lowering long-term expenses.

Added resilience

A more robust cybersecurity strategy will also make a business more resilient. Part of that stems from preventing attacks. Fewer successful hacks mean less disruption, leading to increased uptime and productivity. However, even if a breach does occur, companies will be more likely to survive it with strong cybersecurity.

On average, companies employing security AI lose $3.05 million less in data breaches than those without it. Similarly, zero-trust architecture saves $1 million in a hack. These reduced costs ensure businesses recover faster, in some cases avoiding bankruptcy, making them more valuable.

Lower risks

The reduced chances of a breach and lowered costs translate into fewer risks for investors or potential partners. Many business valuation methods adjust rates based on risk or liability. As a result, the fewer financial threats a company poses to potential buyers or investors, the more valuable it is.

Cyber-risks are some of the most important of these factors today, so more valuation methods will look at them to determine business value. That applies to formal valuations from investors, tax officials and other companies looking for potential partners. Given the rising likelihood of third-party breaches, more businesses today will judge whether a partner is worth it by their cyber-risks.

Increased customer confidence

Robust cybersecurity will also improve a business’s reputation among customers. Between 80%-90% of consumers say they wished there were more companies they could trust with their data, and 84% will switch over data concerns. If businesses don’t have strong security, it could drive customers away, dropping their market value, but better security could have the opposite effect.

These trends apply to B2B markets, too. Businesses seeking to improve their own security to attract and retain customers will require stronger cybersecurity from their partners and vendors. Consequently, B2Bs that can promise increased security will be more valuable to potential clients.

Cybersecurity is a crucial business value metric today

Customers, investors, buyers and partners are looking for cybersecurity across all markets and industries. As a result, companies offering strong data security will have more value for these parties. They can then enjoy more business, potentially higher sales and favorable market valuations.

Businesses today can’t afford to overlook cybersecurity. It’s becoming a competitive business advantage, not just a safety net, as these issues become more important to a wider range of people and organizations. Companies must capitalize on that opportunity to keep their information safe and prove their reliability.

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