Tag: cyber threat

  • Leave the World Behind features alleged cyber warfare as the main movie villain, how realistic was it?

    Leave the World Behind features alleged cyber warfare as the main movie villain, how realistic was it?

    The cyber attacks we typically report on are localized or contained to a specific sector or even business entity.

    In Netflix’s new movie “Leave the World Behind” characters are confronted with what looked like a global cyber attack causing mass destruction and chaos, including self-driving cars crashing into each other with no driver present and planes crashing into the ocean into land with GPS absent.

    The movie features an all-star cast and is the first movie we’ve seen take on the apocalypse narrative with a unique technology twist – not to besmirch the Terminator legacy, but killer robots are found fairly frequently in pop culture.

    Originally adapted from Rumaan Alam’s book of the same name, the movie actually takes liberty in specifically calling out the cyber attack in the movie where in the book the nature of what’s going on is left a lot more ambiguous.

    The movie even received feedback from former President Barack Obama to make sure the cyber warfare elements were realistic instead of fantastic which left us with an eerie feeling after viewing the film, because the truth is some of the elements of it could be replicated in real life.

    Venturing into spoiler territory now, at several points in the movie the characters are subjected to an ear-piercing noise that stops them in their tracks. It’s alluded to that these attacks might be “sonic booms” and are the reason one of the characters begins having physical symptoms as a response (odontophobia folks beware). This attack in the movie mirrored an alleged event in Cuba where directed energy waves, in this case microwave instead of sound, caused physical harm to locals.

    In another scene one of the main characters attempts to check her phone for news and is instead confronted with several news articles, seemingly normal messages at first then devolving on red paper are dropped from a drone in the sky on a character driving down an empty road – this is several hours after the characters have been cut off from the outside world by the technology we all rely on for news and information.

    By sheer coincidence these scenes are again mirrored by a real-life news event that happened just this month, where Iran-located hackers took over a water authority in Pennsylvania because their devices were Iran made, screens of these electronics found in the facility displayed a message in red with “YOU HAVE BEEN HACKED” featured prominently.

    It’s unlikely that an attack could take out an entire nation easily, but it is worrying for us as a technology provider when we encounter lackadaisical responses to very serious cyber threats. The whole world does not need to be hacked for a hack to affect your whole world.

    If after watching this new blockbuster you’re thinking it might be time to evaluate your cyber preparedness, Valley Techlogic has you covered.

    If you book a consultation with us this month you will even receive a $100 cash for your time just for hearing us out. Click here or on the image below to get started.

     

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • 5 emerging cyber threats to worry about in 2024

    5 emerging cyber threats to worry about in 2024

    We’re all familiar with the usual suspects when it comes to cyber threats, viruses, trojan horses, phishing attacks, malware and ransomware. We’ve covered these threats in great detail (here’s just a few articles on these topics: 10 scary cybersecurity statistics business owners need to know,  Zero trust or zero effort, how does your businesses security stack measure up?, Can you spot the phishing clues? And 10 tips to avoid falling for a phishing scam). Even if you’re not a technical inclined person you probably have some awareness of how to avoid these threats, such as being careful with suspicious emails and attachments or not downloading files from unknown sources.

    What about emerging cyber security threats? These are threats that are not well known and in fact may use improvements in technology such as AI (artificial intelligence) to their advantage for nefarious gain.

    Bad actors are continuously looking for new ways to subjugate your devices and gain access to your systems and data to exploit it for their own gain, and unfortunately in 2024 we don’t believe things will be any different.

    Knowledge is power, so by being aware of these emerging threats you can learn to avoid them or learn what protections you need to put in place to prevent yourself and your business from becoming a victim.

    Here are five emerging threats that we believe will grow in popularity in 2024:

    1. Supply Chain Attacks: Cyber criminals have learned targeting vulnerable systems that supply the things we need day to day (for example the Colonial Pipeline attack that occurred in 2021) can result in lucrative payouts as the vendor(s) scramble to get things back up and running again. We’re expecting these types of attacks to continue to increase in 2024.bio
    2. Biometric Data Threats: As more biometric data is used to confirm your identity for accessing your accounts or making payments, more regulations need to be put in place to protect that data. Facial recognition and fingerprint scans can often give someone access to your personal devices (such as a cellphone) and those devices can be the keys to the kingdom when it comes to accessing your accounts. Attacks in 2024 may escalate not just to the theft of data but also physical theft in unison on high value targets (think CEOs, Presidents and other C-Suite users).
    3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Manipulation: As more and more people explore using AI in their business or to provide solutions to common problems, there will be more and more bad actors trying to exploit it. We’ll see increased attacks using AI including data manipulation (feeding AI erroneous results so that users are receiving incorrect information) and attacks on systems using AI or powered by AI.
    4. 5G Network Vulnerabilities: As 4G continues to be phased out and 5G becomes more common place we’ll see increased attacks aimed at these networks, especially as more and more businesses in rural locations utilize 5G as a solution to spotty or absent cable or fiber options in their area. As the nature of 5G is aimed at providing a geographically robust internet solution to companies like these it’s important to make sure your security settings are beyond reproach to inhibit attacks on your network from the outside.
    5. Advanced Ransomware & Phishing Attacks: Ransomware and phishing attacks are not new, but they continue to grow more sophisticated as as-a-service models continue to roll out, this allows attackers that may not have a firm grasp of technology or even English to send out widespread attack emails that are indistinguishable from emails you may get from reputable services you use for a relatively small monetary fee. Also, because many of these attacks originate outside the US you may have no recourse if your business is successfully hit by one.

    These are just five emerging threats but there are many threats out there making it all the more crucial you have a cyber security solution behind your business that’s staying ahead of these threats and more.

    The threats mentioned above are crimes of opportunity and it’s very easy to be caught in the wide net that’s being cast by those with ill intentions. Valley Techlogic has been at the forefront of providing all encompassing security solutions to our customers. If you would like to learn more about protection your business from cyber security attacks in 2024 schedule a consultation with our experts today. Also for a limited time when you hear us out, you can also take advantage of our Black Friday offer.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • It’s Not Your Imagination, Ramsonware is On the Rise

    It’s Not Your Imagination, Ramsonware is On the Rise

    We have talked about several major ransomware events over the past year, but these were far from unique. Ransomware and cyber security events have been on the rise lately and it’s been made abundantly apparent that NO ONE is immune to them.

    From the yet to be officially validated Kia Motors attack, to the narrowly avoided disaster with a Florida Water Plant. No attack had more widespread coverage for a while (including by us) than the SolarWinds breach that seems to go deeper and deeper. These are just a few in a massive list of growing ransomware events that have happened to companies of all sizes. If you think your business is too small to be a target think again.

    According to this Datto report, one in five small businesses will experience a ransomware event. While larger businesses may be eyed as prized targets by hackers, most of the time they also have the staff and resources to put up a better defense against cyber security threats. This makes them much harder for hackers to infiltrate.

    A lackadaisical attitude towards being hit by a ransomware can cost your business big time. Ransomware extortion amounts continue to skyrocket, with the average demand in Q3 2020 being $233,817 according to the cybersecurity firm Coveware.

    If you’re thinking a demand like that could bankrupt your business, you’d be correct in that fear. 60% of small businesses will go out of business within 6 months of a cyber security attack.

    We have made an infographic with statistics on cyber security threats in 2021 so far.

    Infographic on Cyber Security

    We’re not presenting this facts to you in an effort to make you feel hopeless, there is a way to prevent an attack from hitting your business in the first place. The ONLY way to avoid a serious cyber security threat is to have proactive cyber security prevents in place. Many business owners cannot achieve this on their own.

    Cyber security prevention is an ongoing process, it’s not just installing a virus scanning software and configuring a firewall and calling it good. Business level cyber security protections can be complex to configure and manage.

    Your business has more hardware, more data and more assets to protect. Comparing it to what’s needed to protect a home PC network is apples and oranges. If you’ve just been crossing your fingers that it won’t happen to you that’s NOT a good idea, because statistically there’s a good chance that it will.

    If your business needs assistance in a cyber security plan that’s not just about checking boxes or relying on hope but actually protecting all of the valuable systems you need to run your day-to-day operations, reach out to Valley Techlogic today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these tech articles from the last week.

    This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • QSnatch Malware and the Safety of Network Attached Storage (NAS)

    QSnatch Malware and the Safety of Network Attached Storage (NAS)

    The QSnatch malware was first detected in October of last year, the goal of it appears to be in most cases to grab the credentials of the Network Attached Storage (NAS) it infects. It was also determined it has the capability to download further instructions from online servers, making it an extremely versatile malware.

    In October it was reported that 7000 devices had been infected with this malware, however recently it was confirmed by CISA that in June of 2020 that had jumped to 62,000 devices, making it clear this malware is now being used more prolifically. We also have learned more about its capabilities. That includes:

    • Credential scraper
    • SSH Backdoor – This allows the hacker to execute code on the device
    • Exfiltration – When run it allows QSnatch to steal a predetermined list of files
    • CGI Password Logger – This allows the malware to install a fake version of your device’s login page, allowing them to steal your credentials
    • Webshell functionality for remote access

    That seems like a scary list of abilities and makes it clear that enacting security measures in all your devices but especially those that contain important data is imperative.

    If you already use NAS you probably know the benefits, but for those that don’t or are considering it here is what’s beneficial about employing NAS devices in your organization:

    1. More storage space, in most cases NAS devices are used instead of or in addition to regular servers.
    2. Private cloud, a NAS device can be used to have a private cloud network in your business or even your home.
    3. Media Servers, there are many NAS devices especially aimed as functioning as a media server.
    4. Automated backups, a NAS device can function as your backup device or in addition to your primary backup device for more redundancy.
    5. Lower costs, NAS devices tend to be much cheaper than traditional servers.

    This is just a small list of the benefits but as with most devices there are specific measures required to keep them safe from a cyber-attack. This includes having a good plan for password security in your business – a hacker getting the password to one of these devices may be handing them the keys to the kingdom.

    Also, as the name implies this is “network” attached storage, so you must have a secure network in place. You also want to make sure you’re regularly updating the firmware for this and any other devices you use.

    Network attached storage devices are an excellent option for many businesses, as long as the proper protocols are followed to keep it safe.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these tech articles from the last week.

    This article was powered by Valley TechLogic, an IT provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

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