Interview: Hootsuite’s CEO Lessons from Getting Hacked on Social Media

Cybersecurity

“Hey, it’s OurMine Team, we are just testing your security, please send us a message.” Earlier this summer, that message was blasted out to my followers on Twitter… only I didn’t send it. I had been hacked. It was embarrassing. I run Hootsuite, a social media management company that prides itself on world-class security for our customers. How could this happen? What did I do wrong? In the following days, I learned that Ev Williams, the co-founder of Twitter, had fallen victim to the same hackers. And not long before that,…

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Internet companies petrified after hackers release code behind one of the most powerful online attacks

Google

Internet companies are bracing for more trouble after hackers released the code behind one of the most powerful online attacks ever, which harnessed as many as one million internet-connected devices to knock a blogger offline. The malicious software takes advantage of weak security on video recorders, routers and other internet-connected devices, taking control of the systems and forming them into a collection of attacking machines, called a “botnet.” It can then disable a victim’s internet servers by flooding them with an overwhelming amount of internet traffic. The botnet code was…

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Massive data breach hits 500 million Yahoo accounts

Information from at least 500 million Yahoo accounts was stolen from the company in 2014, the company said Thursday, indicating it believes a state-sponsored actor was behind the hack the Sunnyvale, California-based company confirmed. The theft may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers, Yahoo said. Even in an Internet-dependent population accustomed to the regular occurrence of massive data breaches, the size of this one —  thought to be the largest ever in terms of user accounts — is attention-grabbing. And the possibility that another…

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Oracle acquires Palerra to upgrade Cloud Security

banking security

Oracle has just concluded the agreement to acquire Palerra last Sept. 18. The move is expected to bolster the company’s push to expand its Identity Cloud Service, which is touted as a next-generation security and identity platform for the cloud. Both companies did not provide any details about the recent acquisition, particularly the cost involved. However, one should remember that Palerra has raised $25 million in funding last year. This figure should provide some insight regarding its value. “Together, Oracle and Palerra will help accelerate cloud adoption securely by providing…

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New devices connecting to the internet increase risk of corporate cyber attacks

Is the Internet of Things putting your business at risk? Network security needs to be top of mind for decision makers within the business, as more and more device connect to the internet via wireless network technology. According to Palo Alto Networks, wireless network technology is simultaneously necessary and risky for organisations, and the Internet of Things could be putting businesses at risk of a cyber attack. “Most businesses are aware that wireless connections can be risky so they look to mitigate the risks by protecting their internal infrastructure,” says…

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Banking Trojans remain the most lethal cyber threats says Kaspersky Lab

banking security

Banking Trojans have retained the reputation as the most dangerous cyber threats. This is according to a kaspersky Lab report. The study says financial malware attacks on online users raised by 15.6%. The main reason for the spike is the nexus between the authors of two leading banking Trojans: Gozi Trojan and Nymaim Trojan, pushing both into the top 10 ranking of financial malware. These malware are often propagated via compromised or fraudulent websites and spam emails and, after infecting users mimic an official online banking page in an attempt…

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Cybersecurity expert warn ‘Pokemon Go’ fans of cybercriminals

The release of “Pokemon Go” has sparked a frenzy among players and prompted a raft of warnings from lawmakers eager to prevent fans from putting their lives in danger. But the fevered anticipation of the game has also created opportunities for attackers, a cybersecurity software firm said. “The vulnerability from ‘Pokemon Go’ is due to the fact that Nintendo didn’t have a global release of the game,” said Michael Petit, Africa, Middle East and Asia head of mobility at Check Point Software Technologies. The mobile gaming app first rolled out…

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Banking Cyber-attacks could bring world economy to a halt

Cybersecurity

Recent attacks give a glimpse of the sort of cyber-assault that could bring the world economy to a halt. Better defences are needed THIS May Anonymous, a network of activists, briefly hacked into Greece’s central bank and warned in a YouTube message that: “Olympus will fall…This marks the start of a 30-day campaign against central-bank sites across the world.” The warning struck a raw nerve. The financial system is little more than a set of promises between people and institutions. If these are no longer believed the whole house of…

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Increased Potential For Cyber-Crime Attacks In Africa

Cybersecurity

There is potential for increased cyber-crime attacks in Africa as cyber-criminals target mobile devices, Techmoran reports. This deduction comes from the quarterly analysis of the global Threat Index by Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd which also revealed deep disparities in the threat environments in Africa. African countries that were highly ranked in the index include Namibia and Malawi which were second and fourth positions respectively and Nigeria which had moved up two positions from the 18th to the 16th. Kenya, on the other hand had dropped from the 45th position to the 69th…

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Cyber Crime Predicted To Reach $2 Trillion By 2019

During the last ten years, our lives have changed. The increased usage of the Internet made blurred some lines between the virtual and the real world making some processes faster. Ordinary people are enjoying this change, as life is becoming much easier for them. Large companies and enterprises experience some negative sides of such changes, though. They are preparing for a huge increase in cyber crime. General Crime Numbers Ginni Rometty, the Chairman of IBM Corp, mentioned in his recent interview that cyber crime wave, as they named it couple…

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