Ransomware “Star” Shines on LG Smart TV
As ransomware continues to steal the malware stage, its authors have widened their target audience to include smart devices, such as TVs. Since a number of smart TVs use Android® operating systems, they can be susceptible to the same Android malware that usually strikes mobile devices. Recently, owners of an older LG TV model were presented with a ransomware lock screen after installing a third-party streaming app for movies. The good news for current customers, however, is that many TV manufacturers have taken steps to help prevent these types of attacks by adopting a Linux-based OS.
Facebook Vulnerability May Reveal Private Email Addresses
Bug bounty programs are rewards that many websites offer to encourage “white hat” individuals to report bugs, exploits, and vulnerabilities in their code. They’ve been around for years, and can offer big money to people who can successfully verify a vulnerability in a website or application. One such payout occurred recently when a researcher found a Facebook bug that let him access the private email addresses of any user through the Facebook Group notification function. After sending group invitations, he noticed the page URL showed the recipient’s email address in plain text. Fortunately, thanks to this intrepid bounty hunter, the vulnerability has been addressed.
Ransomworm: The Newest Contender in the Ransomware Ring
A good cybercriminal—that is, one who is good at their trade—is always on the lookout for the latest ways to exploit internet usage habits and vulnerabilities. According to researchers on the subject, the next evolution of highly lucrative ransomware campaigns will likely incorporate network worm capabilities. By adding the functionality of a network worm, ransomware could more easily spread across entire networks, causing exponentially more devastation to its victims. While early variants of a Ransomworm have already been seen in the form of USB propagating infector ZCryptor, it won’t be long before we see wider spread variants in the wild.
Airline Booking Systems Rival TSA for Worst Security Nightmare
“Booking travel.” That’s all I had to say before you groaned, right? Planning a trip already has the potential to be extremely stressful. A lot of the frustration is (at least partially) due to ancient systems that have been in place across the world for decades; and, although they facilitate various necessities for air travel, they don’t always do so quickly or efficiently. More importantly, because many of these systems are over 30 years old, they aren’t up to today’s security standards, and they can be insanely difficult to retrofit—leaving customers’ information vulnerable.
Music Pirate May Walk the Plank
You might think music piracy is sooo early 2000s, but P2P programs that allow users to “share” their music libraries are still alive and well, and authorities confirm that piracy is still thriving. Recently, a UK man was arrested for distributing singles from the country’s Top 40 list across multiple torrent sites and causing untold commercial loss to record companies and artists.
