cybersecurity
Cracking the cyber world: NSA, hackers, and the complicated ways that digital information can threaten our personal lives, politics and national security.
TrickBot appears as UAE’s top malware threat
Check Point Research, the Threat Intelligence arm ofCheck Point® Software Technologies Ltd. has published its latest UAE Threat Index for January 2021. Researchers found that banking trojan Trickbot impacted 7% of organizations in the UAE, while the Emotet trojan which has remained in first place in the top malware list globally for a second month running impacting 6% of businesses in the UAE.
TECHx MediaPublished 3 years ago in The SwampProtecting human rights in the era of cyber information warfare
Disinformation is undermining the limitless potential of technology to be a positive force for industries, businesses, and communities.
TECHx MediaPublished 3 years ago in The SwampWe should follow Sweden in combatting foreign interference in our democratic proceedings.
Since the Cold War, it has become notably evident that Russian interference over democratic proceedings has increased. During my course in Government & Politics A-Level, I have taken a particular interest in the argument over whether there is a democratic deficit within the European Union. A key idea for this, would be that as Russia has increasingly interfered within democratic elections of European states, how is it possible to unify the European Union when elections themselves are not fully democratic? Such a question pushed me forward to read more about this topic, where I became fascinated by Russian espionage attempts to undermine democratic proceedings. I consider this to be one of the leading global issues we have, and this has become exacerbated by the fact that it is a threat that is continuously increasing. However, I believe that recent tactics used by Sweden should act as an example to ensure a comprehensive approach to combatting foreign interference in democracy.
Ewan WilsonPublished 3 years ago in The SwampSecurity Nightmare: US Lawmakers May Force Companies To Create Backdoors In Software/Hardware...
It's so strange how both parties seem to magically come together for the worst things. But apparently nothing unites a usually broken system more than when they need to vote on going to war, or to step on the right of citizens with bills like the Patriot Act, and now, the 'EARN IT Act', which has been officially submitted by Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal (D).
Ross DavisPublished 4 years ago in The SwampJohnny’s Data Diving Part 1: New York Firm Law360 Leaks Israeli Intelligence’s Personal Data
I was searching for potential sex offenders when I stumbled across an interesting data leak. An accounts executive for a New York legal advisory firm, Law360, had opened up her hard drive by not being more careful with which folders she was sharing, a common problem in the modern digital world. I began downloading the various Law360 contracts and other personal data and putting them in secure folders. Of late, I have my eyes peeled for any companies who fail in their legal duty to protect their customers and employees personal data and a legal firm responsible for the leaking was irresistibly ironic. This would be the 2nd large company who I had compromised in a matter of days. These are the types of companies where the lower paid employees would be fired for leaking data, but where the higher paid executives and managers live by different rules.
Johnny VedmorePublished 4 years ago in The SwampThe Internet Is a Lie
Welcome to the Age of Misinformation. In the days leading up the United Kingdom’s 2016 vote on Brexit, it became increasingly clear to British authorities that a foreign national had interfered with the referendum through a tactical social media attack. The foreign national, using social media data gathered from a third party statistics company, had spread misinformation about the vote using automated social media accounts (bots). The foreign country wanted to advance its own interest by dividing the United Kingdom amongst political lines while also advancing policies that softened British policy towards the foreign actor. If this at all sounds familiar, it is. The same thing happened in the 2016 United States election. The same country, Russia, perpetrated the act of interference. And yet Russia does not deserve 100% of the blame.
Matthew WilliamsPublished 5 years ago in The SwampThe Myth of Election Meddling
The trail of successful internet hacking, although not always the Russian kind, is pre-election 2016. The following example is only one of the many and goes back to 2012: The British hacker Gary McKinnon hacked the US Pentagon, but only because he was searching for evidence of UFO investigations. Most hackers with the skills would probably have given themselves a huge permanent paycheck! Instead, someone was recently busted because he manipulated McDonald's Monopoly game. Besides the big screen TV, he gave himself a lifetime supply of Big Mac's. To make matters worse, he was a police officer. I mean, our people have gotten pretty good at spotting hacking activity. It would be better if these guys hadn't been able to get through at all... UFO's and Big Mac's??
Lady SundayPublished 6 years ago in The SwampBig Brother Is Watching You
First of all, government surveillance should be stopped. People have to fight for their rights to be free. According to the Pew Research Center, where Americans were asked about surveillance, national security and privacy, 74% said that there is no need to sacrifice liberties for the sake of safety, while ten years ago the number of people against government invasion was 60%. After Edward Snowden revelations in 2013, the debates against surveillance heated up all over the world. One of the main victories is that U.S government let the Patriot Act expire. “Ending the mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen. The United Nations declared mass surveillance an unambiguous violation of human rights” (“Edward Snowden: The World Says No to Surveillance”, 2015). According to the interview given by Mr.Snowden to HBO channel, the mass surveillance has started after terrorist attack in 2001 in New York, however it yet haven’t stopped any single terrorist attack in U.S and the major reason of surveillance nowadays is political stability. Especially in nondemocratic and authoritarian systems. Snowden leaks also impact on American views about anti-terrorism policies. It cannot be justification anymore, 37% of Americans think policies have not gone far enough to adequately protect them, but have gone too far in restricting the average person’s civil liberties (“ Terrorism Worries Little Changed, 2015 ”).
Tursynai AlikhanovaPublished 6 years ago in The SwampNeutrality or Neutrali-tarianism?
The Problem The conversation about Net Neutrality seems like a simple one: Proponents say that without it, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will run amok and adopt unfair practices to keep ahead of their competitors. This would be a horrible miscarriage of justice… if we only had a single ISP for the geographical region. It could even be used to stifle freedom of speech…except that new networks also have deep pockets and they keep a keen eye on their viewership. In fact, it should be a problem by now. The internet providers have had decades to institute these practices that proponents of formalized Net Neutrality. So, if there were a profit in it, wouldn’t they steer things in a way that benefits them?
Mickey FinnPublished 7 years ago in The SwampJames Comey Versus Rod Rosenstein on Firing, Not Donald Trump
James Comey, formerly Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is a person sequentially loathed and loved, criticized and praised, a person who both Republicans and Democrats have severely criticized. A cat with at least nine lives it seems.
Guillermo CalvoPublished 7 years ago in The SwampPlaying Russian Roulette With the Trump Administration
This is my very first attempt into writing articles, so I would urge everyone to sit back and relax, grab a cup of tea and a biscuit, you may just learn something. As a global citizen, I have found myself among billions of other human beings captivated by the ever evolving political drama gripping Washington. The Trump administration is lurching from one crises to the other on a weekly basis since they took over the reins at the White House in February.
Michael TagumaPublished 7 years ago in The SwampISP's and Your Privacy
What does the law allowing ISP’s to sell your information mean for you? Before we get started, I want to be clear, I am a major advocate for privacy rights. Many times I’ve given my speech titled Privacy is dead; Long Live Privacy.