What are Initial Access Brokers?

Cyber Security, Hackers, IAB, Initial access brokers, Ophtek, Ransomware, , , , ,
30
Aug 2021

Gaining access to an unauthorized network is every hacker’s dream. And, now, this is easier than ever thanks to the rise of initial access brokers.

Initial access brokers (IABs) are a relatively new trend in the world of hacking. These threats have been tracked for several years now, but they have yet to create major headlines. Nonetheless, they represent a major threat to your organization’s security. And the number of IABs operating online is rising. Therefore, it’s important that you understand what IABs are and the threat they represent. So, to help keep your organization safe, we’re going to look at IABs.

What is an IAB?

We’ve discussed ransomware in depth on numerous occasions, but we’re yet to touch upon the role of IABs when it comes to ransomware. The hard work, for a hacker, is breaking into a network. Most networks will have some level of security, so significant time needs to be invested to beat this. But what if there was someone you could go to for ready-made access? It would be a dream scenario for a hacker and it’s one which is provided by IABs.

Acting as a literal broker, IABs carry out extensive research on organizations to identify those that are considered vulnerable. Slowly, these IABs will build up a portfolio of vulnerable targets and details on how to gain access to their networks. This takes the hard work out of hacking for the hackers and ensures that, for a fee, details of vulnerable networks can be quickly obtained. The majority of these deals take place on the dark web with access details being sold to the highest bidder.

How Do You Avoid Becoming an IAB Listing?

IABs are not selective in the industries that they target and tend to scour all industries for potential victims. These threats are also unfolding on a global basis, but some research has shown that a third of IAB listings involve businesses located in the US. Accordingly, you will want to make sure you don’t find your organization having its vulnerabilities advertised as being for sale. And you can do this by taking note of the following:

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Dangers of SIM Hijacking

Data Breach, Data Security, Ophtek, SIM Hijacking, TMobile Breach, , , ,
23
Aug 2021

A recent security breach of the T-Mobile network has resulted in two issues: the loss of confidential data and the risk of SIM hijacking.

Data breaches are commonplace in the world of hacking, but SIM hijacking is less familiar outside of the telecoms industry. SIM cards, of course, are used in mobile phones to identify users to networks and allow them to make calls. These SIM cards are highly secure given the amount of data they contain and the finances associated with them e.g. contracts. And mobile phones are now a crucial part of any modern business for communications to run smoothly. Accordingly, protecting SIM cards for organizations should be a major concern.

But what is SIM hijacking? And what can you do to protect your SIM cards?

The T-Mobile Breach

In what is the fourth such attack in 18 months, around 48 million customers – many of them former customers – have been affected by the latest T-Mobile breach. Quickly Check If You’re Email Was BreachedThe cause of this breach has not, as of yet, been identified, but the data in question has. Stolen data includes:

  • Names
  • Social security numbers
  • Birthdates
  • Driver’s license details

Around 850,000 customers who hold pre-paid accounts have also had their names, phone numbers and account PINs stolen. All of this data is currently being sold online and represents a major security threat to those involved. And, for those whose number has been exposed, there is also the very real risk of falling victim to SIM hijacking.

What is SIM Hijacking?

SIM hijacking is a process where a hacker attempts to obtain control over a mobile phone account by moving the associated number to a new device. This is achieved by contacting a service provider – such as T-Mobile – and adopting a false identity. You may wonder why people want to steal a mobile number. After all, having access to a set of phone numbers isn’t overly exciting for a hacker. But we live in a world where mobile phones are regularly used for two-factor authorization. Therefore, having access to a phone number can open all manner of opportunities to a hacker.

How Do You Prevent SIM Hijacking?

Once a hacker has your phone number there is little you can do to stop them attempting to hijack your SIM. Naturally, the simplest option is to limit the number of times you give out your mobile number. But this is difficult when we live in an age when so many companies request your number for contact purposes. Nonetheless, it is possible to limit the damage by carrying out the following:

  • Certain service providers such as T-Mobile and Verizon offer security features which block SIM swaps by either requesting a security PIN or using the existing device to authorize the swap

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Dangerous Power of the Prometheus Malware

antivirus software, Cyber Security, email security, malware, Ophtek, Prometheus Malware, , , , ,
18
Aug 2021

Malware-as-a-service (MaaS) provides a powerful malware solution for hackers. And Prometheus is the perfect example of such an infrastructure.

There’s money in everything and hacking is no different. But rather than extorting funds through ransomware, hackers can also design MaaS to generate some quick cash. MaaS takes the pain out of designing your own malware by offering a ready-made solution. And all you need to do is a pay a fee to use it. Typically, MaaS will give the user access to software which can distribute malware through malicious campaigns; this is exactly what Prometheus does.

As Prometheus, and all forms of MaaS, is so powerful, it’s important that you understand what it is and how to tackle it.

How Does Prometheus Work?

Prometheus has been available to purchase for a year now, with a subscription costing $250 per month. It uses two main attack strategies:

  • Distributing MS Word and Excel documents which are infected with malware
  • Using malicious links to divert victims to phishing websites

Subscribers to the Prometheus MaaS are given a central control panel from where they can launch their campaigns. From here they are able to configure various parameters to tailor their attacks e.g. targeting specific email addresses with a malicious call-to-action. Prometheus can also be used to assess potential victims. Using infected websites, Prometheus can collect data on visitors – such as IP address and user details – to assess which method of attack is best to launch. It’s a sophisticated form of hacking and one that requires high levels of awareness to combat.

It’s estimated that over 3,000 email addresses have been targeted by Prometheus as of this writing. These targets have included individuals in Europe and a number of government agencies and businesses in the US. While 3,000 potential victims may sound relatively small, it’s clearly best for every one of them to avoid it. And it is possible.

How to Combat Prometheus

Prometheus uses traditional methods to infect PCs with its malicious payloads, so it’s easy to avoid becoming a victim. All you need to do is practice the following:

  • Check All Emails: Malicious emails are very good at hiding the fact that they are malicious. Therefore, it always pays to quickly verify every email. Is the email address correct or is it a strange variation e.g. security@micros0ft.com? Is there an unusual and urgent call-to-action in the email such as a “click here before you lose access to your account” link? Anything suspicious should be queried with your IT team immediately.
  • Verify Links: It’s very easy to insert a malicious link into an email or website, so these need to be verified before clicking. For example, a link could be displayed as www.bankofamerica.com but hovering your cursor over this link will reveal the genuine destination. And this could be redirecting you towards a malicious website, so always verify your links.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Keep Your Business Growing by Supporting Your Staff

business growth, Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Ophtek, Sheeba Varghese, staff development, talent development, , , , ,
10
Aug 2021

It’s important that you invest in your IT assets, but it’s even more important that you invest in supporting the staff using them.

As your business grows, it’s crucial that your staff can keep pace with these changes. Otherwise, they run the risk of being left behind. And this can significantly negate any positives brought about by growth. Naturally, your employees can adapt to growth, but they will need help to fully adjust. In order to achieve this, they will need to be empowered by training of a high quality. This is where a strategic partner for your talent development such as Sheeba Varghese can step in.

Introducing Sheeba Varghese

Executive coaching, leadership training and staff development are some of the most vital elements required for business growth. Mastering these skills requires a special individual, so it makes sense to turn to a professional. Sheeba Varghese is one such professional.

Leveraging two decades of experience of working with leaders at all levels, Sheeba is blessed with a wealth of experience in the field. And it’s an experience built upon strong foundations of education. With a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education from the University of Maryland, Sheeba can point towards an impressive background. But her education goes much further. Strengthening her skills, Sheeba has climbed the industry ladders to become recognized as a Professional Certified Coach and a Certified Mentor Coach with the International Coaching Federation. She was awarded the Top Leadership Trainer Award with the International Association for Top Professionals in 2020 and has been a member of the Forbes Coaches Council since 2018.

Along Sheeba’s journey within the talent development industry, she has worked with a wide range of people. Senior directors, vice presidents, managers and emerging leaders are just some of the individuals she has helped to develop. And her client base is just as diverse. Working with clients from all over the globe, Sheeba has brought her skills to a varied range of industries such as education, healthcare and financial sectors. It’s a broad range of clients and one which demonstrates that she can integrate her skills into any workplace.

Providing Executive and Leadership Coaching, leadership development to teams and individuals so they handle the challenges of this modern workforce is a talent which Sheeba has devoted her time in over the course of her career. A true professional, Sheeba’s passion, knowledge and energy allows her to deal with a wide range of personalities and maximize learning in group sessions. These coaching and trainings sessions are available in live or virtual settings and, in the last year, Sheeba has conducted over 200 virtual sessions. And, thanks to her accreditation with the International Coaching Federation, Sheeba is qualified to deliver mentoring to those who are seeking credentials within this field.

Final Thoughts

Growing your business is critical when it comes to expanding your organization’s potential. But to do this you also need to expand the potential of your employees. They need to be able to understand and meet the new developments that growth brings. And this is far from easy. People tend to settle into comfort zones, and this can affect their ability to grow. Thankfully, their abilities can be developed by working with a strategic partner for your talent development such as Sheeba Varghese.

Contact Information

SHEEBA VARGHESE, PCC
Leadership Trainer and Executive Coach
Office: 650-741-6545 | Email: sheeba@coachsheeba.com

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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5 Best Tips to Make Remote Working on a PC a Success

calendar apps, collaboration, comfort, equipment, Ophtek, remote work, remote workers, simplicity, technical issues, working remotely, , , , , , , ,
03
Aug 2021

Remote working is becoming an increasingly popular way for organizations and their staff to operate. But it’s crucial that you know how to do it properly.

The popularity of remote working has been growing for several years, but this growth has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Working from remote locations, however, doesn’t come without challenges. A home, for example, wasn’t built to be used as a workplace. And it’s unlikely that a home will come pre-loaded with powerful communication options. But challenges such as these can easily be tackled.

All you have to do is take a look at our 5 best tips to make remote working on a PC a success.

Enhancing the Remote Working Experience

Simplicity is an essential part of any infrastructure and remote working is no different. Therefore, make sure you integrate these simple tips into your remote working setup:

  1. Comfort is Key: It’s important that you create a suitable working space for setting up your PC. A quiet location with minimal distractions is vital, so it’s a good idea to set up in a location away from TVs and any other noise sources. The most pressing element, however, is a good chair. You’re going to be sitting in the same seat for several hours a day, so you need to get one which is both comfortable and suitable.
  2. Collaboration Tools: Communicating while remote working is very different to communicating when all employees are based in a central location. Naturally, this can lead to an increase in the time taken to answer queries, but it’s easy to work around this. Software such as Microsoft Teams, Discord and Slack allows employees to communicate and collaborate with ease.
  3. Invest in Your Equipment: Whether you’re using your own PC or a work issued one, it pays to invest in your technology. It may be as simple as upgrading your internet connection to increase connection speeds and reliability. Alternatively, you may wish to invest in replacement peripherals which are more ergonomic such as mice, keyboards and headphones.
  4. Use Calendar Apps: Without a team around you, it’s difficult for you to keep on top of things. After all, an office full of employees can quickly remind you that you have a meeting coming up. But a remote worker doesn’t have this luxury. Therefore, using calendar apps such as Google Calendar and Microsoft Calendar can prove invaluable. Take time each week to set up important reminders in these to ensure you remain on top of your schedule.
  5. Don’t Ignore Technical Issues: One of the drawbacks of remote working is that a technical issue can quickly disrupt your day. The luxury of jumping on a spare workstation isn’t an issue when you’re away from the office. And this is why it’s crucial that you report all technical issues to your IT team as soon as possible. An early investigation could easily prevent a major technical fault and allow you to stay productive.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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