Infected Websites Are Mining Cryptocurrency

bitcoin, cryptocurrency, Hacking, Security, Security Threats, , ,
06
Apr 2018

Hackers are now infecting websites in order to take control of your PC’s processor and help power the resource heavy activity of cryptocurrency mining.

Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, have been generating countless headlines in the last year due to the huge values being attributed to them in the financial world. Now, despite cryptocurrencies being purely digital, they still need to be mined to help produce new coins. Naturally, this isn’t a simple task or, otherwise, everyone would be doing it and making millions. Instead, you need plenty of time and even more computing power to carry out the mining process.

For a hacker, of course, harnessing such huge amounts of computing power isn’t exactly rocket science, so it’s no surprise that this is their latest enterprise. And, to make this task a little easier, they’ve started infecting websites to help steal your processing power and power their cryptocurrency mining.

Mining for Cryptocurrency

While leaching off the CPU of innocent users to facilitate cryptocurrency mining is nothing new, the use of websites to help capture this valuable resource is a new one on security experts. And the manner in which it’s being done is ridiculously simple.

Hackers are setting up malicious adverts on websites that run a JavaScript file directly in the browser whenever that site is opened. There’s no need for the hacker to have direct access to the victim’s PC, everything takes place in the victim’s browser. And, if the victim has JavaScript enabled, then the malicious code will automate and hand over a significant amount of their processor power to the hacker’s mining activities.

There are certainly more sensitive hacks – such as those which exploit or encrypt your data – but the real bugbear of having your CPU taken advantage of is the impact it has on your computer’s performance. Mining cryptocurrency requires significant processing power to power through the labor intensive tasks involved, so this drain on resources is going to cause your system to grind to a halt.

Is a Website Hacking Your Processor?

Organizations, in particular, do not want to see their productivity affected by a slowdown in performance, so it’s crucial that you understand the warning signs of these infected sites. If the internet is in use and your system starts slowing down then you should check the performance of your CPU by:

  • Right clicking the taskbar on your PC and selecting Task Manager. This will allow you to access the Performance tab where you can see which resources are taking up your processor’s usage.

If opening a webpage is causing your PC’s performance to rocket, then there’s a chance that this could be down to an infected webpage. The simplest way to deduce this is by closing individual webpages and monitoring the effect within your Performance tab in Task Manager.

Final Thoughts

These infected websites are not going to cause major damage to your organization, but they are going to put a drain on your resources. Understanding that any potential reductions in processor speed could be caused by this new method of hacking is vital to stay on top of your digital security.

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

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The Best Practices for Protecting Your Wireless Network

Network, Password Security, Security, wireless network, , ,
20
Mar 2018

Small and mid sized organizations find wireless networks an essential tool in running their business, but they come with a significant risk attached.

And with news reports delivering nothing but bad news regarding wireless security, ensuring that your wireless network is well protected should be a major priority for your organization. Now, hackers don’t want to work hard, they want to access your systems with the least amount of effort; that’s why they tend to target the simplest flaws in wireless security.

Luckily, remedying these simple flaws is far from complex and you can make a huge difference to your wireless defenses in next to no time. To help you get started, I’m going to walk you through the best practices for protecting your wireless network:

  • Use a Strong Password: Many routers come set up with a default password in place and this represents a major security risk if left in place. Lists of default passwords for specific routers are regularly circulated among hackers, so make sure you change your password to one that is strong and contains upper and lower case letters along with numbers.
  • Turn on the Router’s Firewall: Due to the security risk surrounding wireless networks, router manufacturers have been building internal firewalls into their devices for some time. Occasionally, though, these routers can be shipped with their firewall turned off and this immediately reduces your defenses. Therefore, always check that any new routers have their firewall turned on before installing on your network.
  • Edit Your Network Name: Routers broadcast their network name so that users can find and connect to it. However, many routers broadcast a default network name and this can often indicate the model of the router, so it indicates poor wireless security. However, by changing the service set identifier (SSID), you can demonstrate that your router has been set up correctly and cause potential hackers to move on.
  • Use WPA2 Encryption and not WEP: Older routers may have WEP set as the device’s encryption method, but this is a very bad situation for your data. WEP encryption can easily be cracked in minutes, so WPA2 is the only option you should be selecting as this provides excellent protection which will thwart most hackers early on.
  • Disable Remote Admin Access: To help boost accessibility, many routers provide remote admin access services. Now, while this is fantastic if your IT team need to log in to your router in the middle of night from their homes, it also offers a route for hackers to get deep into your wireless network and start changing settings. Restricting admin access purely to the local area network helps prevent this scenario.
  • Update Your Router’s Firmware: As with all hardware, updating your router’s firmware is one of the most crucial steps for protecting your wireless network. Firmware is often released to help combat potential security flaws, so it needs to be installed immediately to prevent these flaws being exploited.

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

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4 Tips for Choosing the Best USB Flash Drive

Flash Drive, Secure Flashdrive, Security, ,
15
Mar 2018

USB flash drives remain a crucial piece of kit when it comes to PC storage, so it’s important that you know what to look for when choosing a new one.

With more and more data involved in our day to day business, storage of this data is a highly important factor for organizations to consider. And, whilst cloud storage is an innovative and useful solution, you can’t rule out the importance of USB flash drives. Small and compact, a USB flash drive can look deceptively simple, but it’s more than capable or backing up operating systems and storing large amounts of data.

However, there are so many different flash drives available that it can be a bit disorientating to know which one is right for your needs. So, let’s take a look at four tips for choosing the best USB flash drive.

  1. What Size Do You Need?

USB flash drives come in a variety of sizes from 1GB up to a gigantic 2TB (that’s 2000GB), so there’s clearly an option for everyone’s needs. However, the costs also increase the more storage you need, so it’s important you don’t overspend on wasted storage. A Windows 10 backup, for example, requires around 8 – 10GB but if you need to store a large number of video files, this could require 100GB+ storage quite easily. Therefore, evaluate your data and determine how much space you need.

  1. USB 2.0 or USB 3.0?

For close to a decade, USB 2.0 technology was the most up to date option for all of our USB needs. However, USB 3.0 technology has now been available for several years – alongside USB 2.0 – and offers much quicker transfer rates; USB 2.0 can transfer 60 megabytes per second, but USB 3.0 transfers at 640 megabytes per second. However, not every piece of hardware in your organization may be set up to take advantage of USB 3.0 hardware. Whilst USB 3.0 hardware will run in USB 2.0 ports, the speed will not be the same. And that means you’re paying extra for nothing.

  1. USB Flash Drives Can and Will Fail

Like all hardware, USB flash drives have a limited lifespan; it’s estimated, though, that a standard USB flash drive can be written to between 2,000 to 100,000 times before failing and this should provide you with several years’ usage. However, there are a number of factors that can cause flash drives to fail such as electrical component failure and eject/mount failures where the device is removed whilst still in communication with the PC. As a result, it’s important you purchase flash drives which are made by reputable manufacturers with the best components.

  1. How Secure is Your Flash Drive?

Data stored on a USB flash drive can be highly sensitive, so security is another factor which needs to be strongly considered. To access a flash drive, all someone has to do is plug it into a USB port and they’ll have immediate access to any files on there. While it’s possible to password protect each individual file, a better option is to protect the entire device and USB flash drives are now available where a pin number must be entered on the actual device to gain access to it. And, if you value the security of your data, this is a must have when choosing a new USB flash drive.

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

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Hide ‘N Seek Botnet Threatens the Internet of Things

Cyber Attack, Hacking, Internet of things, IOT, malware, Password Security, Security, Security Threats, , ,
08
Mar 2018

The Internet of Things (IoT) has a new security threat and this time it uses peer-to-peer communication to spread, infect and compromise devices.

In January 2018, security researchers working for Bit-defender discovered a new botnet which, although not related, has similarities to the Reaper botnet. Originally infecting just 12 IoT devices, the Hide ‘N Seek botnet had soon amassed over 32,000 IoT devices by the end of the month. With the ability to steal data, take control of the device and run malicious code, Hide ‘N Seek represents a serious threat.

Understanding new and emerging threats to IoT devices is crucial if you want to protect your organization’s network, so it’s time to investigate Hide ‘N Seek a little closer.

Hide ‘N Seek is No Game

A brand of IP camera manufactured in South Korea appears to be the initial infection source for Hide ‘N Seek, but the botnet is actively attacking other IoT devices. Using randomly generated IP addresses, Hide ‘N Seek attempts to connect to any devices listed against these addresses. If the botnet succeeds in connecting then it either uses default login/password combinations to gain access or performs a brute force attack using a dictionary list to crack the login credentials.

With access obtained, Hide ‘N Seek analyses the device to discover any potential vulnerabilities such as the ability to download malware or launch DDoS attacks. The remote botnet hacker also has the option of executing any command they wish on the infected device; this option provides them with the chance to steal any files they wish. The capabilities of Hide ‘N Seek are clearly advanced and innovative, but what’s even cleverer is that it appears to be constantly redesigning itself to minimize detection.

Communication between the infected devices is made possible by the peer-to-peer network at the heart of Hide ‘N Seek. Using peer-to-peer software for hacking is nothing new, but previous methods have always involved modifying existing torrent software. Hide ‘N Seek is taking hacking to a new level by using completely custom built peer-to-peer software which has no central command unit; therefore, closing this network down is virtually impossible.

Combating Hide ‘N Seek

The advanced design of Hide ‘N Seek is proof that it’s the work of highly skilled hackers, but, once again, the vulnerability being exploited is the use of default passwords. Let’s face it, giving a hacker a key to a locked door is the worst form of security you can imagine, but this is exactly what default passwords are. And this is why password security remains the number one priority for any devices within your network, whether they’re connected to the IoT or otherwise.

By changing these default passwords while devices are on isolated networks, your organization can seriously increase the strength of their defenses. Otherwise, you’re leaving your networks at the mercy of malicious botnets such as Hide ‘N Seek. And, believe me, just as Reaper wasn’t the last IoT botnet, neither will Hide ‘N Seek be the final word in hacking in this new IoT landscape.

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

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Hacking the Internet of Things For a Few Dollars

Company Updates, Cyber Attack, Hacking, Internet of things, IOT, Security, Security Threats, , , , ,
06
Mar 2018

The Internet of Things (IoT) has many security concerns, but perhaps one of the most pressing worries is that IoT devices can be easily hacked for just a few dollars.

A group of elite hackers have recently demonstrated the ease with which a hardware hack can be unleashed to take control of IoT devices. All they require to carry out the hack is an SD card reader, the ability to solder and a length of wire – all in all, this should come to around $10. And once they’ve taken control of the device they can not only exploit any data on there, but also use it as a stepping stone to get further into the network it’s on.

With the number of IoT devices expected to hit the 20 billion mark by 2020, the risk of attacks on these devices is only going to get greater and greater. And, for a business, where nearly every employee will have access to an IoT device, perhaps it’s time to get acquainted with this low cost and easy to deploy attack.

Hacking on a Budget

The hack in question is a flash memory attack and, as such, targets IoT devices which have a flash memory – in particular a form of memory known as eMMC flash. It’s likely that you’ve never heard of eMMC flash, but it’s built into a wide range of devices such as smart TVs, cell phones, tablets and even refrigerators. Just think about how many of those devices are in your organization and connected to your network – that’s right, it’s pretty scary. What, though, is this $10 hack?

Well, the hackers – who go under the group name of exploitee.rs – have revealed that they can gain read/write access to devices by taking a flash memory card and soldering wires to five specific places:

  1. Data line
  2. Clock line
  3. Command line
  4. Power line
  5. Ground

This access allows the hackers to start stealing data and to issue commands to the device before taking complete control of it. Once the flash memory card in question is put into an SD card reader, it can then be connected to a PC to glean complete copies of that device’s data inventory. And it’s at this point that the hackers are able to identify zero-day vulnerabilities in the device, vulnerabilities which can be applied to that specific device and any other unit of the same product.

With this information to hand, the hackers are then empowered to launch remote attacks against said device and, potentially, use these infiltrated devices to gain access to the networks they’re connected to. And all of this is possible because hardware manufacturers fail to secure flash memory on their devices, they’re only concerned with creating a front line defense with nothing behind it.

Managing IoT Security Concerns

Hardware manufacturers are slightly off the pace as demonstrated by this budget hack, so for the consumer it’s particularly troubling. As ever, the best advice is to install patches and firmware upgrades as soon as possible. However, when a hardware vulnerability is found it means that it has the potential to leave huge numbers of the same devices – if not all of them – at the risk of being hacked. Therefore, identifying the form of flash memory present in devices may become a major buying point for consumers.

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

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