If you have an Nvidia graphics card, it is within your best interest to make sure your drivers are up to date. On May 9, Nvidia released a statement stating that they have patched security holes within their display drivers that could have led to a denial of service attacks, or could leave your personal information exposed for hackers. Drive update 430.64 was released on May 9 and remedies the security holes outlined below. Vulnerability CVE-2019-5675 is an issue within the kernel of the GPU, which is used to handle only trusted windows files. This issue can be exploited and used to launch denial of service attacks (DoS) and allow hackers administrative privileges over your system. Lastly, vulnerability CVE-2019-5677, another issue within the kernel, can lead to denial of service attacks (DoS). It is important that you update your cards immediately to avoid falling victim to any of these vulnerabilities. The newest driver update, released May 9, 2019, corrects each of the vulnerabilities listed above.
Tax season is no doubt a happy time for many Americans. The extra boost in cash from paying taxes makes everyone’s wallet feel great! However, where there is money, there are unwelcome guests. While many are preparing their taxes and W-2 forms, hackers are busy developing malware to infect and steal information from unsuspecting victims. It is important that we understand how these hackers aim to get access to banking information. What to Look For? The majority of these attacks come from email spam. By making the emails appears to be from large firms such as Paychex and ADP, these hackers aim to deceive people into opening and downloading malicious Microsoft Excel files. One downloaded, the Excel file will execute one of the most effective banking Trojans, Trickbot. While these attacks usually target businesses, that does not mean an individual will not come across this attack. The cybercriminals do their best to disguise the email as friendly, going as far as to replicate the names and emails of HR services and accounting companies. By making the email appear to be from someone the recipient knows, or is aware of, the guard of that person is lowered, making them more likely to open attachments. Just one unaware person can allow Trickbot to enter the company and spread to every computer on the network. What is Trickbot? Trickbot is malware specifically designed to silently infect a computer and steal sensitive data such as, banking credentials. Once the credentials are acquired, the Trojan proceeds to setup wire fraud directly from your own computer. Once infected, hackers have complete control over your machine, and can spread the attack to any other machines that are on the network. Trickbot is a top ranking Trojan and is still in development, adding new “skills” to the virus, making it even more destructive. What Can I Do to Stay Safe? In order to keep yourself protected during tax season, follow these safety tips: The IRS only uses snail mail as a means of communication. Therefore, if you receive an email, phone call, text message, social media message, do not respond. If you receive an email and it seems suspicious, do not click, open, or download any attachments or links. If the email is from someone you know, it is best to verify with the sender before opening any attachments, ZIP files, or RAR files. Disable macros by default in all Office applications. If a downloaded office attachment asks you to enable macros immediately close the excel and delete the file. Many malicious files need macros enabled in order to execute, and this includes Trickbot, which uses excel to inject its malicious code. Use updated antivirus protection and ensure you are protected against Trickbot. Make sure your computer is up to date and has no pending updates. By taking these extra steps you can ensure that you do not become the victim of Trickbot.
At Hammett Technologies, we cannot stress enough how important it is that you have proper security in place to protect your company and personal information from potential attacks. Most malware today is designed to steal sensitive information from a victim’s computer, making healthcare providers high-priority targets. Cyber security expects in Israel recently hacked into a local hospital, changing CT and MRI images of patients, either adding or taking away cancerous growths. While this attack was simulated, though the use of algorithms, cyber security researchers were able to accurately remove and add cancerous growths. This edited images caused doctors, as well as the hospitals own AI-assisted tools, to misdiagnose over 90% of their patients. This attack was meant to spread awareness to the vulnerability of not just hospital, but all healthcare providers. If hackers were to replicate this attack, the consequence would be massive. This type of attack can lead some to believe they have cancer, or worse can lead someone to die by thinking they do not. Furthermore, this kind of attack could go hand in hand with ransomware. If attempting to steal money from the hospital, a hacker could infect the machine with ransomware, “…holding the medical imagery hostage,” stated the cyber security team. It is important to understand that this issue does not relate to just hospital, but all healthcare providers. If your company handles sensitive information, your company is being watch by hackers. Therefore, it is vital that you take steps to ensure that customer information is safe. Ensure that all HIPAA Compliances are met, for both your company’s safety and the customers. Ensure firewalls are in place and are regularly updated and maintained. Lock down the network and all devices with strong passwords (8+ characters, symbols, numbers). If you are worried about your company’s compliance or safety, give Hammett Technologies a call! We can give you a free assessment and let you know where you stand against potential threats. When you partner with Hammett Technologies you don’t become a client, you become family. Sources: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1901.03597.pdf
Another example of how someone will attempt to trick you into giving out your personal information! Please, make sure you are always paying attention when going through your email. If an email appears sketchy, it most likely is! Most of the time, the biggest give away is the senders email address! The email address “accounts@office365.micros0ft.tech” should stand out as a red flag. Upon closer inspection you will notice that the “O” in Microsoft is in fact a “0”(zero). Once you notice something like this, make the email as spam and move along! Remember to always be on the lookout! If possible, get in contact with the company that email appears to be from! This will help you gain peace of mind, as well as notify the company of a possible issue!
Unfortunately, this attack may affect those of you who travel the most. If you have stayed at any of the following Starwood brand hotels, including the Marriot, your information could have been compromised. Westin Sheraton The Lucury Collection Four Points by Sheraton W Hotels St. Regis Le Méridien Aloft Element Tribute Portfolio Design Hotels If you have stay at one of the hotels, it is in your best interest that you assume your information has been compromised! Take precautions and prepare yourself for a variety of social engineering attacks. What to Look For Spear Phishing Alert: Starwood Preferred Guests accounts have been breached, therefore it is likely that attackers have access to both your work and personal email addresses. Now, having your email address, attacks will send you emails that appear to be from real corporations, in an attempt to gain further access to your personal information! Be on patrol for these kinds of email, and if you do spot one, mark it as spam and report it immediately Copycat Phishing and SMS Phishing: With your information now floating around in the wild, attackers will try numerous methods in order to gain further access into your personal information! Marriot has made a statement saying it would email any Starwood Preferred Guests as well as those who may be impacted. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the attackers will now always be sending you and email that will look almost identical. Therefore, to air on the side of caution, do not open any emails, click on any links, or download any attachments that have come from the Marriott or Starwood Hotels. Furthermore, do not respond to any voicemails, or texts that claim they are representatives from the hotels listed above. Instead, look up the hotel and call them directly yourself! Have a Chat with Accounting: Odds are you have a business credit card, and if you have stayed at one of the following hotels in the past 4 years, odds are the bad guys have that same exact card now. Therefore, ask accounting to watch the card for any suspicious activity! If you use your own credit card and get reimbursed, call your bank and inform them of the situation, change your password, and monitor your account closely! Do Not Search for “WebWatcher”: Marriott is offering those who were targeted in the US, Canada, and the UK, a free, one year subscription to a Kroll Identity Service called “WebWatcher”. This service monitors “internet sites where personal information is shared”. Decoded that means they watch hacking sites on the deep web for compromised data records. DO NOT search the web for this program. This search will lead you to programs that, while they carry the same name, are hosts to spyware and other dangerous viruses. If you want to sign up for the free monitoring service, follow the links at info.starwoodhotels.com to country specific versions. Traveling Safe When leaving for an office trip or vacation make sure you: before leaving the office while packing in the taxi at the airport in flight at meetings and conferences at the hotel Following these steps will make sure that you are secure when traveling!
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