Cyber Security Archives - Cyber Protection Group

United States Improves Critical Infrastructure Security

May 19, 2021

United States Improves Critical Infrastructure Security by Passing Five Bills The cyber security incident that recently affected Colonial Pipeline showed the extreme need to protect our critical infrastructure. Ransomware successfully hindered the delivery of fuel to a large portion of the East Coast. Colonial Pipelines and other critical infrastructure could prevent cyber security incidents with enhanced security that prepares themselves for the imminent attacks. Finally, the United States House Committee on Homeland Security recently passed five bills to increase cyber defenses for United State organizations and critical infrastructure. Why Attack Critical Infrastructure? People and organizations not only depend on critical infrastructure, they need the critical infrastructure. These organizations… Read More

Hacking Group Stops Oil Pipeline and Breaks 45% of the United States Oil Supply

May 10, 2021May 10, 2021

Hacking Group Stops Oil Pipeline and Breaks 45% of the United States Oil Supply When you hear about a cyber attack, generally you assume that some sort of IT infrastructure suffered damage. Your assumptions might include servers, web applications, or even the business processes that those systems support. However, ransomware disables the largest pipeline in the United States in a recent attack. This attack goes to show that as cyber attacks evolve, the cyber world can be used to inflict damage on the physical world and its infrastructure. The Victim On May 7, 2021, the Colonial Pipeline suffered a ransomware attack that brought the pipeline’s operations to… Read More

What is Penetration Testing and Why Do You Need It?

May 10, 2021May 10, 2021

What is Penetration Testing and Why Do You Need It? Across all your systems, applications, and software on your network lay vulnerabilities. Malicious attackers can exploit vulnerabilities and serious damage. These vulnerabilities can lead to data loss, system downtime, financial loss, malware, and even ransomware. Most of the time, organizations can easily remediate these vulnerabilities; however, if you do not know of their existence, how can you fix it? What is Penetration Testing Penetration Testing is a practice conducted on systems in order to find exploitable vulnerabilities. By finding vulnerabilities, organizations can stay proactive in their security stance. With the knowledge and understanding of the exploitable… Read More

A Week in Security: REvil Extortion, RDP Stolen Credentials, Geico Breach, and Chrome Exploits

April 23, 2021April 23, 2021

A Week in Security: REvil Extortion, RDP Stolen Credentials, Geico Breach, and Chrome Exploits As we approach the weekend, let us look back at this past week at the top cyber security news. This week in cyber security, REvil attempted to extort Apple using their stolen data. Additionally, UAS leaked 1.3 million Windows RDP logins for sale on their marketplace. Also in other news, Geico suffered a data breach that exposed some of their customers’ sensitive data and Google rushed to fix several zero-day exploits in Chrome. REvil Attempts to Extort Apple Early in the week, the threat group REvil, known for their successful ransomware campaigns and living… Read More

Cyber Attack of the Week 05 – Hacking Group Plans to Cut Down on Attacks

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020

It appears that malicious hackers may in fact contain some amount of empathy for the world right now. Of course, in their own way and under their own circumstances. Today for our cyber attack of the week article, we are breaking down something a little different. To begin, a hacking group named The Maze Team, decided to stop any of their malware attacks against healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Who is The Maze Team? Just to give you a little background, Maze is responsible for many ransomware based attacks against healthcare facilities. Not only that, but this group attacks a large assortment of businesses and… Read More

Why are my apps asking for Bluetooth access?

March 13, 2020

This application would like to access your device’s Bluetooth capabilities. Oh, and also your location, personal information, and the list goes on and on … Bluetooth Access PLEASE To begin this article, not too long ago, I received an odd pop up on my iPhone (see image below). The image shown above says that Ulta Beauty would like to use the Bluetooth access on my device. After quickly denying the access, I became quite puzzled. Now, I thought that this was quite odd. For one, I was scrolling through Instagram at the time of the pop up, not while using the Ulta app. Also, I was not… Read More

Is Facebook is Watching You?

November 15, 2019

Have you ever felt like you were being watched by someone? Well, as it turns out, your hunch may be correct. Who would that someone be you may ask? That would only be one of the largest social media platforms in the world, good ‘ol Facebook. What is Facebook in trouble for now? This week, Facebook headlines news stories across the world yet again. What is it for this time? Selling data? Losing even more momentum with Libra, their cryptocurrency? Not quite, this week, Facebook is spying on their users. Further, Facebook is pointing the finger at a bug in the IOS application for such an issue. Let’s find… Read More

What is a DoS Attack?

November 8, 2019November 8, 2019

In 2017, 33% of businesses experienced a DoS attack. The result of such an attack leaves a business helpless in some situations. Now in 2020, DoS attacks have only increased in occurrence since 2017. Now the question is, what makes this type of attack so detrimental to an organization? What is a DoS attack? If you are someone who is outside of the cyber security realm, a DoS attack may be a foreign term. Although, with the recent jump in the use of the attack, attention is brought to it on the news and online. By definition, a DoS (denial of service) attack is, “a cyber-attack in… Read More

Are Employees the Biggest Threat to an Organization?

October 18, 2019

Does your organization have a cyber security policy and procedure in place? Do they even have a cyber security team? If the answers to these questions is no, you may become the biggest threat to your organization. Curious how? In this article, the topic of how employees become the largest threat to an organization will be broken down and explained. An Inside Job? To begin, here is an important question. Has your employer, company or organization ever fallen victim to a cyber security attack? With ever evolving technology, criminals continue to create ways to target a business. Continuing, not all threats are the same in execution or… Read More

Hotel Wifi – Is It Secure?

October 11, 2019

Whether traveling for business or going on a vacation, many travelers face the same dilemma. Is the hotel wifi safe to use? It’s easy to connect to and free, so what’s the worst that could happen? Let’s find out. Hotels focus on hospitality, not network security. When the average consumer stays at a hotel, do you think their first concern is the security of the provided wireless internet? No. More likely, they may wonder whether or not internet is provided in general. If it is, that’s a plus, and the end of thinking about hotel wifi. Further, the main concerns of hotel staff and management is to… Read More