information 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 a Credential Stuffing Attack?

November 2, 2020

After recently covering the cyber attack on Nando’s, a deeper look into what credential stuffing actually is may be needed. Monday, November 2nd, 2020 Welcome back to a new week! Halloween is over, and the world now shifts their attention to Christmas. In a parallel sense, last week, CPG covered the cyber attack on Nando’s. But, here at CPG, we’re not quite ready to jump to the next topic. The attack on Nando’s appeared to be a credential stuffing attack. And while CPG covered the attack in relation to the restaurant chain, I wanted to dive deeper into the topic, and really elaborate on the subject. Let’s get… Read More

What to do During Quarantine to Feel Productive

May 4, 2020

Welcome to another week of quarantine folks! Let’s all keep hanging in there, it will be over before we know it (at least that’s what I keep telling myself each week…) Work + Home + ??? If you are like the many people in the US and all over the world working from home currently, then you may be starting to slide into a funk. A funk you may ask? Well, to further describe that situation, this could mean tiredness, lack of motivation or overall productive activities. Now, is it completely normal to feel those things right now? Absolutely. Mainly because those in the workforce are working under… Read More

Cyber Attack of the Week 08 – Faulty Server leads to 1.1 Million Customer Records being Exposed

April 16, 2020

So you are telling me that I can’t do a hard shut down on my PS4 and this will all go away? Welcome back to the cyber attack of the week series! I think this marks the third or fourth Friday of quarantine? Regardless, the cyber criminals of the world are apparently still in office, hacking away. This week, we are taking a look at a gaming controller manufacturer who faced an enormous data breach. When you want to End, but not Save – Server Edition Earlier this month, the gaming controller manufacturer, SFU Gaming announced that the company endured a major security and data breach. This… Read More

US Charges Individuals Responsible for the 2017 Equifax Hack and Data Breach

February 14, 2020

In 2017, Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting companies in the world, faced an enormous hack and data breach. Now in 2020, the individuals responsible are facing charges for the attack. Flashback to 2017 To begin, last week, the DOJ accused four members of the People’s Liberation Army in China of performing the hack against Equifax. After releasing the nine-count indictment regarding the breach, the document portrays how the members allegedly pulled off one of the largest hacks in US history. Now, before we get into the indictment, let’s take a look back at how the attack on Equifax went down. The Hack On September… Read More

Instagram is now using AI to help stop bullying on their app. But will it work?

December 20, 2019December 20, 2019

One can’t help but notice the increase of cyber bullying due to the various, ever present social media platforms. But now, Instagram is integrating a new tool to help fight through the negative comments. Platform Positivity Earlier this year, Instagram released a statement promising their support in the fight against bullying, especially on their platform. Instagram is, “an American photo and video-sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, Inc. It was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and launched in October 2010.” (via Wikipedia). Millions of photo and video posts supply the app on a daily basis for followers to view, comment and like. But, with such… Read More

Dumpster Diving = Low Tech Hacking at its Finest

October 11, 2016November 21, 2019

Social Engineering Awareness Part 1: Dumpster Diving Dumpster diving remains a prevalent security risk for almost every organization. Dumpster diving is a form of Social Engineering that takes very little technical knowledge. Further, a potential hacker’s goal while dumpster diving is to look for any information hidden within the trash to help penetrate a network. A quick list of potential targets containing worthwhile information would look something like this. Hard Drives CD Drives Flash Drives SD Cards Floppy Disks Instruction Manuals Receipts Invoices Old Software Old Magazines from vendors like cisco Company Directory page or book Old Business Cards Diagrams of building or Network Anything with signatures Usernames and passwords… Read More

Cyber Security’s Weakest Link is Human Beings

September 12, 2016November 21, 2019

The Weak Link In Security Often times when a company looks into becoming more secure / enhance security, they typically look to add devices, software or settings in place to help defend their network. It’s hard to convince them that the weak links in there network is the employees on them. Convincing employers about the importance of user awareness is an ongoing struggle for tech professionals. In the world of Information Security, we like to think that all the firewalls, antivirus and security settings we put in place keep us safe. Last year in 2015 there was an estimated 781 reports of data breaches. These breaches only account for… Read More

Power Strips vs Surge Protectors vs UPS What one should I use?

August 17, 2016November 21, 2019

When people think about securing their computer systems they seem to focus on things like antivirus programs and firewalls. However, making sure their physical system is secure is just as important. Insuring that your system is safe from spikes in electricity adds to maintaining the health of your system and for continuing operations of your business. The last thing you want is for your vital systems down due to a lightning strike. Yeah but I already have a surge protector.. One common misconception among users is that power strips and surge protectors are one in the same. It is important to know the difference between the two.… Read More