SECURITY
Tourist offers employee $1 million to cripple Tesla The company's Nevada factory was targeted by a Russian man, who offered one of Elon Musk's employees 1 million dollars to infect the local network. The goal was to exfiltrate data from computers, and then threaten to make them public unless a big ransom was paid. The employee reported the issue to management, and then to the FBI, which managed to capture the hacker.
Avast uncovers malicious apps in Google's Play Store The team has discovered another set of malware-ridden apps in Google's Play Store. According to SensorTower, the 21 gaming apps have been downloaded about 8,000,000 times so far. The applications are disguised as games, but their sole purpose is to display intrusive ads. Users should always read other people's bad reviews, examine the requested permissions carefully, etc.
Android malware steals 2-factor authorization codes Check Point, an American-Israeli security firm, has uncovered a group of hackers who have developed a dedicated Android-based malware component which can intercept the two-factor authentication codes that are sent via SMS. The researchers have also discovered a virus which creates a backdoor on Android phones, stealing the victims' data and opening infected web pages.
Hacker group targets companies with 3DS Max malware Bitdefender, a Romanian cyber security company, has discovered a group of hackers who have managed to plant their malware inside a 3ds Max plugin. The 3D computer graphics program is often used to create 2D/3D animations, models and images used in modern games, for video production, etc. The plugin deploys a backdoor that steals sensitive data, sending it to a remote server.
Chinese hackers impersonate McAfee to trick victims Shane Huntley, head of Google's Threat Analysis Group, has recently confirmed that a group of hackers tried to trick people into installing malware by pretending to work for McAfee Corp, an American computer security software company, while using reputable online platforms such as GitHub and Dropbox to store their malicious code, and then create legitimate-looking links to it.
Hackers unleash malware that can survive OS reinstalls The malware creates an "IntelUpdate.exe" trojan in the Startup folder, which can reinstall itself even if people delete it. The infection exploits the computer's UEFI, the firmware that's used to boot up most Windows-based computers. Due to this, OS reinstalls will not fix the problem, and the best antiviruses may find the virus, but they won't be able to eliminate it.
7 most interesting uses of a virtual private network NordVPN has recently published an article which highlights several unique ways to use a VPN. So, subscribe to a Virtual Private Network to avoid bandwidth throttling, access websites that may be blocked in your country, book cheaper vacations, download files securely, stay safe while using public Wi-Fi, get better prices when shopping online, and keep your private conversations... private.
Smart coffee maker hacked by cybersecurity researcher Martin Hron, a cyber security researcher working for Avast, has recently uploaded a funny video to YouTube. The video shows the Smarter Coffee Machine spraying boiling water, grinding coffee beans, beeping and displaying a "Want your machine back?" message. According to the researcher, vulnerable smart home devices can also be used to steal data, install ransomware, launch DDoS attacks, etc.