Hackers Get Back to the Basics
… Last year, one
in every 131 emails sent were malicious, according a new report from
Symantec, the computer-security company. That’s a marked increase from the two previous
years, when the rate was one in 230, on average.
… Macros embedded
in Word or Excel documents, for example, saw a surprising comeback in 2016. Macros are mini-programs that automate tedious
tasks inside a document, like formatting a table in a certain way, or filling
out a long form with personal information. But since they’re designed to execute a series
of commands—and aren’t confined to the document they live in—they can be
maliciously repurposed.
… This resurgence
of phishing and social engineering might be a result of improvements in
defenses. “It gets harder and harder to
fool the computer, but there’s still a good chance of fooling the end user,”
said Kevin Haley, the director of Symantec’s Security Response team and a
contributor to the report.
Another opinion.
Cyberespionage, ransomware big gainers in new Verizon breach
report
Verizon released its tenth annual breach report this morning, and
cyberespionage and ransomware were the big gainers in 2016.
Cyberspionage accounted for 21 percent of cases analyzed,
up from 13 percent last year, and was the most common type of attack in the
manufacturing, public sector, and education.
In fact, in the manufacturing sector, cyberespionage accounted
for 94 percent of all breaches. External actors were responsible for 93 percent
of breaches, and, 91 percent of the time, the target was trade secrets.
There is a belief that Security gets in the way of
innovation. I think it also points out
poor innovators.
… According to a recent study by IBM Security and the Ponemon Institute, 80%
of organizations do not routinely test their IoT apps for security
vulnerabilities. That makes it a lot
easier for criminals to use IoT devices to spy, steal, and even cause physical
harm.
Makes you wonder if the intelligence agencies have a way
to filter out fake news. (See the
articles below)
Government requests for Facebook user account data up 9% in
second half of 2016, but content restrictions declined
Facebook today released its latest report on global government requests
for the second half of 2016, noting there has been a 9 percent increase in
requests for user account data compared with the earlier part of that year, but
a 28 percent decrease in content restrictions for violating local law. However, that latter decrease doesn’t
necessarily indicate that content restriction-related requests are dropping as
a trend, but rather that earlier reporting had been impacted by unusually
inflated figures. This was due to a
sizable number of requests related to a single image from the terror attack in
Paris in 2015.
Is there a solution? If a politician’s “spin” is reported
accurately, should that avoid a “fake news” tag? (Did Huey Long really call his opponent a “flagrant heterosexual?”)
Facebook 'observed propaganda efforts' by governments
Facebook has admitted that it observed attempts to spread
propaganda on its site, apparently orchestrated by governments or organised
parties.
The firm has seen "false news, disinformation, or
networks of fake accounts aimed at manipulating public opinion", it
revealed in a
new report.
"Several" such cases during the US presidential
election last year required action, it added.
Some of the activity has been of a "wide-scale
coordinated" nature.
(Related). How
could this be done at all?
The most important part of Facebook's disinformation strategy
is what it leaves out
… while the report
lays out a number of new measures, the most striking thing is what it leaves
out: a strategy for combating the creation of false and malicious material at
its source, and a sense of Facebook's responsibility when genuine users share
those links. As described in the report,
almost all the important elements of disinformation campaigns are outside of
Facebook’s control. When the campaigns
do venture onto Facebook, the associated posts tend to behave the same way any
piece of news or content would. And
while similar
campaigns continue across Europe, today’s report suggest there’s no easy
fix for the problem — or at least not from Facebook.
Has anyone considers that he might want to buy Ford?
Zuckerberg tours Ford assembly plant
… Zuckerberg and
his wife announced plans earlier this year to visit all 50 states.
He has denied speculation that he is considering a White
House bid for 2020. Last summer,
Zuckerberg specifically created a new class of Facebook shares that would allow
him to serve in elected office for two years without resigning from Facebook.
A response to my students who are amazed that I do not own
a smartphone.
How to Break Your Smartphone Addiction
by Sabrina
I. Pacifici on Apr 27, 2017
“When people talk about addiction, the first thing that
comes to mind are illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. But in the mobile era, behavioral addiction is
much more prevalent and pervasive — and the culprit is the ubiquitous
smartphone. Adam Alter, a marketing and
psychology professor at New York University, says it’s an addiction by design —
and one that’s insidiously hard to break. In his new book, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of
Keeping Us Hooked, he explains how humans are hardwired for
addiction and offers suggestions on how to break the habit. He discussed his findings on the Knowledge@Wharton show,
which airs on SiriusXM channel 111.”
‘cause everyone wants a faster computer!
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