Basically, phishing is a type of fraud that aims to extract personal data: logins, passwords, wallet numbers, and so forth. It’s essentially digital social engineering.

There’s a variety of phishing known as spear phishing. What distinguishes spear phishing from other types of phishing is that it targets a specific person or employees of a specific company. That targeting makes spear phishing more dangerous; cybercriminals meticulously gather information about the victim to make the “bait” more enticing. A well-produced spear phishing e-mail can be very difficult to distinguish from a legitimate one. So, spear phishing makes it easier to hook the victim.

Allow us to draw your attention to a new document, published by the European Networks and Information Security Agency, called “Baseline Security Recommendations for IoT in the context of Critical Information Infrastructures.”

It’s worth noting not only because our experts contributed to it, but also because it addresses one of the key issues repeatedly raised during the annual cybersecurity conference: the lack of universal cybersecurity standards for industrial automation, including information security standards for industrial Internet-of-Things devices. ENISA put forth recommendations, not requirements.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines on Thursday to repeal landmark 2015 rules aimed at ensuring a free and open internet, setting up a court fight over a move that could recast the digital landscape.

The approval of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal in a 3-2 vote marked a victory for internet service providers such as AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc and hands them power over what content consumers can access. It also is the biggest win for Pai in his sweeping effort to undo many telecommunications regulations since taking over at the agency in January. 

During the holiday season, an inevitable shopping fever takes hold, commanding the attention of buyers and retailers alike. Cybercriminals and scammers take advantage of the focus on retail, so if you are a seller, pay special attention to cybersecurity from Black Friday until the end of the holidays.

Point-of-sale systems have always been a weak spot for chain stores. Their performance requirements for normal operations are low, so they are often based on old computers running obsolete OSes. Their operators are afraid to create additional load by installing a security solution, so the systems are insecure. 

The French government is to ban students from using mobile phones in the country’s primary, junior and middle schools. Children will be allowed to bring their phones to school, but not allowed to get them out at any time until they leave, even during breaks.

A proposed ban was included in Emmanuel Macron’s successful presidential election campaign this year. Jean-Michel Blanquer, the French education minister, said the measure would come into effect from the start of the next school year in September 2018. It will apply to all pupils from the time they start school at age of six – up to about 15 when they start secondary school.

SWIFT, the global messaging system used to move trillions of dollars each day, warned banks that the threat of digital heists is on the rise as hackers use increasingly sophisticated tools and techniques to launch new attacks.

Brussels-based SWIFT has been urging banks to bolster security of computers used to transfer money since Bangladesh Bank lost $81 million in a February 2016 cyber heist that targeted central bank computers used to move funds. The new warning provided detail on some new techniques being used by the hackers. “Adversaries have advanced their knowledge,” SWIFT said.

All of us use the Internet and have by now probably settled into some online routines. For example, the first thing many people do in the morning is check their e-mail.

Such actions seem so normal and natural that we just do them and don’t think twice. But perhaps we should. Some everyday habits negatively affect our life in general, others only one aspect of it: online security. That’s what we’re here to talk about. With the above in mind, pause and think if you ever… You read about a new cool app for music streaming, you’re looking for a fitness tracker or task manager, or maybe you’re after a browser add-on for downloading photos or music from social media. 

The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Tuesday it had launched an investigation into allegations of patent infringement by Apple Inc on various devices. The commission said in a statement the probe was based on a complaint by Aqua Connect Inc and Strategic Technology Partners of Orange, California.

The products at issue are certain Apple Mac computers, iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Apple TVs, it said. The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Aqua Connect, Inc., and Strategic Technology Partners, LLC, of Orange, CA, on October 10, 2017. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the US.  

Cryptocurrencies are basically the same as e-money — like WebMoney or PayPal. That means they also have the same problems as classic e-payment systems.

However, the operating principles specific to cryptocurrencies sometimes make the problems more likely to occur, and thus more disturbing. In addition, the same principles are responsible for a certain number of risks unique to cryptocurrencies. We’ll start with common problems such as plain old theft. Let’s say you’re transferring money to a friend. You copy his wallet address accurately, but malware replaces the address in the clipboard with another one. 

Cloudflare has revealed an interesting way to ensure randomness when generating encryption keys -- lava lamps. Cloudflare is a DNS service which also offers distributed denial-of-service attack protection, security, free SSL, encryption, and domain name services.

Encryption is a hot topic today. While law enforcement often clashes with technology providers over backdoors and strong encryption getting in the way of cracking criminal cases, online, encryption can keep communication, payments, and accounts secure. Cloudflare is known for providing good standards of encryption, but it seems the secret is out -- this reputation is built in part on lava lamps.