https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2020/02/13/the-fbi-issues-a-powerful-35-billion-cybercrime-warning/#221ad779187f

March 1, 2020

I chose this article because it puts into numbers just how devastating cyber crime is, in terms of how many people are affected. In just the span of one year, the number of cybercrime complaints from both individuals and business organizations reached a staggering 467,361 reports. This is a startling number to read however, it is not shocking. Cybercriminals have numerous tactic in which they can either trick someone out of their information or steal it from right under their nose. The article goes to outline how by using an email address similar to a trusted company address, criminals can trick an employee into giving away their valuable information. In turn, their payroll can be compromised. It also addresses the rise in the use of ransomware as a way to force business to either pay up or pay the price.

What can be learn from this article is to have some sort of software on your computer to detect any sort of fraud. You should also be weary of what information you send over email because if it is too good to be true it is probably a scheme. You could also verify if the sender is real, if it come from a business account, by simply Googling the email. These are a lot of steps to take however, it ensures the safety of you and your personal information.

https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2020/02/fbi-cyber-crime-report-shows-weakness-password-protection/163337/

March 4, 2020

I chose this article because it outlines the failure of email passwords. Most people can relate to someone trying to access your gmail account without your permission. This has happened to me several times. However, my account never managed to be hacked. The author wants the reader to learn a lesson. That would be to use strong passwords because the weak ones are easier to predict.

According to the article, in the 2019 FBI Crime Report “the most destructive cyber crime for 2019 in terms of money stolen isn’t something flashy like ransomware that is always making the news. It was business email compromise and email account compromise”. I did not find this shocking at all. Once you have a persons email, you have access to everything. You also have the ability to change the passwords to all their accounts and access their payments data. This has apparently caused two billion dollars in losses.

Hacker have even found ways to sidestep the two-step verification process. They use SIM swapping. “In a SIM swap scam, hackers trick a carrier to switch a victim’s mobile number over to an account that the hackers own.” Apparently, this is quite easy to do because people get new phones very frequently. Once this is done they can easily acquire any other information that they desire.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/30/cops_crime_failure/

February 23, 2020

There have been numerous cybercrimes in America that have occurred throughout the history of the Internet. So, you would think that there would be a series of legal actions taken to avenge those affected. However, according to the article, “police officers, at the city to state level, lack the basic skills to pursue online crimes, and instead hand cases off to overworked and undermanned specialized cybercrime units. As a result, in many cases, cybercrime falls through the cracks”. This doesn’t come as a shock to me but I would have some hope that they have follow ups with these units in order to assure the cases can be closed.

Due to this system, only three in every one thousand cases are actually prosecuted. That means a lot of people are getting away with their crimes and have to opportunity to continue their schemes. This is truly disappointing. It leaves the internet in a very vulnerable place because those who are being paid to ‘protect the people’ are doing the complete opposite. Instead, they continue to blame the victims for falling prey and clicking on a phishing link.

I chose this article because I found its topic quite fascinating. What can be learned from this is that, there are a lot of cybercriminals still roaming around. They can still be corrupting links and sending them to their victims. Just be on the look out and protect your electronics.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/chrome-80-update-cripples-top-cybercrime-marketplace/

February 27, 2020

Recently Google has released an update for its Chrome software. While the release of Chrome 80 has garnered a negative response due to the ScrolltoTextFragement as well as the new update to its password storing system. Though there are a lot of dismay from consumers, it has in some way become a saving grace for them as well. The update has left a certain cybercrime marketplace in shambles.

Genesis Store sells stolen browser credentials which they call ‘fingerprints’. These “fingerprints include basic details about a user’s account, such as username and password, but also more detailed things, such as past IP addresses the user has used, browser cookies, user-agent strings, and other OS technical details.” So as you can imagine, if this information gets into the wrong hands it can be detrimental to the innocent user. To make matters worse, the store has an extension in the Google store that then allows the purchaser to use the fingerprint to impersonate the user. The new algorithm only allows Genesis to steal about thirty fingerprints per day. Yes, people are still being affected but not nearly as bad as it was. With this decrease in inflow, Genesis is crumbling.

What can be taken away from this is that you should be careful when storing information onto your laptop browsers. Yes, it is very convenient however you also run the risk of being exposed. I am guilty of doing this, literally all my information is on my laptop so if it were to get hacked, I would be screwed. Hopefully, there will be a way to stop this from occurring completely.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/01/21/new-york-city-has-a-10-million-cybercrime-lab-to-crack-the-iphone

February 19, 2020

A lab in New York is being to emulate what it would be if a cyber criminal were to try to hack into an iPhone. They set up two computers to input a series of codes into the device, which promptly locks them out after a series of attempts.
However, they scientist made it so the computers think like a hacker. So, it uses birthdays, zip codes, and anniversaries as a basis to crack four digit codes, seeing as though these are more common. This also comes in the wake of Apple making the decision to not allow access to a phone even when it is in police custody with a search warrant.

The article goes to state that “every time Apple releases a new operating system, the penetration task gets increasingly complex. Often it takes years for the lab to crack a new phone or a new iOS version, well after a case is in court.” This proves that Apple take customer security very seriously. Even though it may hinder court case, it does ensure that people who aren’t supposed have access to a device can’t get in. However, I will say that it is kind of odd that Apple had also been working on an option that would offer end-to-end encryption of iCloud backups. This is quite sketchy in my eyes.

What I took away from this article is that Apple devices have a strong defense against any cyber criminals. Though the tactics Apple have used to get this security hinders law enforcement, it is necessary in the world we live in today. As I stated before, I do think total encryption is a big leap from the protection of a password. If the password is secured and Apple has deemed it secure, there shouldn’t be an encryption of data needed.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200121112915.htm

February 17, 2020

“Many teenagers are struggling to control their impulses on the internet, in a scramble for quick thrills and a sense of power online, potentially increasing their risks of becoming cyber criminals.” This is the statement that evoked my attention because it is very pointed and can easily be backed with facts. Teenagers are more susceptible to being coaxed into doing things that are illegal because to some of them its just a game. It can also be seen as a ‘challenge’ to them as well.

The article goes to outline that because we live in a digital age, the younger generation tends to engross their time with online activity. According to Professor Goldsmith, this is causing a degradation in their impulse controls. Thus, making it easy for the Internet to tempt its young users into digital piracy, pornography and hacking. He goes to state that young men are at a greater risk to getting into one of these crimes. The article ends with a notion that the government needs to make effective regulatory changes in order to reflect the online motivations of teenagers.

What can be taken away from this article is that with teenagers being so impressionable, it would be smart to inform them of some of the crimes that occur online. Once mentioned you could mention the repercussion that are usually taken from a legal point of view. That way you kind of scare them out of doing anything illegal because all they will think about is the possibility of going to jail or paying off a fine. I will leave you with this quote, “For some young people, the Internet is like a seductive swamp, very appealing to enter, but very sticky and difficult to get out of.”

https://www.reviewonline.com/news/local-news/2020/02/city-considers-purchase-of-cyber-crime-insurance/

February 13, 2020

Insurance is used to protect you against something that may eventually happen or something that is inevitable. There is insurance for your health, car, house and even your pets so, it is not too shocking that there is an insurance for your cyber security. This would help compensate as well as assist in the recovery process in the wake of a breach in information. It can reimburse you and members of your household for any losses in certain cyber attacks or if you are a victim of a cyber crime.

Council’s Finance Committee members agreed to recommend that the city of East Liverpool purchase cyber crime insurance from Worldwide Facilities LLC. The insurance would cost $3,762.65 per year. The area have seen a string of cybercrime attacks over the past few years. “Ransomware is often launched from outside the country in a computer virus that freezes the computer system until a ransom is paid.” Their court data was compromised through an encryption and this resorted in a $2,500 pay out in order for the attackers to release the data.

Due to them having consistent attacks it makes sense for them to invest in such defenses because it beats paying a ransom. Everyone should have some sort of protection from cybercrime and if getting insurance for it is the way to go, I see nothing wrong with it. That is what I took away from the article. If you store vital personal information on any sort of electronic product, get an insurance for it. It will probably be more affordable than $3,762.65 since it is a personal product.

https://news.sky.com/story/cyber-criminals-hacked-london-based-company-and-demanded-ransom-11910928

February 10, 2020

It is not uncommon for companies to be hacked into by cyber criminals. Sadly, it has actually become a seemingly common trend. However, what is odd about this breach is that the company waited for two weeks to report it. They noticed all the signs of it being a possible attack but never told regulators. The reasoning behind this….ransom.

The Maze cyber criminal group claimed that they compromised three-hundred gigabytes of information from London Offshore Consultants. They then leaked some online in order to coax the company into paying a ransom. “The Maze hacking organization has been extorting victims globally by breaching their computer networks, stealing information and then encrypting the computers to render them unusable.” This is what they lead LOC Group to believe, prolonging the time the could have spent getting help to investigate the issue.

It is unclear if they actually paid the ransom and that is why they are coming forth with the issue however, what can be learned here is that if you think something is wrong find a way to report it. Yes, the company has a lot to lose by going behind the backs of those who are holding information over their head but, by waiting they made the damage much worse. They are still in the process of trying to retaining the data but who knows how long that is going take.

February 6, 2020

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-06/trio-charged-over-alleged-11-million-fraud-using-identity-theft/11935904

I chose this topic because it relates to something that I learned in my business legal class last week…identity theft. Since we live in the age of the Internet it is not that hard for someone to find out bits of information on a targeted individual. However, it takes a special form of dedication to steal the personal information of 146 people.

The article overviews the arrests of three people in Adelaide, Sydney. They managed to steal $11 million dollars by hacking into businesses and modifying payrolls, credit card details and superannuation. According to one of the suspects, they would take information from passports and go from there. The police go to warn their citizens that this information is valuable on the black market so if you store any personal information on your computer systems, make sure it is throughly protected.

What I learned from this article is that it is very important, especially in the climate today, to make sure you have strong cybersecurity measures in place. Though this can happen to anyone, if you protect yourself the odds of it being you diminish.

February 4, 2020

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/cyber-criminals-using-coronavirus-concern-to-assist-intrusions

The coronavirus is a topic that is sweeping the nation due to the severity of the illness along with the sheer fact that nothing is truly known about the virus. This, of course, leads to people consulting Dr.Google in order to be more informed on the issue at hand. However, according to the article some individuals are taking advantage of these searches by placing malware in certain links.

I chose this topic because it is shocking to me that anyone would even think to do this. For someone to deliberately put a persons computer stability and safety at risk because they simply want to be more informed on a health emergency is vile. Though the infectious software is in the forms of pdf, mp4 and doc files, it still leaves people vulnerable.

The article goes to state that we should be careful with leaving any emails on websites in order to receive more information about the virus because it may be apart of a cyber attack. I guess what can be taken away from this is, be careful with what you sign up for as well as what links you click. Though you may be searching for information in order to build your knowledge on a topic, there may be a corrupt individual waiting in the shadows trying to take advantage.