CFC Cyber Bulletin

Is security software a Trojan Horse?

Security researcher Tavis Ormandy has identified that, far from simply providing protection against hack attacks for computers, anti-virus programmes could actually be offering a route in for hackers. The findings came as a result of Ormandy’s work on Symantec’s suite of security products, which he found to be lacking on several fronts. He suggests that many firms have been guilty of complacency. 

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First fatal accident for Tesla self-driving car

A 40-year-old American has become the first person to die at the wheel of a Tesla self-driving car. Until now, the electric cars have covered 130,000 miles without a fatality and the manufacturers are suggesting that the collision with a lorry may have been due to an unusual combination of factors. It comes as a blow to the self-driving car industry as it struggles to convince a sceptical public and initiate new legislation in order to speed up a wider roll-out of the technology. 

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Decrypting encryption

What is one of the best methods to keep your data safe? The answer is full disk encryption – which, despite its occasional vulnerability, is one of the most important tools in securing the data on people’s devices. Full disk encryption protects data while it’s at rest on a computer or phone (rather than while it’s in transit across a network). At its best, even the device maker can’t access data stored on a disk – think of the recent FBI/Apple fracas over 2015’s San Bernardino killings. 

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The new botnet-du-jour is called LizardStresser

The LizardStresser botnet has allowed hackers to use the Internet of Things (IoT) to launch denial-of-service attacks on Brazilian banks, global gaming sites and government organisations. According to security firm Arbour Networks, an increasing number of criminals are using the botnet to hijack IoT devices by accessing them through users’ unchanged default passwords – often via webcams.

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