SUMMARY
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Cybercriminals are pivoting more towards using cryptocurrency mining and the use of fileless malware as a means of making money.
Meanwhile, Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of what we now know as the world wide web, wants social media to be regulated to prevent a few tech platforms from monopolizing it.
These and more stories on this week’s Cybersecurity roundup!
Cybercriminals pivot to cryptomining, fileless malware – McAfee Labs Threats Report
Cybercriminals are now taking advantage of technological innovations such as fileless malware and cryptocurrency mining to spur the growth of new online threats, cybersecurity firm McAfee said in its latest McAfee Labs Threats Report.
In addition to surreptitiously mining cryptocurrency using other people’s computers and devices, McAfee added people were abusing Microsoft Powershell scripts to run malicious commands on others’ devices.
Intel redesigns its processors to safeguard against Spectre, Meltdown
Intel is introducing hardware-based protections to its processors which it says will “create an obstacle for bad actors” hoping to take advantage of the previously revealed Spectre and Meltdown hardware issues.
While Intel CEO Brian Krzanich did not deep-dive into the details in his blog post, he did say the changes would make it to the company’s next-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors – known colloquially as Cascade Lake – and to the 8th Generation Intel Core processors meant for the the second half of 2018.
World Wide Web’s inventor wants social media regulation to prevent monopolization
The inventor of the internet, Sir Tim Berners-Lee celebrated the 29th anniversary of the World Wide Web by voicing his concerns over its current state.
Berners-Lee posted an open letter online where he warned of the dangers of few dominant tech platforms controlling what is being seen and shared on the web. He also stressed the importance of inclusion and diversity of ideas in making social media a friendlier place for everyone, including those who have yet to go on the internet.
Saudi Arabian cyberattack intended to trigger plant explosion
The New York Times reported a cyberattack against a petrochemical company attepted to escalate into a disaster. The attack aimed to not only sabotage the plant, but also to get the plant to explode.
A mistake in the attackers’ computer code prevented the explosion from happening, investigators said.
Facebook suspends Trump campaign’s data analysis firm for policy violations
Facebook announced late on Friday, March 16, it was suspending Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), including its data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, for policy violations pertaining to data retention and collection.
In 2015, Dr. Aleksandr Kogan, a psychology professor at the University of Cambridge, violated Facebook policies by “passing data from an app that was using Facebook Login to SCL/Cambridge Analytica” and to Christopher Wylie of Eunoia Technologies. While the parties had certified they had deleted all the data collected after being found out, recent reports say not all of it was deleted, leading to the suspension and investigation by Facebook.
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