Every Monday we bring you a review of the previous week’s hottest cyber-security and on-line privacy news articles.
Here at IronSocket, we work to continually call attention to the risks and threats to our online privacy and security that we as individuals face in our connected lives. We are 100% committed to helping our customers stay safe and secure while on-line, both through our VPN and proxy services as well as through education.
Here are the top articles we have rounded up from this week’s news stampede.
Malware for Macs – Things Are Getting Worse
Are you a Mac user? Do you have any Eltima software installed on your Mac? If you answer yes to these two questions, we have some unpleasant news to share with you. Hackers managed to get in to Eltima’s development systems and insert a remote control trojan called PROTON into their Elplayer and Folx apps. If you have downloaded and installed either of these apps recently, brace yourself. We’ve checked numerous outlets and the recommended solution to this rather nasty problem is to wipe your Mac clean (reformat the hard disk) and reinstall the OS from scratch.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/20/mac_os_reinstall_eltima_elmedia_malware/
Not so loud, honey. The TV is listening.
What’s next? The microwave recording our thoughts?
Woe-Foe Network Security
We learned this past week that a flaw was found in the technical specifications that define Wi-Fi protocols. Fortunately, these weaknesses are not easy to exploit. Still, we strongly recommend that you update the firmware on your home router. If your router is provided by your ISP, then lean hard on them to update the firmware for you. Here’s what we currently know about patches for other popular devices:
- Apple (iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS): Patches are being beta tested and will be available in a few weeks.
- Microsoft: A security fix has been released and will be installed through automatic updates. You Windows users have automatic updates enabled, right?
- Linux: The patch is available now.
- Google (Android): They’re “aware of the issue…”
http://www.sciencealert.com/every-single-wi-fi-network-could-be-at-risk-from-new-hacking-attack
Improved Safeguards for your Google Account
Google has updated some of the security features of their service. If you use Google for anything, take their security checkup now.
https://betanews.com/2017/10/17/google-security-checkup-safe-browsing-updates
Welcome to the club, South Africa
Some are calling this a hack. Some are calling it a leak. This isn’t either of those. At over 30 million unique IDs, this is a massive data breach. It might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with haveibeenpwned.com, bokkie.
https://techcentral.co.za/data-breach-exposes-millions-south-africans-personal-records/77588
And here’s the follow-up about the source of the breach.
https://techcentral.co.za/revealed-real-source-sas-massive-data-breach/77626
That’s all for this week. As always, if you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to write to us. Our cyber-security experts are here to help you stay safe, secure, and protected while online.
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