Friday Buzz Report – Issue Number 17
The weekend we were all waiting for is finally here. This week’s tech news round-up is focused on a cyber security threat we usually ignore, Edward Snowden’s new app, and cyber criminals being caught and punished by the law. Without further ado, let’s get to the 17th issue of the Friday Buzz Report.
Researchers Have Discovered The Biggest Threat To Organizational Cyber Security, And You’re Not Gonna Like It
Everyone uses their work computers for personal online browsing from time to time. Some of us do it during the break, some of us do it once a day, and some do it once an hour. We do it to use social media, read interesting blog posts, watch funny videos, listen to sings as we write the Friday Buzz Report, and the list goes on. Does this activity pose a threat to the organization’s cyber security? You bet it does.
This detailed article published by Phys.org calls this practice cyberloafing, and discusses how the biggest threat to organizational cyber security comes from within. When you go online to check your personal email or update your blog or your website, you are most likely to let your guard down and download something that can be a potential threat to your organization’s systems. The article also discusses ways you can use the internet at your workplace in a responsible manner. Read the full article here.
Edward Snowden Is Not Done Looking After You
Remember Edward Snowden? Well, he remembers you. The famous whistleblower is back with an app that will turn your android into a security system like no other. All you need is an android phone and the app called ‘Haven’ and you are good to go.
To secure a location, place your phone at a position where it can use its cameras to locate movement in the room and turn on the app. Once the app is activated, the android’s mic, camera, GPS, and all other features start working towards securing the location. Spoiler alert – the phone does not transform into a miniature robot to fight crime – it just starts recording sound and video and sends you updates in real time. The cool thing? If someone picks it up and moves it around, it will know exactly what’s happening and will send you updates about that too. Good job Edward, we look forward to more cool things from you. Read the full article here.
Cyber Criminals Are Not Safe From The Long Arm Of The Law
One of the founding members of Lizard Squad, a 20-year-old man from Maryland, has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail and along with a $350,000 fine for cyber-crimes committed against online gambling sites. Zachary Buchta pleaded guilty to the allegations leveled against him in the Chicago Federal Court. He, along with a friend from Netherlands, hosted a website where you could pay $20 to have your crush’s boyfriend harassed through phone calls for 30 days.
And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the hacker-for-hire groups formed by these young cyber criminals.
The groups founded by Zachary hacked Taylor Swift’s twitter account, sold stolen payment card information, caused PlayStation and Xbox to go offline in 2014, and hacked into UK's National Crime Agency website in 2015. You can read the full article here.
This is it for this week’s Friday Buzz Report, we will see you guys next week.
