Articles for December 2015

The Internet provides us with so much — social networks, information, cute cat videos — but is there more to it than meets the eye?

Source: Now I Get It: The dark Web explained

New hacker group Phantom Squad is threatening to take down the PlayStationNetwork and Xbox Live around Christmas.

Source: Hackers threaten to bring down Xbox and PlayStation networks on Christmas

The current Democratic frontrunner has discussed encryption regulation several times, though we still don’t know how she feels about it. In a conversation with Re/code’s Kara Swisher in June, she said Silicon Valley needs to sit down with legislators and have a “real conversation” about ways to get around encryption to combat online terrorist activity. Then she waffled, admitting it was a “hard choice” and that “there are really strong, legitimate arguments on both sides.”

Source: Where do the presidential candidates stand on encryption? A handy guide

Every year brings with it new challenges, and new lessons, for IT in the enterprise. Here are 10 of the lessons IT learned this past year.

Source: The 10 most important lessons IT learned in 2015 – TechRepublic

Contrary to what you might have experienced as Aiden Pierce in  Watch Dogs, hacking isn’t easy. In fact, trying to log in to someone else’s computer to compromise their files is practically impossible without the right set of tools. Fortunately (or perhaps  unfortunately, depending on who you’re asking) security researchers have discovered a bug in several Linux distributions that makes taking over an entire system as easy as striking the backspace key 28 times.

Source: Want to hack a Linux computer? Just hit backspace 28 times

The current wave of malware-laden invoices are being rapidly adjusted by the attackers in …

Source: Malware-laden invoices bombard users worldwide, but attackers have made a mistake | Graham Cluley

While the cyber security skills shortage is a well-worn topic, Cybrary’s survey of 435 senior-level technology professionals, conducted from October to December, 2015, offers some interesting insights.

Source: Survey says! These are the hottest security certifications, most in-demand skills

WASHINGTON — A cybersecurity bill aimed at thwarting huge hack attacks was slipped at the last minute into a massive $1.1 trillion federal spending bill that Congress is poised to pass this week.

Source: Cybersecurity bill to thwart hackers added to big 2016 spending deal

ESET has recently observed a huge increase in detections of the Nemucod trojan, a threat that usually tries to download another malware from the internet.

Source: Nemucod malware spreads ransomware Teslacrypt

Free and cheap personal and small business cloud storage is everywhere. Here’s how to decide which one is right for you.

Source: ​What’s the best cloud storage for you? | ZDNet