A roundup of the top news stories in information security this week, including a phony version of WhatsApp being downloaded more than one million times from Google Play, a big acquisition in the security space, and an Anonymous hacker seeking asymlum in Mexico.
MOBILE SECURITY
Phony WhatsApp Downloaded More Than 1 Million Times from Google Play
A fake version of the popular WhatsApp messenger on Google Play was downloaded more than 1 million times by users. Rather than serving as a messaging tool, the application served up mobile ads. Thanks to an invisible space placed at the end of the developer’s name, the app was indistinguishable to users. The phony application has been removed from the Play Store.
GOVERNMENT
Anonymous Fugitive Hacker Seeks Asylum in Mexico
A homeless, fugitive member of Anonymous has asked the Mexican government for asylum for “political asylum, sanctuary - and protection from persecution perpetrated by the government of the USA.” According to Operation Golden Eagle, which is run by a segment of Anonymous, the hacker is allegedly one of the leaders of Anonymous, according to CSO Online. Christopher Mark Doyon, aka Commander X, is on the run from the U.S. government and was in hiding in Canada for years.
CYBER THREATS
Most U.S. Companies DDoS Defenses Breached in the Last Year
A new study conducted by CDNetworks that surveyed 500 senior IT professionals from the U.S., UK, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland has found that a majority of U.S. companies’ DDoS defenses have been breached. The report found that although 88% of U.S. companies feel confident about their DDoS mitigation technology, 69% have experienced a cyber incident in the last year.
INFOSEC INDUSTRY
Cloudmark Acquired by Proofpoint in $110 Cybersecurity Play
Another day, another cybersecurity acquisition. Cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, a security-as-a-server provider, has acquired Cloudmark, which provides security for messaging services, for$110 million. “By combining the three intelligence from Cloudmark with the Proofpoint Nexus platform, we can better protect all of our customers - both enterprises and ISPs,” said Proofpoint CEO Gary Steele.
VULNERABILITY
Vulnerability Affecting Brother Printers Can Lead to Remote DoS Attacks
Networked printers manufactured and sold by Brother are affected by an unpatched vulnerability that can lead to remote denial of service attacks. The issue was disclosed on Monday by researchers at Trustwave’s SpiderLabs. According to Trustwave, the vulnerability affects all Brother printers with the Debut embedded web server. There are a total of 14,989 affected devices available online.
PHISHING
New Netflix Phishing Campaign Making the Rounds
A phishing campaign that hits victims’ inboxes with an urgent message warning recipients that their Netflix accounts have been suspended due to a billing issue is making the rounds. Similar to other phishing ruses, this campaign includes a link in the email that takes victims to a phony Netflix landing page that attempt to collect extensive personal data on victims. Attackers have been successful because they’ve been able to bypass spam filters.
YAHOO
Former Yahoo CEO Apologizes Over Data Breaches
Testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer apologized on Wednesday for the two colossal data breaches that the company experienced. During her testimony, Mayer blamed Russian agents for at least one of the incidents. “As CEO, these thefts occurred during my tenure, and I want to sincerely apologize to each and every one of our users,” she said.
CYBERCRIME
Cybercrime Precedes Car Thefts in Americans’ List of Worries
According to a recent Gallop poll study, Americans are worrying more about becoming victims of cybercrime than conventional crime. The study found that 67% of Americans are concerned about hackers stealing their personal data, 66% worry about identity theft, while only 38% fear to have their vehicles stolen. “This year’s gap between fear of cybercrime and the next-greatest level of crime worry, having a car broken into, is a wide 28 percentage point,” researchers said.
