Security News for the Week Ending October 13, 2023
Utah Sues TikTok for Getting Children Addicted
Apparently Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter are not addictive since Utah has singled out TikTok to sue for being addictive. They also say that TikTok deceptively obscures its relationship with ByteDance. Indiana made similar allegations and Montana banned the app completely. This will take years, if not a decade to resolve one way or the other. Credit: The Verge
Hackers Find New and Larger Way to Launch DDoS Attack
Amazon, Google and Cloudflare say they have detected the largest ever denial of service attack. It uses a feature of HTTP/2 that allows a browser to send multiple requests to a web site at once, thereby create a flood of traffic. This attack peaked at 398 million packets per second. The good news for the defenders is that they are sharing attack information so that all can benefit. Credit: The Record
Microsoft Deprecates Hacker’s Favorite Tool
I Don’t know if it is their FAVORITE tool, but it certainly is up there in the favorite list. VBScript dates back to the 1990’s, which in computer terms is older than dog years. It allows script kiddies to create programs and rose in popularity when Microsoft started blocking Office macros. But, in true Microsoft fashion, they don’t want to upset anyone, so for it to be truly gone will take years. Initially it will be an on-demand feature that is automatically installed. Later it will require manual installation. That second step is when we get added security. Businesses will be able to disable it soon via GPO or InTune sooner, however, if they don’t need it. Score one for the defenders. Credit: Dark Reading
Facebook Copyright Scam Intensifies
Apparently, the Facebook copyright scam is heating up again. Basically, the scammer sends you a message that you have some copyright complaints lodged against something you posted and click on this link and we will help you fix it. Once you do, and since most Facebook users do not use two factor authentication, the hacker is you, can delete anything you have on your account, send nasty messages trying to trick your friends and similar stuff. And, if you think Facebook is going to help you, I have a nice bridge in Brooklyn for sale. It is really bargain priced because I need the money. If you use your Facebook account for business, have a backup plan. Some tips: (1) do not assume anything that you posted, like photos, will be there tomorrow. Back them up yourself. (2) Use a strong password, not used elsewhere and two factor authentication and (3) if you get a message like this that claims to be from Facebook, it isn’t. Be skeptical. If you need help, contact us. Preferably before you click on anything. Credit: Cybernews
Critical Infrastructure is Target of Attacks
Critical infrastructure is and has been a favorite target of attack. Whether it is shooting at an electric substation to plunge customers into cold and darkness or cutting through telecomm cables with a cordless saw, the result is chaos and pain. It is usually done for political reasons and rarely for money. This week it is an undersea Internet cable and gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, but we have seen these attacks all over the world. Damage will likely take months to repair due to the complexity of repairing stuff at the bottom of the ocean and typically, there is not an alternative. Credit: The Record
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