Dark Tequila Targets Mexican Financial Organizations

Over the past 5 years, one malware campaign has been plaguing the financial industries of Mexico: Dark Tequila. While many researchers have been monitoring samples for most of that time, only recently has the entire campaign come into focus, with over 30,000 unique targets in 2018 alone. Using mostly spear-phishing tactics, the malware is able to spread quickly and steal a significant amount of information with relative ease and, for its finale, a USB infector is copied to any removable drive enabling it to spread across offline channels.

Babysitting App’s Database Breached

Over 93,000 users of the popular child-sitting app Sitter are being notified after the MongoDB database the app uses was compromised. Most information on the app is considered highly sensitive, including names, home addresses, and even full address book contacts for thousands of users. It remains unclear how long the database remained unprotected and Sitter is now contacting all affected users.

Ryuk Ransomware Uses Highly Targeted Attacks

The authors behind the ransomware variant Ryuk have taken significant strides towards ensuring large ransom payouts by focusing exclusively on large corporations and demanding Bitcoin ransoms that only those organizations could even fathom paying. They have already received two ransoms ranging from 15 to 35 Bitcoins, or roughly $225,000, with a daily ransom increase of half a Bitcoin for each day unpaid.

American Healthcare Organization Hit by Phishing Attack

Recently, Augusta University Health announced that, in September 2017, they experienced a data breach that could possibly affect over 400,000 patients. Listing sensitive data from home addresses to social security numbers and other forms of ID, this breach could easily set up future phishing attacks on individuals. Officials are still working to determine how such a breach could have occurred (and remained undetected for nearly 10 months). Because of a lack of encryption, the breach was far more damaging than it otherwise would have been.

Cardio-Imaging Devices Vulnerable to Exploits

Several versions of Philips’ cardiovascular imaging devices have been found to contain multiple exploits that would easily allow an attacker to perform unauthorized code execution and cause the devices to malfunction. Fortunately, these devices are not remotely accessible, and the company has already begun putting new safeguards in place with their next major patch.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Dark Tequila Malware appeared first on Webroot Blog.

Texas Voters’ Data Leaked

A security researcher just discovered a publicly-available file containing sensitive voting informationfor nearly 99% of all registered voters in the state of Texas. The file was compiled by a data firm that was trying to gauge political opinion for the 2016 elections, as well as more localized campaigns. With all the attention the presidential campaigns brought to election security, mistakes like this one could lead to more serious outcomes if companies who handle such information don’t take the necessary precautions.

Chinese Hotel Breach Exposes 130 Million Guests’ Data

Huazhu Hotels Group has come under fire after several of their customer databaseswere uploaded to GitHub by their own development team. The databases were found for sale on the Dark Web and contained over 240 million unique records, with information ranging from names and addresses to card numbers and travel itineraries, a portion of which has been verified by a local security firm. The data appears to come from nearly all the hotel group’s brands, and is not localized to a specific region or name.

Instagram Unveils Support for Third-Party 2FA

Nearly a year after Instagram announced their addition of SMS-based 2FA, the company has stated that they now allow support for third-party 2FA applications. In doing so, they give users the option to either set up an SMS verification path or receive a code through another app when attempting to log in to their account. This announcement comes just weeks after a string of high-profile accounts were hacked, leaving users with no options to regain access to the hijacked pages.

Bank of Spain Hit by DDoS Attack

Over the weekend, the Central Bank of Spainfell victim to a DDoS attack that continued through Tuesday afternoon, leaving users with spotty access to the bank’s website. Fortunately, the bank itself remained fully operational through the attack, as they are a central bank rather than commercial. Additionally, all communications with other Central Banks around Europe were unaffected, with no signs of other malicious activity.

HTTPS Now Standard on over Half of Top Sites

With the push to enforce full encryptionon the internet, over half of the top million sites are now using HTTPS, with millions of domains switching over every day. This is likely due to Google’s efforts in the last couple months to warn Chrome users who attempt to access an unsecured site, in hopes of encouraging users to take their own security more seriously.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Texas Voter Data Leaked appeared first on Webroot Blog.

If you saw a file called eicar.com on your computer, you might think it was malware. But, you would be wrong. Readers, if you haven’t yet met the EICAR test file, allow me to introduce you to it. If you have used the EICAR test file, let’s get a bit cozier with it.

If you ran this file through VirusTotal, 61 out of 62 antimalware scanners currently would detect the EICAR test file as if it were malicious. That’s because the EICAR file is actually a tool that was designed to help users verify their antimalware scanner is functioning properly. The EICAR test file is a harmless piece of code that most vendors have agreed to flag as if it was malicious. Essentially, it’s a false positive—by design—for your benefit. Some scanners detect it, some do not; neither outcome indicates that any scanner is better or worse than another.

If you have heard of EICAR, you may have seen it referred to as a “test virus,” but that’s inaccurate. Think of it more like the test button on a smoke detector in your home. The test button doesn’t simulate fire or smoke; it simply lets you know that the smoke detector is functional. The test button certainly doesn’t tell you anything about the quality of the smoke detector. Similarly, the EICAR test file does not simulate malware, it just causes a scanner to demonstrate how it would handle a threat it detected (assuming the vendor has chosen to recognize the file as malicious, that is.)

Using the EICAR Test File

Now that you know more about EICAR, let’s talk about why, how, and when you might want to use it.

1. Curiosity. The first time I used the test file, it was purely out of curiosity. What if I zipped the file up or changed its extension from .com to .xyz, and so on. Because the file itself is harmless, I could simulate any number of scenarios without risk to my computer or my data.
2. Smoke test.The intended purpose of the test file was always to verify that your scanner was properly installed and that the scan engine was functional. Any time you install a new antimalware product, you can give it a quick test with the EICAR file to make sure it is functioning as designed (if the vendor support the file, that is.)
3. Forensics. Malware writers often try to disable a scanner as soon as their malicious code gains a foothold on a given computer. If you periodically test your scanner and, one day, it fails to detect the test file, that couldindicate of an infection. Keep in mind, it could also indicate that another layer of security blocked the file before it got to your scanner. The test itself is not conclusive and should only be considered as part of a bigger picture.
4. Behavioral information.Between 1997 and 2004, I ensured that none of their software releases were infected. I used 11 different virus scanners on each of my test machines (don’t try this at home). The testing was not about the quality of the scanners, but rather how they’d react in different situations to help me make decisions and gain greater knowledge. For example, antivirus scanners have default configurations that I needed to test and potentially modify. Back then, not all scanners scanned all extension types by default. A directory with EICAR test files that each had different extensions would allow me to determine if my scanner’s default configuration for file types needed to be adjusted. Once I made modifications, I had to test those as well. There were a variety of tests I could run involving filenames with punctuation or foreign language characters, too. Basically, I could test virus handling without needing am actual virus.

Note: At the Virus Bulletin conference in 1999 I presented the paper, “Giving the EICAR Test File Some Teeth.” If you’re interested in the breadth of test scenarios I explored, you can read the paper on the Virus Bulletin website.

Where to Find EICAR

You’d think the easiest way to get your hands on this file would be to download it straight from www.eicar.org, except that your antimalware scanner might block the download. To get around that, you’d likely have to temporarily disable your web protection—WHICH I DO NOT RECOMMEND. Instead, I’ll show you how to create the file yourself.

Here are the step by step instructions.

1. Open Notepad.
2. Copy the following string and paste it into Notepad:
   X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
3. Save the file and cross your fingers that your scanner doesn’t detect it on close.

Note: You could create the file in Microsoft® Word, but you’d have to save it as plain text. The test file must begin with the test string, and Word includes additional information in .doc and .docx files.

The file eicar.com, will run on older operating systems, but not on a 64-bit OS. When you run it on a compatible OS, the file will display this text.

You can change the display message to anything you like. In the following example, I’ve replaced the word EICAR with my name.

However, if you change it as I did above, it will no longer be a valid test file and should not be detected by your antimalware program.

At the 1999 Virus Bulletin conference, I asked researchers for EICAR-like test files to test script and macro detection. Although we still don’t have that, the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) provides a set of security feature checks at www.amtso.org/security-features-check. Just be sure to remember that the security feature checks, like the EICAR test file, don’t indicate the quality of the product, but they can be used to ensure that certain features are functioning.

Questions? Comments? Let’s talk on the Webroot community forum.

The post EICAR – The Most Common False Positive in the World appeared first on Webroot Blog.

Banking Trojans Still Appearing in Google Play Store

Multiple security researchers recently discovered a handful of banking trojans that have still managed to make their way into the Google Play app store, despite Google having increased its security to detect such apps. Many of the apps are disguised as astrology/horoscope software, but instead of reading the future, they steal SMS and call logs from the device, install unauthorized apps, and even seek out banking credentials based on other installed applications. Some of these apps had been installed by up to 1,000 individuals, many of whom are likely under the assumption that the app removed itself, after showing a fake error message claiming incompatibility with the device.

Obama-themed Ransomware Forges Dangerous Path

A new ransomware variant bearing the face of the former US president, Barack Obama, has been spotted in the wild performing some unusual encryption tactics. Rather than encrypting personal word documents and pictures, this variant focuses on encrypting executable files across the system, which could lead to the system crashing and other devastating results. It is still unclear if this methodology is the intent, or just an oversight by the ransomware’s authors, but this type of damage is unlikely to pay off if it renders the system nonfunctional.

Thousands of Online Stores Compromised

Due to security loopholes in eCommerce sites that use Magento as a host, nearly 8,000 sites have been confirmed to be hosting card-skimming malware, with up to 60 more being compromised every day. The breaches led to malicious scripts being added to the pages to record and upload any customer inputs in real time, rather than following a more complicated path to obtain the same data after the transaction is complete. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine whether a site is safe without checking the entire codebase for any unauthorized entries.

Fake Tech Support Ads Now Indistinguishable from Real Counterparts

In the run-up to Google’s release of a verification program for third-party vendors to display ads, the company has been inundated with countless fake tech support advertisements that are nearly impossible to identify over a real vendor’s ads. The creators of these fake ads will go to almost any lengths to avoid detection, including creating entire companies to continue their illicit activities.

Unsecured Sites Leaving .git Repositories Easily Accessible

Nearly 400,000 websites have been found with exposed .git directories that could lead to major information exposure, if improperly accessed. These repositories contain everything from passwords and API keys for the site, to forgotten data stored on the sites. Fortunately for the website owners, the researcher who discovered the breach was not acting maliciously, and quickly began contacting them with information on how he found the leak and what they could do to resolve it.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Banking Trojans in Google Play appeared first on Webroot Blog.

Massive Customer Database Left Exposed by Data Management Firm

A security researcher recently found a database containing customer information for nearly half a billion users of Veeam software on an unsecured AWS server. Most of the data was contact information spanning from 2013 to 2017 and was likely used by the Veeam marketing team’s automated customer contact functions. Fortunately, the database was taken offline within a week of the researcher contacting Veeam about the server.

Hacker Group Breaches British Airways

After last week’s reveal of the data breach affecting nearly 380,000 of the airline’s customers, it was discovered that the injection methods used were the work of known hacker group MageCart. By compromising third-party actors, the group can access hundreds of sites and begin passing any customer payment information back to their own systems. Even more toublesome, this particular attack appeared to be tailored for the British Airways systems specifically, but could very likely be readjusted for other applications.

Chinese Hackers Using Digitally Signed Drivers for Attacks

A long-active hacker group likely based in China has expanded their tactics to include a seemingly innocent network filtering driver (NDISProxy) to start their latest malware campaign. The driver itself has a signed digital certificate from a Chinese-based security software company, which was likely unaware their certificate was being misused. By injecting itself silently across the infected network, the fully functioning remote access Trojan can be used to execute malicious tasks with ease.

Scam Calls Causing Mobile Traffic Jam

The number of scam calls recoreded by the call management firm First Orion rose nearly 1000% over the past year, from 3.7% of total calls last year to 29% so far in 2018. The projections for the coming year project that number to rise to half of all mobile calls received in the U.S. Unfortunately, service providers have few options for slowing down the bombardment of phony calls facing their customers.

Latest MongoDB Attacks are Ransoming Empty Databases

While MongoDB attacks are nothing new, Mongo Lock has stepped up the game by identifying unprotected databases, exporting the data to their servers, wiping them clean, and leaving behind a ransom note instructing the victim to reach out via email rather than sending a Bitcoin payment directly to a crypto-wallet. Mongo Lock appears to operate via an automation script, though it has been known to fail, leaving the victim with both the ransom note and their original data.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Big Data Mismanagement appeared first on Webroot Blog.

Newegg Breach Lasts Nearly a Month

Newegg finally addressed a recent breach after unknowingly hosting malicious code within a payment page for the last month. While the company is still unclear about how many customers were affected, the injected code does appear to have targeted both desktop and mobile visitors to the Newegg site. This breach is extremely similar to a previous attack on British Airlines, leading officials to believe the same group may have been responsible for both attacks.

EternalBlue Exploit Still Remains a Major Threat

More than a year after the WannaCry attacks brought NSA exploits to light, the cryptomining variant WannaMine is still consistently being spotted in the wild, harming businesses as it spreads. Microsoft was prompt to release multiple patches for the various exploits, but many companies are still falling victim to these attacks due to poor security practices. By operating through several PowerShell scripts, the attack is nearly fileless, making it much more difficult to track through traditional methods.

Ransomware Targets Bristol Airport

Nearly all of the information screens at Bristol Airport have been shut down for the last several days following a ransomware attack on airport systems. Officials were quick to take the systems offline to mitigate further damage and have since returned the airport to normal operations. Luckily, no actual flights were affected by this attack and most passengers noticed only minor delays in services.

Email Breach Hits State Department Staff

A breach of the State Department’s email systems exposed personal information belonging to hundreds of staff members. The security for this department has long been under scrutiny for failing to meet industry standards, including a lack of two-factor authentication for main email systems. The breach is thought to be the result of a phishing attack on a cloud-hosted email server, but the exact cause is still unknown.

Un-owned MongoDB Server Left Exposed

An independent researcher recently found an unsecured database with personal contact information for nearly 11 million individuals, but was unable to find an owner for the server. Though much of the data appeared to be linked to the coupon website SaverSpy, affiliate company Quotient Technology claims they neither own the data, nor suffered a breach. Fortunately, due to the nature of the coupon sites, no payment information was included with the records.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Newegg Breached appeared first on Webroot Blog.

While ransomware, last year’s dominant threat, has taken a backseat to cryptomining attacks in 2018, it has by no means disappeared. Instead, ransomware has become a more targeted business model for cybercriminals, with unsecured remote desktop protocol (RDP) connections becoming the favorite port of entry for ransomware campaigns.

RDP connections first gained popularity as attack vectors back in 2016, and early success has translated into further adoption by cybercriminals. The SamSam ransomware group has made millions of dollars by exploiting the RDP attack vector, earning the group headlines when they shut down government sectors of Atlanta and Colorado, along with the medical testing giant LabCorp this year.

Tips to avoid compromised RDP as seen in the Atlanta #ransomware attack:

-Dont use common TCP ports (still not foolproof)
-Set max number of attempts for lockout
-Set a very secure UN and PW
-If you use paid encryption like VNC, TeamViewer, LogMeIn, that takes care of everything

— Tyler Moffitt (@TylerM_Webroot) March 29, 2018

Think of unsecure RDP like the thermal exhaust port on the Death Star—an unfortunate security gap that can quickly lead to catastrophe if properly exploited. Organizations are inadequately setting up remote desktop solutions, leaving their environment wide open for criminals to penetrate with brute force tools. Cybercriminals can easily find and target these organizations by scanning for open RPD connections using engines like Shodan. Even lesser-skilled criminals can simply buy RDP access to already-hacked machines on the dark web.

Once a criminal has desktop access to a corporate computer or server, it’s essentially game over from a security standpoint. An attacker with access can then easily disable endpoint protection or leverage exploits to verify their malicious payloads will execute. There are a variety of payload options available to the criminal for extracting profit from the victim as well.

Common RDP-enabled threats

Ransomware is the most obvious choice, since it’s business model is proven and allows the perpetrator to “case the joint” by browsing all data on system or shared drives to determine how valuable it is and, by extension, how large of a ransom can be requested.

Cryptominers are another payload option, emerging more recently, criminals use via the RDP attack vector. When criminals breach a system, they can see all hardware installed and, if substantial CPU and GPU hardware are available, they can use it mine cryptocurrencies such as Monero on the hardware. This often leads to instant profitability that doesn’t require any payment action from the victim, and can therefore go by undetected indefinitely.

Source: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1379666-cheeto-lock

Solving the RDP Problem

The underlying problem that opens up RDP to exploitation is poor education. If more IT professionals were aware of this attack vector (and the severity of damage it could lead to), the proper precautions could be followed to secure the gap. Beyond the tips mentioned in my tweet above, one of the best solutions we recommend is simply restricting RDP to a whitelisted IP range.

However, the reality is that too many IT departments are leaving default ports open, maintaining lax password policies, or not training their employees on how to avoid phishing attacks that could compromise their system’s credentials. Security awareness education should be paramount as employees are often the weakest link, but can also be a powerful defense in preventing your organization from compromise.

You can learn more about the benefits of security awareness training in IT security here.

The post Unsecure RDP Connections are a Widespread Security Failure appeared first on Webroot Blog.

Firefox Vulnerability Leads to Crash

A new denial-of-service (DoS) attack has been created with the ability to cause desktop versions of the browser Firefox to freeze or crash. Upon visiting sites where the malicious script is present, the user’s browser forces download requests for a massive junk file that can cause the IPC channel for the browser to crash. Luckily, the researcher who created the attack method has contacted Mozilla about the issue, and there’s hope for a swift resolution.

Kodi Media Player Used to Spread Malware

Nearly 5,000 computers were recently compromised with cryptomining malware that was silently distributed either through malicious builds of the Kodi media player or from third-party add-ons used to enhance the player. Most of the infected computers were found to be mining for Monero and have already mined around $6,700 since the beginning of the campaign. When obtaining these types of add-ons, its best to visit official repositories rather than third-parties, as they tend to be more discerning of content they are hosting.

Online Fashion Retailer Breached

SHEIN has revealed a data breach from June that they themselves only discovered within the last month. Nearly 6.5 million customers could be affected, as the systems storing login credentials were compromised in the attack, the company stated in a recent press release. Fortunately for those customers, the company says they do not store payment data so a simple password change should be sufficient to protect their clients.

Scottish Brewery Hit by Ransomware

After publishing a job opening to their own site, Arran Brewery was able to successfully fill the needed position. Unfortunately for the Scottish brewery, attackers posted that listing on several international recruiting sites and received dozens of applications including documents embedded with ransomware, resulting in the company being locked out of crucial systems and a ransom demand of two Bitcoins. Arran Brewery opted to restore their systems from offsite backups rather than pay the ransom, but lost up to three months of data due to outdated backups.

DoorDash Customers Complain About Hacked Accounts

Several dozen people have contacted DoorDash regarding fraudulent orders placed on their accounts. DoorDash’s was confident they were not to blame for the breach, instead blaming “credential stuffing,” a tactic where attackers try using previous breach data from other sites hoping the same password was used multiple times. The company says it has no plans to implement further security measures such as two-factor authentication.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Firefox Vulnerable to DoS Attack appeared first on Webroot Blog.

Brazilian Bank Traffic Rerouted by Massive Botnet

A botnet containing more than 100,000 routers and other devices was recently spotted hijacking traffic destined for several Brazilian banks. The hijacking victims are then sent to one of at least 50 confirmed phishing sites that will attempt to steal any information the user will provide. Backing this ever-growing botnet are a small collection of tools used to brute-force weak passwords and continue to search for other devices with poor security.

Cyber Attack Shuts Down Canadian Restaurants

A major Canadian restaurant chain announced several of their restaurant brands had suffered a ransomware attack that affected nearly 1,400 stores in recent days. While many of the IT systems were quickly taken offline to prevent further spread of the infection, customers were met with non-functioning payment systems or just closed doors. Fortunately, the company keeps regular backups and was able to restore their systems without paying a ransom.

High-Profile Instagram Accounts Being Hacked

Several high-profile Instagram accounts were hacked and held hostage recently, with some accounts being deleted even after a payment was sent. Though many victims have contacted Instagram multiple times regarding access to their accounts, some were sent automated responses while others regained control of their accounts without hearing from the company.

Google Chrome Cracks Down on Extensions

With dozens of new extensions being added to Google’s Chrome Web Store every day, it has become increasingly difficult for Google to police for malicious apps. That’s why, accompanying the release of Chrome 70, will be the ability for users to restrict browser extensions to a single site and limit the amount of permissions the extension has over the pages viewed. Additionally, Chrome has implemented 2-step verification for all developer accounts to curb the volume of hacked apps made available.

Port of San Diego Hit by Ransomware

It was revealed last week that the Port of San Diego, which controls over 34 miles of coastline, suffered a ransomware attack that temporarily knocked out their computer systems. Fortunately, most routine port operations remained able to function normally while systems were offline. There is still no information on whether the ransom has been paid or how the infection occurred.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Botnet Targets Brazil’s Banks appeared first on Webroot Blog.

Latest Windows 10 Update Removes User Files

Microsoft recently pulled its latest update, version 1809, after several users complained about personal files being deleted. While some users were able to use third-party software to retrieve deleted files, users whose files wnet missing from the Documents folder are having a much trickier time without restoring from backups. Since hearing of the issue, Microsoft has paused the automatic update until they can find a resolution.

Magecart Campaign Continues Its Spread

Following the attacks on British Airways and Ticketmaster, Magecart skimmer techniques have been discovered on Shopper Approved, a collective of several online stores. Fortunately, the company was able to identify the altered JavaScript code and contact affected vendors. The malicious code itself was targeted at the checkout pages for the affected stores with specific URL keywords, leaving the remainder of the thousands of online retailers unaware anything had occurred.

Vulnerabilities Found in Millions of Chinese Electronics

A new wave of vulnerabilities has been spotted in nearly 9 million devices made by Chinese-based Xiongmai, leaving them susceptible to attack. Serious issues include default admin passwords without a prompt to immediately change it, no encryption when connecting to their cloud servers, and a lack of authorization checks when searching for updates. Many of these devices were known to be compromised during the Mirai botnet attacks, though the access points used for that have since been patched.

FCC To Block Illegal Spam Calls

Most people have received at least one unwelcome call on their mobile phone from a robotic auto-dialer. Now the attorneys general from 35 states are coming together in hopes the FCC can do something about those annoying calls. These types of spam calls seem to have increased in volume in recent years, even after the 2017 Call Blocking Order aimed at stopping them,  forcing customers to block calls themselves. With an estimated 40 billion robocalls this year alone, it’s no surprise so many states are interested in putting a stop to this nuisance.

Google+ Goes Out on Low Note

After constantly struggling with low adoption, Google’s response to more popular social media platforms like Facebook has officially reached its end of its life. Several months ago an API bug was spotted that allowed unauthorized access to thousands of Google+ user accounts. The bug was patched but remained undisclosed until recently. With new GDPR regulations on breach disclosure, even the possibility of low volumes of affected clients could still be trouble for Google.

The post Cyber News Rundown: Windows 10 Update Deletes Files appeared first on Webroot Blog.

For the past 20 years, Webroot’s technology has been driven by our dedication to protecting users from malware, viruses, and other online threats. The release of Webroot^® WiFi Security—a new virtual private network (VPN) app for phones, computers, and tablets—is the next step in fulfilling our commitment to protect everyone’s right to be secure in a connected world.

“Launching Webroot WiFi Security is a valuable and exciting progression in our mission,” said Webroot Director of Consumer Product Andy Mallinger. “Antivirus solutions protect your devices from malware and other cyber threats, and a VPN protects your data as it’s sent and received over networks—especially public networks. This combination allows us to extend our protection of personal data beyond the device to the network.”

Shifting tides

Webroot WiFi Security arrives at a time when the fragile state of our online privacy is becoming more apparent and better understood by internet users around the world. Recent revelations of government surveillance via the Snowden leaks, social media data collection like that in the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, and data breaches including the Equifax hack have fueled a palpable rise in data privacy concerns.

Over half of internet users from around the world say they are “more concerned about their online privacy than they were a year ago,” according to a 2018 CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust.

Another key factor with grave implications for data privacy in the United States specifically was the 2017 repeal of privacy regulations for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which aimed to ensure broadband customers had choice, greater transparency, and strong security protections for their personal info collected by ISPs.

“ISPs are facing less regulation today, and so can continue to share, sell, and profit by passing on user information to third parties— browser history, location, communications content, financial details, etc.—without the user’s knowledge or consent,” said Webroot Sr. VP of Product Strategy & Technology Alliances Chad Bacher.

Taking control of privacy

Now more than ever, individual users must take steps to regain control over their online privacy and security. Along with keeping trusted antivirus software installed on mobile and home devices, users should actively protect their data in transit over networks with a VPN.

But it’s important to note that all VPN applications are not created equal. Many users looking for a privacy solution find themselves wondering if they can trust that their VPN provider has their interests at heart. Consumer wariness concerning the privacy of VPN products is justified—some VPN apps, especially free ones, are guilty of sharing or selling their user data to third parties, limiting bandwidth, or serving ads. Facebook’s VPN app was recently removed from the Apple App Store^® following concerns over the app’s misuse of user data.

Webroot WiFi Security provides one of the most powerful forms of encryption available, AES 256-bit encryption, and protects user data from cybercriminals and ISPs alike. Webroot WiFi Security does not collect your browsing activity, the sites you visit, downloaded data (or shared or viewed), DNS queries, or IP addresses. The full Webroot WiFi Security Privacy Statement can be found here.

Privacy plus the protection of Web Filtering

In addition to the privacy safeguards of Webroot WiFi Security that protect users while they work, share, bank, and browse online, users also benefit from the integration of Webroot BrightCloud^® Threat Intelligence.* The app’s Web Filtering feature provides an extra layer of protection to keep your financial information, passwords, and personal files from being exploited. Webroot WiFi Security is powered by the same threat intelligence platform the world’s leading IT security vendors trust.

“Not only is Webroot protecting user privacy, it’s also shielding users from phishing sites and websites associated with malware,” said Malinger.

Webroot WiFi Security is compatible with devices running iOS^®, Android, macOS^® and Windows^® operating systems, and is now available to download on the Apple App Store, Google Play store, and Webroot.com.

*Only available on Windows, Mac and Android systems

The post Webroot WiFi Security: Expanding Our Commitment to Security & Privacy appeared first on Webroot Blog.

There’s a reason major industry players have been discussing cybersecurity more and more: the stakes are at an all-time high for virtually every business today. Cybersecurity is not a matter businesses can afford to push off or misunderstand—especially small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which have emerged as prime targets for cyberattacks. The risk level for this group in particular has increased exponentially, with 57% of SMBs reporting an increase in attack volume over the past 12 months, and the current reality—while serious—is actually quite straightforward for managed service providers (MSPs):

• Your SMB clients will be attacked.
• Basic security will not stop an attack.
• The MSP will be held accountable.

While MSPs may have historically set up clients with “effective” security measures, the threat landscape is changing and the evolution of risk needs to be properly, and immediately, addressed. This means redefining how your clients think about risk and encouraging them to respond to the significant increase in attack volume with security measures that will actually prove effective in today’s threat environment.

Even if the security tools you’ve been leveraging are 99.99% effective, risk has evolved from minimal to material due simply to the fact that there are far more security events per year than ever before.

Again, the state of cybersecurity today is pretty straightforward: with advanced threats like rapidly evolving and hyper-targeted malware, ransomware, and user-enabled breaches, foundational security tools aren’t enough to keep SMB clients secure. Their data is valuable, and there is real risk of a breach if they remain vulnerable.Additional layers of security need to be added to the equation to provide holistic protection. Otherwise, your opportunity to fulfill the role as your clients’ managed security services providerwill be missed, and your SMB clients could be exposed to existential risk.

Steps for Responding to Heightened Risk as an MSP

Step 1: Understand Risk

Start by discussing “acceptable risk.” Your client should understand that there will always be some level of risk in today’s cyber landscape. Working together to define a businesses’ acceptable risk, and to determine what it will take to maintain an acceptable risk level, will solidify your partnership. Keep in mind that security needs to be both proactive and reactive in its capabilities for risk levels to remain in check.

Step 2: Establish Your Security Strategy

Once you’ve identified where the gaps in your client’s protection lie, map them to the type of security services that will keep those risks constantly managed. Providing regular visibility into security gaps, offering cybersecurity training,and leveraging more advanced and comprehensive security tools will ultimately get the client to their desired state of protection—and that should be clearly communicated upfront.

Step 3: Prepare for the Worst

At this point, it’s not a question of ifSMBs will experience a cyberattack, but when. That’s why it’s important to establish ongoing, communicative relationships with all clients. Assure clients that your security services will improve their risk level over time, and that you will maintain acceptable risk levels by consistently identifying, prioritizing, and mitigating gaps in coverage. This essentially justifies additional costs and opens you to upsell opportunities over the course of your relationship.

Step 4: Live up to Your Promises Through People, Processes, and Technology

Keeping your security solutions well-defined and client communication clear will help validate your offering. Through a combination of advanced software and services, you can build a framework that maps to your clients’ specific security needs so you’re providing the technologies that are now essential for securing their business from modern attacks.

Once you understand how to effectively respond to new and shifting risks, you’ll be in the best possible position to keep your clients secure and avoid potentially debilitating breaches.

The post Responding to Risk in an Evolving Threat Landscape appeared first on Webroot Blog.

2018 Voter Records for Sale

As the United States midterm elections draw closer, concern surrounding voter information is on the rise, and for good reason. Records for nearly 35 million registered voters from 19 different states were found for sale on a hacker forum, with prices ranging from $500 to $12,500, depending on the state. Unfortunately, a crowdfunding campaign has begun on the forums to purchase each database and post them publicly, with 2 states already being published.

County Water Utility Struck by Ransomware

Just a week after Hurricane Florence hit land in North Carolina, a coastline county’s water utilities fell victim to a ransomware attack. Effectively shutting down all services during a time when they are working on emergency operations left the local water authority with limited capabilities until they began the lengthy process of restoring everything from backup files. By choosing to ignore the ransom and restore manually, the utility service has taken on a more time and resource consuming task, as they continue operating without any of their online systems.

PS4 Exploit Causes System Crash

A new exploit has been discovered that allows attackers to send a malicious message to other PlayStations that will effectively render the console unusable. The message itself doesn’t even need to be opened to cause considerable damage, resulting in most users performing a factory reset to return everything to normal. While some users have been successful in deleting the message from the mobile app before it causes any harm, others still had to rebuild the system’s database.

iPhone Passcode Bypass Still Active

Days after Apple released a patch for iOS 12.0 that shutdown a passcode bypass method, the same researcher was able to find yet another way to access the phone illicitly. By using a combination of Siri and the VoiceOver feature, anyone with physical access to the device could obtain pictures, and other data with ease. To make matters worse, the latest bypass also gives attackers the ability to send files to other devices and view them in full resolution, rather than minimized like the previous bypass allowed.

Massive Phishing Campaign Targets Iceland

Over the weekend, thousands of emails were sent out to the relatively small population of Iceland, most of which claimed to be from the local police and threatened judicial action if they did not comply. The email then linked victims to a nearly perfect replica of the official Icelandic Police website and requested their social security number. The attack itself was focused on gaining bank details and further compromising already infected computers for more information.

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By now, you likely know that a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is essential to remaining safe when working remotely. But, once set up, how can you optimize your VPN to work well with your devices and meet your security needs? Here are our top five tips for maximizing your VPN experience.

Pair it with an Antivirus

One of the biggest misconceptions about VPNs is that they protect your device from malicious programs. While a VPN will encrypt your network traffic, preventing others from viewing intercepted data, most do not warn you when you visit dangerous sites. If your VPN provides advanced web filtering for risky sites, that can be an additional defense against cyber threats such as malware and phishing.  Alternatively, while strong antivirus software actively monitors for viruses and malware within files and applications, it does not encrypt your data or prevent it from being monitored. Both are equally important for protecting your devices, and are ideally used together. Combining the two services provides additional security.

Enable a Kill Switch

Setting up a VPN to keep your data safe is an important first step, but what happens if your VPN server goes down or disconnects while you are entering sensitive data and you don’t notice the connection was lost? Without the protection of a VPN kill switch, your devices will often automatically reconnect to the network without alerting you, this time without the protection of your VPN. A kill switch feature blocks sending and receiving data until the VPN connection is re-established.. For maximum protection, select a VPN with a kill switch feature and ensure it has been enabled.

Understand the Impact of Setting Up a VPN on Your Router

Having a VPN on your home router may seem like a helpful boost to your cybersecurity, but it’s actually the opposite. Most routers lack the processing power of a modern CPU, meaning that even older personal devices (phones, tablets, computers) will have a much easier time handling the task of encrypting/decrypting data than your router will. Instead, set up a VPN for each personal device to prevent a bottleneck of data to your router while simultaneously securing it at all access points. Selecting an easy-to-use VPN solution with cross-device functionality will make this task much easier on the end user, while providing maximum security.

Protect All of Your Smart Devices

When it comes to cybersecurity, we tend to imagine a nefarious hacker out to steal and sell your data. But not all data collection is illegal. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has a vested interest in tracking your streaming habits, and they may even throttle your network depending on your usage. Our phones, computers, and tablets are each a potential interception point for our private data. Securing each of your smart devices with a VPN, even those that stay in your home, is the best way to prevent your data from potentially being monitored by third parties. 

Encrypt Your LTE Connection

While your cellular network is more secure than public WiFi options, it remains vulnerable to an attack. LTE user data can be exploited by what is known as an “aLTEr attack”. This attack redirects domain name system (DNS) requests, performing a DNS spoofing attack that can fool your device into using a malicious DNS server. This spoofed DNS server will deliver you to websites as normal until you request a high-value website the attack is targeting, like your banking or email provider. Oftentimes this fake website will scrape your data before you realize what has happened. You give yourself an extra layer of security by wrapping your LTE connection in a VPN, allowing you to access your most sensitive data confidently.

When it comes to getting the most out of your VPN, this list is just the beginning. Our privacy concerns and security needs will continue to change as our connected devices mature and we recommend keeping an eye on your VPN provider for any potential updates to their services.

Ready to take back control of your privacy? Learn how our Webroot WiFi Security VPN protects what matters most wherever you connect.

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Data Breach Affects Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week they had discovered malicious activity within their direct enrollment pathway, which connects patients and healthcare brokers. At least 75,000 individuals were affected. The pathway has since been disabled to prevent further exposure. Until the pathway is fixed, hopefully within a week, CMS is contacting affected patients and offering them credit protection services.

Ransomware Disables City’s Computer Systems

City officials in West Haven, Connecticut finally gave in to ransom demands following a cyberattack against their systems. The attack began early Tuesday morning and disabled 23 individual servers before a decision was made to pay a ransom in hopes for the return of their data. While it is still unclear if the systems were fully restored, the town was lucky to receive a relatively small ransom request ($2,000 given the significant amount of data stolen.

User Data Exposed on Adult Sites

A string of eight adult sites, all owned by the same individual, fell victim to hackers who took advantage of poor security to expose records for up to 1.2 million individuals. While not as large as similar adult-related breaches, it still presents questions as to why proper security measures aren’t put in place on these sites proactively. The owner of the sites has since taken them down and replaced them with messages warning users to update their passwords and take extra security precautions.

McAfee Tech Support Scam on the Rise

A new browser-based tech support scam has been spotted recently that warns users their McAfee subscription has run out and needs to be renewed. Rather than redirect victims through an affiliate link to the real McAfee site, though, this latest scam directly prompts the user to input payment card information and other personal data into a small pop-up window. To top it off, once payment info is entered, an additional pop-up appears that suggests contacting support to help install your new software and eventually falsely claiming payment wasn’t successful and users must re-purchase the software.

Iowa City Shuts Down After Ransomware Attack

The city of Muscatine, Iowa is working to determine how several of their main computer systems, both within city hall and its library, were infiltrated by ransomware that’s knocked them offline. Officials have announced that no information was stolen and the city does not maintain any payment records, so citizens shouldn’t be worried. The city’s emergency services were also unaffected and continue to operate as normal.

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DemonBot Botnet Gaining Traction

DemonBot, while not the most sophisticated botnet discovered to date, has seen a significant rise in usage over the last week. With the ability to take control of Hadoop cloud frameworks, DemonBot has been using the platform to carry out DDoS attacks across the globe. By exploiting Hadoop’s resource management functionality, the infection can quickly spread itself and allows for remote code execution on affected servers.

Cyber Attack Leaves Pakistani Bank Under Scrutiny

Bank Islami, one of the largest banks in Pakistan, announced that an unusual attack had occurred involving local cards used far outside of the country’s borders. While the bank was quick to return the funds removed from customer’s accounts, the remainder of the malicious transactions processed internationally have the bank being on the hook for nearly $6 million in phony withdrawals, mainly in the US and Brazil. Unfortunately, due to a lack of information regarding the malicious transactions, several other top banks in the country were forced to temporarily restrict international purchases to protect their own clients.

UK Industrial Credentials for Sale

Researchers recently discovered the credentials for over 600,000 individuals, all closely tied to construction or building firms, available for sale on the dark web. Presently it appears that the credentials were all compromised during breaches involving third-parties users would have given corporate email into, rather than specific breaches for the industry group. Fortunately, it appears there haven’t been any related breaches thus far, though this type of data could lead to additional sensitive information being stolen.

Ransomware Demands RDP Access to Encrypted System

A new ransomware variant has been making an unusual request from its victims: allowing remote desktop access in order to decrypt their files. Dubbed CommonRansom, due to the appended extension on the encrypted files, the variant also demands a 0.1 Bitcoin payment before making the request for administrator credentials to the victim’s computer. Even though this variant isn’t widespread, it does appear to be using a similar Bitcoin wallet as other infections, as 65 Bitcoins were recently sent from the designated wallet.

USGS Auditors Find Porn-related Malware on Government Network

Following a recent audit of the US Geological Survey, agency inspectors discovered Russian malware circulating the internal network and were able to trace it back to one employee who had visited over 9,000 pornographic websites from his government-issued computer. The employee was also found to be

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You’re probably familiar with some of the most common requirements for creating passwords. A mix of upper and lowercase letters is a simple example. These are known as password constraints. They’re rules for how you must construct a password. If your password must be at least eight characters long, contain lower case, uppercase, numbers and symbol characters, then you have one length, and four character set constraints.

Password constraints eliminate a number of both good and bad passwords. I had never heard anyone ask “how many potential passwords, good and bad, are eliminated?” And so I began searching for the answer. The results were surprising. If you want to know the precise number of possible 8-character passwords there are if all of the character sets must be used, then the equation looks something like this.

A serious limitation of this approach is that it tells you nothing about the effects of each constraint alone or relative to other constraints. (I’m also not sure if there were supposed to be four consecutive ∑s or if the mathematician was stuttering.)

We choose to use a Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the mathematical impact of the various combinations of constraints. A Monte Carlo simulation uses a statistical analysis approach that provides a close approximation of the answer, while also providing the flexibility to quickly and easily measure the impact of each constraint and combination of constraints.

A look at minimum length limits

To start, let’s look at the impact of an eight-character length constraint alone. There are 95^8 possible combinations of 8 characters. 26 uppercase letters + 26 lowercase letters + 10 numerals + 33 symbols = 95 characters. For a length of 8 characters, we have 95˄8 possible passwords.

If a password must be at least 8 characters long, then there are also about 70.6 trillion otherwise viable passwords you are not allowed to use (95+(95^2 ) +(95^3 ) +(95^4 ) +(95^5)+(95^6 )+(95^7)). That’s a good thing. It means you can’t use 95 one character passwords, 9,025 two character passwords, and so on. Almost 70 trillion of those passwords you cannot use are seven characters long. This is a great and wholly intended effect of a password length constraint.

The problem with a lack of constraints is that people will use a very small set of all possible passwords, which invariably includes passwords that are incredibly easy to guess. In the analysis of over one million leaked passwords, it was found that 30.8 percent passwords eight to 11 characters long contained only lowercase letters, and 43.9 percent contained only lowercase letters and numbers.  In fact, to perform a primitive brute force attack against an eight-character password containing only lower case letters, it’s only necessary to try about 209 billion character combinations. That does not take a computer very long to crack. And, as we know from analyzing large numbers of passwords, it’s likely to contain one of the most popular ten thousand passwords.

To beef up security, we begin to add character constraints. But, in doing so, we decrease the number of possible passwords; both good and bad.

Just by requiring both uppercase and lowercase letters, more than 15 percent of all possible 8-character combinations have been eliminated as possible passwords. This means that 1QV5#T&|cannot be a password because there are no lowercase letters. Compared to Darnrats,which meets the constraint requirements, 1QV5#T&|is a fantastic password. But you cannot use it. Superior passwords that cannot be used are acceptable collateral damage in the battle for better security. “Corndogs” is acceptable, but “fruit&veggies” is not. This clearly is not a battle for lower cholesterol.

As constraints pile up, possibilities shrink

If a password must be exactly eight characters long and contain at least one lower case letter, at least one uppercase letter and at least one symbol, we are getting close to one-in-five combinations of 8 characters that are not allowable as passwords. Still, the effect of constraints on 12 and 16 character passwords is negligible. But that is all about to change… you can count on it.

Are you required to use a password that is at least eight characters long, has lower and uppercase letters, number and symbols? Just requiring a number to be part of a password removes over 40 percent of 8-character combinations from the pool of possible passwords. Even though you can use lowercase and uppercase letters, and you can use symbols, if one of the characters in your password must be a number then there are far fewer great passwords that you can use. If a 16 character long password must have a number, then 13 times more potential passwords have become illegal as a result of that one constraint than the combined constraints of lower and uppercase letters and symbols caused. More than one-in-four combinations of 12 characters can no longer become a passwords either.

You might have noticed that there is little effect on the longer passwords. Frequently there is also very little value in imposing constraints on long passwords. This is because each additional character in a password grows the pool of passwords exponentially. There are 6.5 million times as many combinations of 16 character pass words using only lowercase letters than there are of eight character passwords using all four character sets. That means that “toodlesmypoodles” is going to be a whole lot harder to crack than “I81B@gle”

Long and simple is better than short and hard

People tend to be very predictable. There are more symbols (than there are in any other characters set. Theoretically that means that symbols are going to do the most to make a password strong, but 80 percent of the time it is going to be one of the top five most frequently used symbols, and 95 percent of the time is will be one of the top 10 most frequently used symbols.

Analysis of two million compromised passwords showed that about one in 14 passwords start with the number one, however for those that started with the number one, 75 percent of them ended with a number as well.

The use of birthdays and names, for example, make it much easier to quickly crack many passwords.

Password strength: It’s length, not complexity that matters

As covered above, all four character sets (95 characters) in an eight character password allow for about 6.634 quadrillion different password possibilities. But a 16 character password with only lowercase letters has about 43.8 sextillion possible passwords. That means that there are well over 6.5 million times more possible passwords for 16 consecutive lowercase letters than for any combination of eight characters regardless of how complex the password is.

My great password is “cats and hippos are friends!”, but I can’t use it because of constraints – and because I just told you what it is.

For years password experts have been advocating for the use of simple passphrases over complex passwords because they are stronger and simpler to remember. I’d like to throw a bit of gasoline on to the fire and tell you, those 95^8 combinations of characters are only  half that many when you tell me I have to use uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.

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Threat researchers and other cybersecurity industry analysts spend much of their time trying to anticipate the next major malware strain or exploit with the potential to cause millions of dollars in damage, disrupt global commerce, or put individuals at physical risk by targeting critical infrastructure.

However, a new Webroot survey of principals at 500 small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), suggests that phishing attacks and other forms of social engineering actually represent the most real and immediate threat to the health of their business.

Twenty-four percent of SMBs consider phishing scams as their most significant threat, the highest for any single method of attack, and ahead of ransomware at 19 percent.

Statistics released by the FBI this past summer in its 2017 Internet Crime Report reinforce the scope of the problem. Costing nearly $30 million in total losses last year, phishing and other social engineering attacks were the third leading crime by volume of complaints, behind only personal data breaches and non-payment/non-delivery of services. Verizon Wireless’s 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, a thorough and well-researched annual study we cite often, blames 93 percent of successful breaches on phishing and pretexting, another social engineering tactic.

Cybersecurity Awareness Training as the Way Forward

So how are businesses responding? In short, not well.

24 percent of principals see phishing scams as the number one threat facing their business. Only 35 percent are doing something about it with cybersecurity awareness training.

One of the more insidious aspects of phishing as a method of attack is that even some otherwise strong email security gateways, network firewalls and endpoint security solutions are often unable to stop it. The tallest walls in the world won’t protect you when your users give away the keys to the castle. And that’s exactly what happens in a successful phishing scam.

Despite this, our survey found that 65 percent of SMBs reported having no employee training on cybersecurity best practices. So far in 2018, World Cup phishing scams, compromised MailChimp accounts, and opportunist GDPR hoaxers have all experienced some success, among many others.

So, can training change user behavior to stop handing over the keys to the castle? Yes! Cybersecurity awareness training, when it includes features like realistic phishing simulations and engaging, topical content, can elevate the security IQ of users, reducing user error and improving the organization’s security posture along the way.

The research and advisory firm Gartner maintains that applied examples of cybersecurity awareness training easily justify its costs. According to their data, untrained users click on 90 percent of the links within emails received from outside email addresses, causing 10,000 malware infections within a single year. By their calculations, these infections led to an overall loss of productivity of 15,000 hours per year. Assuming an average wage of $85/hr, lost productive costs reach $1,275,000 which does not necessarily account for other potential costs such as reputational damage, remediation cost, or fines associated with breaches.

One premium managed IT firm conducted its first wave of phishing simulation tests and found their failure rate to be approximately 18 percent. But after two to three rounds of training, they saw the rate drop to a much healthier 3 percent.¹

And it’s not just phishing attacks users must be trained to identify. Only 20 percent of the SMBs in our survey enforced strong password management. Ransomware also remains a significant threat, and there are technological aspects to regulatory compliance that users are rarely fully trained on. Even the most basic educational courses on these threats would go a long way toward bolstering a user’s security IQ and the organizations cybersecurity posture.

Finding after finding suggests that training on cybersecurity best practices produces results. When implemented as part of a layered cybersecurity strategy, cybersecurity awareness training improves SMB security by reducing the risks of end-user hacking and creating a workforce of cyber-savvy end users with the tools they need to defend themselves from threats.

All that remains to be seen is whether a business will act in time to protect against their next phishing attack and prevent a potentially catastrophic breach.

You can access the findings of our SMB Pulse Survey here.

^{1 Webroot. “Why Security Awareness Training is an Essential Part of Your Security Strategy” (November, 2018)}

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Data Breach Nabs HSBC Account Info

HSBC has been monitoring some unauthorized access occurring over a ten-day period on their customer’s online accounts. During this time, attackers used credentials that were likely part of prior breaches to access numerous accounts. HSBC worked quickly to disable online access to any accounts that showed suspicious activity. The bank also began notifying potential victims of the incident and have taken additional steps in securing their online access points.

Latest Chrome Iteration Cracks Down on Annoyances

With the rollout of Google’s Chrome 71, the company is looking to enhance the user experience by blocking all advertisements on sites that have continued to allow the hosting of offensive material. Chrome 71 will also be more efficient at blocking phishing attacks and misleading pop-up notifications that may redirect users. Fortunately, sites that are flagged can check their status and are given 30 days to correct for offending content.

University Shuts Down Network Over Cryptomining

A Canadian University was forced to shut down its entire network after IT staff discovered a cryptocurrency miner operating illicitly on several university systems. While they are still unsure who installed the cryptominer, they have removed the software from the systems and brought the remainder of the networks back online. Along with slowly restoring the remaining services taken offline, the university also forced a password change for all current users.

Cardless ATMs Lead to Rise in Phishing Attacks

Several arrests in Ohio have recently revealed a new scam that leverages SMS phishing attacks to withdraw money from ATMs that don’t require the use of a bank card. By sending a victim’s smartphone an SMS message containing a link to “unlock” their accounts, they are redirected to a phony site that steals their credentials. The scam has netted the attackers nearly $68,000 over a two-week period.

Twitter Bitcoin Scammers Take Over Verified Accounts

Even as Twitter-based Bitcoin scams have slowed, a new Elon Musk spoof account has popped up with the usual offer to multiply any amount of Bitcoins received and return the inflated amount. This scammer may have the benefit of taking over a verified account, but modifications to the profile name and obvious spelling errors reveal its clearly not legitimate, though it does leave raise questions regarding the verification system’s security.

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What business owners and MSPs should know about the year’s biggest online retail holiday

It’s no secret that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are marked by an uptick in online shopping. Cyber Monday 2017 marked the single largest day of online sales to date, with reported sales figures upwards of $6.5 billion. Data from Webroot charted a 58 percent increase in traffic to shopping sites on that day. And while Black Friday originated as a day to tussle with your neighbors for deals in person, online retailers like Amazon and eBay wouldn’t be left out and have begun offering their own deals.

What’s less often discussed is the corresponding rise in cybercrime that accompanies these online retail holidays. Webroot noted a surge in phishing and fraud sites of 203 percent between November 19 and December 5, with the number of such sites peaking on Cyber Monday. Instances of spyware and adware also rose 57 percent during the busy holiday shopping period, again peaking on Cyber Monday.

The Problem with Cyber Monday

For business owners and those in IT, Cyber Monday likely means lost productivity as employees bargain hunt at work rather than actually work. (It’s interesting to note that, according to CNET, the first Cyber Monday in 2005 was intentionally made to fall on a weekday so workers could browse shopping sites on faster computers.) As our data shows, more than just a few hours of lost productivity are at stake.

Employees expose business owners to greater risks of phishing scams, ransomware, and other types of attack that could significantly lengthen downtimes for all employees, or even shutter a business completely. According to a Better Business Bureau study on cybercrime, more than half of businesses would cease to be profitable within a month if a ransomware attack were to lock them out of essential data.

What’s a Business Owner to Do about Cyber Monday?

Whether you’re a business owner or provide IT services, you’re likely to see employees or clients indulging in deals this Cyber Monday. But there are strategies for limiting your risk on November 26. As with much of cybersecurity, you can manage your policy for online shopping based on what you consider acceptable levels of risk.

With network-level protection it’s possible to block access to any sites categorized as “shopping,” while still whitelisting trusted domains. Our research shows Amazon, the Apple iTunes Store, and Walmart rounded out the top three most visited shopping sites last Cyber Monday, so employers may want to consider whitelisting those sites specifically, while still blocking less reputable ones. Webroot offers DNS protection with the ability to filter according to more than 80 categories, including gambling, adult content, and weapons, as well as shopping. Set a policy to block the shopping category this Cyber Monday, with your own tailored exceptions and presto, problem solved.

There are also other, less prohibitive strategies for protecting employees and clients, too. Tools like Webroot’s Web Classification and Reputation services forecast the risks of visiting more than 27 billion URLs, which can help user determine if that deal really is a little too good to be true. IP Reputation Services make a similar determination based on an IP’s risk score.

Real-Time phishing protection and hands-on phishing simulations can go a long way toward improving security, too. The surge in these types of attacks represents cybercriminals focus on the weakest element of a company’s IT security: the end users themselves. Catching phishing attacks before they’re clicked and teaching users to be vigilant about threats by using custom phishing templates are paramount to your business’s security posture.

So there are a variety of methods for limiting disruption from online shopping in the workplace, so business owners and managed service providers shouldn’t let Cyber Monday come and go without preparation. Employees will almost certainly be on an online hunt for deals and cybercriminals know it.

Focus on security now, before a user’s big savings end up costing you.

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