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Google Analytics is clearly a problem now. Not just for individuals like you and me, but even for organizations like Italy Data Protection Authority. Google has long offered this free tool to website administrators as it is very helpful to see how your website is being used. Google, in turn, gets extremely identifiable data sets about websites around the world, which is starting to make more and more people and organizations uncomfortable.
We have been recommending for years that you block Google Analytics for your computers so they cannot reach out to Google to transmit that data to begin with.
If you’re protected with adam:ONE, for example, you’re protected by default. Here we can see how we’re now far from the only ones that warn against giving Google such data:
Italy Data Protection Authority Warns Websites Against Use of Google Analytics
Block google-analytics.com everywhere if you aren’t already.
Following the footsteps of Austria and France, the Italian Data Protection Authority has become the latest regulator to find the use of Google Analytics to be non-compliant with E.U. data protection regulations.
Read More: Italy Data Protection Authority Warns Websites Against Use of Google Analytics.
Botched and silent patches from Microsoft put customers at risk, critics say
It took Microsoft five months and three patches to fix a critical Azure threat. This is such a timely reminder that reliance on vendors to patch software doesn’t work, never has, and never will. Additional security postures are always necessary in additional to holding vendors accountable.
Blame is mounting on Microsoft for what critics say is a lack of transparency and adequate speed when responding to reports of vulnerabilities threatening its customers, security professionals said.
Read More: Botched and silent patches from Microsoft put customers at risk, critics say.
Phishing Kits, Credential Theft, and Social Media Scam Trends Q1 2022
Credential theft phishing attacks targeted teh financial sector, accounting for 53.8% of all attacks. One of the reasons why financial departments must be more protected than ever.
Apart from increasing in volume, phishing attacks have taken unexpected turns this year. The Quarterly Threat Trends & Intelligence Report states that phishing attacks are being delivered via different online platforms. Let us check what the latest phishing trends are from the first quarter of the year.
Read More: Phishing Kits, Credential Theft, and Social Media Scam Trends Q1 2022
Fake copyright infringement emails install LockBit ransomware
Every stakeholder and manager has received a message at one point or another, making a claim that some image or video on your website has a copyright claim to it. Those are not messages that can be ignored, and if it looks like a legal demand and has few or no spelling or grammar mistakes, it can be quite convincing to open it up. Be careful. Note that LockBit accounts for about 40% of all ransomware last month, in May.
LockBit ransomware affiliates are using an interesting trick to get people into infecting their devices by disguising their malware as copyright claims.
Read More: Fake copyright infringement emails install LockBit ransomware.
Lookout Uncovers Android Spyware Deployed in Kazakhstan
Once again we see successful spyware being deployed at quite a large scale, which relied only on user deception and the fact that smartphones so often have unrestricted outbound internet access. The C2 command and control IP address in this case is what we call a stranger, and a simple mitigation of Don’t Talk To Strangers protected against this threat before it was known, just like Don’t Talk To Strangers protected against Pegasus on the iPhone before it was known.
Lookout Threat Lab researchers have uncovered enterprise-grade Android surveillanceware used by the government of Kazakhstan within its borders. While we’ve been following this threat for a while using Lookout Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) these latest samples were detected in April 2022, four months after nation-wide protests against government policies were violently suppressed.
Read More: Lookout Uncovers Android Spyware Deployed in Kazakhstan.
Did you know?
If you need to keep your ears as unobstructed as I do, you might also appreciate some Shokz. Bone-conducting headphones. Nothing inside your ear. I used to get regular ear infections due to headphones, ear buds, etc. I’ve been using these a while now and I’m free of ear infections. They’re comfortable enough to last all day if you’re spending a lot of time online with others. Just not ideal for music.
Written & presented by David Redekop. Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer of Nerds On Site & Founder & CEO of Adam Networks.
