October was Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and with the AV industry’s increasing reliance on connected systems, the timing couldn’t have been better. From corporate boardrooms to large-scale event spaces, the security of AV systems has become a pressing issue in the industry. In our October Temperature Check, we asked industry professionals about their experiences with cybersecurity […]
BY: Theresa Payton Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity have sparked an ongoing debate about whether they’re the ultimate duo or a dangerous combination. As someone who has spent years navigating cybersecurity, I see both sides. AI offers incredible opportunities but opens up new vulnerabilities that we, as cybersecurity professionals, must address. AI & Cybersecurity: The […]
The October 2024 Temperature Check survey is now closed. Keep an eye out for next month’s survey! Hi #AVtweeps! There is a chill in the air, the leaves are turning beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange, and coffee shops are churning out pumpkin spice lattes as fast as they can! You know what that […]
I have been working in “tech” for roughly 30 years. I started in IT, then went into live audio, then AV integration, and eventually, cybersecurity. I now engineer secure audiovisual systems, KVMs and video walls for the United States military. One might think my home is full of the latest technologies, that I have smart […]
On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, a ransomware attack launched by a hacking group called BlackSuit took down the operations of approximately 15,000 North American auto retailers. The hackers did not actually attack the individual car dealerships, but rather, they attacked a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider named CDK. The CDK Dealer Management System software handled everything from […]
A new study conducted by cybersecurity and compliance expert Kiteworks has identified the U.S. states where businesses are most at risk of cyberattacks, with Colorado topping the list. Kiteworks created a points-based index to analyze various factors, including annual victim counts, financial losses from cyberattacks, increases in both victims and losses and the types of […]
By: Trevor Cooke, EarthWeb As technological advancements continue to reshape industries, so do the tactics of cybercriminals, underscoring the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures. Recent data highlights the industries most targeted by cyberattacks and the substantial financial toll they exact, emphasizing the urgency for organizations to prioritize cybersecurity. Most Targeted Industries by CyberCriminals Rank […]
When I departed Bradley International Airport on Tuesday, the temperature was a cool 70 degrees Fahrenheit. When I landed in Las Vegas 5 hours later, it was about 700 degrees. Okay, it wasn’t 700, but it was 101. I don’t know about you, but I dread this sort of heat. But I am here for […]
The news hit the headlines on a cool, rainy April 2024 morning. I grabbed my sweater. Bitdefender was the first to report the four security vulnerabilities discovered in LG’s WebOS TV operating system, allowing a potential cyber attacker to gain root access to the TV after bypassing the proper authorization. The second paragraph of the […]
By: Trevor Cooke, EarthWeb Personal identification numbers (PINs) serve as gatekeepers to our online financial accounts, devices and sensitive information. While the concept of a four-digit PIN may seem simple, with only 10,000 possible combinations, achieving true uniqueness can be a challenge. A weak or predictable PIN can leave you vulnerable to unauthorized access — […]
By: Trevor Cooke, EarthWeb In an era defined by connectivity, the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the way we interact with technology. From smart thermostats to wearable fitness trackers, IoT devices have seamlessly integrated into our homes and businesses, offering convenience, efficiency and innovation. However, alongside these advancements comes a significant uptick in […]
In the summer of 2023, a Chinese hacking group tracked as Storm-0558 compromised Microsoft’s cloud, eventually leading to the breach of hundreds of thousands of emails, including those email accounts of U.S. government officials in charge of managing our relationship with China (Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China […]
A new study conducted by researchers at TorGuard, an online protection company, has revealed the states most at risk of internet crime — and Alaska ranks #1. The TorGuard team analyzed data from the recently updated FBI Internet Crime Report to produce a list of the states most at risk of a cyberattack. The research […]
New data reveals which U.S. states search for cybersecurity-related issues the most. The data, compiled by the research team at cloud security company AccuKnox, analyzed search terms related to cybersecurity across every U.S. state to establish which states are the most worried about cybersecurity. Vermont takes the crown as the state most worried about cybersecurity, […]
BY: Joe Davies While many of us rely on our voice assistants like Siri and Alexa for things like checking the weather or setting a timer while cooking, it might not be such a good idea to rely on them in more serious situations. Here are six things you should always avoid asking voice assistants if […]
Today, April 9, is Identity Management Day, which is designed to inform about the dangers of casually or improperly managing and securing digital identities. “Identity Management Day is an opportunity for all of us to evaluate our role in protecting our digital ecosystem,” said the day’s organizers in a statement. “Whether acting as consumers or […]
By: Trevor Cooke, EarthWeb Thirty percent of internet users have been victims of a data breach as a result of having a weak password; with over five billion people using the internet today, that means one and a half billion have had their data stolen by scammers taking advantage of their bad password. With this […]
Back in 2021, I wrote a rAVe column entitled “SecuringAV: The Remote Desktop Attack on a Florida Water Treatment Plant.” In this article, I talked about the different forms of infrastructure being targeted by cyberattacks, and connected the attack on the water treatment plant to similar vulnerabilities in AV systems. I also shared some lessons […]
In a world where digital interactions have become the norm, safeguarding your personal information online is paramount. Recent cybersecurity analyses, coupled with a Forbes Advisor survey conducted in 2024, have shed light on a concerning reality: many individuals still rely on easily compromised passwords, leaving their online accounts susceptible to hacking. Trevor Cooke, the online […]
It does not take much time browsing the internet recently to find an instance of a cyber breach, data theft, invasion of privacy, or to read the expectations of an impending threat. Just Google what the FBI director told Congress recently about the threat that China poses to our critical infrastructure. I often find that […]
A few weeks ago, a Swiss newspaper story about “3 million hacked toothbrushes” went viral. I personally shared a link about the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack with my cybersecurity coworkers via Teams message, prompting a number of comments and “Jurassic Park” memes. We all fell for it, but there is very little evidence that this […]
On Oct. 1, 2023, a small percentage of 23AndMe user profile information was improperly accessed and downloaded from individual 23andMe.com accounts on its website. The company found out after an anonymous hacker began advertising “millions” of stolen genetic profiles that were supposedly from 23andMe customer accounts. The profiles included emails, photos, gender, date of birth […]
In my last rAVe column, I summarized some recent cyberattacks on MGM and Caesars’ casinos. In that article, I tried to drop some social engineering science and some lessons learned from Scattered Spider (aka 0ktapus, UNC3944, Starfraud, Scatter Swine, Muddled Libra and most recently, Octo Tempest). I warned #AVtweeps about their aggressive social engineering Tactics, […]
Approximately 2 in 5 survey respondents say they either “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” install software updates, according to the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA). One of the easiest ways to protect accounts and information is to keep software and applications updated. Updates are periodically released to fix software problems and provide security patches for known vulnerabilities. […]
Phishing attacks have become an increasingly common problem for organizations of all sizes and can be very difficult to spot. It’s important every individual stop and think before clicking on a link or opening an attachment and know how to spot red flags. Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023 guidance provides the tools needed to recognize and […]
We’ve heard you and we’ve seen you. We know that security has become an increasingly important part of the AV world. From the amount of stories we’ve covered on cybersecurity (we even have a cybersecurity BlogSquadder — shout out to Paul Konikowski!) to what we’ve seen reach our news desk about physical security, we can […]
In a recent National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) survey, 57% of respondents said they have heard of multifactor authentication (MFA), but many people don’t realize that multifactor authentication is an incredibly important layer of protection in keeping accounts secure. MFA provides extra security by providing a secondary method confirming your identity when logging into accounts. MFA […]
On Sept. 11, 2023, a number of MGM resorts and casinos were simultaneously disrupted by ransomware and data extortion attackers, costing the company $100 million, according to AP News. Caesar’s Entertainment was also attacked, which the Wall Street Journal reported resulted in the company paying roughly half of the $30 million demanded. The resorts and […]
As our online lives expand, the average user has gone from having just a few passwords to now managing upwards of 100. That’s 100 unique passwords to remember, if you’re using strong password habits. Password managers can save users the trouble of having to remember multiple passwords and make accounts safer by recommending strong, unique […]
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and our friends at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have produced this infographic with tips to stay safe online — whether at home or in the office! rAVe [PUBS] will be posting about Cybersecurity Awareness Month throughout October. Click here to read more stories […]
In 2004, President Bush and Congress declared October “Cybersecurity Awareness Month.” 2004 was a much different time and the event centered around advice like “Update your antivirus software twice a year like you do with your smoke detector batteries.” for U.S. residents. Nowadays, cybersecurity is a much more complex issue and Cybersecurity Awareness Month has […]
CompTIA has created an Emergency Response Team to provide real-time guidance to solution providers experiencing a cybersecurity incident or service disruption. The new Emergency Response Team (ERT) is a group of dedicated CompTIA members who have either experienced a security incident or can provide guidance to solution providers that have been victimized. As a volunteer-led […]
