Elizabeth Hernandez

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Elizabeth Hernandez is a news writer on Defensorum. Elizabeth is an experienced journalist who has worked on many publications for several years. Elizabeth writers about compliance and the related areas of IT security breaches. Elizabeth's has focus on data privacy and secure handling of personal information. Elizabeth has a postgraduate degree in journalism. Elizabeth Hernandez is the editor of HIPAAZone. https://twitter.com/ElizabethHzone

New Critical Flaws in Windows and Flash Player

This week saw a host of updates issued by Microsoft to address critical flaws in Windows, although 44 security vulnerabilities in total have been addressed in the updates. These vulnerabilities affect a wide range of its products including Windows, Internet … Read more

Brazilian Criminals Use Malicious PNG File to Infect Windows, OS X, and Linux Machines

An email spamming campaign has been identified by SecureList which is being used, currently, to attack computers in Brazil. However, while the majority of victims are located in Brazil, the malware is also being used to target users in Spain, … Read more

Zuckerberg Twitter Hack Shows Danger of Password Reuse

The Zuckerberg Twitter hack has clearly demonstrated the danger of password reuse. Zuckerberg used the same password for Twitter as he did for his Pinterest and LinkedIn accounts. In spite of the Facebook founder, chairman, and CEO’s lofty position at … Read more

Jetpack Plugin Vulnerability Places a Million WordPress Websites At Risk

Security researchers have discovered a serious Jetpack plugin vulnerability that places sites at risk of attack by hackers. If you run WordPress sites for your company and you use the Jetpack website optimization plugin, you must perform an update as … Read more

MySpace Data Breach: 360 Million Login Credentials Offered for Sale

Over the past few days, rumors have been circulating about a massive MySpace data breach. Initial reports suggested that 427 million usernames and passwords had been obtained by a hacker going by the name of “Peace”. The name should sound … Read more

DMA Locker Ransomware: Flaws Fixed and Widespread Attacks Expected

After the recent news that TeslaCrypt has been decommissioned comes a new highly serious threat: DMA Locker ransomware. Malwarebytes has recently reported that DMA Locker ransomware, which is now in its 4th incarnation – could pose a significant threat to … Read more

CEO Fraud Scam Costs Chief Executive His Job (And His Company 40.1 Million Euros)

A successful CEO fraud scam that resulted in a fraudulent bank transfer being made from company accounts to a cyberattacker has cost the CEO his job. CEO Fraud Scan Results in Losses of 40.9 Million Euros Earlier this year, FAAC … Read more

Hospital Ransomware Infection Not Resolved After Ransom Paid

Resolving a hospital ransomware infection may not be as easy as paying the attackers’ ransom demand, as was shown by the Kansas Heart Hospital ransomware attack last week. Hospital Ransomware Infection Not Removed After Ransom Paid The Kansas Heart Hospital … Read more

Dridex Botnets Being Leveraged to Deliver Cerber Ransomware

The threat from Cerber ransomware has increased substantially after the gang behind the file-encrypting software have leveraged Dridex botnets to deliver a malicious payload that loads the ransomware onto users’ devices. Cerber ransomware was first discovered in the wild in … Read more

Healthcare Data Privacy and Security: Ponemon Releases Results of New Benchmark Study

Each year, the Ponemon Institute conducts a benchmark survey on healthcare data privacy and security. The surveys give a picture of the state of healthcare data security, highlight the main threats faced by the healthcare industry, and offer an insight … Read more

FTC to Investigate Security Update Practices of Mobile Device Manufacturers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is conducting a study to investigate the security update practices of mobile device manufacturers. The study is being conducted amid concern that mobile device manufacturers are not doing enough to ensure owners of mobile devices … Read more

How to Block Exploit Kits and Keep your Network Protected

Last week, the website of a major toy manufacturer was discovered to have been compromised and was being used to infect visitors with ransomware. The website of Maisto was loaded with the Angler exploit kit that probed visitors’ browsers for … Read more

Risk of Phishing Attacks and Ransomware Infections Highlights Need for Web Filtering Software

The risk of phishing attacks has increased considerably over the past 12 months, according to a new data breach report from Verizon. Ransomware attacks are also on the rise. The two are often used together to devastating effect as part … Read more

World Cup 2018 Phishing Scams

Kaspersky Lab has recently discovered World Cup 2018 phishing scams, with many of the early scams being carried out through emails to bring soccer fans to malicious websites offering the opportunity to purchase tickets for the games. With tickets for … Read more

Personalized Phishing Scam Uses Names and Addresses to Fool Victims into Installing Malware

Companies have been warned to remain diligent following the identification of a new personalized phishing scam that tries to fool users into downloading malware on their company’s computers. These new personalized phishing campaigns are primarily being used to share CryptoWall … Read more

Shadow IT Risk Highlighted By New Malware Discovery: 12 Million Machines Infected

IT professionals are well aware of the shadow IT risk. Considerable risk is introduced by employees installing unauthorized software onto their work computers and mobile devices. However, this has been clearly illustrated this week following the discovery of a new … Read more

Patch Issued to Prevent Microsoft Wireless Mouse Hijacking

The risk of Microsoft wireless mouse hijacking has been addressed this week. An optional fix was released as part of the latest KB3152550 Windows update. The update is for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, although Microsoft has not addressed the … Read more

Dell SecureWorks Releases Underground Hacker Markets Report

This month Dell SecureWorks released its annual underground hacker markets report. For the past three years, intelligence analysts at Dell SecureWorks have been tracking underground hacking forums and gathering intel. The annual reports provide an interesting insight into the world … Read more

Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report Shows Major Increase in Online Threats

Symantec’s 2016 Internet security threat report has revealed the lengths to which cybercriminals are now going to install malware and gain access to sensitive data. The past 12 months has seen a substantial increase in attacks, and organizations are now … Read more

Law Firm Data Security Under Scrutiny After Wave of Cyberattacks and Leaks

Law firm data security has come under the spotlight in the past couple of weeks following the publication of a number of news reports on hacking incidents at law firms, and most recently, the huge 11.5 million-document 2.6 terabyte data … Read more

FBI Seeks Help To Deal With Enterprise Ransomware Threat

In February, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued an alert over a new ransomware called MSIL (AKA Samas/Samsam/Samsa), but a recent confidential advisory was obtained by Reuters, in which the FBI asked U.S. businesses and the software security community … Read more

It’s World Backup Day – Could You Recover From a Data Disaster?

Today is World Backup Day – a day when awareness of the need to backup data is raised around the world. It is a day when companies that are not backing up their critical data are encouraged to do so, … Read more

AceDeceiver iPhone Malware Attacks Non-Jailbroken Phones

AceDeceiver iPhone malware can attack any iPhone, not just those that have been jailbroken. The new iOS malware has recently been identified by Palo Alto Networks, and a warning has been issued that the new method of attack is likely … Read more

New Data-Stealing USB-Based Malware Discovered

A new USB-based malware has recently been discovered that poses a serious security risk to enterprises. While USB-based malware is not new, the discovery of Win32/PSW.Stealer.NAI – also known as USB Thief – has caused particular concern. New USB-Based Malware … Read more

Microsoft Makes it Easier to Block Malicious Word Macros in Office 2016

System administrators that do not block malicious Word macros in Office 2016 could be making it far too easy for hackers to compromise their networks. Malicious Word macros are nothing new, but in recent months they have been increasingly been … Read more

Symantec: Spam Levels at 12 Year Low

Recent reports from Cyber security giant Symantec indicates that email spam levels are now at the lowest point seen in the past 12 years. According to the report spam emails dropped to 49.7% of all emails sent in June 2015. … Read more

Fileless Malware is Being Installed Using Microsoft Word Macros

Palo Alto Networks has discovered a new spam email campaign that is being used to spread fileless malware via malicious Microsoft Word macros sent as email attachments. What is Fileless Malware? Fileless malware, or memory-resident malware, is most commonly associated … Read more

United States Ransomware Attacks Conducted by Chinese Hacking Groups?

Security firms are reporting that some of the United States ransomware attacks conducted over the past few months have demonstrated a level of sophistication that suggest they are the work of hacking groups previously backed by the Chinese government. Ransomware … Read more

Oman TLD Being Exploited By Typosquatters Pushing Genieo Adware

Websites are being registered on Oman’s top level domain by typosqautters looking to capitalize on mistakes made by Mac users and push Genieo adware. The .om domain is intended to catch out Mac users who type quickly and miss out … Read more

Spanish Sweepstake Lottery Spam Emails

In recent weeks we have been sent reports of emails and letters being shared telling the recipients they have almost become a Euro millionaire as their numbers have been drawn and a prize of €915,810 has been awarded to them. … Read more

Phishers Targeting Human Behavior

Hackers are using phishing to trick web users into handing over their sensitive data. Internet surfers are shown with a baited hook, which draws them into handing over login names, passwords, security keys and other important data. The tactic can … Read more

Zika Virus Email Scam Deployed to Share Malware

Recently a healthcare group had its electronic health record system encrypted by ransomware; now a Zika virus email scam has been found, showing the depths that some hackers and cybercriminals will use to in order to make a quick profit. … Read more

Business Email Compromise Scams Used to Steal Employee Data

Phishing scams have increased significantly in the past few weeks as cybercriminals step up their campaigns during tax season, with many using a technique referred to as business email compromise to fool victims into sending employee W-2 form data to … Read more

Wireless Device Security Vulnerabilities Are Not Being Addressed

According to a recent report issued by Pwnie Labs, wireless device security vulnerabilities are not being addressed by enterprises even though many wireless devices can be used as backdoors into corporate networks. If wireless printers and access points are not … Read more

Malware being Sent via Zika Virus Email Scam

Recently a healthcare supplier had its electronic health record system locked by ransomware; now a Zika virus email malware campaign has been discovered, revealing the depths that some hackers and cybercriminals will go to so that that can make some … Read more

Opt for Cloud-Based Web Filtering Appliances for Schools instead of Hardware-Based

Hardware-based web filtering appliances for schools have some benefits, but many K12 schools are saying goodbye to the appliances and are opting for a much more convenient and practical solution. In the United States, K12 schools are required to put … Read more

Malware Shared Via Zika Virus Email Scam Used to Deliver

A Zika virus email scam has been uncovered following a healthcare supplier having its electronic health record system locked using ransomware. This email scam tries to prosper thank to the public interest in the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil. Since … Read more

Lloyds Bank Phishing Campaign Identified

A Lloyds Bank phishing scam has been uncovered that involved the UK bank’s customers being targeted before the Christmas period. The emails sent were very realistic email, appearing as though sent from Lloyds Banking Group. Christmas is a time when … Read more

Medical Equipment Cybersecurity: Tomographic Scanner Hacked via Hospital Wi-Fi

In recent months, concern has been growing over the lack of medical equipment cybersecurity protections in place at hospitals and medical centers. Healthcare providers are being targeted by cybercriminals for the confidential data they store on patients. Medical devices, and … Read more

Customers Blamed for Virgin Media Spoofed Emails

Virgin Media clients have been complaining about a rise the in the number of spam emails since September 2015, with many targeted by spoofed emails. However, a statement recently issued by Virgin Media claims that the spoofed emails are not … Read more

What is the Motivation Behind Cyberattacks? Study Offers New Insights

Many security professionals would like to know what is the motivation behind cyberattacks? How much do hackers earn? What actually motivates hackers to attack a particular organization? How long do hackers try before giving up and moving on, and how … Read more

Employee Security Training Can Greatly Improve Security Posture

Employee security training is an essential part of an organization’s defense against cyberattacks, yet many CISOs and CSOs are not conducting regular training. In fact, according to a survey conducted last year on behalf of ClubCISO, one in five CISOs … Read more

Cost of Bot Fraud to Rise to 7 Billion in 2016

The cost of bot fraud in 2016 is likely to rise to a staggering $7.2 billion, according to a new report by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). 2015 Bot Baseline study places the cost of bot fraud at over … Read more

Data Privacy Concerns in Britain Highlighted by New Study

A new study has revealed that British consumers are becoming increasingly worried about how companies are using the data they provide online. Data privacy concerns in Britain are now at a level where more people worry about their data and … Read more

Hidden Scripts on Servers Redirecting Users to Malicious Websites

Anti-virus software company Symantec has uncovered a new global web server infection. Hidden scripts on servers are redirecting website visitors to potentially malicious websites. So far over 3,500 hidden scripts on servers have been identified, which are being triggered when … Read more

How are Hackers Punished?

The news is littered with reports of data breaches that have been experienced by companies and even governments. Many media reports detail how hackers have been able to obtain tens of thousands of confidential records, or in some instances, tens … Read more

Greater Email Security Required in Healthcare Industry Following Phishing Report

In the United States, healthcare sector phishing attacks have been to blame for exposing the protected health records of well over 90 million Americans over the course of the past year. That’s in excess of 28% of the population of … Read more

Tax Season Sees IRS Tax Refund Spam Resurface

In the United States, tax season kicks off on January 1 and Americans must submit their annual tax returns before the April 15, deadline. As is usual at this time of year, new IRS tax refund spam email campaigns have … Read more

LastPass Phishing Vulnerability Discovered and Published

LastPass, the most popular password manager is susceptible to phishing attacks. A LastPass phishing vulnerability was recently uncovered, which could spell disaster for some LastPass users. Could your password manager be spoofed? One cybersecurity problem faced by business users and … Read more

New Lloyds Bank Phishing Scam Identified

A new Lloyds Bank phishing scam has been found by security researchers. The UK financial institution’s customers are being focused on just before Christmas with a highly realistic email, apparently shared from Lloyds Banking Group. Christmas is a time when … Read more