News

MediSecure confirmed that limited health data of customers was posted onto a dark web forum, with a 6.5TB dataset reportedly put up for sale

Microsoft has warned of surging gift card fraud and sophisticated approaches from the group Storm-0539

Actors in the clear and dark web are distributing fake source codes of the Pegasus spyware for financial gain

Fantastic footage of a Dana squid attacking a camera at a depth of about a kilometer.

As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.

Read my blog posting guidelines here.

New paper: “Zero Progress on Zero Days: How the Last Ten Years Created the Modern Spyware Market“:

Abstract: Spyware makes surveillance simple. The last ten years have seen a global market emerge for ready-made software that lets governments surveil their citizens and foreign adversaries alike and to do so more easily than when such work required tradecraft. The last ten years have also been marked by stark failures to control spyware and its precursors and components. This Article accounts for and critiques these failures, providing a socio-technical history since 2014, particularly focusing on the conversation about trade in zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits. Second, this Article applies lessons from these failures to guide regulatory efforts going forward. While recognizing that controlling this trade is difficult, I argue countries should focus on building and strengthening multilateral coalitions of the willing, rather than on strong-arming existing multilateral institutions into working on the problem. Individually, countries should focus on export controls and other sanctions that target specific bad actors, rather than focusing on restricting particular technologies. Last, I continue to call for transparency as a key part of oversight of domestic governments’ use of spyware and related components.

As technology advances, so do the methods used by cybercriminals to spread misinformation and scams. One of the most concerning developments in recent years is the rise of deepfakes—highly realistic and often convincing digital manipulations of audio and video. With deepfakes increasingly appearing in social media feeds, it’s crucial for everyone to be vigilant and informed. Here’s what you need to know to spot deepfakes and protect yourself from their potential harm.

Understanding Deepfakes

Deepfakes are synthetic media in which a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else’s likeness, often using advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques. These can be used to create misleading videos of public figures, celebrities, or even everyday people. The realism of deepfakes has made them a powerful tool for creating fake news, impersonating individuals, and even committing fraud.

With nearly two-thirds of people globally expressing increased concern about deepfakes, McAfee Deepfake Detector comes at a crucial time. The advanced AI-powered technology, previously known as ‘Project Mockingbird,’ made its debut earlier this year, addressing consumers’ growing need for identifying deepfake scams and misinformation. In the latest round of deepfake scams, McAfee researchers recently validated the following video featuring Gwyneth Paltrow is a deepfake scam.

Key Signs to Spot Deepfakes:

1. Unnatural Movement or Expression: Watch for oddities in facial movements or expressions. If something seems off or unusually rigid, it could be a sign that the video has been manipulated.
2. Inconsistent Audio: Sometimes, the audio doesn’t quite match up with the way a person’s mouth is moving. Echoes, discrepancies in lip-syncing, or a voice that doesn’t quite sound right can all be indicators of a deepfake.
3. Low Video Quality: Deepfakes often contain a mix of high and low-quality elements. If certain parts of a video look noticeably blurrier or less refined, it might be covering up manipulation.
4. Contextual Clues: Consider the source of the video and its content. If it seems out of character or includes outrageous or unbelievable claims, further verification might be necessary.
5. Background Fuzziness: Manipulated areas, especially around the head and hair, might show signs of blurring or fuzziness where the deepfake technology has tried to blend images.

How to Protect Yourself

Gwyneth Paltrow follows a long list of celebrities and public figures that cybercriminals are targeting. Earlier this year, McAfee highlighted how a Taylor Swift deepfake was used in a Le Creuset cookware scam

1. Verify the Source: Always check the credibility of the content creator. Verified accounts on social media platforms are more trustworthy, but still not infallible.
2. Look for Confirmation: If a video contains remarkable or newsworthy claims, look for confirmation from reputable news sources. If the story is true, more than one credible source will be reporting on it.
3. Use Technology: Employ tools specifically designed to detect deepfakes. As this technology evolves, more advanced solutions are being developed to help consumers identify fake content.
4. Educate Yourself: Stay informed about the latest trends in digital manipulation. Understanding how deepfakes are created and spread can help you better identify them.
5. Report Suspicious Content: If you encounter a deepfake, report it to the platform where you saw it. This not only helps protect you, but also assists in preventing the spread of misinformation.

In our digital age, the ability to discern real from fake has never been more challenging or more important. By staying vigilant and informed, consumers can better protect themselves from the deceptive and often damaging effects of deepfakes. Remember, in a world where seeing is no longer believing, a critical eye is your best defense.

The post Deepfake Drama: How Gwyneth Paltrow Became the Latest Target in AI Deception appeared first on McAfee Blog.

What is a VPN (virtual private network)? And how can it make your time online more secure—and a little more private too? Here we’ll take a look at what a VPN is, what it has to offer, and how that benefits you.

What is a VPN and how does it protect me?

A VPN is an app that you install on your device to help keep your data safe as you browse the internet. When you turn on your VPN app, your device makes a secure connection to a VPN server that routes internet traffic. Securely. This keeps your online activity private on any network, shielding it from prying eyes. So, while you’re on a VPN, you can browse and bank with the confidence that your passwords, credentials, and financial info are secure. If any malicious actors try to intercept your web traffic, they’ll only see garbled content thanks to your VPN’s encryption functionality.

Does a VPN change my IP address?

Every internet connection is assigned a unique set of numbers called an IP address, which is tied to info such as geographic location or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). A VPN replaces your actual IP address to make it look like you’ve connected to the internet from the physical location of the VPN server, rather than your real location. This is just one reason why so many people use VPNs.

How can I use a VPN to change my IP address?

To change your IP address, you simply open your VPN app, select the server location you’d like to connect to, and you’re done. You’re now browsing with a new IP address. If you’d like to make sure your IP has changed, open a browser and search for “What’s my IP address” and then select one of the results.

When should I use a VPN?

An ideal case for using a VPN is when you’re using public Wi-Fi at the airport, a café, hotel, or just about any place where “free Wi-Fi” is offered. The reason being is that these are open networks, and any somewhat enterprising cybercriminal can tap into these networks and harvest sensitive info as a result. One survey showed that 39% of internet users worldwide understand public Wi-Fi is unsafe, yet some users still bank, shop, and do other sensitive things on public Wi-Fi despite the understood risks.

Further, you have your privacy to consider. You can use a VPN to help stop advertisers from tracking you. Searches you perform and websites you visit won’t be traced back to you, which can prevent advertisers from gleaning info about you and your online habits in general. Moreover, some ISPs collect the browsing history of their users and share it with advertisers and other third parties. A VPN can prevent this type of collection as well.

Can a VPN protect my search history?

A VPN protects your search history through the secure connection you share. When you search for a website or type a URL into your navigation bar, your device sends something called a DNS request, which translates the website into the IP address of the web server. This is how your browser can find the website and serve its content to you. By encrypting your DNS requests, a VPN can hide your search habits and history from those who might use that info as part of building a profile of you. This type of info might be used in a wide variety of ways, from legitimately serving targeted ads to nefarious social engineering.

Are VPNs and “Incognito Mode” and “Private Mode” in browsers the same thing?

Note that a VPN is quite different and far, far more comprehensive than using “Private Mode” or “Incognito Mode” on your browser. Those modes only hide your search history locally on your device — not from others on the internet, like ISPs and advertisers.

Does a VPN make me anonymous?

No, a VPN can’t make you anonymous. Not entirely, anyway. They help secure what you’re doing, but your ISP still knows when you’re using the internet. They just can’t see what you’re doing, what sites you visit, or how long you’ve been on a site.

What about services like Apple’s Private Relay?

Apple’s Private Relay is similar to a VPN in that it changes your IP address so websites you visit can’t tell exactly where you are. It works on iOS and Macs as part of an iCloud+ subscription. Yet there is one important distinction: it only protects your privacy while surfing with the Safari browser.

Per Apple, it works like this:

When Private Relay is enabled, your requests are sent through two separate, secure internet relays. Your IP address is visible to your network provider and to the first relay, which is operated by Apple. Your DNS records are encrypted, so neither party can see the address of the website you’re trying to visit. The second relay, which is operated by a third-party content provider, generates a temporary IP address, decrypts the name of the website you requested, and connects you to the site. All of this is done using the latest internet standards to maintain a high-performance browsing experience while protecting your privacy.

Note that as of this writing, Apple Private Relay is not available in all countries and regions. If you travel somewhere where Private Relay isn’t available, it will automatically turn off and will notify you when it’s unavailable and once more when it’s active again. You can learn more about it here and how you can enable it on your Apple devices.

Do I need a VPN if I have Apple’s Private Relay?

As mentioned above, Private Relay only works with Safari on iOS and macOS as part of an iCloud+ subscription. Even if you are using an Apple device, a VPN is still a good idea because it will protect the info that your device sends outside Safari — such as any info passed along by your apps or any other browsers you might use.

How to get your own VPN

An unlimited VPN with bank-grade encryption comes as part of your McAfee+ subscription and provides the security and privacy benefits above with bank-grade encryption. Additionally, it turns on automatically any time you connect to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, which takes the guesswork out of when you absolutely need to use it.

In all, our VPN makes it practically impossible for cybercriminals or advertisers to access so that what you do online remains private and secure, so you can enjoy your time online with confidence.

The post How a VPN Can Make Your Time Online More Private and Secure appeared first on McAfee Blog.

According to Enea, these campaigns use cloud storage platforms to host malicious websites, sending links via SMS to bypass firewalls

Resecurity reported a 300% spike in cyber-attacks post-#OpIsrael, intensifying since #OpIndia last year

Over half of CISA’s known exploited vulnerabilities disclosed since February 2024 have not yet been analyzed by NIST’s National Vulnerability Database