Profile of Jai Vijayan

Freelance writer News & Commentary Posts: 696

Jai Vijayan is a seasoned technology reporter with over 20 years of experience in IT trade journalism. He was most recently a Senior Editor at Computerworld, where he covered information security and data privacy issues for the publication. Over the course of his 20-year career at Computerworld, Jai also covered a variety of other technology topics including Big Data, Hadoop, Internet of Things, E-voting and data analytics. Prior to Computerworld, Jai covered technology issues for The Economic Times in Bangalore, India. Jai has a Master's degree in Statistics and lives in Naperville, IL.

6 Takeaways from Ransomware Attacks in Q1

4/18/2019
Customized, targeted ransomware attacks were all the rage.
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Nation-State Hacker Group Hijacking DNS to Redirect Email, Web Traffic

4/17/2019
'Sea Turtle' group has compromised at least 40 national security organizations in 13 countries so far, Cisco Talos says.
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7 Tips for an Effective Employee Security Awareness Program

4/17/2019
Breaches and compliance requirements have heightened the need for continuous and effective employee training, security experts say.
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Threat Group Exploits Chrome Bug to Serve Malicious Ads to iOS Users

4/16/2019
A new exploit developed by eGobbler is allowing it to distribute malvertisements–more than 500 million to date–at huge scale, Confiant says.
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Microsoft Downplays Scope of Email Attack

4/15/2019
An unknown attacker used a support agent's credentials to access email content belonging to some Outlook, Hotmail users.
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Majority of Hotel Websites Leak Guest Booking Info

4/10/2019
Third parties such as ad, search engine, and analytics firms often have access to guest name, address, phone numbers, credit cards and other data, Symantec says.
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Verizon Patches Trio of Vulnerabilities in Home Router

4/9/2019
One of the flaws gives attackers way to gain root access to devices, Tenable says.
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'Exodus' iOS Surveillance Software Masqueraded as Legit Apps

4/8/2019
Italian firm appears to have developed spyware for lawful intercept purposes, Lookout says.
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Threat Group Employs Amazon-Style Fulfillment Model to Distribute Malware

4/4/2019
The operators of the Necurs botnet are using a collection of US-based servers to send out banking Trojans, ransomware, and other malware on behalf of other cybercriminals.
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Focus on Business Priorities Exposing Companies to Avoidable Cyber-Risk

4/3/2019
Despite the growing sophistication of threats and increase compliance requirements, a high percentage of organizations are continuing to compromise their security.
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Nuanced Approach Needed to Deal With Huawei 5G Security Concerns

4/1/2019
Governments need to adopt strategic approach for dealing with concerns over telecom vendor's suspected ties to China's intelligence apparatus, NATO-affiliated body says.
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New Android Trojan Targets 100+ Banking Apps

3/28/2019
'Gustuff' also designed to steal from cryptocurrency wallets, payment services, e-commerce apps.
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6 Things To Know About the Ransomware That Hit Norsk Hydro

3/27/2019
In just one week, 'LockerGoga' has cost the Norwegian aluminum maker $40 million as it struggles to recover operations across Europe and North America.
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ASUS 'ShadowHammer' Attack Underscores Trusted Third-Party Risks

3/26/2019
Taiwanese computer maker says it has fixed issue that allowed attackers to distribute malware via company's automatic software update mechanism.
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Attackers Compromise ASUS Software Update Servers to Distribute Malware

3/25/2019
ShadowHammer campaign latest to highlight dangers of supply chain attacks.
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Criminals Use One Line of Code to Steal Card Data from E-Commerce Sites

3/14/2019
New JavaScript sniffer is similar to malware used in the Magecart campaign last year that affected over 800 sites.
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Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure a Big Target for Cryptomining Attacks

3/13/2019
Despite the declining values of cryptocurrencies, criminals continue to hammer away at container management platforms, cloud APIs, and control panels.
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Web Apps Are Becoming Less Secure

3/12/2019
Critical vulnerabilities in Web applications tripled in 2018, according to a new study.
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Cryptominers Remain Top Threat but Coinhive's Exit Could Change That

3/11/2019
Coinhive has remained on top of Check Point Software's global threat index for 15 straight months.
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Phishing Attacks Evolve as Detection & Response Capabilities Improve

3/7/2019
Social engineering scam continued to be preferred attack vector last year, but attackers were forced to adapt and change.
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New Threat Group Using Old Technique to Run Custom Malware

3/6/2019
Whitefly is exploiting DLL hijacking with considerable success against organizations since at least 2017, Symantec says.
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Word Bug Allows Attackers to Sneak Exploits Past Anti-Malware Defenses

3/5/2019
Problem lies in the manner in which Word handles integer overflow errors in OLE file format, Mimecast says.
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Organizations Taking Less Time to Detect Breaches

3/5/2019
But by the time they became aware, attackers have been on their networks for more than six months, new 2018 data shows.
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Bounty Hunters Find 100K+ Bugs Under HackerOne Program in 2018

3/4/2019
Organizations signed up with the vulnerability disclosure platform shelled out a record $19 million for bug discoveries in their systems.
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Turkish Group Using Phishing Emails to Hijack Popular Instagram Profiles

2/28/2019
In some cases, attackers have demanded ransom, nude photos/videos of victims in exchange for stolen account, Trend Micro says.
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More Than 22,000 Vulns Were Disclosed in 2018, 27% Without Fixes

2/27/2019
As in previous years, input validation vulnerabilities accounted for a substantial proportion of total, Risk Based Security report shows.
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Social Media Platforms Double as Major Malware Distribution Centers

2/26/2019
Because many organizations tend to overlook or underestimate the threat, social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are a huge blind spot in enterprise defenses.
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Researchers Propose New Approach to Address Online Password-Guessing Attacks

2/21/2019
Recommended best practices not effective against certain types of attacks, they say.
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Insurer Offers GDPR-Specific Coverage for SMBs

2/20/2019
Companies covered under the EU mandate can get policies for up to $10 million for fines, penalties, and other costs.
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North Korea's Lazarus Group Targets Russian Companies For First Time

2/19/2019
In an unusual development, the group known for its attacks against companies in countries viewed as geopolitical foes is now going after companies in a country considered an ally, Check Point Software says.
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High Stress Levels Impacting CISOs Physically, Mentally

2/14/2019
Some have even turned to alcohol and medication to cope with pressure.
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2018 Was Second-Most Active Year for Data Breaches

2/13/2019
Hacking by external actors caused most breaches, but Web intrusions and exposures compromised more records, according to Risk Based Security.
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Devastating Cyberattack on Email Provider Destroys 18 Years of Data

2/12/2019
All data belonging to US users—including backup copies—have been deleted in catastrophe, VMEmail says.
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Experian: US Suffers the Most Online Fraud

2/11/2019
New data from the credit reporting firm shows the sheer scale of online activity in the US also has made businesses and consumers there prime targets.
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US Law Enforcement Busts Romanian Online Crime Operation

2/8/2019
Twelve members of 20-person group extradited to US to face charges related to theft of millions via fake ads other scams.
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Ransomware Attack Via MSP Locks Customers Out of Systems

2/7/2019
Vulnerable plugin for a remote management tool gave attackers a way to encrypt systems belonging to all customers of a US-based MSP.
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Some Airline Flight Online Check-in Links Expose Passenger Data

2/6/2019
Several airlines send unencrypted links to passengers for flight check-in that could be intercepted by attackers to view passenger and other data, researchers found.
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7 Tips for Communicating with the Board

2/6/2019
The key? Rather than getting bogged down in the technical details, focus on how a security program is addressing business risk.
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Cybercriminals Exploit Gmail Feature to Scale Up Attacks

2/5/2019
Criminals are taking advantage of Gmail's 'dots don't matter' feature to set up multiple fraudulent accounts on websites, using variations of the same email address, Agari says.
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Massive DDoS Attack Generates 500 Million Packets per Second

1/30/2019
January 10 torrent involved nearly four times as many packets as last year's huge attack on GitHub, says Imperva.
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Microsoft Exchange Vuln Enables Attackers to Gain Domain Admin Privileges

1/29/2019
Anyone with access to an Exchange mailbox can take control of domain, security researcher says.
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US Law Enforcement Shuts Down Massive Marketplace for Compromised Servers

1/28/2019
At its peak, xDedic listed over 70,000 owned servers that buyers could purchase for prices starting as low as $6 each.
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Database of 24 Million Mortgage, Loan Records Left Exposed Online

1/24/2019
Breach latest example of how misconfigurations, human errors undermine security in a big way, experts say.
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'Anatova' Emerges as Potentially Major New Ransomware Threat

1/23/2019
Modular design, ability to infect network shares make the malware dangerous, McAfee says.
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Stealthy New DDoS Attacks Target Internet Service Providers

1/22/2019
Adversaries took advantage of the large attack surface of large communications networks to spread small volumes of junk traffic across hundreds of IP prefixes in Q3 2018, Nexusguard says.
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VC Investments in Cybersecurity Hit Record Highs in 2018

1/18/2019
But rate of funding appears unsustainable, according to Strategic Cyber Ventures.
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773 Million Email Addresses, 21 Million Passwords For Sale on Hacker Forum

1/17/2019
Data appears to be from multiple breaches over past few years, says researcher who discovered it.
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BEC Groups Ramp Up Payroll Diversion Attacks

1/16/2019
Criminals are increasingly trying to defraud businesses by diverting payrolls of CEOs, other senior executives, Agari says.
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Cryptomining Continues to Be Top Malware Threat

1/14/2019
Tools for illegally mining Coinhive, Monero, and other cryptocurrency dominate list of most prevalent malware in December 2018.
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DNS Hijacking Campaign Targets Organizations Globally

1/10/2019
A group believed to be operating out of Iran has manipulated DNS records belonging to dozens of firms in an apparent cyber espionage campaign, FireEye says.
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Kaspersky Lab Helped US Nab NSA Data Thief: Report

1/9/2019
But this new development unlikely to do much to clear government suspicions about security vendor's ties to Russian intelligence, analyst says.
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20-Year-Old Student Admits to Massive Data Leak in Germany

1/8/2019
Hack was not politically motivated; no sign of third-party involvement, authorities say.
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Data on Hundreds of German Politicians Published Online in Massive Compromise

1/4/2019
Authorities are investigating if breach resulted from a leak or a cyberattack.
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Ex-NSA Contractor Was a Suspect In Shadow Brokers Leak

1/2/2019
New court document shows law enforcement suspected possible involvement of Harold Martin in Shadow Brokers' release of classified NSA hacking tools.
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APT10 Indictments Show Expansion of MSP Targeting, Cloud Hopper Campaign

12/21/2018
US brings more indictments against the APT10 cyber espionage group operating in China for its Operation Cloud Hopper campaign against managed service providers, but what will those indictments accomplish?
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NASA Investigating Breach That Exposed PII on Employees, Ex-Workers

12/19/2018
Incident is latest manifestation of continuing security challenges at agency, where over 3,000 security incidents have been reported in recent years.
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Memes on Twitter Used to Communicate With Malware

12/18/2018
Steganography via tweet images gave attackers a way to pass on malicious instructions to Trojan, researchers say.
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Disk-Wiping 'Shamoon' Malware Resurfaces With File-Erasing Malware in Tow

12/17/2018
As with previous attacks, organizations in the Middle East appear to be main targets, Symantec says.
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Despite Breaches, Many Organizations Struggle to Quantify Cyber-Risks to Business

12/13/2018
Enterprises are struggling with familiar old security challenges as a result, new survey shows.
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U.S. Defense, Critical Infrastructure Companies Targeted in New Threat Campaign

12/12/2018
McAfee finds malware associated with 'Operation Sharpshooter' on systems belonging to at least 87 organizations.
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Attackers Using New Exploit Kit to Hijack Home & Small Office Routers

12/11/2018
Goal is to steal banking credentials by redirecting users to phishing sites.
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Satan Ransomware Variant Exploits 10 Server-Side Flaws

12/10/2018
Windows, Linux systems vulnerable to self-propagating 'Lucky' malware, security researchers say.
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Criminals Use Locally Connected Devices to Attack, Loot Banks

12/7/2018
Tens of millions of dollars stolen from at least eight banks in East Europe, Kasperksy Lab says.
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7 Common Breach Disclosure Mistakes

12/6/2018
How you report a data breach can have a big impact on its fallout.
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Symantec Intros USB Scanning Tool for ICS Operators

12/5/2018
ICSP Neural is designed to address USB-borne malware threats.
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Overall Volume of Thanksgiving Weekend Malware Attacks Lower This Year

11/29/2018
But ransomware attacks go through the roof, new threat data from SonicWall shows.
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Dell Forces Password Reset for Online Customers Following Data Breach

11/29/2018
Move prompts questions about scope of intrusion and strength of company's password hashing.
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Incorrect Assessments of Data Value Putting Organizations at Risk

11/28/2018
Information security groups often underestimate or overestimate the true value of data assets, making it harder to prioritize controls.
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New Hacker Group Behind 'DNSpionage' Attacks in Middle East

11/27/2018
Motives are not fully clear, though data exfiltration is one possibility, Cisco Talos says.
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Mirai Evolves From IoT Devices to Linux Servers

11/21/2018
Netscout says it has observed at least one dozen Mirai variants attempting to exploit a recently disclosed flaw in Hadoop YARN on Intel servers.
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Russia Linked Group Resurfaces With Large-Scale Phishing Campaign

11/20/2018
APT29/Cozy Bear is targeting individuals in military, government, and other sectors via email purporting to be from US State Department.
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Securities Markets at High Risk of Cyberattack

11/19/2018
A report by BAE Systems and SWIFT shows that financial market areas such as equities trading, bonds, and derivatives face more threats than banking, forex, and trade finance.
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Congress Passes Bill to Create New Federal Cybersecurity Agency

11/15/2018
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act now headed to President Trump for signing into law.
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Small-Time Cybercriminals Landing Steady Low Blows

11/14/2018
High-end crime groups are acquiring the sorts of sophisticated capabilities only nation-states once had, while low-tier criminals maintain a steady stream of malicious activity, from cryptomining to PoS malware.
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2018 on Track to Be One of the Worst Ever for Data Breaches

11/12/2018
A total of 3,676 breaches involving over 3.6 billion records were reported in the first nine months of this year alone.
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Symantec Uncovers North Korean Group's ATM Attack Malware

11/8/2018
Lazarus Group has been using FastCash Trojan on obsolete AIX servers to empty tens of millions of dollars from ATMs.
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Crytpocurrency Exchange Targeted Via Attack on Web Traffic Analysis Firm

11/7/2018
"Island-hopping" attackers breached StatCounter so they could get to users of gate.io.
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20 Cybersecurity Firms to Watch

11/7/2018
A look at some of the more interesting investments, acquisitions, and strategic moves in the security sector over the past year.
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Critical Encryption Bypass Flaws in Popular SSDs Compromise Data Security

11/6/2018
Vulnerabilities in Samsung, Crucial storage devices enable data recovery without a password or decryption key, researchers reveal.
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Ex-Employees Allegedly Steal Micron Trade Secrets Valued At Over $400 Million

11/2/2018
Three individuals who worked for DRAM maker's Taiwan subsidiary stole Micron IP to benefit company controlled by China's government, US says in indictment.
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Destructive Cyberattacks Spiked in Q3

10/30/2018
Instead of simply fleeing when discovered, adversaries are actively engaging with incident response teams, a new Carbon Black study finds.
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Security Implications of IBM-Red Hat Merger Unclear

10/29/2018
But enterprises and open source community likely have little to be concerned about, industry experts say.
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County Election Websites Can Be Easily Spoofed to Spread Misinformation

10/25/2018
Majority of county sites in 20 key swing states have non-.gov domains and don't enforce use of SSL, McAfee researchers found.
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ICS Networks Continue to be Soft Targets For Cyberattacks

10/24/2018
CyberX study shows that many industrial control system environments are riddled with vulnerabilities.
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Russian Research Institute Was Actively Involved In TRITON ICS Attack Activity

10/23/2018
Data shows with a high degree of confidence that Moscow-based Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics helped develop and refine malware, FireEye says.
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Facebook Rumored to Be Hunting for Major Cybersecurity Acquisition

10/22/2018
Goal appears both a bid to bolster its own security and its tattered reputation for privacy, according to reporting by The Information.
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Cyber Espionage Campaign Reuses Code from China's APT1

10/18/2018
US, Canadian organizations in crosshairs of group with apparent links to a Chinese military hacking unit that wreaked havoc several years ago.
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3 Years After Attacks on Ukraine Power Grid, BlackEnergy Successor Poses Growing Threat

10/17/2018
In what could be a precursor to future attacks, GreyEnergy is targeting critical infrastructure organizations in Central and Eastern Europe.
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FICO & US Chamber of Commerce Score Cyber-Risk Across 10 Sectors

10/16/2018
Media, telecom, and technology firms are far more likely to experience a data breach in the near future than organizations in sectors including energy, construction, and transportation.
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Chinese Intelligence Officer Under Arrest for Trade Secret Theft

10/11/2018
Yanjun Xu attempted to steal data on advanced aviation technology that GE Aviation, among others, had spent billions developing.
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New Threat Group Conducts Malwareless Cyber Espionage

10/10/2018
Gallmaker group is relying exclusively on legitimate tools and living-off-the-land tactics to make detection very difficult.
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Lesser Skilled Cybercriminals Adopt Nation-State Hacking Methods

10/9/2018
The trend underscores the need for organizations of all sizes to be prepared to detect and respond to threats faster, CrowdStrike says.
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US Indicts 7 Russian Intel Officers for Hacking Anti-Doping Organizations

10/4/2018
Netherlands expels four of the suspects trying to break into an organization investigating a chemical used in the recent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain.
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Malware Outbreak Causes Disruptions, Closures at Canadian Restaurant Chain

10/3/2018
But Recipe Unlimited denies it was the victim of a ransomware attack, as some have reported.
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100,000-Plus Home Routers Hijacked in Campaign to Steal Banking Credentials

10/3/2018
The GhostDNS campaign, which has been mainly targeting consumers in Brazil, has exploded in scope since August.
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Financial Sector Data Breaches Soar Despite Heavy Security Spending

10/2/2018
Banks and other financial firms have disclosed three times as many breaches so far this year than they did in 2016, Bitglass says.
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'Torii' Breaks New Ground For IoT Malware

9/28/2018
Stealth, persistence mechanism and ability to infect a wide swath of devices make malware dangerous and very different from the usual Mirai knockoffs, Avast says.
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Russia's Sednit Deploys First Firmware-Level Rootkit in the Wild

9/27/2018
The advanced persistent threat group's LoJax can install malware capable of surviving both OS reinstallation and hard disk replacement.
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Google to Let Users Disable Automatic Login to Chrome

9/27/2018
The decision comes days after security researcher had blasted company for jeopardizing user privacy with browser update.
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Critical Linux Kernel Flaw Gives Root Access to Attackers

9/26/2018
All versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS vulnerable to 'Mutagen Astronomy' flaw, according to Qualys.
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