Hacking a computer is not hard, especially when security is not a priority for so many businesses out there. Look at any computer/network security focused website and pretty much every day you come across evidence of some hack being reported, most of the time well after the attackers have either stolen gigabytes of data, or in a lot of cases, encrypted it all and asked for a ransom. How does all of this happen with seemingly nothing done to deter criminals from continuing this lucrative business? Well, by being countries that have weak cybersecurity laws, for one. Another, criminals don’t have to be smart, they just have to be opportunistic… enter: Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS).

On April 20th, it was announced that the U.S. Government was directing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Energy, and the electricity industry to conduct a 100-day sprint in which they will address critical risks to the U.S. power grid. It, “represents swift, aggressive actions to confront cyber threats from adversaries who seek to compromise critical systems that are essential to U.S. national and economic security,” according to the announcement.

For the record, Macs are not immune from infections of malicious software. This is proof that, “ain’t nobody safe!”

Researchers at Red Canary have discovered that nearly 30,000 Macs in 153 countries have been infected with a new malware strain called Silver Sparrow. Although the delivery of additional payloads has not been observed yet, its forward-looking M1 chip compatibility, global reach, relatively high infection rate, and operational maturity suggests Silver Sparrow is a reasonably serious threat that is uniquely positioned to deliver a potentially impactful payload at a moment’s notice.

A cyborg soldier controlled entirely by AI. A cybernetically enhanced human roaming the streets doing all kinds of jobs for money. These sound like plots out of a movie or video game. That’s because they are! But don’t let fiction fool you. These developments are coming to the real world sooner than you think.

It is always amazing to look back at old sci-fi movies and literature, getting glimpses of what the future may hold regarding technology. Whether it is the tv walls from Fahrenheit 451 or the communicators from Star Trek. So much of our technology today was inspired by the sci-fi genre, but none so intriguing to me as a universal translator. Sci-fi has showcased characters wearing a small device like a hearing aid to automatically shift foreign languages into their own native language.

Have you ever purchased software but asked yourself, “I wonder if there are any known bugs in here and does the company even know?” Well, a little known fact is that they often do. Many websites, organizations, and software developers offer a deal called the bug bounty program. Individuals who participate can receive recognition and compensation for reporting bugs, especially those pertaining to security exploits and vulnerabilities.

How to Keep Them Safe Online

When I was a kid, about the only thing I had to worry about when using a computer was dying of dysentery while playing Oregon Trail. The threats that face computer users today, especially children who are not aware of cybersecurity best practices, are far worse than not making it past the Rockies in a video game. We teach our children basic security aspects of using computers and laptops, but often don’t realize that something far more dangerous is lurking in their midst: smartphones. 

When a vulnerability hits 10 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), people pay attention and so should you. CVE-2020-1472 did just that–it hit a 10 and is dubbed the “perfect” exploit by Tara Seals, author at ThreatPost.com. While this exploit requires network access to already be established, it allows an attacker to obtain the “keys to the kingdom,” a.k.a. Domain Admin. With domain admin credentials, an attacker can do pretty much whatever they want on that domain: create new accounts, delete accounts, turn off security services, crawl through the network and pilfer pretty much any and all data that is under the purview of that domain.

We’ve all heard of self-driving cars, but how about self-flying planes? Earlier this month, DARPA held a contest called AlphaDogfight (https://www.wired.com/story/dogfight-renews-concerns-ai-lethal-potential/). The goal was to see if an AI could be developed to pilot an F-16 in a dogfight situation better than a human can. Teams from several companies competed and eventually the winner battled a highly trained human Air Force pilot in a simulated dog fight. An AI developed by Heron Systems defeated the other AIs and went on to defeat the human pilot as well. It wasn’t just a lucky shot either. There were five test battles and Heron’s AI shot down the human pilot in all five.

The current pandemic has left of us with more free time than ever before. Among the numerous activities begun these past few months, gardening was one of the fastest growing (see what I did there!). Seed suppliers were reporting shortages as people started growing personal gardens, nicknamed “Covid Gardens” or “Victory Gardens”. Typical reasons for starting a garden included finding extra free time, worries about supply lines being disrupted, or just wanting to limit time in stores. Whatever the reason for gardening, if you are anything like me, as the summer moves on and fall looms in the distance, the only thing my garden shows is how not green my thumbs are.