Why Universities and Ride-Sharing Apps Are Ruining Our Productivity…

There are two types of businesses out there. Those who realize they have been hacked and those who don’t. Unfortunately, 76 universities and a handful of ride-sharing apps were in the “those who don’t know” category. But they’ve since been upgraded. Regrettably, the threat group acting against these universities wanted intellectual property from particular resources, so most of the student homework systems remained unscathed. As for these ride-sharing apps, a relaxed attitude toward their security systems has finally caught up to them. After Kaspersky Lab researchers analyzed 13 different apps, they found a plethora of opportunities where hackers could strike. What’s more of a productivity killer than dealing with a cyberattack on your personal information? Probably cute puppies in the office. But don’t worry, because we know how to secure private data and we’ll let you in on the secret too.

Driving Your Private Data Away

Malicious hackers are already exploiting stolen car sharing accounts. And they’re doing it with many different techniques. The first being that people may assume they are connected to a legitimate website when in reality the web traffic is re-directing somewhere else. This allows for hackers to gain login, credit card, and password information. And then there’s app overlaying, which displays phishing windows to users and prompts them to enter personal information without appearing suspicious. If a hacker can successfully access someone’s ride-share account, it can have some pretty drastic effects.

Aside from getting free rides, cybercriminals can use ride-share data in order to steal cars and identities. Currently, Kaspersky Lab stated they do not believe these apps could withstand malware attacks with the large amount of vulnerabilities. So, here’s what we can do to help protect ourselves in this situation. Try to keep devices updated and install anti-virus software, because these will help reduce the vulnerability of mobile devices. And avoid rooting your phone, so you don’t just hand over all your information if it gets swiped or compromised. Being proactive about security prevents a downfall in productivity for sure.

*Facepalm* -Cybersecurity & Computer Science Majors

It’s back to school time for students and what better way to start off the year than with cybersecurity attacks against 76 universities spanning 14 different countries. The hacker group, COBALT DICKENS, created copy-cat domains in order to phish users. Because universities are hotspots for scientific research, they are attractive prey for hackers like COBALT DICKENS, who accessed online library systems in order to obtain intellectual property. And earlier in 2018, a similar, if not the same, group of individuals stole over 31 terabytes of data from different U.S. targets. Talk about a huge roadblock. Although the threat has been “neutralized,” researchers from the Secureworks Counter Threat Unit (CTU) are constantly reminding staff and students at all universities to be vigilant and cautious when having students access their online accounts. CTU has also provided information on how to train for security threats and what to be on the lookout for.

Perks of Cyber-Safety

Not getting personal information stolen is a pretty good reason to practice cyber-safety in our opinion, but maybe you want a better reason. Well, computers run a lot faster when they don’t have viruses on them, so productivity benefits from good cyber security health. Plus, cat videos will load faster, and consumer confidence will increase. Who wants to work with an institution or business that doesn’t care about security threats? Not a lot of people. And it’s highly likely employees won’t want to work there either. So, to make everyone happy, practicing good security habits will ensure that everyone is satisfied and confident in their work. Just don’t take a ride-share car to any of the 76 attacked universities and you should be fine. If not, call us! We’ve got you.

Image Credit: pxhere