U.S. Government Accuses Russia of Hacking the Power Grid
eWEEK – A joint Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation analysis finds evidence that Russia has been actively targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S with cyber-attacks. What should grid operators do in the U.S. to limit risks?
How Long Does It Take Hackers To Pull Off a Massive Job Like Equifax?
Popular Mechanics – How to steal 143 million customer records without anybody noticing. The time it takes hackers to download records depends on how large the files are. A photo contains a heck of a lot of data; a text file listing your name, address, social security number, etc., would be far smaller—especially given that the data could be compressed.
Researchers: Robots Vulnerable to Ransomware
Robotics Business Review – Robotics developers already concerned about security vulnerabilities have another thing to worry about — robot ransomware. Researchers from IOActive today showed a proof-of-concept ransomware attack on two popular service robots — Pepper and NAO — from SoftBank Robotics. They demonstrated the attack at the 2018 Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit in Cancun, Mexico.
That robot, like your laptop, could get hacked with ransomware
The Parallax – CANCÚN, Mexico—“Give me bitcoins now, or prepare to die.” The declaration, a clear reference to the cult classic The Princess Bride, came from an otherwise-friendly Nao robot featured in a video designed to demonstrate that, like their computer predecessors that can’t walk or roll down the street, humanoid robots like SoftBank Robotics’ Nao and Pepper are susceptible to ransomware attacks.
Why robot ransomware could cripple your business
TechRepublic – Security researchers from IOActive exploited vulnerabilities in the Pepper and NAO robots that allowed them to use ransomware to halt their work, display inappropriate content or language to customers, or perform violent movements during work. Robotics manufacturers must build cybersecurity into their products from the beginning to protect against ransomware and other attacks.