Archive for July 12, 2022

Core Security Introduces Ransomware Simulator

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2022 by itnerd

 Core Security by HelpSystems, a leading provider of cyber threat solutions, today announced the addition of ransomware simulation to its penetration testing solution, Core Impact. Using an automated Rapid Pen Test, Core Impact users can now efficiently simulate a ransomware attack. 

An Increased Need to Prepare for Ransomware Attacks 

According to the 2022 Penetration Testing Report, ransomware is one of the top concerns for cybersecurity professionals. Also, a PhishLabs by HelpSystems report shows ransomware is booming, growing more than 100% year-over-year. The cost of ransomware attacks is also on the rise; the average ransom demand alone was $220,298 in 2021, with the recovery cost much steeper, averaging $1.8 million.

When employees open infected email attachments or click on malicious websites, they can inadvertently trigger a ransomware attack. With unwitting employees serving as one of the most common attack vectors, ransomware can be particularly difficult to avoid. 

For an in-depth demo of Core Impact and to see the ransomware simulation in action, visit: https://www.coresecurity.com/products/core-impact/demo-watch or visit: https://www.coresecurity.com/blog/core-impact-introduces-ransomware-simulation to learn more.

Concentric Announces The Launch Of Eclipse

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2022 by itnerd

Concentric, the private risk consultancy firm that specializes in holistic security and intelligence services, is proud to announce the launch of Eclipse, their new digital solution providing enhanced personal cybersecurity and digital privacy.  Eclipse is a turnkey solution for individuals, families, and teams to help mitigate digital risks. The platform offers leveled subscription tiers, à la carte services, and holistic defense-in-depth across consumer identities, devices, accounts and network connections.

Internet-based crime is one of the fastest growing security threats in the United States; consumer fraud reports were up to 2.2 million in 2020, up 83% from 2019.  As the largest and most influential independent security firm on the west coast of the United States, Concentric has been trusted by some of the world’s most prominent individuals and corporations to keep their principals, employees, and assets protected.  Now, with Eclipse, consumers worldwide can feel secure knowing that their online presence is protected from bad actors.

Eclipse packages are available in 3 different tiers as well as their à la carte menu of standalone services.

  • Partial Eclipse ($8,000/year):
    • Anonymity Engine – PII Scrubbing Service (Bi-Weekly); Credit Lock, Monitoring and Alerting; Identity Theft Protection Bundle; $1M Identity Theft Insurance Policy
  • Annular Eclipse ($10,000/year):
    • All Services Included in Partial Eclipse, in addition to:
    • Premiere Anonymity Engine – PII Scrubbing Service (Weekly); Keeper Unlimited Password Manager, BreachWatch, & 1 TB Secure Storage; Malwarebytes Premium for up to 5 Devices; Mullvad VPN for up to 5 Devices 
  • Total Eclipse ($15,500/year):
    • All services included in Partial and Annular Eclipse, in addition to:
    • Concierge Anonymity Engine – PII Scrubbing Service (Daily); Imposter Account Removal; Compromised Account Restoration; Concierge Onboarding and Support 
  • Á la Carte services available (pricing upon request):  Cyber Crisis Tabletop; Penetration Testing; Ransomware Preparedness; Social Engineering Assessment; Secure Mobile SIM 

Data has surpassed all other commodities in terms of value, and a strong correlation has emerged between the size of someone’s digital footprint and their likelihood of being targeted for both physical and cyber attacks. To answer the challenge, Concentric offers Eclipse.  Eclipse searches the entire web and all of social media, providing fully comprehensive search capabilities as well as hands-on assistance through a concierge support team. 

Eclipse is currently available to all users.

Linktree Launches New Mobile App

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2022 by itnerd

Linktree – the ‘link in bio’ category leader – is today announcing the launch of its new mobile app on iOS and Android so users can spend less time creating and managing their Linktree, and spend more time doing what they do best. The launch of the new mobile app is Linktree’s next milestone move during a summer of transformation, as the platform advances beyond the ‘link-in-bio’ category it created.

With the majority of user sign-ups and logins from Linktree’s 25m+ users happening from a mobile device, Linktree recognized the strong signals in user behaviour pointing towards the demand for a mobile app. The app is an organic next step for the business, by bringing Linktree to where users spend the most of their time and where the communities live, with the new mobile-first user experience. The mobile app will empower users to update their links in fewer clicks, closing the distance between creating and getting seen.

Acting as a gateway to unlocking Linktree’s power to connect the many facets of an individual’s digital universe, the app will serve as a home where creators can truly link to everything they are. The app was designed to reduce the time users spend updating their corner of the internet and instead spend more time creating content. Whether this is updating their Linktree theme to match their current mood or tapping into the powerful analytics page to optimize channels and content which is converting sales and payments – all of Linktree is now that much more accessible.

Users can download the Linktree app to:

  • Share: The app’s features allow for quick and easy content sharing capabilities for users on the move, from embedding a new Spotify song to their Linktree to revealing new and exclusive YouTube content.
  • Monetize: Users can now harness Linktree’s power to refer traffic and drive engagement to monetize their passion by selling products and services, collecting tips and donations, leads, and more.
  • Grow: Creators can grow their following by connecting all their social accounts in one place, so their fans on one platform can discover them on others and subscribe to their mailing lists.
  • Customize: Linktree creators can design their Linktree on the go with themes, custom backgrounds, button styles, fonts, colors, and more to suit the user’s brand and style.
  • Analyze: Having access to traffic and conversion metrics, creators are able to track spikes in link clicks and learn about their audience. Users are able to visit the Lifetime Analytics page to understand what is working, which channels and content are converting, track sales and payments as well as amplify the success of their Linktree altogether. 

The launch of the Linktree mobile app comes on the heels of Linktree’s recent announcements including the Linktree Marketplace, NFT Gallery, and a company rebrand as the platform reimagines itself in a way that is pushing the entire category forward as a tool for self-expression, discovery, connection and community beyond ‘link in bio.’

As one of the top 300 most popular website destinations globally, with over 1.2 billion monthly views, Linktree continues to prioritize the needs of creators, consumers and brands.

In Canada, Linktree has more than 642,000 users and 373M visits in the last year. Over the last 12 months, there has been a 74.9 per cent increase in engagement and 65 per cent increase in visitor traffic. For your context, that places Canada fifth highest in traffic in Linktree’s markets, where it’s been for two years straight.  Some of the platform’s users in Canada include Toronto Raptors, Shawn Mendes, Neil Young, Matty Matheson and KallMeKris. Ottawa-based photographer and Nikon Ambassador Michelle Valberg. who was most recently appointed Member of the Order of Canada is also a Linktree user.

Guest Post: Amazon-Related Phishing Sites Approach 900 On Amazon Prime Day Says Atlas VPN

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2022 by itnerd

Amazon’s annual Prime Day event is already in motion, which is one of the most profitable days for Amazon, together with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season. At the same time, it’s one of the most opportune moments for criminals to dupe consumers into visiting fake sites, which can look nearly identical to the real ones. Fraudsters can even use Google Ads to rank well in Google searches.

According to data presented by Atlas VPNAmazon is the most impersonated retail brand in phishing websites, with over 1,633 suspicious sites detected in the last 90 days.

Notably, some of those sites have already been taken down, either by scammers themselves or by various security measures. However, as of July 12, as many as 897 websites are still live. 

The data for the research was extracted from CheckPhish, a phishing and fraud site scanner, which uses deep learning, computer vision, and NLP to simulate how a person would examine, comprehend, and reach a verdict on a suspicious website.

The following most imitated retail brand is Walmart, with 427 phishing sites detected in the last 90 days, out of which 109 are still up and running on July 12, 2022. 

Alibaba, one of the largest e-commerce companies globally, is the third most mimicked brand in phishing websites, with 398 detections in the last 90 days, out of which nearly half – 174 are still live.  

To read the full article, head over to: 

https://atlasvpn.com/blog/amazon-related-phishing-sites-approach-900-on-amazon-prime-day