The moment that COVID-19 took the world by storm, I knew that there would be an influx of malicious software that would be introduced to prey on the fears off the masses. One in particular caught my interest, “Corona Live 1.1” which is a supposed tracking software of the outbreak, but instead takes access of personal data such as videos, photos, calendars, etc. Read about it here in the article below.

https://www.cnet.com/news/fake-coronavirus-tracking-apps-are-really-malware-that-stalks-its-users/

Decided this week to post something that’s a bit closer to home. Upscale Minnesota grocery chain Lunds & Byerlys discovered that four of their stores were impacted with card skimmers. Card skimmers are nothing new- they’ve been around since I was in high school. What had me interested in this article was the fact that only those who swiped their cards were affected. Chip readers weren’t. It had me thinking about how the large majority of transactions have shifted to usage of the chip and what that means for the skimming scene.

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/crime/credit-card-skimmers-found-at-4-lunds-and-byerlys-stores-across-metro/89-e5711bbb-c367-424e-a44c-37df109506f1

I often find myself scoping out the threat discoveries that Fortinet has managed to capture and this RAT, ViperSoftX, is a new JavaScript threat that was analyzed. Using 8 layers of code obfuscation, ViperSoftX uses AES decryption, converted Char arrays, and UTF8 decoding. The goal of the malware is to steal cryptocurrency.

https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/vipersoftx-new-javascript-threat.html

This article discusses a trojan that is present on an android phone app, and, in a rather morally abhorrent fashion, disguises itself as a diabetes help app. The app seems to function like as expected as a regular health app but, in the background, an old method of sending an SMS code to a trojan dialer is used to forward information (usually financial) to said dialer.

https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/android-malware-targets-diabetic-patients.html

With Brexit now officially started on its transition period, it leaves the question to be asked what will happen to the state of cybersecurity when the UK leaves the EU. This article explains how, surprisingly, it may make security more easily manageable without having to go through the hoops of permissions that EU standards upholds. Ultimately, time will tell what ends up happening in regards to the state of cybersecurity in the UK as Brexit unfolds.

How Will Brexit Affect Cybersecurity for UK Organizations?

I know the article is dated by a year but I couldn’t help but find it highly amusing- mobile bitcoin mining apps that scam users. In the article it clearly states that mobile phones are unable to be bitcoin miners but, to the uninformed, it would seem like an easy means harvesting crytocurrency. The apps are designed to either use the victim as a zombie for mining their own currency or for pushing ads on the victim.

https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/a-mobile-bitcoin-miner–really-.html

To start the first week off, I decided to choose a a topic that perhaps isn’t trending news but doesn’t get the recognition it deserves- how easy it is to monitor Bluetooth devices using simple Kali Linux commands. This article comes from one of my favorite YouTube channels- Null Byte- which discusses hacking methods for the sake of education.

In the article below, various different methods of performing reconassance on Bluetooth devices is shown, as well as a multitude of different functions you can perform- such as turning the device off or on, sending data, figuring out information about the network(s) its connected to, and so much more.

https://null-byte.wonderhowto.com/how-to/bt-recon-snoop-bluetooth-devices-using-kali-linux-0165049/

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.