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HBO files stolen in colossal cyberattack

On 27^th July 2017, cybercriminals reportedly hacked their way into HBO’s database, stealing a gigantic 1.5 terabytes of data.

HBO (full name The Home Box Office) produces some of the world’s best known and critically acclaimed TV ‘series, documentaries, movies, sporting events’ and more. The stolen data includes video footage, internal documents and emails.

So far, no ransom has been demanded for the safe return of the data, leading the company to fear the worst: leaks.
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Avanti self-service food vending kiosks hacked

U.S. payment kiosk vendor, Avanti Markets, recently fell victim to a malware scam. The U.S. kiosk vendor’s innovation is to take away counter services and replace them with an all-serving vending machine that covers whole sandwiches, fruit, drinks and junk food with one payment system.
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Is “military-grade” cyber-security required to combat data breaches?

Data breaches are at an ‘all-time high’. In this modern world where most things are done electronically and are connected to the internet, without sufficient cyber-security, our data is exposed to cybercriminals who can steal our money, spread our personal information around, and wreak havoc with our identities.

Whilst many encourage development of new applications and innovative software to help us share information at a click of a button, and pay our bills with a swipe of a finger, cyber-security is falling behind.

With the growing trend of breaches, what can we do to fully protect ourselves? Do we all need “military-grade” protection like our armed forced and government intelligence agencies do?
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WWE’s unprotected database – affecting over three million fans

Anger amongst WWE wrestling fans is thought to be rife after revelations that up to three million fans’ account information has been left unprotected and accessible on the Amazon cloud.

It’s thought that WWE is watched by 15 million fans each week in the U.S. alone. In 2016, they announced plans to expand to China, opening a potential fan base of 1.4 billion. It’s scary to think that an organisation as big as this and with so many fans could leave data belonging to three million people totally unsecured.

It’s one heck of a monumental data breach…
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Google employees fall victim to data breach

A number of employees at Google have been warned that some of their personal information may have been compromised because of a third party data breach.

Sabre Hospitality Solutions is a platform allowing users to plan trips and book hotels through their site. Sabre developed the SynXis Central Reservation System to allow guests, hotels and travel agencies from all over the world to book travel and accommodation through the unified service.

Google uses Calson Wagonlit Travel as the middle-man to arrange work-related trips for its employees. Unfortunately, Sabre’s database was hacked, meaning personal information belonging to Google’s recently travelled employees may have been compromised.
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Government digital service department leaks personal information

Many people may have a false sense of security that the Government are able to protect us and our data. Over the years, this belief has decreased massively given there are growing trends of data breaches, with hacks and leaks scarily becoming the norm.

This is exemplified in the Government’s digital service website – www.data.gov.uk – who recently fell victim to a security breach. A spokeswoman said that a database containing usernames and email addresses was discovered on a system which was accessible to the public. This was only discovered during a routine security review.

So, if the government can’t protect themselves, how can we expect them to protect us?!
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Work-assigned mobile devices are increasing cyber security risks for organisations

Laptops, phones and tablets are more and more common inside the workplace and out, allowing employees to present information easily, or work outside of the workplace. Company directors are also aware that it’s very common for employees to use such devices for other things like watching videos, reading news, entertainment purposes and accessing social media.

Whether these devices are used for professional or personal use, one thing remains the same: “an enterprise’s security is only as strong as its weakest link”.

These devices can often be the weakest link…
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Unprotected database containing 10 million U.S. vehicle owners’ personal details leaked

Approximately 10 million U.S. vehicle owners’ personal data was left exposed after a massive database containing their information was leaked.

Security researchers from Kromtech Security found the unprotected database split into three main sections which is thought to contain ‘critical and sensitive information’. The first section includes names, addresses, home and work numbers, dates of birth, gender and the number of children over 12 years old.

This information is thought to have been extracted from numerous U.S. based car dealerships.
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Online construction retailer fined for putting hundreds of its customer’s bank details at risk

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has concluded investigations into the online building products supplier, Construction Materials Online Limited (CMO), for breaching data protection principles.

The investigation first began when the online company was hacked back in May 2014.

Cyber criminals managed to identify a security vulnerability and performed an SQL injection into the company’s customer database. This method is commonly used for both destroying databases and stealing information, and in this case, it was to steal bank details from hundreds of customers.
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Survey finds that if you make over around £60,000 annually or graduate from University, you’re more likely to become a target of credit/debit card fraud.

Cyber-criminals are targeting more “affluent” individuals to obtain more money, studies have found.

Like a burglar deciding between a modest house and a luxurious one, they’re apparently choosing the ones that are likely to have more valuables. With the continual rise of malware, criminals are becoming more and more sophisticated and are taking on higher security risks for higher stakes.
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