I spent most of my professional career in or around security. This would be the time that I would not want to be involved in this business.
It’s not that the business isn’t still lucrative, it’s just that the threats are increasing at an alarming pace. The escalation of threats is especially noticeable in light of AI and the understaffed security departments.
HP says we don’t have the 3.5 millions, and yes, this is true. Millions of dollars, security professionals we need It is not enough to deal with the current threats.
This week, let’s discuss security in the context HP’s Quarterly Security Report. We’ll see what HP is doing about the problem and close with my favorite phone, the Motorola 2023 Razr Foldable Phone, which is a mix of the past and the future.
Shampoo Targets Pirate Content
You can get content for free by pirating it. This includes music, TV and movies that you might otherwise have to purchase. You could be fined $10,000 for every piece of pirated content. Some of the content may contain malware, which can infect your PC and destroy it.
It seems that the situation is getting worse.
The application called Shampoo That bypasses Chrome Web Store. Shampoo is one of the many Android apps that have not been vetted. It can cause users’ PCs to be infected with malicious VBScript. This triggers a set of scripts to download the extension. The extension loads in a new session of the browser and establishes persistence mechanisms which make it nearly impossible to remove.
This malicious app is part of the ChromeLoader malware family, and it uses a complex injection system to fund those who are sent by redirecting searches and injecting advertisements. If users notice that their PCs have changed, they can remove the app. But it will simply reinstall on reboot.
Back to pirates.
This application targets users who are actively searching for pirated games, or other content. It is possible that these attackers are targeting pirates specifically, which suggests that this app may have reporting features that have not been activated yet or that it may have other punishing elements that have not yet become visible.
This is not the only malicious app on the market, so it is important to stop all side-loading and avoid using the Google Store.
FormBook Malware
Microsoft has tightened security on Office significantly, but threats have already started to find ways around this.
In March last year, for example, hackers gained access to Microsoft 365 credentials. These credentials were used to log in to the online Outlook accounts of employees. Then, they created a fake email address to pretend to be the finance department of the organization. Then they sent employees malicious Word files. They opened the malicious documents, thinking they were from the finance department of their employer.
Because the recipients perceive the emails as being trustworthy, they are viewed as coming from within the organization, with the label of the Finance department. The internal macros are therefore not disabled, as they would normally be in an email from an external source. The malware in this case is FormBook, a data-stealing application that can be purchased on hacker forums.
Top threat vectors and the Rise of AI
Currently email has a share of 80%. Browsers downloads have a 13% share, while others are at only 7%. Malware is increasing in some cases dramatically. Gzip archive malware (a data compression tool) has increased by 53%, and HTML threats have increased by 37%. HP reports that document threats containing vulnerabilities are up 86%, while exploits related to compression tools have increased 6%.
The report does not include the AI-generated threat wave, which is also growing rapidly.
People are increasingly reporting receiving fake phone calls claiming to be from their loved ones who are in trouble. Callers sample the voice of the victim they say is kidnapped to make the screams that come over the phone sound exactly like the relative who you are trying to protect. A typical attack was reported to Congress.
This alarming trend indicates that we all should have a code of verification to use when we receive such calls. We should also be very skeptical about these calls. One analyst received a similar call from his wife saying that she was being held as ransom for shopping. The call was a shock to him, even though he did not fall for it.
In this Wharton School video, you can get a sense of the breadth of things that AI can do currently — from writing complete apps for you even if you can’t code to creating credible deepfake videos to scam others with minimal effort.
The tools that the speaker used were not only outdated, but also incapable of doing what they can do in just a few months.
HP’s Wolf Security Response To Emerging Cyber Threats
HP’s Wolf Security unit has been tasked with tackling a variety of threats. However, AI-based threats appear to be outside the scope of its mission for the time being. HP’s small business and enterprise-focused security products, as well as its services, have been able to mitigate the threats identified.
HP uses a special security controller to protect the PC when it boots. The PC can be reliably recovered if it is compromised. Wirelessly removing data is possible in case of theft, or even before the PC is transferred to someone else.
HP’s advanced protection solution has secured 125,000,000 devices. To date, no one device has been breached. HP’s designs, while not able to guarantee complete security, offer protection that is far more than their competitors. This makes it much more likely for an attacker to abandon his efforts and move on to a target with less security.
HP was also first to warn me about the quantum-technology risk to existing encrypted data in the early 2000s. And it has worked on a solution for this issue longer than any PC vendor. HP is the only PC vendor that offers a unique combination of hardware, software and Wolf Security as a standalone security entity.
Wrapping Up
The pace of the rise in security threats is unprecedented. This trend is likely to be amplified further by the new wave of AI-created attacks that have already attracted significant attention on the part of Congress.
HP’s Wolf Security investment now seems prophetic. It not only anticipated the problem, but also increased its capabilities to deal with the threats in the current market and those that will be predicted in the future. The emergence of AI-generated threats may overwhelm the entire sector.
AI threats may require an increase in security. AI responseHP is working on it as well. We hope that they finish it before the imminent AI malware apocalypse.
Motorola Razr+ Foldable Phone
The Motorola Razr original was a huge hit. The original Motorola Razr was a huge hit. The iPhone was its era, and young buyers are flocking to this form factor as a retro trend. However, you have to give up many smartphone features in order to get a device that is far superior for TikTok.
It is important to note that the word “you” means “you”. Motorola Razr+ Foldable phones, although they cost more, offer the advantages of portability and an ergonomic design, making it easier to handle, while still having the capabilities of a full smartphone. It is priced at $999.99 and comes in Infinite Black and Viva Magenta colors. Motorola sells the Razr+ unlocked, with 256GB internal storage. This gives you freedom to choose between different cell phone providers.
Motorola Razr+ folding phone in Glacier Blue
Battery life, at 14-hours, is also higher than before. You will need to be extra careful when using this phone, as its water resistance is less than that of the older model and foldable screens are more susceptible to dust. The performance is excellent, but it uses a Qualcomm processor that runs at a lower speed to achieve this price. When you use this phone, it tends to attract attention like most foldable screens.
The phone is almost as useful when folded as it is unfurled. It is especially well-designed for taking selfies and TikTok video. Motorola (a Lenovo subsidiary) has clearly taken note of how millennials are using flip phones. The design allows you to prop up the flip phone tent-style for viewing videos on the smaller display.
The Razr+ boasts a huge 6.9-inch screen when opened, and is complemented with Atmos sound. It also has decent performance. This phone is my Product of the week because I love it. This product will be on the market next week, June 29.
