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Thursday, March 28, 2024

HOME OFFICE HACKERS: COVID-19 quarantines present opportunity for data thieves

Credit: KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas
Duration: 04:22s 0 shares 1 views

HOME OFFICE HACKERS: COVID-19 quarantines present opportunity for data thieves
HOME OFFICE HACKERS: COVID-19 quarantines present opportunity for data thieves

Across the United States millions of Americans are under stay at home directives, and that means a lot of people are working from home and in turn, processing and sending sensitive data which is a prime opportunity for data thieves.

Joe Bartels reports.

ARE WORKING FROM HOME!

THATMEANS RELYING ON TECHNOLOGY..TO CONNECT AND COMMUNICATE..THIS MORNING - BEFORE YOU LOGON..13 INVESTIGATES REPORTER JOEBARTELS..SHOWS YOU - HOW HOME OFFICEHACKERS..ARE POUNCING ON YOUR PRIVATEDATAWE ARE ALL ADJUSTING TO A NEWNORMAL..FINDING NEW WAYS OFDOING..BUSINESS..OFTEN THAT'S FROM HOME.A WARNING: HACKERS KNOW YOU'RETHERE, TOO!OUR HOMES ARE BECOMING MOREDIGITAL THAN EVER..SMART TV'S... THERMOSTATS..ALEXA...EVEN OUR DOORBELLS..ARE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET..NOW WE'RE PUTTING IT ALL TO THETEST, ALL AT ONCE."EVERYTHING HAS BEEN THROWNINTO COMPLETE CHAOS FOR THELAST WEEK OR SO AND IT'S BEENAN ADJUSTMENT FOR A LOT OFPEOPLE." DAVID FLORES IS A LAS VEGASBASED..CEO..WHO MANAGES BUSINESSDEVELOPMENT SERVICES...FOR COMPANIES...LIKE MILLONS OF AMERICANS HE'SNOW WORKING FROM HOME..AND OVERSEES 11 EMPLOYEES..WHO ARE ALSO WORKING REMOTELY..NOW MORE THAN EVER..CYBER SECURITY IS CRUCIAL."JUST MAKING SURE ANTIVIRUSSOFTWARE, MAKING SURE EVERYCOMPUTER EVERY LAPTOP HAVE THATINSTALLED AND EVERYONE ISUPDATING THE SOFTWAREACCORDINGLY AND JUST CONTINUETO USE CLOUD-BASED STORAGEPROGRAMS TO STORE AND SAVE ALOT OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION." DAVID DEALS WITH SENSTIVEDATA AT TIMES..AND EXPERTS SAY..DATA IS WHAT HACKERS AREAFTER."I DO WORK WITH SEVERAL PUBLICCOMPANIES SO THERE ISINFORMATION THAT GOESBACK-AND-FORTH BUT OBVIOUSLYYOU KNOW SHOULD NOT BE OUT INTHE PUBLIC SO IT IS INFORMATIONIT NEEDS TO BE KEPT BETWEEN MYCOMPANY AND OTHER COMPANIES." EXPERTS SAY HACKERS AREPRIMED TO POUNCE ON THAT DATA..USING OUR VERY TECHNOLOGYAGAINST US."IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GETTINGINFORMATION ANYMORE IT'S ABOUTHOLDING YOUR PERSONALINFORMATION HOSTAGE AND GETTINGPAID FOR IT IN REAL TIME." JON WOLFE..IS WITH LAS VEGAS- BASED..AXIOM CYBER SOLUTIONS..HE SAYS..HACKERS ARE USING RANSOMWEAR..TO INFECT DEVICES...USING THE CORONAVIRUS AS THEIRWAY IN.."IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE AND IT'SJUST RUNNING RAMPANT THEY HAVEREALLY UPPED THEIR EFFORTSSINCE THIS CORONAVIRUS THINGHAPPENED AND YOU HAVE A LOTMORE WORK AT HOME TYPE OFSITUATIONS." WOLFE SAYS CYBERHACKERS..ARE USING VIRUS RELATEDPHISHING..

EMAILS..ONES THAT LOOK LEGIT...SOMETIMES APPEARING TO BECOMING FROM THE GOVERNMENT..OR BANKS...WITH LINKS!

ONCETHEY'RE CLICKED..THE HACKERS ARE IN.11:44 "YOU OPEN IT ON YOURPHONE AND IT ENCRYPTSEVERYTHING ON YOUR PHONE ANDYOU HAVE TO PAY A RANSOM TO GETIT UNENCRYPTED TO GET YOURINFORMATION BACK AND THIS ISBECOME A VERY VERY COMMONSETTINGS..CAN BE EASILY SIDESTEPPED..IF YOU UNKNOWINGLY GIVE AWAYINFORMATION...WOLFE SAYS CHANGE THE NETWORKNAME FROM THE FACTORY SETTING..TO SOMETHING UNIQUE TO YOU..BUT DOES NOT CONTAIN THINGSTHAT CAN BE TRACED BACK LIKENAMES....YOUR ADDRESS... OR PHONENUMBER..THAT GOES FOR PASSWORDS TOO..CHANGE GENERIC FACTORY SETTINGPASSWORDS TO SOMETHINGCOMPLEX...A MIXTURE OF LETTERS..NUMBERS..AND SPECIAL CHARACTERS."IT IS ALMOST AN OPENINVITATION FOR PEOPLE TO GIVEYOU A SHOT AND YOU DON'T KNOWWHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH." THE CORONAVIRUS HAS MANYPEOPLE AND EMPLOYEES USINGVIDEO CHAT PROGRAMS..LIKE FACETIME..SKYPE..AND ZOOM TO COMMUNICATE"WE HAVE REALLY STARTED TO USEESPECIALLY ZOOM I THINK THAT'SBEEN PRETTY MUCH THE GO TO FORMY COMPANY AS WELL AS A LOT OFMY CLIENTS AND FACETIME ISSOMETHING WE'VE BEEN UTILIZINGA LOT LAST WEEK AND A HALF." BUT EVEN VIDEO CONFERENCINGPROGRAMS CAN BE HACKED..ACCORDING TO PUBLISHED TOREPORTS..ZOOM..USED BY MANY FORTUNE 500COMPANIES...RECENTLY FIXED A SECURITYFLAW..THAT ALLOWED HACKERS TOEAVESDROP..INTO CONFERENCE CALLS..JON WOLFE OF AXIOM CYBERSOLUTIONS SUGGESTS UPDATINGAND INSTALLING ALL SECURITYPATCHES..AND UPDATES ON YOUR COMPUTERAND ALL INTERNET CONNECTEDDEVICES...RIGHT AWAY.CHECK OWNER MANUALS TO SEE IFROUTERS REQUIRE SOFTWAREUPDATES...TOOAUTHORITIES ALSO TELL 13INVESTIGATES..PEOPLE ARE GETTING HIT BYHACKERS..USING PHONY CENSUS..EMAILS..TEXT MESSAGES..AND CALLS TO GET SENSITIVEDATA..AND GOVERNMENT STIMULUS CHECKSCAMS IN ADDITION TO THECOVID-19 PHISHING EMAILS..JOE BARTELS 13 INVESTIGATES.NEW THIS MORNING -- A NURSEIN MICHIGAN IS SHOWING - JUSTHOW FAST GERMS CAN SPREAD --

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