Last updated on May 20, 2021
Volume 02 Issue 05 – 20th May 2021
Identify Computer Virus
A computer virus is a small program that can spread from one computer to another and can even affect a computer’s operations. Such viruses can modify or destroy any data stored on a computer. Most viruses nowadays are executable files that attach themselves to emails and spread from one computer to another. Once executed or opened, these viruses will spread to other applications or computers.
- Google Chrome browser is the leader in the mobile internet browser market, with a share of 62.63%.
(StatCounter Global Stats, 2020).
- The very first website was launched in August 1991, by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the worldwide web himself.Today, there are over 1.8 billion websites on the world wide web and counting.
(Internet Live Stats, 2021).
8 cyber security tips to secure the safety of your digital spaces in 2021
- Keep All Your Apps And Software Updated
- Secure Your Mobile Devices
- Always Authenticate
- Secure Your Personal Identifiable Information (PII)
- Strong Passwords, Stronger Security, Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Avoid Accessing Public Wi-Fi
- Equip Yourself With Cyber security Trends Invest In Anti-Malware And Anti-Virus Software
Multiple Memory Allocation Vulnerabilities in IoT and OT devices (BadAlloc)
Multiple vulnerabilities, also named “BadAlloc” have been reported in various IoT and OT devices that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service conditions
https://www.cert.gov.lk/view?lang=en&articleID=176
Hackers flood the web with 100,000 pages offering malicious PDFs
Cybercriminals are resorting to search engine poisoning techniques to lure business professionals into seemingly legitimate Google sites that install a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) capable of carrying out a wide range of attacks.
https://thehackernews.com/2021/04/yikes-cybercriminals-flood-intrenet.html
Over 40 Apps With More Than 100 Million Installs Found Leaking AWS Keys
Most mobile app users tend to blindly trust that the apps they download from app stores are safe and secure. But that isn’t always the case.
https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/over-40-apps-with-more-than-100-million.html
Cyber News
Google and Mozilla will bake HTML sanitization into their browsers
Tech giants take aim at client-side scripting attacks
Engineers at Google, Mozilla, and security firm Cure53 have come together to develop an application programming interface (API) that provides a systematic solution to HTML sanitization.
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/google-and-mozilla-will-bake-html-sanitization-into-their-browsers
PSA: Google Photos’ unlimited free storage offer expires this month
In November last year, Google announced that it would no longer offer unlimited free storage for “high quality” photos on Google Photos starting June 1, 2021. At the time, the company had revealed that it would limit free storage on Google Photos to 15GB, and users would have to pay for a monthly Google One subscription for any additional storage. Since photos and videos uploaded to Google Photos before the deadline won’t count towards the new 15GB limit, you should probably upload all your precious memories right away and avoid paying for the Google One subscription.
https://www.xda-developers.com/google-photos-unlimited-free-storage-expires-next-month/
Facebook Messenger and Instagram chats won’t be encrypted by default until at least 2022
Facebook has received plenty of criticism over the past few years, partially because the company has a near-monopoly on messaging and social networks in some countries, and also due to Facebook’s abhorrent track record with user privacy and data.
https://www.xda-developers.com/facebook-messenger-instagram-encrypted-by-default-2022/
Online Partner
Two years ago, Renu separated from her husband due to family issues between them and she had to fight alone to bring up her child. Later on she decided to go abroad for a job leaving her child with the grandmother.
As days passed she became a permanent employee of the same company with all her efforts. This enabled her to send money home for her child’s needs. After a long time, she felt happy with everything she achieved by herself. However, gradually she understood that it was not possible to have her mother’s support to look after her child continuously as her mother was getting sick from time to time due to her age.
Meanwhile, she created a Facebook account to keep in touch with her friends and relatives. She uploaded nice stunning images of hers publicly to show everyone that her life was moving on. This impression made even unknown people to follow her profile. As a result, daily she got Friend Requests from all over.
Movie Hint
Open Windows
Open Windows is a 2014 found footage techno-thriller film directed and written by Nacho Vigalondo.
An actress refuses to have dinner with a fan who won a date with her in an Internet contest. In return, a man posing as her campaign manager, helps the winner to follow in the footsteps of the actress from his own computer.
GADGET
Infrared Imager
An infrared camera (also known as a thermal imager) detects and measures the infrared energy of objects. The camera converts that infrared data into an electronic image that shows the apparent surface temperature of the object being measured.
Comment the correct answer and win a data card from Hithawathi by visiting our Facebook page every Friday, Saturday & Sunday.
Awareness Programmes
An awareness session of Hithawathi was held on 27th March 2021 at Galle Face Hotel during the workshop on ‘Cyber Crimes’, hosted by APIIT Lanka in collaboration with USAID for 60 Law students.
