Security News > 2020 > October

McAfee rattles tin for $600m+ in fresh IPO filing valuing firm at $3.6bn
2020-10-14 15:52

McAfee - the antivirus vendor, not the totally sane and level-headed man who founded it - is reportedly looking to raise more than $600m in its upcoming IPO. The news comes some weeks after McAfee made a placeholder valuation of $100m in its IPO filing, with investment speculators reckoning the final sum might top $2bn. The business will offer around 31 million shares to the market at $19-$22 apiece, according to the S-1. In the first six months of to 27 June 2020, McAfee claimed a net profit of $31m; last fiscal year it reported revenues of $2.6bn - and a net loss of $236m.

IoT security: University creates new labels for devices to increase awareness for consumers
2020-10-14 15:48

TechRepublic's Karen Roby spoke with Lorrie Cranor, director and Bosch Distinguished Professor in security and privacy technologies of CyLab and the FORE Systems Professor of Computer Science and of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, about security in Internet of Things devices for Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Lorrie Cranor: One of the things we've observed is that there are a lot of concerns about the security and privacy of IoT devices.

FIN11 Cybercrime Gang Shifts Tactics to Double-Extortion Ransomware
2020-10-14 15:46

The FIN11 financial crime gang is shifting its tactics from phishing and credential-theft to ransomware, researchers said. According to FireEye Mandiant researchers, FIN11 is notable for its "Sheer volume of activity," known to run up to five disparate wide-scale email phishing campaigns per week.

Intel Adds Memory Encryption, Firmware Security to Ice Lake Chips
2020-10-14 15:45

One such feature is called Intel Total Memory Encryption, which Intel said helps ensure that all memory accessed from the CPU is encrypted - such as customer credentials, encryption keys and other IP or personal information on the external memory bus. The Intel Platform Firmware Resilience will be part of the Xeon Scalable platform, which Intel claims will help protect against platform firmware attacks by detecting them before they can compromise or disable the machine.

IoT privacy risks: How security labels can help inform consumers
2020-10-14 15:42

When buying Internet of Things devices, consumers should understand the risks to their privacy. Here's one way to advise them.

Zoom announces end-to-end encryption, customizable SDKs and more at Zoomtopia
2020-10-14 15:27

Zoom also unveiled a public beta for OnZoom, an online events platform and marketplace for paid Zoom users who want to create, host and monetize classes, concerts or fundraisers via the Zoom Meetings platform. The first Zapps will be distributed in the Zoom experience by the end of year and open to developers soon afterward, according to a Zoom blog.

Microsoft Patches New Windows 'Ping of Death' Vulnerability
2020-10-14 14:10

One of the vulnerabilities that Microsoft addressed as part of the October 2020 Patch Tuesday is a critical bug in Windows' TCP/IP driver that could lead to the remote execution of code. An attacker could send specially crafted ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets to a remote Windows machine to exploit the flaw and execute arbitrary code, Microsoft explains.

Zoom rolls out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) next week
2020-10-14 14:10

Zoom announced today that it will roll out end-to-end encryption for all users starting next week, as part of a 30-day technical preview. To start using E2EE when joining new meetings during this roll out phase, meeting participants will have to join using the Zoom desktop client, mobile app, or from Zoom Rooms.

Brit webcam criminal snared in FBI LuminosityLink creepware sting spared prison
2020-10-14 13:57

A man who spied on unsuspecting victims through their webcams has escaped a prison sentence after buying off-the-shelf LuminosityLink malware and using CCTV software to spy on them. Crown prosecutor Russell Pyne told the court that Wood had been caught by police as part of a wider multinational investigation into LuminosityLink creator Colton Grubbs, who pleaded guilty to US criminal charges over the malware in 2018.

Brit webcam criminal snared in FBI LuminosityLink creepware sting spared prison
2020-10-14 13:57

A man who spied on unsuspecting victims through their webcams has escaped a prison sentence after buying off-the-shelf LuminosityLink malware and using CCTV software to spy on them. Crown prosecutor Russell Pyne told the court that Wood had been caught by police as part of a wider multinational investigation into LuminosityLink creator Colton Grubbs, who pleaded guilty to US criminal charges over the malware in 2018.