Dr. Seuss’ famous “Cat In The Hat” is not far off from the life of a modern day hacker: “Have no fear, I will not let you fall. I know some good tricks, I will show you them all.” One of the favorite techniques of white hat hackers is to “pinch” a document from a potential client’s network and present it to them with a wry smile and a look of concern. But even the best hackers can’t think of everything.
New Types of Hacking Attacks Born Daily
IndustryTap reported about a German company that requires all visitors to its conference rooms to deposit their cell phones in heavy metal boxes, blocking fishing or recording devices. But if a cellphone is vulnerable in a conference room, it is certainly vulnerable when an executive carries it about in a pocket.
Drones are now being used to steal bank data and passwords, Amazon account information, and more, by remotely accessing cell phones using drones. Hackers are stealing information from an estimated 200 cell phones per hour. A demonstration of the technique was recently carried out by a drone called Snoopy in the UK, which attacks cell phones using Wi-Fi.
When an unsuspecting cellphone Wi-Fi user logs into the Snoopy “quad copter network” while sipping a Latte at Starbucks, they “give away the store” including any information transmitted, credit card information, user names and passwords.
How Do Black & White Hat Conferences Help with Threats?
Companies from energy or utilities, to federal agencies and financial institution try to find the best “white hat” hackers to help protect their information infrastructure and are increasingly attending hacker events to identify the best talent and learn about new trends. The world is now filled with “White Hat and “Black Hat” conferences featuring famous and infamous hackers who present briefings and training.
“Black Hat”, for example, started out as an annual event in Las Vegas, Nevada, but now takes place at locations throughout the world. An average event attracts up to 10,000 people. For a list of current and future events, visit The Cyberwire.
Protecting Your Company from the Next Generation Hacking
Cyber attacks are, well, like viruses, spreading, mutating and requiring new methods and techniques to root out and destroy. In addition, attacks that “fall through the cracks” require sophisticated digital forensics to examine what went wrong.
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References and related content:
- Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program – WSJ
- Hacking air gapped networks by using lasers and drones | Security Affairs
