Breach Alert

In general, we hear of and speak about artificial intelligence (AI) in a positive, optimistic, and futuristic tone.  Well, according to ZDNet, “a team of researchers decided to rank the potential criminal applications that AI will have in the next 15 years, starting with those we should worry the most about.” (zdnet.com, 2020) The list ranking and research that went into these findings was conducted by scientists from the University College London. Following the compilation, they had dozens of experts discuss the seriousness and severity of each threat during a two-day seminar.

“The participants were asked to rank the list in order of concern, based on four criteria: the harm it could cause, the potential for criminal profit or gain, how easy the crime could be carried out, and how difficult it would be to stop.” (zdnet.com, 2020) While we get into the entire list; what they noted at the top of the list of threats were Deepfakes. “By using fake audio and video to impersonate another person, the technology can cause various types of harms, said the researchers. The threats range from discrediting public figures to influence public opinion, to extorting funds by impersonating someone’s child or relatives over a video call.” (zdnet.com, 2020) This application of AI topped the list due to the amount of harm it could do if executed correctly and because it is hard to detect and stop.

Of more immediate concern than what might be done with AI, are the leaked passwords for 900+ enterprise VPN servers.

This week, a hacker published “a list of plaintext usernames and passwords, along with IP addresses for more than 900 Pulse Secure VPN enterprise servers.” (zdnet.com, 2020)

“According to a review, the list includes:

• IP addresses of Pulse Secure VPN servers
• Pulse Secure VPN server firmware version
• SSH keys for each server
• A list of all local users and their password hashes
• Admin account details
• Last VPN logins (including usernames and cleartext passwords)
• VPN session cookies

How it Could Affect You

When you are not aware of the trends and schemes of hackers and cybercriminals, you leave yourself and your business open for anything to attack you. Not only is it important to have awareness, but it is also more important to have the proper protections in place. The snippet of secure VPN enterprise servers listed here may or may not have alarmed you. What is more important is being proactive with your IT securities so that the next published list doesn’t leave you scrambling to read whether or not you may be at risk. That peace of mind comes with making you and your business’s IT a priority instead of an afterthought. When you do that, advanced AI, hackers, cybercriminals and whoever else can all take their shots. The biggest difference then is that they won’t succeed!

Hodgson Can Help

Keep your company and your team aware of the new tricks and strategies hackers implore with routine cybersecurity training. And find out if your information is currently at risk from hacker leaks like the one mentioned above, by contacting us TODAY! Here at Hodgson Consulting & Solutions, we specialize in securing data and information loss prevention for companies with multiple locations and/or a remote workforce. We offer full solutions for your IT needs, not just Band-Aid fixes. Contact us to receive a FREE Cyber Security Risk Assessment and also learn more about our Managed Security Service Plans. Contact our office today at 847-906-5005.