Category Archives: Anti-virus

Real-Life Examples of How AI Was Used to Breach Businesses

AI to Breach Businesses

There has been a lot of talk recently, about how hackers are leveraging AI to breach businesses. Hackers can sneak their way in more easily with these new algorithms used in social engineering.

Unfortunately, these are no longer just theoretical discussions. We have reached a point where AI-powered data breaches are actually a reality. In fact, they are among the most rapidly growing threats to businesses everywhere. Today, we will talk about some real-life examples of recent data breaches made possible through AI.

TaskRabbit Data Breach

IKEA’s well-known online marketplace TaskRabbit was one of the targets of hackers using AI to breach businesses in April 2018. TaskRabbit’s primary goal is to match freelancers (Taskers) in housekeeping, moving, delivery, and similar industries with local demand (Clients). It operates on a large scale, and when the breach happened, the site had millions of registered users.

The company has found out that over 3.75 million records of Taskers and Clients were affected in the breach. Personal information and financial details were stolen. The website and the mobile app had to be shut down and taken offline for a while as the company dealt with the damage. According to investigations, the distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attack used an AI-enabled botnet.

Yum! Brands Data Breach

Yum! Brands, was the victim of hackers using AI to breach businesses in January 2023. Initially, management thought that corporate data was the sole target of the attack, but it turned out that employee information was also compromised. An unidentified malicious actor launched a ransomware attack that led to the breach.

Many ransomware attacks that took place after the creation of AI tools leveraged AI technology to automate decisions on which data to take, as some brought more damage potential to the target business. It proved to be a good tactic, as Yum! was forced to close nearly 300 of their UK branches for several weeks.

AI used to Breach Businesses like T-Mobile

This wireless network operator is no stranger to data breaches, having survived nine separate attacks in the last five years. Early this year, T-Mobile revealed that 37 million of its customer’s records were stolen in a breach that began in November 2022.

According to the company’s AI analysts, the threat actor used an application programming interface or API equipped with AI capabilities and could secure unauthorized access. This ultimately led to the theft and exposure of sensitive client information, including full names, contact numbers, and PINs.

AI used to Breach Businesses like Activision

In December 2023, hackers launched a targeted phishing campaign against Activision, the company that created the Call of Duty games. Hackers used AI to breach businesses like Activision and created the SMS messages used for the phishing attacks, which ultimately proved successful as one HR staff member succumbed to the bait.

But we all know that one click is all it takes because, immediately, the hacker gains access to the complete employee database. This included email addresses, phone numbers, work locations, salaries, and more. However, they were able to find a solution since Activision could find the breach early.

Don’t Be the Next Victim of Hackers using AI to Breach Businesses!

Because of AI tools, data breaches have become much more far-reaching today in terms of business damage as compared to years past. The total cost is also much higher, with an average expense of $4.45 million for each breach. Although hiring an AI cybersecurity expert and upgrading your system would cost money, it wouldn’t come close to the expense of the harm a cyberattack would cause.

The examples above are all real, and as you can see, they have happened to large companies. All these companies thought they had reliable security systems, or so they thought. The point is that any of us, including you, could experience a data breach, especially one that uses AI. To learn more about how hackers use AI technology, download our FREE eBook, “The Growing Role of AI in Security – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

Would you take the risk and just cross your fingers that you don’t become the next victim, or would you take proactive measures right now to boost your defenses and maximize your company’s protection? If you choose the latter, we are here to provide all the services you need. Just contact us so we can make sure your system is safe from AI attacks.

7 Ways AI Can Be Used by Hackers to Steal Personal Information

Steal Personal Information

Data breaches are now more rampant than ever to steal personal information. Each month sees at least 150 incidents that affect businesses, and these only account for the reported cases. One reason hackers can execute data breaches so easily is because of modern technology, like artificial intelligence. While AI can help society at large, it has also been instrumental in illicit activities like stealing personal information. Here are 7 ways by which hackers are using AI to infiltrate businesses.

Personalized Phishing To Steal Personal Information

Phishing is one of the most prevalent methods of hacking used today. This is because phishing relies on the human element, which is the weakest link of security in any organization, making for a high success rate. But with AI, phishing has become a huge threat to businesses and individuals. Messages are now personalized, so employees are more likely to believe they are real. Once the victim takes the phishing bait, the hackers can steal all kinds of information from the system.

Spreading Deepfakes to Steal Personal Information

Deepfakes are AI-generated videos or sound clips that look very real. There are so many ways that hackers can use these kinds of videos to steal information. They can directly target employees by sending a deepfake video, supposedly from a supervisor. The “supervisor” might ask for some information, and the employee obliges because it’s from their boss. Hackers can also use deepfake material to spread negative propaganda about a company. In the impending chaos, they can take advantage of compromised security by diving in and successfully executing a data breach.

Cracking CAPTCHA

Until recently, CAPTCHA was a reliable means of differentiating a real person from a bot. But AI has now improved so much that it can accurately emulate human images and behavior. In a typical CAPTCHA image, someone could ask you to click on all the boxes with a bridge. The old system presumes that only a human will do this correctly. But AI algorithms can now quickly analyze the image and respond just like a human would. Once the hacker gets past the CAPTCHA security gates using this strategy, they can steal whatever sensitive personal information they want.

Using Brute Force

Traditionally, the most common way to crack passwords was by trying all combinations until you got the right one. This hack is known as brute-forcing. Hackers still use the same method today. However, with the help of AI tools, specifically those that analyze a user’s online behavior, the process requires considerably less time and computing power.

Listening to Keystrokes

Several AI tools can “listen” to keystrokes. Instead of trying all the different combinations like in the brute force method, AI can listen to the keystrokes and identify a user’s password with up to 95% accuracy. There will be considerable training involved, as with most AI algorithms, but once the machine learning process is complete, hackers can effectively use this tool to easily crack passwords.

Audio Fingerprinting to Steal Personal Information

Voice biometrics is one of the most common security measures used today. It is highly secure since voiceprints are unique, just like fingerprints. But thanks to AI, duplicating voice prints is now easy. Many call the process audio fingerprinting. All that’s required is a few minutes of a sample of the target’s voice, and AI will quickly be able to generate audio clips in that exact voice.

AI-Aided Social Engineering

Social engineering refers to the deception or manipulation of people to entice them into revealing confidential information or granting access to restricted areas. It is not a hacking method per se but more of a practice of misleading people by taking advantage of trust or other vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals have been practicing social engineering for a long time, but with AI tools and algorithms, the technique has become much more efficient and has led to successful hacking.

Final Thoughts on AI Being Used to Steal Personal Information

This list is just the tip of the iceberg for AI to steal personal information. There are many other ways that hackers can use AI to steal information. For sure, they will also discover dozens of newer and more dangerous methods shortly. But businesses don’t have to sit back and take it all lightly. There are solutions to combat AI hacking, and many of these solutions involve AI as well.

Our company is dedicated to using technology for the improvement of businesses, and this includes the area of security. If you want to fortify your defenses against AI-powered attempts to steal your information, we can hook you up with the right service provider that can take care of your needs. You can also learn a lot from our on-demand webinar and cybersecurity e-book, so download them today. Let us know your interest so we can send you more information.

Quiz Time: Can You Handle Social Media Phishing Attacks at work?

Social Media Phishing

Our last three blogs have discussed cybersecurity threats and how they affect a business. We have talked about the dangers that stem from various types of malware. We have warned you about the newest cybersecurity risks expected to wreak havoc on businesses soon. And in the face of the ongoing growing acceptance of remote work setups, we have delved into the threats related to working from home. Now, we will now talk about social media phishing.

The common thing in all these topics is that they are all linked to phishing. A strong phishing attack can make a network open to the online threats that we have talked about. Thus, you and your employees must know how to handle social media phishing attacks at work. To find out just how prepared your staff is to circumvent phishing attacks on social media, you can have them take the following quiz.

A Brief Quiz on Social Media Phishing

Here are ten statements that have to do with phishing in social media. Read each one carefully and decide whether it is TRUE or FALSE.

  1. It’s safe to click on social media links and messages at work.
  2. A lot of phishing attacks use publicly available information.
  3. Social media phishing attacks target only individuals, not organizations.
  4. A cybersecurity risk assessment reveals the weak areas in your company’s security strategy.
  5. A ransomware attack occurs once every 40 seconds.
  6. Hackers have a lower chance of attacking smaller businesses.
  7. Malware and virus protection is more important than employee cybersecurity training.
  8. Cybersecurity insurance can save your business.
  9. Two-factor authentication is better for account logins.
  10. Working from home and working from the office are equally safe.

Quiz Answers

  1. False – Even if your company has a reliable cybersecurity system in place, it’s never 100% certain and could be a social media phishing scam. Always be conscious and vigilant if you want your data and network to stay secure.
  2. True – Most of the time, hackers use information already available to the public. We should be careful in revealing information, even if it seems harmless. Hackers might use anything that is made public as a tool for attacking your important files.
  3. False – Social media phishing attacks used to target individuals, but the hackers that use this method have now levelled up and are also targeting organizations, even big companies.
  4. True – You don’t have to wait for an actual phishing attack to gauge the strength or weakness of your defenses. An MSP can give you a thorough risk assessment to identify the weak spots you need to work on.
  5. True – Ransomware attacks are much more frequent than people realize. Most businesses are on a hacker’s hit list, but they have not launched an attack yet.
  6. False – Smaller businesses are at a greater risk because they often have weaker defenses against online threats,
  7. False – Both are very important and go hand-in-hand with an effective cybersecurity strategy.
  8. True – Some business owners forego getting cybersecurity insurance, thinking it is unnecessary and expensive. But if you fall victim to a security breach, it can cost you upwards of $50,000, and cyber insurance can help cover such amounts.
  9. True – Two-factor authentication is much harder for hackers to penetrate than single-step login, making it more secure.
  10. False – While there are plenty of things we can do to make working from home safer, it is still not nearly as secure as working from the office, where software updates and router upgrades are easily done.

Evaluating the Results

Did you get a 10? If so, you have the knowledge and skills to deal with any online attack! Warding off phishing attacks on social media will be a cinch!

A lower score means you need more training, which is something the company can do. As a comprehensive managed services provider, we have a highly competent cybersecurity team that can train your entire staff and prepare your company to face cybersecurity risks. Contact us today to learn more!

If you want to be more thorough with testing your Phishing knowledge, we have another quiz for you to take! After taking your quizzes, if you need to learn more about cybersecurity please watch our cybersecurity webinar, so you can better protect yourself and your business!

Addressing the Cybersecurity Risks of Working from Home

Risks of Working from Home

A remote workforce has become the norm since the pandemic. Even now that we consider it safe to return to office work, many businesses have maintained the remote work setup because of the advantages. However, the risks of working from home also bring issues that need attention so as not to risk the company’s network and data.

What Are the Cybersecurity Risks That Come with Working from Home?

There are risks when working from home. Workers lack the usual protective measures used in an office network. Many workers use their home networks and may also use the same device for both work and personal things. Because of this, there are a lot of security issues that can arise and possibly cause damage to the company.

The Risks of Vulnerable Personal Networks When Working From Home

You can keep your home network protected by regularly updating your antivirus software. However, most people do not realize there is also a need to update their router software. Without doing this, you will make your home network, and sadly your work data, open to the prying eyes of online criminals. Which can risk your company data when working from home. 

Greater Reliance on Technology

Now more than ever, we rely heavily on online tools for doing all kinds of business. Besides the basic emailing and sending of files, Almost everything else gets done using digital technology, from video calling to banking to fulfilling orders. This widespread use of online tools gives higher risk when working from home. As a result, hackers have more opportunities to hack company records.

Lack of Cybersecurity Awareness

In the office setting, IT people take care of any cyber security issues. Thus, employees do not take such matters too seriously as it is not their primary work, although they are still liable. You must train them in cybersecurity and be sure they are aware of potential issues when working at home. But, this is not the case since most employees still lack adequate skills and knowledge to avoid these cybersecurity threats.

Fatigue and Lack of Focus

Human error is still the most common cause of data breaches, and this is especially true in a remote work setting. Studies have shown that almost 40% of work-from-home employees feel really tired in the remote work setup. In addition, they also need to juggle home chores, which reduces their focus on applying cybersecurity protocols and makes them lax in their judgment. All these things combined can greatly increase the chance of remote employees exposing the company’s confidential files to hackers by accident.

Risks of Weak Passwords When Working From Home

In trying to bypass company networks through remote workers, hackers will try to crack the user’s passwords. It is the easiest method, and it just so happens that many people still use weak passwords, even for sensitive accounts.

The Risks of Using Personal Devices When Working From Home

In the typical office environment, employees will use computers sent by the company with current malware protection. When working at home, however, people use their laptops or smartphones. These are likely to have less than adequate IT security measures installed, like data encryption.

Making Remote Work Safer From Cybersecurity Risks

There are many benefits to working from home. If you feel this is the best strategy for your company, go for it. However, make sure that all remote processes are completely secure. This step is where we can help!

Since we are focusing on cybersecurity this quarter, we have developed a little Quiz for you and your employees to take. Not only is the Quiz fun, but it counts toward your Employee Cybersecurity Training! Access the Quiz Here!

Our cybersecurity experts can equip your company and your remote workers with the skills and technology to stay protected from malware attacks and other online threats. Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive and fully customizable cybersecurity services today!