
Security

Website downtime or technical glitches are a headache no business wants to endure, especially when your online presence is central to attracting and retaining customers. While resolving the issue swiftly is critical, there’s an often-overlooked yet invaluable step that follows: the Post-Incident Review (PIR). At O’Brien Media, we believe PIRs are a cornerstone of maintaining reliable,...
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Block in place for website traffic from Russia as of 06-03-2022
Due to a large-scale increase in malicious internet traffic coming into our networks from networks in Russia we have made the decision to, with immediate effect, block all traffic coming into our networks from Russian-operated networks and IP addresses. This will prevent anyone inside of Russia, or who uses a network within Russia, from connecting to any websites or relaying email to or from any...
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Action Fraud are running their Cyber Crime Survey 2021
Fraud and cyber crime are the most common criminal offences in the UK. Analysis of Action Fraud reports showed that 86% of frauds had a cyber element to them. As the threat from cyber crime continues to grow and evolve, it’s important to remember one thing - most of it can be prevented. By following just a few practical steps, you can make it harder for cyber criminals to get into your...
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Remain alert about a new malware attack, say Microsoft
There is a new malware attack that allows personalised data such as passwords and personal data, as well as webcam photos to be taken. This blog post will highlight the dangers of this new piece of malware and how you can remain alert! What is the malware and how does it get onto your computer? It is a new version of malware that is distributed using PDFs that aren’t real. When the PDF is...
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Text message scam ‘Flubot’ taking over Android phones in the UK!
There has been a ‘package delivery’ scam called Flubot that has been sweeping across the UK and infecting Android phones over the past few weeks! This blog post will talk you through what Flubot is and how you can stay alert. What is Flubot? It is a piece of malware that has the ability to take over devices and spy on them – used to gather sensitive data including banking details. How can...
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Be aware of new Bitcoin-related scam emails!
ActionFraud is warning the public about unsolicited emails that promote investment opportunities regarding Bitcoin. They have stated they have received over 750 reports of these phishing emails. This blog post will tell you what to look out for and how you can protect yourself. What do these emails look like? These emails are using ‘celebrity endorsements’ in order to persuade their victims...
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Microsoft, responding to sophisticated cyberattacks
Microsoft is aware of a sophisticated supply chain attack that has targeted a variety of victims over the past year. The attack utilizes malicious SolarWinds files that possibly gave cybercriminals access to some victims’ networks. Microsoft cybersecurity experts are investigating the attack to help ensure that Microsoft customers are as secure as possible. Microsoft has commented "Microsoft is...
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Cybercrime: Keep your money safe when shopping online
As part of National Consumer Week and International Fraud Awareness Week, we want to remind our customers and readers of some of the issues of shopping online and what can be done to limit the risks. Many people might be looking to get themselves prepared ahead of the festive period by shopping for gifts online. As people are again furloughed and usual socialising is curtailed for now, some may...
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Attackers using the Coronavirus as a phishing trap
The coronavirus outbreak is being used in phishing attacks according to researchers at Proofpoint. Attackers are taking advantage of the widespread concern about the virus to lure people into phishing traps using conspiracy theories about “unreleased” cures. One example describes a ‘confidential cure solution’ before giving users the option to follow a link through to a fake website...
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Cybercrime: Europe’s Most & Least Secure Countries
Specops Software has released data showing the countries in Europe most and least susceptible to cyber crimes. The company analysed the total number of cloud provider related incoming attacks as well as cryptocurrency mining, malware and ransomware encounters on machines in each country. The Netherlands has the highest rate of machines that experienced one of the above attacks at 17.64 percent...
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