InfoSecSam Newsletter #4

Recent News

Footwear Fiasco

If you’re a fan of Vans footwear this story should interest you. A data breach at the company's parent company has put customers at risk of fraud. Personal data of Vans customers has reported as being stolen as a result of the breach.

However, the Vans team claim they have already addressed the issue and have assured customers that they are working hard to secure their data and prevent any fraudulent activity.

Personal data continues to be a prime target for online hackers!

Phishy Business

LabHost, a major phishing platform, was shut down by law enforcement across 19 countries. Europol led the operation, resulting in 37 arrests, including the site's original developer.

The platform, active since 2021, facilitated cybercrime on a large scale, with over 40,000 phishing domains and 2,000 users. Authorities contacted 800 suspected users and seized $1.1 million in earnings.

Five Eyes Eye on AI

As the pace of AI increases, as does the pursuit for ensuring its security. Government agencies from Five Eyes countries released joint guidance for deploying externally developed AI systems, emphasising data and system protection.

The guidance focuses on securing deployment, continuous protection, and operation/maintenance. The NSA's Artificial Intelligence Security Center led the effort, highlighting the importance of proactive security measures in AI deployment.

Look out for a future post on my TikTok channel where I’ll break down the key points outlined by this guidance - link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Cable Chaos

Sacramento International Airport faced significant flight delays due to an intentional cutting of an AT&T internet cable. Although no suspects have been identified, repair crews restored service by midday. This incident follows nationwide 911 outages, some also due to cable damage.

Career Development

NCSC Cybersecurity Glossary

Here is a useful glossary of cybersecurity related terms produced by UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS) - PDF Download.

Professor Messer - FREE CompTIA training

If you’re studying for CompTIA certification, here is a great free resource. Professor Messor provides comprehensive training videos to help you prepare for the exams, all for free.

Other News

• Confetti Heaven - A school in Australia set off 2,013 confetti cannons at the same time to celebrate its 40th anniversary and break a Guinness World Record.

• Space Junk - NASA confirmed an object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home was waste material jettisoned from the International Space Station.

• Far Too Deepfake - Microsoft demoed VASA–1, a framework for creating videos of people talking from a still image, audio sample, and text script, but claims it's too dangerous to be released to the public. Check it out in action with the Mona Lisa at the link below

• 10p Freddo - Remember the days when Cadbury’s Freddo was only 10p? Well the good times are back (but only for a limited time and if you have a Nectar card).

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