Digital Security | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Popular social messaging platform Discord has announced that it's rolling out a new custom end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) protocol to secure audio and video calls. The protocol has been dubbed DAVE , short for Discord's audio and video end-to-end encryption ("E2EE A/V"). As part of the change introduced last week, voice and video in DMs, Group DMs, voice channels, and Go Live streams are expected to be migrated to use DAVE. That said, it's worth noting that messages on Discord will remain unencrypted and are subject to its content moderation approach. "When we consider adding new privacy features like E2EE A/V, we do not do so in isolation from safety," Discord said . "That is why safety is integrated across our product and policies, and why messages on Discord are unencrypted." "Messages will still be subject to our content moderation approach, allowing us to continue offering additional safety protections." DAVE is publicly au

Google on Thursday unveiled a Password Manager PIN to let Chrome web users sync their passkeys across Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, and Android devices. "This PIN adds an additional layer of security to ensure your passkeys are end-to-end encrypted and can't be accessed by anyone, not even Google," Chrome product manager Chirag Desai said . The PIN is a six-digit code by default, although it's also possible to create a longer alpha-numeric PIN by selecting "PIN options." This marks a change from the previous status quo where users could only save passkeys to save passkeys to Google Password Manager on Android. While the passkeys could be used on other platforms, it was necessary to scan a QR code using the device where they were generated. The latest change removes that step, making it a lot easier for users to sign in to online services using passkeys by simply scanning their biometrics. Google noted that support for iOS is expected to arrive soon

For years, securing a company's systems was synonymous with securing its "perimeter." There was what was safe "inside" and the unsafe outside world. We built sturdy firewalls and deployed sophisticated detection systems, confident that keeping the barbarians outside the walls kept our data and systems safe. The problem is that we no longer operate within the confines of physical on-prem installations and controlled networks. Data and applications now reside in distributed cloud environments and data centers, accessed by users and devices connecting from anywhere on the planet. The walls have crumbled, and the perimeter has dissolved, opening the door to a new battlefield: identity . Identity is at the center of what the industry has praised as the new gold standard of enterprise security: "zero trust." In this paradigm, explicit trust becomes mandatory for any interactions between systems, and no implicit trust shall subsist. Every access request, regardless of its origin,

The PCI DSS landscape is evolving rapidly. With the Q1 2025 deadline looming ever larger, businesses are scrambling to meet the stringent new requirements of PCI DSS v4.0. Two sections in particular, 6.4.3 and 11.6.1, are troublesome as they demand that organizations rigorously monitor and manage payment page scripts and use a robust change detection mechanism. With the deadline fast approaching and the consequences of non-compliance so severe, there is no room for complacency, so, in this article, we look at the best way to meet these complex coding requirements. PCI DSS v4: Understanding Requirements 6.4.3 and 11.6.1 These changes to PCI DSS in v4.0 acknowledge the urgent need to tighten client-side security in the face of pervasive supply-chain threats. They call for beefed-up payment page security to keep customers' sensitive payment details safe from malicious script injection attacks: 6.4.3: To meet this requirement your organization needs to monitor and manage all payment

The proliferation of cybersecurity tools has created an illusion of security. Organizations often believe that by deploying a firewall, antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, identity threat detection and response , and other tools, they are adequately protected. However, this approach not only fails to address the fundamental issue of the attack surface but also introduces dangerous third-party risk to the mix. The world of cybersecurity is in a constant state of flux, with cybercriminals becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tactics. In response, organizations are investing heavily in cybersecurity tools, hoping to build an impenetrable fortress around their digital assets. However, the belief that adding "just one more cybersecurity tool" will magically fix your attack surface and enhance your protection is a dangerous misconception. The limitations of cybersecurity tools Cybersecurity tools, while essential, have inherent limitations. They are designe

Russian and Belarusian non-profit organizations, Russian independent media, and international non-governmental organizations active in Eastern Europe have become the target of two separate spear-phishing campaigns orchestrated by threat actors whose interests align with that of the Russian government. While one of the campaigns – dubbed River of Phish – has been attributed to COLDRIVER , an adversarial collective with ties to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the second set of attacks have been deemed the work of a previously undocumented threat cluster codenamed COLDWASTREL. Targets of the campaigns also included prominent Russian opposition figures-in-exile, officials and academics in the US think tank and policy space, and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, according to a joint investigation from Access Now and the Citizen Lab. "Both kinds of attacks were highly tailored to better deceive members of the target organizations," Access Now said . "The m

Meta Platforms on Wednesday said it took steps to remove around 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that were found to target people with financial sextortion scams. "These included a smaller coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts that we were able to link to a group of around 20 individuals," the company said . "They targeted primarily adult men in the U.S. and used fake accounts to mask their identities." In cases where some of these accounts attempted to target minors, Meta said it reported them to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Separately, Meta said it also removed 7,200 assets, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 Facebook Pages and 5,700 Facebook Groups, based in Nigeria that were used to organize, recruit and train new scammers. "Their efforts included offering to sell scripts and guides to use when scamming people, and sharing links to collections of photos to use when populating fake accounts," it sai

As the travel industry rebounds post-pandemic, it is increasingly targeted by automated threats, with the sector experiencing nearly 21% of all bot attack requests last year. That's according to research from Imperva, a Thales company. In their 2024 Bad Bot Report , Imperva finds that bad bots accounted for 44.5% of the industry's web traffic in 2023—a significant jump from 37.4% in 2022.  The summer travel season and major European sporting events are expected to drive increased consumer demand for flights, accommodation, and other travel-related services. As a result, Imperva warns that the industry could see a surge in bot activity. These bots target the industry through unauthorized scraping, seat spinning, account takeover, and fraud. From Scraping to Fraud Bots are software applications that run automated tasks across the internet. Many of these tasks, from indexing websites for search engines to monitoring website performance, are legitimate, but a growing number are not. B

In today's digital age, passwords serve as the keys to our most sensitive information, from social media accounts to banking and business systems. This immense power brings with it significant responsibility—and vulnerability. Most people don't realize their credentials have been compromised until the damage is done. Imagine waking up to drained bank accounts, stolen identities, or a company's reputation in tatters. This isn't just a hypothetical scenario – it's the harsh reality faced by countless individuals and organizations every day. Recent data reveals that compromised credentials are the single biggest attack vector in 2024. That means stolen passwords, not exotic malware or zero-day exploits, are the most common way hackers breach systems and wreak havoc. To help you navigate this critical issue, we invite you to join our exclusive webinar, " Compromised Credentials in 2024: What to Know About the World's #1 Attack Vector. " What You'

The Police of Finland (aka Poliisi) has formally accused a Chinese nation-state actor tracked as APT31 for orchestrating a cyber attack targeting the country's Parliament in 2020. The intrusion, per the authorities, is said to have occurred between fall 2020 and early 2021. The agency described the ongoing criminal probe as both demanding and time-consuming, involving extensive analysis of a "complex criminal infrastructure." The breach was  first disclosed  in December 2020, with the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo)  describing  it as a  state-backed cyber espionage operation  designed to penetrate the Parliament's information systems. "The police have previously informed that they are investigating the hacking group APT31's connections with the incident," Poliisi said. "These connections have now been confirmed by the investigation, and the police have also identified one suspect." APT31 , also called Altaire, Bronze Vin

McDonald's is collaborating with law enforcement after malicious hackers infiltrated another company's database and stole information about an unknown number of the fast-food chain's customers. McDonald's has alerted potentially affected customers via email and through a message on its website . "We have been informed by one of our long-time business partners, Arc Worldwide, that limited customer information collected in connection with certain McDonald's websites and promotions was obtained by an unauthorized third party," a McDonald's spokeswoman said via email on Saturday. McDonald's hired Arc to develop and coordinate the distribution of promotional email messages. Arc, in turn, relied on an unidentified email company to manage the customer information database. This email company's systems were hacked. The data, provided voluntarily by customers, does not include Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or any sensitive financial info