Cybersecurity experts and companies on Long Island are looking for ways to shore up the weakest link on company computer networks : the employee . Local cybersecurity professionals are creating interactive comic books , testing employees with simulated phishing emails — tailored messages that seek to obtain key information , such as passwords — and seeking to convince top executives that the threat of business disruption from hacking requires their attention . “ The biggest problem is not the technology ; it ’ s the people , ” said Laurin Buchanan , principal investigator at Secure Decisions , a division of Northport software developer Applied Visions Inc. Sixty percent of cyber-assaults on businesses can be traced to insiders ’ actions , either inadvertent or malicious , according to a 2016 study by IBM Security . The average cost of a data breach Attack.Databreach for U.S. companies is $ 7.4 million , or $ 225 per lost or stolen record , a June 2017 study by IBM and the Ponemon Institute , a Traverse City , Michigan , researcher , found . Costs related to data breaches Attack.Databreach can include the investigation , legal costs to defend against and settle class-action lawsuits , credit monitoring for affected customers , and coverage of fraud losses . Harder to gauge is the cost to a company ’ s reputation . One of the largest hacks Attack.Databreach ever was disclosed this month , when credit reporting company Equifax Inc. revealed that sensitive data from 143 million consumers , including Social Security numbers and birth dates , was exposed Attack.Databreach . A stock analyst from Stifel Financial Corp. estimated that the attack will cost Equifax about $ 300 million in direct expenses . Investors seem to think the incident will have a much greater impact on At a seminar in Garden City this month , Henry Prince , chief security officer at Shellproof Security in Greenvale , explained how in a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom — one of many types — cybercriminals can buy specialized tools such as those used to send Attack.Phishing phishing emails . The easy availability of that software means that hackers require “ no programming experience , ” Prince said . Phishing emails can be blocked by company email filters , firewalls and anti-virus software . But if one gets through Attack.Phishing and an employee clicks on the link in the phishing email , the business ’ network is compromised . Hackers can then encrypt files , preventing access to them by the company and crippling the business , Prince said at the seminar . Hackers then can demand payment Attack.Ransom , typically in an untraceable cryptocurrency like Bitcoin — a digital asset that uses encryption — before agreeing to decrypt the files . “ Ransomware is a business to these people , ” Prince said . “ Ninety-nine percent of the time , ransomware requires user interaction to infect. ” Della Ragione echoed that sentiment : “ The greatest risk at a company is the employees . Training employees is one of the best steps in shoring up your defenses. ” In response , many local experts and companies focus on teaching employees how to resist hackers ’ tricks . Secure Decisions has developed interactive comics to teach employees ways of detecting “ phishing ” emails and other hacking attempts . The company has gotten more than $ 1 million for research related to the interactive comic project , known as Comic-BEE , from the Department of Homeland Security , as well as a grant for $ 162,262 from the National Science Foundation . The comics , inspired by children ’ s “ Choose Your Own Adventure ” books , feature different plots depending on the reader ’ s choices . “ If you can give people the opportunity to role-play , some of the exhortations by the experts will make more sense , ” Buchanan said . The comics are being field-tested at several companies and Stony Brook University . They were featured in July at a DHS cybersecurity workshop in Washington , D.C. Radu Sion , a computer science professor at Stony Brook and director of its National Security Institute , which studies how to secure digital communications , acknowledged that security is far from a priority for most users . “ Ultimately , the average Joe doesn ’ t care , ” he said . “ You [ should ] treat the vast majority of your users as easily hackable. ” Northwell Health , the New Hyde Park-based health care system that is the largest private employer in New York State , is trying to find and get the attention of those inattentive employees . Kathy Hughes , Northwell vice president and chief information security officer , sends out “ phishing simulations ” to the workforce . The emails are designed to mimic Attack.Phishing a real phishing campaign Attack.Phishing that seeks passwords and personal information . In April , for instance , Northwell sent out Attack.Phishing phishing emails with a tax theme . Hughes collects reports on which employees take the bait Attack.Phishing by user , department and job function . “ We present them with a teachable moment , ” she said . “ We point out things in the email that they should have looked at more carefully. ” The emails are supplemented with newsletters , screen savers and digital signage reminding users that hackers are lurking . Another tool : Non-Northwell emails have an “ external ” notation in the subject line , making it harder for outsiders to pretend to be Attack.Phishing a colleague . “ We let [ the employees ] know that they are part of the security team , ” she said . “ Everybody has a responsibility for security. ” One of the most important constituencies for security is top executives . Drew Walker , a cybersecurity expert at Vector Solutions in Tampa , Florida , said many executives would rather not know about vulnerabilities to their computer systems , because knowledge of a hole makes them legally vulnerable and casts them in a bad light . “ Nine times out of 10 , they don ’ t want to hear it , ” he said . “ It makes them look bad. ” Richard Frankel , a former FBI special agent who is of counsel at Ruskin Moscou , said that company tests of cybersecurity readiness often snare CEOs who weren ’ t paying attention to training . But attorney Della Ragione said high-profile attacks are getting notice from executives . “ Everyone ’ s consciousness is being raised , ” she said . Data leaks Attack.Databreach at Long Island companies have caused executives to heighten security . In 2014 , Farmingdale-based supermarket chain Uncle Giuseppe ’ s Marketplace said that foreign hackers had breached Attack.Databreach the credit card database of three stores . Joseph Neglia , director of information technology at Uncle Giuseppe ’ s , said that after the data breach Attack.Databreach , which affected about 100 customers , the company began scheduling “ monthly vulnerability scans ” and upgraded its monitoring and security systems . For businesses , Stony Brook ’ s Sion said , the cybersecurity threat is real and immediate . “ I need one second with your machine to compromise it forever and ever , ” he said . “ It ’ s an uphill battle . ”

Consumers are being left vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals because major companies are not taking measures to protect them from plagues of fake emails , a leading cyber-crime expert has claimed . Billions of “ phishing ” emails purporting to be Attack.Phishing from companies we trust such as Apple and Amazon , or banks , charities and even government departments , are reaching consumers ’ inboxes . Their intention is to trick Attack.Phishing recipients into visiting a website – specially created to mirror Attack.Phishing a legitimate business ’ s site – and entering personal details such as email addresses and passwords . These can be used by criminals in a number of ways , including accessing bank accounts , making payments or applying for credit or other services . Phishing emails are cleverly designed to mimic Attack.Phishing the firm ’ s real emails . They are increasingly well-written . Worryingly , as fraudsters invest more in their processes , the emails are also more likely to bypass spam filters . To add to the convincing effect , criminals are buying domain names similar to the companies they are impersonating Attack.Phishing , so recipients are more likely to think the emails real . Since January Action Fraud , the national cybercrime reporting service , has issued alerts about scams involving fake correspondence from HMRC , Amazon , and the Department of Education , among others . But now the proliferation of these emails is causing some to question whether the real businesses are doing enough to protect their customers . Chris Underhill , chief technical officer at Cyber Security Partners , a consultancy , said firms that communicate by email have a “ corporate responsibility ” to prevent fraudsters impersonating them online . He said many firms were failing to take the basic – and inexpensive – precaution of buying up domain names similar to their own . He said : “ The technology is there for little cost but sadly the adoption rate is low . “ The responsibility is now placed on the consumer to check the sender of the emails is real. ” Telegraph Money found it was possible , for example , to buy domain names such as amazonuk.org , amazon.eu.co.uk or amazonuk.tech for as little as £5.99 per year . Andrew Goodwill , of The Goodwill Group , a fraud-prevention consultancy , said consumers should “ be incredibly sceptical ” about any unsolicited digital communication even from familiar companies . If they contained links or asked for personal information they were “ more than likely to be fake ” , he said . He added : “ It ’ s a difficult situation . Why wouldn ’ t you expect to receive an email from a service you use ?

A fraud chief at Britain ’ s biggest bank has admitted scam texts are now so sophisticated even he sometimes can not tell if they are genuine . Paul Davis , retail fraud director at Lloyds Banking Group , told Money Mail criminals can mimic Attack.Phishing the exact format of messages – which appear as though they are sent Attack.Phishing from a bank ’ s number using a technique called ‘ spoofing ’ . With fake banking texts now so difficult to spot , Mr Davis said customers should be taught how to respond to them to avoid being lured Attack.Phishing into a scam . He added : ‘ It ’ s the new “ don ’ t talk to strangers ” . 'We teach children how to cross the road and we also need to teach everyone how to be aware of and stay safe from scams . It ’ s the new basic life safety advice we all need to know. ’ Mr Davis said the key to avoiding falling for scams was to treat all messages with caution . ‘ It ’ s about what you say when you reply , ’ he said . ‘ Don ’ t ever give out your bank details and never give more than a simple answer like yes or no. ’ The context of messages could be crucial , he explained . For example , when shopping online , if a customer is texted at the same time to confirm they intended to make this exact purchase , it is more likely to be genuine . But if a person receives a text out of the blue saying they have made a payment and can they confirm the purchase , it is more likely to be a scam . Mr Davis accepted it was hard to know what messages to trust because even genuine ones can appear suspicious if they come from a variety of numbers . ‘ If in doubt , don ’ t reply and ring the number on the back of your card , ’ he said . Customers were also warned never to click on links in texts or open email attachments claiming to be from the bank , as this could download malware which can spy on their phone or computer to find out their password . The Daily Mail is campaigning for fairer treatment for customers who fall prey to so-called authorised push payment fraud – sophisticated scams where victims are tricked Attack.Phishing into transferring money . In the first six months of this year alone , around £145million was lost to this crime – of which only £31million was refunded . There is currently no obligation on banks to reimburse customers who authorise payment in this type of fraud – and many say the victim is to blame for allowing the transaction to go through . But consumer campaigners argue most scams are now so sophisticated even the savviest customers can fall for them . Mr Davis said Lloyds examined each case on an individual basis and ‘ often ’ refunded victims as a gesture of goodwill . He said : ‘ The key to stopping this type of fraud is working together . There ’ s a shared responsibility . The bank needs to do things to protect its customers but the victim also needs to take steps to protect themselves. ’ He added : ‘ Helping keep our customers ’ money safe is our priority and we fully support Money Mail ’ s campaign. ’ Yesterday , new rules were announced proposing greater protection for scam victims , in a victory for the Mail ’ s campaign . The guidelines say banks must flash up warnings if a customer is making a questionable transfer and should carry out greater checks to ensure they are paying who they think they are . Banks should also delay payments if they are concerned they may be fraudulent and refund vulnerable victims , such as those who have been recently bereaved – even if the bank was not at fault . But there was no agreement on who should bankroll the cost of refunds for victims – and some campaigners criticised the code for not going far enough . The voluntary agreement between most banks and consumer groups follows an eight-month consultation by a steering group appointed by the Payment Systems Regulator , following a super-complaint by consumer group Which ?

Researchers recently identified a phishing campaign Attack.Phishing set up to lure Attack.Phishing unsuspecting Netflix users into giving up their credentials and credit card data . The campaign Attack.Phishing – now defunct – started with an email informing users they needed to update their account details . From there , victims were brought to a legitimate looking Netflix login page where they were asked their email address and Netflix password . Not content with just getting users ’ login credentials , the attacker then directs victims to another form where they ’ re told they need to update their billing information . Users are encouraged to enter their name , birthdate , address , and credit card information . The attacker perhaps overdid it by asking users to provide their social security number – something Netflix would never ask for – and users ’ VBV ( Verified by Visa ) 3D Secure Code , a fairly new service that Visa uses in Europe and India but that hasn ’ t been deployed in the U.S. yet . While the pages mimic Attack.Phishing actual Netflix pages and even feature a yellow “ secure server ” lock , they ’ re completely fake . Mohammed Mohsin Dalla , a researcher with FireEye ’ s Threat Research team who uncovered the campaign Attack.Phishing , notes that until it was taken down , the campaign Attack.Phishing was adept at bypassing phishing filters . He claims the campaign Attack.Phishing used AES encryption to encode the content it served up , something that would have made it easy for it to evade detection . “ By obfuscating the webpage , attackers try to deceive text-based classifiers and prevent them from inspecting webpage content , ” Dalla wrote of the scam Monday , “ this technique employs two files , a PHP and a JavaScript file that have functions to encrypt and decrypt input strings . The PHP file is used to encrypt the webpages at the server side… at the client side , the encrypted content is decoded using a defined function in the JavaScript file ” . Phishing campaigns Attack.Phishing that target Netflix customers aren ’ t revolutionary but this one was different because of the way it evaded detection and served up its phishing pages . The pages , hosted on legitimate but compromised servers , didn ’ t appear to users if their DNS linked back to Google or PhishTank , an anti-phishing service that aggregates data on scams like this . In fact , according to FireEye , if a visitor from Google , Phishtank , or other sites like the Calyx Institute or Netflix itself visited the fake site , the campaign would ensure a “ 404 Not Found error ” message would be displayed – making it less likely the scam would be discovered . Netflix phishing campaigns Attack.Phishing have become some of the more ubiquitous scams . A handful of phony invoice emails made the rounds in the UK earlier this summer trying to trick Attack.Phishing users into thinking they ’ d purchased a Netflix subscription and insist they hand over their credit card information . Another scam , one that was set on convincing Attack.Phishing Netflix users they needed to update their credit card data , made the rounds earlier last summer , in July . After entering their information , victims were told their account has been suspended and that they need to download “ Netflix support software ” . That software , at least according to the Knoxville , Tenn . Better Business Bureau , was “ remote login software ” that handed attackers the keys to victims ’ computers .

Researchers have discovered over 300 cybersquatting domains masquerading as Attack.Phishing real UK banking sites , many of which are designed to trick Attack.Phishing customers into handing over personal details . DomainTools used its PhishEye tool to search for domains registered by individuals to mimic Attack.Phishing those of Barclays , HSBC , Natwest , Lloyd ’ s and Standard Chartered . It found a whopping 324 registered domains abusing the trademarks of these lenders , including lloydstbs [ . ] com , standardchartered-bank [ . ] com and barclaysbank-plc [ . ] co.uk . “ Imitation has long been thought to be the sincerest form of flattery , but not when it comes to domains , ” explained DomainTools senior security researcher , Kyle Wilhoit . “ While domain squatters of the past were mostly trying to profit from the domain itself , these days they ’ re often sophisticated cyber-criminals using the spoofed domain names for more malicious endeavors. ” Cybersquatting can be used for a variety of ends , including redirecting the user to pay-per-click ads for the victim company ’ s competitors ; for-profit survey sites , or ransomware and other forms of drive-by malware . However , one of the most common is to create Attack.Phishing a phishing page similar to the spoofed bank ’ s original , which will ask for log-ins or other banking and personal information . This years ’ Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report ( DBIR ) claimed phishing Attack.Phishing has soared in popularity , present in a fifth ( 21 % ) of attacks , up from just 8 % last year . “ Many [ cybersquatters ] will simply add a letter to a brand name , such as Domaintoools.com , while others will add letters or an entire word such as ‘ login ’ to either side of a brand name . Users should remember to carefully inspect every domain they are clicking on or entering in their browser . Also , ensure you are watching redirects when you are going from site to site , ” advised Wilhoit . “ Brands can and should start monitoring for fraudulent domain name registrations and defensively register their own typo variants . It is better to lock down typo domains than to leave them available to someone else and at an average of £12 per year per domain , this is a relatively cheap insurance policy . ”

Leading French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron ’ s campaign said on Friday it had been the target of a “ massive ” computer hack Attack.Databreach that dumped Attack.Databreach its campaign emails online 1-1/2 days before voters choose between the centrist and his far-right rival , Marine Le Pen . Macron , who is seen as the frontrunner in an election billed as the most important in France in decades , extended his lead over Le Pen in polls on Friday . As much as 9 gigabytes of data were posted on a profile called EMLEAKS to Pastebin , a site that allows anonymous document sharing . It was not immediately clear who was responsible for posting the data or if any of it was genuine . In a statement , Macron ’ s political movement En Marche ! ( Onwards ! ) confirmed that it had been hacked . “ The En Marche Movement has been the victim of a massive and co-ordinated hack Attack.Databreach this evening which has given rise to the diffusion on social media of various internal information , ” the statement said . An interior ministry official declined to comment , citing French rules that forbid any commentary liable to influence an election , which took effect at midnight on Friday ( 2200 GMT ) . The presidential election commission said in statement that it would hold a meeting later on Saturday after Macron ’ s campaign informed it about the hack Attack.Databreach and publishing of the data . Former economy minister Macron ’ s campaign has previously complained about attempts to hack Attack.Databreach its emails , blaming Russian interests in part for the cyber attacks Attack.Databreach . On April 26 , the team said it had been the target of a attempts to steal Attack.Databreach email credentials dating back to January , but that the perpetrators had failed to compromise Attack.Databreach any campaign data . The Kremlin has denied it was behind any such attacks , even though Macron ’ s camp renewed complaints against Russian media and a hackers ’ group operating in Ukraine . Vitali Kremez , director of research with New York-based cyber intelligence firm Flashpoint , told Reuters his review indicates that APT 28 , a group tied to the GRU , the Russian military intelligence directorate , was behind the leak . He cited similarities with U.S. election hacks that have been previously attributed to that group . APT28 last month registered decoy Attack.Phishing internet addresses to mimic Attack.Phishing the name of En Marche , which it likely used send Attack.Phishing tainted emails to hack into the campaign ’ s computers , Kremez said . Those domains include onedrive-en-marche.fr and mail-en-marche.fr . “ If indeed driven by Moscow , this leak appears to be a significant escalation over the previous Russian operations aimed at the U.S. presidential election , expanding the approach and scope of effort from simple espionage efforts towards more direct attempts to sway the outcome , ” Kremez said . France is the latest nation to see a major election overshadowed by accusations of manipulation through cyber hacking . En Marche said the documents only showed the normal functioning of a presidential campaign , but that authentic documents had been mixed on social media with fake ones to sow “ doubt and misinformation ” . Ben Nimmo , a UK-based security researcher with the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council think tank , said initial analysis indicated that a group of U.S. far-right online activists were behind early efforts to spread the documents via social media . They were later picked up and promoted by core social media supporters of Le Pen in France , Nimmo said . The leaks emerged on 4chan , a discussion forum popular with far right activists in the United States . An anonymous poster provided links to the documents on Pastebin , saying , “ This was passed on to me today so now I am giving it to you , the people . ”

Malware tricks Attack.Phishing users into opening Android Accessibility menu , enabling the attacker to mimic Attack.Phishing users ' clicks and select anything displayed on their screen . The Android Trojan can mimic the user 's clicks and actions . A new form of Trojan malware targeting Android smartphones is duping Attack.Phishing victims into downloading a fake security update for Adobe Flash Player , which then makes them even more susceptible to malicious software . The malware is ultimately designed to monitor the users ' activity for the purposes of stealing data Attack.Databreach , mimicking their actions in order to generate funds from fraudulent adware installations , and enabling the installation of various other types of malware -- including ransomware . Detected by researchers at security company ESET , the Trojan malware targets all versions of Google 's mobile operating system and aims to trick Attack.Phishing victims into granting it special permissions which it uses to download additional malware . Users should also be wary of apps which appear to ask for many more permissions then they might need . For those who 've already fallen victim to this malware , they can attempt to remove the malware by manually uninstalling the 'Flash-Player ' app from their phone . However , more work may need to be done to completely remove malicious software from the device . `` Unfortunately , uninstalling the downloader does n't remove malicious apps the downloader might have installed . As with the downloader itself , the best way for cleaning up the device is using a mobile security solution , '' says Štefanko .