New Cyber Threats Target Transportation, Online Banking, and Retail Sectors
A few weeks ago, I graced Trend Micro Philippines' invitation for a round-table discussion on the latest cyber attacks and current threats that various sectors in our country have to face in this digital era.
As the millennial tech blogger in the group, the whole exchange was very eye-opening for me as I learned that many of the companies and brands that I support as a consumer could actually be hot targets of cybercriminals - whether as nimble lonewolves or as terrifying organized underground 'mafias'.
Ms. Myla Pilao, Marketing Communications Director of TrendLabs, shared case studies and actual cyber attacks that had caused major financial and PR damage to companies across various industries.
For instance, in the transport sector, 'hackable' vulnerabilities in automobiles places users at risk each time they turn the ignition. The discovery of a bug that can control the brakes of a Jeep model prompted the recall of 1.4 million vehicles!
"Security investigations reveal that smart systems in cars can be accessed remotely to interfere with its functionality including life-critical ones like the brake. It was reported that Jeep Cherokee, through the car’s public IP address, can be hacked and controlled by another person miles away. BBC reported that even data sent by digital audio radio signals can intervene with a car’s functionalities," our friends from Trend Micro noted.
Likewise, security weaknesses means flying in the not-so friendly skies! In fact, due to a major digital hacking that congested the carrier’s system, 10 planes and 1,500 passengers of the Polish airliner LOT were grounded recently.
Did you know that the Philippines ranks #4 in the whole of Asia Pacific in terms of the number of online banking cyber attacks? Yup, it's alarming and I can only hope that our financial institutions are doing something about it. It's quite scary since almost everyone I know already have online banking accounts.
And while we're talking about rankings, according to Trend Micro, our country is the third country in this region with the most cases of digital theft in the retail industry! Around the world, Point of Sale threats rose to prominence in 2014, with data breaches affecting Target, Home Depot, Dairy Queen, and UPS. So if you own a business that involves automated or digital purchasing and accounting systems, you might also want to implement a system that can protect your investments against cyber attacks.
So how can businesses and organizations stay protected in the face of all these looming digital threats? Well, according to Trend Micro, aside from being proactive, extra-cautious, and running information and education campaigns inside their organization, groups and companies can leverage on the most advanced security solutions.
To be specific, there's Trend Micro Deep Discovery, a threat protection platform that helps organizations defend itself against the most vicious targeted attacks in real time. Providing top-notch and industry-leading protection where it matters most, Deep Discovery is comprised of four key solutions that will detect, analyze, adapt, and respond to threats and attacks.
Cybercriminals may always be working hard to infiltrate businesses and companies to inflict damage and steal money -- but trust that Trend Micro is working doubly hard - if not more - to combat and defeat them with the most advanced threat protection technologies and innovations.
As the millennial tech blogger in the group, the whole exchange was very eye-opening for me as I learned that many of the companies and brands that I support as a consumer could actually be hot targets of cybercriminals - whether as nimble lonewolves or as terrifying organized underground 'mafias'.
Basically, any business or institution that's connected to the internet is a target! Yup, it's no longer science fiction; The threat is real.
Ms. Myla Pilao, Marketing Communications Director of TrendLabs, shared case studies and actual cyber attacks that had caused major financial and PR damage to companies across various industries.
For instance, in the transport sector, 'hackable' vulnerabilities in automobiles places users at risk each time they turn the ignition. The discovery of a bug that can control the brakes of a Jeep model prompted the recall of 1.4 million vehicles!
"Security investigations reveal that smart systems in cars can be accessed remotely to interfere with its functionality including life-critical ones like the brake. It was reported that Jeep Cherokee, through the car’s public IP address, can be hacked and controlled by another person miles away. BBC reported that even data sent by digital audio radio signals can intervene with a car’s functionalities," our friends from Trend Micro noted.
Likewise, security weaknesses means flying in the not-so friendly skies! In fact, due to a major digital hacking that congested the carrier’s system, 10 planes and 1,500 passengers of the Polish airliner LOT were grounded recently.
Did you know that the Philippines ranks #4 in the whole of Asia Pacific in terms of the number of online banking cyber attacks? Yup, it's alarming and I can only hope that our financial institutions are doing something about it. It's quite scary since almost everyone I know already have online banking accounts.
And while we're talking about rankings, according to Trend Micro, our country is the third country in this region with the most cases of digital theft in the retail industry! Around the world, Point of Sale threats rose to prominence in 2014, with data breaches affecting Target, Home Depot, Dairy Queen, and UPS. So if you own a business that involves automated or digital purchasing and accounting systems, you might also want to implement a system that can protect your investments against cyber attacks.
So how can businesses and organizations stay protected in the face of all these looming digital threats? Well, according to Trend Micro, aside from being proactive, extra-cautious, and running information and education campaigns inside their organization, groups and companies can leverage on the most advanced security solutions.
To be specific, there's Trend Micro Deep Discovery, a threat protection platform that helps organizations defend itself against the most vicious targeted attacks in real time. Providing top-notch and industry-leading protection where it matters most, Deep Discovery is comprised of four key solutions that will detect, analyze, adapt, and respond to threats and attacks.
Cybercriminals may always be working hard to infiltrate businesses and companies to inflict damage and steal money -- but trust that Trend Micro is working doubly hard - if not more - to combat and defeat them with the most advanced threat protection technologies and innovations.
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