Blog
New WiFi Issue Could Affect Millions Of Users And Devices
Security researchers have found a new critical security flaw dubbed “Krack” (Key Reinstallation Attacks) that affects literally every WiFi router and smart phone in use today. The reason? The security flaw resides in the WiFi standard itself, rather than in a third-party product. In addition to being vast in scope and scale, Krack is a […]
Microsoft Drops Groove Music Pass Sending Customers To Spotify
Groove Music has had a short, troubled life. It started out as Zune Music, but Microsoft bought it in 2012, promptly rebranding it as Xbox Music before changing its name again to Groove. Now, the company has decided to get out of the music business altogether, and is sending all of its paying customers over […]
ATMs Continue To Be Huge Target For Hackers
Hackers are the new bank robbers in a very literal sense. Increasingly, hackers have taken to infiltrating bank networks specifically for the purpose of infecting ATMs attached to their network with malicious code that makes stealing from them a snap. Once the malware has been installed on a target machine, a lower level member of […]
Equifax Announces Another 2+ Million Were Affected By Breach
Equifax’s problems just keep getting worse. Not long ago, the company suffered a major data breach that ultimately resulted in the CEO stepping down and a painful congressional grilling. Initial estimates placed the number of impacted users at some 143 million, but as the investigation has continued, it turns out that the numbers are even […]
Whole Foods Reports Credit Card Breach
It seems that hardly a week goes by that we don’t hear about another high-profile data breach. This time in the hot seat, we find Amazon-owned Whole Foods. Specifically, we find Whole Foods Market locations. The company is reporting that hackers were able to gain unauthorized access to credit card information at an undisclosed number […]
New Malware Can Infect Computers, Even With Windows Defender
Researchers at the security firm CyberArk have discovered a new attack vector they’ve dubbed “Illusion Gap.” While it’s somewhat tricky for a hacker to implement, when it works, it can be devastatingly effective, completely bypassing Windows Defender, which is security software that comes pre-loaded on all Windows-based computers. To successfully execute the attack, the hacker […]
MAC Computers Are Still Suffering From EFI Hack
One of the first, best pieces of advice computer owners get is to always keep their operating system up to date. It’s sound advice, because OS manufacturers generally do a good job of responding to new attack vectors and releasing security patches designed to make sure that hackers don’t have an easy time breaking into […]
Hackers Infiltrate Deloitte Accounting Firm
Deloitte is not exactly a household name. In fact, unless you use the company’s services, you may not have ever heard of them, even though they’re one of the largest accounting firms in the world. The company has the distinction of having been named the best cybersecurity consultant company in the world in 2012, and […]
Google Personal Data Requests Are On The Rise
Google’s latest Transparency Report is out, and the results have raised concerns with privacy advocates from around the world. This time last year, Google received 44,943 requests relating to 76,713 user accounts from the governments around the world. This year’s figures have increased to 48,941 requests relating to 83,345 accounts. The company acceded to 65 […]
Literally Every Yahoo Email User Was Hacked In 2013 Breach
Late last year, Yahoo announced that it was the victim of the largest data breach in history. It impacted, by their initial estimates, fully one third of their user base, some one billion users. As it turns out, Yahoo’s estimates were wildly inaccurate. Literally every person who had a Yahoo account in 2013 was impacted, […]
A Visionary Approach to Your Security
The purpose of an IT partner isn’t just to fix something when it is broken, it is to keep your people working and your data secure. Astral moves beyond traditional managed services by addressing all the key areas of cybersecurity in today’s complex landscape.
