NBC DFW – Cybersecurity Expert Says Reason to be Concerned About Both DNC Hack and Donald Trump Challenge to Hacker
Via NBC DFW News – As investigators look into a hack of Democratic National Committee emails, and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seemed to issue a challenge to the hackers Wednesday, a North Texas cybersecurity expert said there is reason for concern on both fronts.
“This is very worrying,” said Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Texas at Dallas. “It looks like we are living in this fantasy world, but no, it’s very real.”
Thuraisingham said when Donald Trump asked on Wednesday, “Russia, are you listening?” and suggested if the country had hacked DNC emails, maybe it had Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s missing emails, he was inviting other potential attacks.
“Because they will be emboldened,” Thuraisingham explained. “And it’s not just the Russians who will be emboldened. They will get some of these hackers who think, ‘OK, I can do it also.'”
Crooks Use New Technology to Steal Credit Card Information at the Pump
Via NBC DFW News – Dallas police are continuing their investigation into a new kind of financial crime at the gas pump — a group of crooks accessing customers’ pin-numbers via Bluetooth technology.
Police recently found five wireless skimmers at four Exxon stations a few miles apart in North Dallas.
At this point, detectives don’t know how many victims there are, or precisely how much money has been stolen.
“They’re using Bluetooth technology, and this is the scary part, to transmit the data. So that means the suspect doesn’t have to go into the pump to retrieve the information they’re looking for,” said Lt Tony Crawford, who heads up Dallas Police’s Financial Investigations Unit.
“What makes it so unique is the Bluetooth capabilities, so the suspect can sit in the parking lot right there and as people are swiping their information they’re getting all the information.”
Police this summer recovered the skimmers from gas stations on Forest Lane, Campbell Road, Preston Road and Hillcrest Avenue.
Source | Crooks Use New Technology to Steal Credit Card Information At The Pump | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham Discusses the Rising Threat of Computer Ransom Crime with NBC DFW News – April 18, 2016
NBC DFW News – Imagine turning on your computer and not being able to access any files or photos. Then, a pop-up message that demands ransom to get the data back. That’s what happened to one Arlington woman.
“I feel like it just makes me mad,” said Sara Molina, looking at her computer. “What do they want?”
The simple answer: money. The hacker demanded $500 paid in Bitcoin for access to Molina’s data. She didn’t pay the ransom. Now she can’t access anything she saved on her Dell.
“It’s things that are of no value to them,” Molina said, wiping away tears. “I feel like they’re making me put a dollar on how much that stuff is worth.”
“So they knew enough about her to ask $500 from her,” said Bhavani Thuraisingham, director of the Cyber Security Research and Education Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas. “It’s creepy.”
Thuraisingham said computer ransom, rare a decade years ago, is more common now. She likened it to a home burglar.
To watch the interview and continue reading go to NBCDFW Channel 5.
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