Secure Britain’s Post

The Electoral Commission was the victim of a Cyber Security attack in 2021, reports have only recently surfaced from the ICO highlighting that the commission "did not have appropriate security measures in place to protect the personal information it held" 🤔🤔 The report even goes as far to say that the commission "did not have sufficient password policies in place" - with some staff having not changed from their default passwords!! 👀👀 This significant breach is another example around the importance of protecting sensitive information and maintaining public trust - over 40 MILLION voters private information was leaked - there's a huge need for enhanced cyber security measures across public organisations! 🧑💻👩💻 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eJV84dE5 #CyberSecurity #DataProtection #ITSecurity #PublicTrust #CyberAware

🚨 Massive Leak of Congressional Staffers’ Personal Information on the Dark Web 🚨 Over 3,000 congressional staffers had their personal data exposed in a cyberattack, with 1,800+ passwords now circulating on the dark web. Weak security habits, like using official emails on risky sites, played a major role. This breach serves as a wake-up call for everyone! 😳 At HostBreach, we focus on vigilance and robust security measures to protect both personal and national security. Stay ahead of cyber risks—protect what matters. 💻🛡️ #CyberSecurity #DataBreach #HostBreach #DarkWeb #Congress #OnlineSecurity #CyberAwareness Full article: https://lnkd.in/eGZCwTiw

Did you know that hackers can go to an online marketplace and buy all manner of compromised user accounts? Just browse through what's available, pick out the ones they want, and check out. They can even pay more to get ones that are the freshest (most recently stolen). Now, you might be thinking, "Sure... but those are probably old usernames and passwords which have been changed over time," and you're right, but hackers are more sophisticated and capable nowadays, so what they do with this information is they spread out an attack to use a vast number of compromised devices as proxies. They use these devices to try every combination of those usernames and passwords, not only for the specific website, app, or service they were stolen from, but for everything. This is called a 'credential stuffing' attack, and they are happening with an alarming level of regularity these days. So, how do we protect ourselves from things like credential stuffing attacks? Well, one of the easiest ways is to enable Multi Factor Authentication - in that case, even compromised credentials cannot, compromise your entire account. For businesses, the more you can do to consolidate, modernize, and simplify the way your users work and interact with your data and applications, the more securable you can make your environment, and the easier it becomes to protect your users and help them to protect themselves. Learn more about the way you can protect yourself from online threats here: https://lnkd.in/ebEBkn2u #security #MFA #dataprotection 

The ICO has reprimanded the Electoral Commission after a cyber-attack accessed servers containing the personal information, such as names, home addresses and other data, of nearly 40 million people, almost everyone on the electoral register. In August 2021, hackers exploited known software vulnerabilities and inadequate password policies and accessed the servers several times without the Electoral Commissioner’s knowledge until October 2022, that’s over a year. The investigation found that basic security measures, such as security updates and strong password management, were not in place. Had these steps been taken, this breach probably could have been prevented. Although there’s no evidence that the stolen data has been misused, this incident is an important reminder of the importance of proactive security measures. Has your organisation installed the latest security updates? And do you have robust password requirements, such as sufficient length and inclusion of numbers and special characters? You can find more information on the attack on the ICO website: https://lnkd.in/dPR_icrb #CyberSecurity #CyberAttack #DataSecurity #GDPRNews #DataEssentials

How secure are your passwords? Best practices for professionals. - P4ssw0rd or variants of it, is absolutely not a good one - ManU4Lyf or similar isn't a good idea, especially if you talk about football a lot online or have club badges/ pictures of you in club kit on your social media. - 0123456789 is another common one Basically, to make a good password, steer away from using any personal information at all. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) actually recommends using three random words together, something like televisionpuppydoor. If you can pepper that with capital letters, a number and a symbol then you're on to a strong password winner! If you need help remembering other passwords, you can use a password manager to store them in, and many of them include a feature that will allow you to auto apopulate your login details on your devices - it takes a second to set up, but once you are, you can have strong passwords for everything without the pressure to remember. If you use the same password for everything, firstly, the second you stop reading this post please go and change your email password to something much stronger, if you do nothing else. If someone gains access to that, they can lock you out of so many other accounts - it's not worth the risk.

**Another day, another cyber threat!** Reports are surfacing that sensitive data related to the **U.S. Capitol** has made its way to the dark web after a recent cyber attack. 🕵️♂️ Seriously... Staffers used 'official email addresses to sign up for various services...' This incident highlights just how vulnerable institutions can be from any level. It’s a powerful reminder to prioritize **continuous monitoring**, **data encryption**, and **robust incident response plans**. Stay vigilant, stay secure. #CyberSecurity #DarkWeb #DataBreach #USCapitol #Infosec #IncidentResponse #SecurityAwareness https://lnkd.in/ezP4x3bK

Thousands of US Congress Emails Exposed to Takeover 📧 ❗ 📛 Secure mail provider Proton teamed up with Constella Intelligence to search on the dark web for over 16,000 publicly available email addresses associated with congressional staff. It found that 3191 staff had their emails leaked to the dark web after third-party data breaches, with 1848 of these listed alongside plaintext passwords. A larger number (2975) had passwords exposed, although they weren’t stored in plaintext for all to see. Read full story here: https://lnkd.in/eqgdujfn Read more cyber 💻 headlines like this: https://lnkd.in/dZDdhzJB #Cybersecurity #LACyber #Cyber

Reports confirm a major cyberattack has exposed the personal data of thousands of congressional staffers on the dark web. This alarming breach raises serious concerns about national security and privacy. What does this mean for the future of cybersecurity in government? 💻 Stay informed, stay protected. #CyberAttack #USCapitol #DataBreach #DarkWeb #Cybersecurity #BreakingNews

As we continue to navigate the digital landscape, it’s more important than ever to prioritise the security of our online presence. Here are some crucial reminders to keep your data safe: Use Strong Passwords: Create and use strong, unique passwords for all accounts. Avoid using the same passwords across multiple platforms. Encrypt your Wi-Fi: Ensure your Wi-Fi networks are encrypted to prevent hackers from snooping on your online activities. Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive info: Refrain from accessing sensitive business info on public Wi-Fi networks. Instead, use your smartphone’s hotspot function or wait until you’re on a secure network. By following these simple tips, you can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and protect your online identity. Stay safe online! #datasecurity #onlinesafety #cybersecurity