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HOW CONFLICTS CAN AFFECT CYBER WORLD

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HOW CONFLICTS CAN AFFECT CYBER WORLD

Last week we described how Cyber ​​space could become the scene of the Third World War, and in fact it already is the scene of numerous cyber conflicts.

This time we want to see instead how a conflict in the real world can have repercussions in the cyber world.

  1. Cyber ​​attacks in sight

    Due to the Russia – Ukraine conflict, the risk of cyber attacks has increased dramatically and not only for the countries involved.

    The world has lined up in support of the two sides and Cyber ​​criminals as well as activists (the Anonymous collective in primis) are determined to give a strong show of strength.

    The result is that an increase in cyber attacks has been predicted in this period, which could have serious consequences.

    Among the various countries at risk there is also Italy: recently CSIRT (Computer Security Incident Response Team) of the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) issued an alarm to warn of the imminent risk of cyber attacks against government and industrial entities of the country.

    The suggestion, as always, is to adopt all the protection measures of the computer systems and, in particular in this case, notify the authorities in case of any malicious activity.

    But it’s also important to remember that we are always subject to this risk, so do not panic unnecessarily.


  2. Should we uninstall Kaspersky?

    Many people suggest uninstalling the famous antivirus.

    Kaspersky is among the best-known security products in our industry, as well as one of the most effective.

    In Italy, Kaspersky security solutions are adopted by many public bodies, including ministries and security agencies.

    Unfortunately, Kaspersky is a Russian company.

    The fear is that the company may in fact be controlled by the local government and act as an entry point for any cyber attacks with products installed at their customers around the world.

    Is it a real perspective?

    From the point of view of feasibility, certainly yes.

    But the real question is: is it worth it for Kaspersky to destroy its ten-year reputation and relationship with its entire customer base?

    Probably not, although the doubt remains that he may not have a choice.

    Either way, there will be severe economic repercussions for Kaspersky.

    On the other hand, it is also true that, if there really is a risk of hacking or spying through similar technologies, this threat has always existed.

    Public administration as well as institutions should evaluate these risks before deciding to purchase software or hardware solutions.

    Are we ready to manage our technology purchases based on geopolitical alliances?


  3. Repercussions for cybercriminals

    The deployments in the real world have also produced deployments in the cyber criminal world: different gangs have decided to give their support to one nation rather than the other.

    And this has resulted in a series of escalating attacks on both sides.

    An example of this is what happened to Conti, the criminal group known for the ransomware that has upset organizations and institutions all over the world.

    Conti has publicly sided with Russia and, as a result, has suffered a series of attacks that have led to the data leak of the messages exchanged by the members of the group and even to the code of the well-known ransomware.

    The famous activist collective Anonymous, on the other hand, has pledged its support to the Ukrainian nation by carrying out a series of attacks on various Russian government entities and even on state TV.

    If the DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks that have slowed down or made it impossible to use the services of different institutions are certainly annoying, but not too worrying, the data leak of confidential information, on the contrary, could have dangerous consequences (such as, for example, in the case of the Russian Nuclear Institute).
So what to do to raise (and keep!) the alert level high?

  • Update systems and applications, especially (but not only) those exposed on the Internet;
  • Verify the presence and proper functioning of backup systems, in particular for critical and sensitive data;
  • Be prepared not only for cyber attacks with malware and DDoS, but also for Phishing that could facilitate the retrieval of useful information to subsequently breach systems.
It is good to remember that these recommendations always apply, even in times of “peace”.

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2022 expert insights News-EN Newsroom

THIRD WORLD WAR WILL BE (ALSO) IN CYBER SPACE

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THIRD WORLD WAR WILL BE (ALSO) IN CYBER SPACE

We are all concerned about what is happening between Russia and Ukraine, and even more about the implications and possibilities that the conflict will eventually trigger World War III.

In the Cyber world, things are very different.

  1. In Cyber space, geography doesn’t matter

    The cyber world has no physical boundaries. A Russian or Chinese criminal can attack a neighbouring nation in the same way as one on the other side of the world.

    For this reason, in cyber space alliances and coalitions matter relatively, and in any case, they have less weight than we think.

    This changes all the rules of the game: while you commonly prepare for an assault by mainly defending the borders, protecting yourself from cyber assaults is more complex.

    The attack can reach any electronic device at any time and can affect services as well as critical infrastructures of primary importance.


  2. The Third World War will be fought (also) in Cyber Space

    For these reasons it is likely that the Third World War will also be fought in the Cyber world.

    Therefore, not only with conventional weapons or nuclear bombs: on the contrary, cyber attacks will be used, potentially capable of paralyzing institutions and entire countries.

    This can take place exclusively or in combination with traditional attacks, greatly complicating the organization of the resources used for defense.


  3. The conflict has already begun

    Weeks before the start of military offensive, Russia launched a series of cyber attacks against the Ukrainian government and banking system.

    These include a new “wiper” malware capable of erasing data from targeted systems.

    The cyber attacks therefore actually anticipated the missiles.

    And this is certainly not new: the cyber conflicts between Russia and Ukraine have been going on for several years now.

    The situation is no different between Iran and the US, China and the US, North Korea and South Korea, India and Pakistan.

    Almost all the nations in conflict end up launching cyber offensives that allow them to collect information, create disservices or different levels of damage.

    All countries carry out Intelligence and espionage activities using highly advanced Cyber tools.
So, will the conflict between Russia and Ukraine lead us to World War III?

The truth is that at low intensity, the conflict has already begun.

Nowadays no one is able to effectively defend against cyber attacks, which at these levels could have devastating effects

The only positive consideration is that this situation acts as a deterrent and keeps the level of the fight at low intensity. Exactly as happened with the atomic bomb, as long as the various nations remain in equilibrium also from the Cyber point of view, there is hope that the cyberguerrilla will not lead to something more serious.

An excellent reason to continue investing in Cyber Security!

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2022 expert insights News-EN Newsroom

ARE INSTANT MESSAGING APPS SAFE?

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ARE INSTANT MESSAGING APPS SAFE?

Instant messaging applications are becoming more and more popular.

And not only for personal messages: since now smart working became a common alternative, the trend is to use instant messaging apps to exchange information business related too, as an alternative to emails and phone calls.

But are these apps really safe?

All major instant messaging applications now use of the end-to-end (E2E) encryption mechanism.

With this system, messages are encrypted with a pair of keys, one public and one private, which are exchanged only between sender and recipient.

The advantage is that in this way the messages cannot be read if intercepted by a third party (a type of attack that is called “Man in the middle” or MITM).

But, while the public key is attached to the first message sent, the private key is instead tied to the device where the app is installed, making it the weak point of the system.

If the device is stolen or hacked in any way, someone else will be able to access and read the messages.

Data encryption, therefore, although very important, has limitations.

And it is not the only parameter to be evaluated to protect yourself from privacy risks.

Another aspect to take into consideration is the Metadata management. Metadata are all the data that can be collected on the user’s account and his activities and that can be considered the electronic fingerprint.

In the case of instant messaging apps, metadata collected may include the sender and recipient phone numbers, the contact list, the duration and time of the conversation, the used device, the IP address, etc …

Through the metadata, even if it is not possible to read the content of the messages, it is in any case possible to deduce useful information and profile the user and his interlocutors.

However, each app can have a different policy for managing metadata, and this is certainly a good starting point for getting useful tips on how to identify the safest apps.

Among the various instant messaging applications, WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most popular in the world.

But is it really safe?

The app has been using an extremely secure E2E encryption protocol since 2016 (the same as Signal, see below).

Furthermore, this system is active by default, without giving the user the possibility to deactivate it: an advantage from the point of view of managing privacy risks.

However, Whatsapp keeps user metadata on its servers.

Since Whatsapp is owned by Facebook, the chances for users of being profiled by both applications increase dramatically.

Ultimately, Whatsapp certainly does not prove to be the most privacy-friendly messaging app ever.

So, what are the alternatives?

Here are 3:

  1. Telegram

    Telegram is the best known alternative to Whatsapp and is often considered a safer application.

    It is certainly a feature-rich app, suitable for various uses and which also overcomes some limitations of Whatsapp, such as the number of participants in a group chat.

    But, from the point of privacy risks, things are more complex.

    Telegram is in fact an entirely cloud-based messaging app: chats and message history are saved on their servers.

    This feature, which on the one hand allows users to manage conversations from different devices, however, exposes to numerous risks as it’s easier for criminals to access data.

    As for encryption, the app offers only client-server encryption by default, i.e. from sender to server and from server to recipient.

    E2E encryption is only available in secret chats, but this option is not default and must be activated in advance.

    Therefore, if you think Telegram is a safer messaging application than Whatsapp you must change your mind and take all aspects into consideration.


  2. Signal

    Signal is a still little-known open-source instant messaging app, but it has interesting features.

    Recommended by several Cyber Security experts and even by the European Commission, Signal uses an E2E encryption protocol called “Signal Encryption Protocol“, considered among the best and subsequently adopted by Whatsapp and other instant messaging apps.

    While it needs a phone number to work, Signal has taken a respectful approach to the privacy of its users right from the start.

    In addition to the common characteristics of the messaging applications, Signal allows you to send messages that can be self-destructed and even to manage encrypted audio messages.

    Furthermore, it only stores the metadata necessary for its operation, such as phone number and profile information, not storing other metadata on their servers.

    It may not be the best known app in the world, but its uncompromising approach certainly makes Signal one of the most secure applications.


  3. Threema

    Threema is another open-source app, developed and maintained in Switzerland, and therefore subject to local data protection laws.

    Unlike previous applications, Threema is not free and is still almost unknown.

    However, it has the advantage of assigning a unique key to the user (Threema ID), so that it can be used in a totally anonymous way, without any obligation to enter a telephone number, an email or further information about the user.

    The most interesting aspect is that everything is encrypted with E2E encryption, from messages, to calls, to exchanged files.

    In addition, data, such as contact lists or group chats, are stored in a decentralized way on users’ devices, rather than on a Threema server.

    And the messages are deleted from the server after transmission.

    This ensures maximum privacy for users.

    Although it is definitely the least known application among the previous ones, as well as a not-free one, Threema by far guarantees the greatest degree of confidentiality.
In conclusion, it is important to distinguish the use we must make of instant messaging apps in order to evaluate the most correct application for our purposes.

If WhatsApp is indeed good for personal communications, with the advantage of being a widely used app, it is important to discourage its use in a professional setting and in all cases where sensitive or confidential data is processed.

Unfortunately, many cyber attacks have shown how dangerous it can be to manage sensitive information through these communication tools and it is essential to be aware of these threats in order not to expose yourself to unnecessary risks.

Good job!

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