Blue Ridge Technology

Beware this malware: It "annoys" you into handing over login details There’s a new malware threat that’s been on the rise since August. This one’s a little…weird, to be honest. But because it’s unusual and unexpected, it’s working surprisingly well at tricking people into giving up their credentials and causing massive risks of data breaches and more. This week, we’re explaining how this malware works, why it’s been so effective, and how you can avoid getting sucked in. Meet Amadey: A New Breed of Annoyance Malware Amadey is what some call “annoyance malware”: it doesn’t lock up your data and threaten you for ransom, and it doesn’t do major damage to your computer or turn it into a botnet. It just emulates a problem with Windows itself and annoys you. And this particular version makes you think the only way to solve the problem is to log in and change your settings. You might already see where we’re going with this: the login link and screen are fake, of course. So if you ent...

Cybersecurity With all the talk of AI everything these days, it’s easy to wonder if a new generation of AI tools is going to create cybersecurity nightmares. Well, many leading cybersecurity firms aren’t worried about AI — at least not yet, and not in the ways we might think. And worst (or best?) of all, the solutions to today’s biggest problems are still actually pretty simple. Here’s what you need to know. New Tech that Could Become a Threat Much of the focus lately has been on a new generation of AI tools, like large language model (LLM) generative AI tools. These systems have the potential to be really powerful, no question about it. It’s not impossible to imagine a future where hackers create a sort of “malwareGPT,” a generative AI tool that creates malicious code. And that’s just one example of how AI tools could increase cybersecurity threats; there are plenty more. AI-powered tools could greatly increase the speed and scalability of creating malicious code, and it’s possible t...

Ever heard of a honeypot? (Outside of stories involving Winnie the Pooh.) It’s something Microsoft is using to continually hone and refine its digital security products and capabilities. In today’s post we’ll explain what Microsoft is doing to help keep users safe, plus what that does and doesn’t mean for your business. Honeypots, Explained “Honeypot” is a term for any kind of scheme or setup that uses bait (honey) to lure people into a trap. You might hear it in your favorite show about government agencies or law enforcement or fictitious spies. The good guys set a trap, maybe involving a cache of (fake) diamonds or an Old Masters painting that looks just easy enough for the bad guys to try and steal. But it’s a trap, of course, and the good guys invariably catch the bad guys. (Seems like it always goes that way in Hollywood, huh?) Honeypots work in reverse, too: real-world bad guys often use nothing more than the promise of money to lure unsuspecting law-abiding citizens into their s...