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jcmarchi · 1 year ago

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6 types of fraud to remain aware of (and other trends) - CyberTalk

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6 types of fraud to remain aware of (and other trends) - CyberTalk

Miguel Hernandez y Lopez is a Cyber Security Engineering Manager and member of the Office of the CTO at Check Point Software Technologies. Miguel has over 20 years of experience in the cyber security field. He was a member of the Honeynet Project, an international non-profit organization (501c3) dedicated to the investigation of the most recent computer attacks, and the development of OpenSource security tools to learn about how hackers behave. He is co-author of the Security Compendium ´Cyber Security and Global Information Assurance: Threat Analysis and Response Solutions´ sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Academy, USA (ISBN: 978-1-60566-326-5). Miguel holds a Master of Science of Technology from Universidad de Buenos Aires.

In honor of International Fraud Awareness Week, here at Cyber Talk, we’re joining the global effort to increase insight and education around fraud prevention.

Every year, organizations lose trillions of dollars to fraud, largely because they don’t understand the tactics that fraudsters employ or what kinds of prevention strategies to implement.

In this interview, explore what’s happening in the world of cyber fraud and how you can support more effective fraud-fighting initiatives. Let’s dive in:

What types of business fraud are you seeing at the moment?

There are several types of business fraud trending currently:

1. Cyber fraud. Cyber attacks are on the rise. Cyber criminals are using techniques such as phishing, malware or ransomware to steal sensitive information or disrupt business operations.

2. Internal fraud. This involves fraudulent activity by staff members within a business, including theft, falsification of documents or embezzlement.

3. Invoice fraud. This involves fake invoices being sent to a company in the hope they’ll pay fake charges without noticing.

4. CEO fraud. This is where fraudsters pose as a CEO of a company or another senior executive to trick an employee into transferring funds or sharing sensitive information.

5. Return fraud. This is particularly prevalent in the retail sector, where customers abuse the return policy for financial gain.

6. Payroll fraud. This can occur when employees manipulate the payroll system to receive more compensation than they’re due.

It’s essential for businesses to constantly update their security measures, educate employees about potential scams and implement strong internal controls to prevent fraud.

Fraud is expensive. Could you speak to the cost of fraud for businesses?

Absolutely. The cost of fraud can be substantial for businesses both financially and reputationally.

There are direct financial losses, which could soar into the millions, depending on the scale of the business and the fraud.

There are also investigation and recovery costs. Post-fraud, a business needs to conduct investigations and try to recover lost funds. These processes can be time-consuming and costly.

Beyond that, there are legal costs. Depending on the severity of the fraud, legal costs can be significant. If the company suffered a large loss, it may choose to prosecute the fraudulent party, increasing expenses.

Also, there are regulatory fines. In some cases, especially those involving data breaches, a business may encounter hefty fines from regulatory bodies for failing to protect sensitive information.

Further, a company may experience reputational damage. Although not directly financial, damage to a company’s reputation can result in loss of customers, decreased sales, and a drop in stock prices, all of which indirectly contribute to overall financial loss.

Lastly, after a fraud incident, companies may see increased insurance premiums.

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Occupational Fraud 2022, in A Report to the Nations, organizations lose approximately five percent of revenue to fraud each year, with the average loss per case totaling more than $1.78 million.

In your opinion, what impact could generative AI have on the future of business fraud? (What impact has it already had, if any?)

Generative AI could play a significant role, both positively and negatively, when it comes to business fraud.

In terms of fraud prevention and detection, AI can process enormous volumes of data, identify patterns, and detect anomalies more quickly and accurately than human analysts. Using sophisticated algorithms and machine learning methodologies, generative AI can identify potential fraudulent activities before they become damaging.

On the other hand, misuse of generative AI could potentially increase sophisticated fraud scenarios.

For example, think about deepfakes, in which generative AI can create hyper-realistic audio, video, or text that’s virtually indistinguishable from real content. Unscrupulous individuals can use these ‘deepfakes’ for scams, to create false identities, or spread disinformation that harms businesses.

While generative AI provides tools and capabilities that businesses can leverage for fraud prevention, generative AI also requires enhancement in security measures to prevent misuse. Aid from regulatory bodies, education, and a solid legal framework will be necessary to ensure that generative AI’s impact remains positive.

What types of technology solutions or tools would you recommend for fraud detection and prevention?

I would recommend cyber security solutions that have gained popularity due to their effectiveness in addressing modern technological challenges. These solutions are considered robust because they focus on enhancing security posture in a dynamic and evolving threat landscape.

For instance, when you are using Check Point to secure your business, you gain accurate prevention against the most advanced attacks through the power of ThreatCloud AI.

ThreatCloud AI, the brain behind all of Check Point’s products, combines the latest AI technologies with big data threat intelligence to prevent the most advanced attacks while reducing false positives, keeping a business safe and productive.

Why are these solutions and strategies considered advantageous for fraud prevention?

In terms of what Check Point offers…

Integrated security architecture. Check Point provides a comprehensive and integrated security architecture. Solutions often include multiple layers of security, covering areas such as firewall, intrusion prevention, antivirus, anti-malware, VPN, and more. Having an integrated approach can simplify management and improve overall security effectiveness.

Threat Intelligence and Research. Check Point invests heavily in threat intelligence and research. The company’s researchers actively analyze emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and attack patterns. This commitment to staying ahead of the threat landscape allows Check Point to provide timely updates and protection against new and evolving cyber threats.

Advanced threat prevention. Check Point is known for its advanced threat prevention capabilities. The solutions include technologies such as sandboxing, threat emulation, and threat extraction to detect and prevent sophisticated threats, including zero-day attacks and advanced persistent threats.

Cloud security. As organizations increasingly move their infrastructure and applications to the cloud, Check Point has expanded its offerings to include robust cloud security solutions. This includes protection for cloud workloads, applications, and data, as well as integration with major cloud service providers.

Network security. Check Point has a long history and a strong reputation in the field of network security. The company’s firewall solutions are widely used for securing network perimeters and enforcing security policies. Check Point’s expertise in network security is valuable for organizations with complex network architectures.

User-friendly management interface. Check Point products often feature user-friendly management interfaces that make it easier for security administrators to configure and monitor security policies. This can be important for organizations that want a solution that is both powerful and accessible for their security teams.

Scalability. Check Point solutions are designed to scale with the growth of an organization. Whether an organization is small or enterprise-level, Check Point’s products can often be tailored to meet the specific needs and scale of the environment.

Is there any other advice that you have for organizations?

I think that user awareness is crucial for fraud prevention – and for the following reasons:

Human factor. Often, human error or ignorance enables fraud. By enhancing user awareness, you help build the first, and sometimes most robust, line of defense against fraud.

Phishing attacks. In an age where cyber threats, like phishing, can lead to significant security risks, users who are aware of these threats aren’t as likely to fall for them as their peers.

Early detection. Aware users can identify suspicious activity, anomalies or changes in systems or transactions which may indicate a potential threat or fraud. They can escalate this early, enabling faster response and mitigation.

Mitigating insider threats. Employees who understand the signs of fraud are better equipped to spot and report possible internal threats.

Regulatory compliance. User awareness helps organizations stay in compliance with regulations that often require user training and awareness as a part of their requirements.

Culture of security. Training users around cyber security awareness creates a culture of security within the organization where every member, not just the IT or security team, has a role in preventing fraud.

In essence, users who are well-informed about fraud risks, ways to identify and respond to fraud, and the potential impact, add a valuable layer of protection for the organization.

For more insights from Miguel Hernandez y Lopez, please see CyberTalk.org’s past coverage. Lastly, to receive timely cyber security insights and cutting-edge analyses, please sign up for the cybertalk.org newsletter.

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aishavass · 2 years ago

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#adroit market research #malware analysis market #malware analysis market trends #malware analysis market size

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adroit--2022 · 2 years ago

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#adroit market research #malware analysis market #malware analysis market trends #malware analysis market size

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noob2networking · 2 years ago

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Throttling Thursday: Botnet - The Menace Lurking in Your Network

Welcome to Throttling Thursday, where we unveil the hidden world of botnets and equip you with the knowledge to combat these digital troublemakers. But don’t worry, we won’t let these mischievous bots ruin our day. Instead, we’ll tackle the topic with a humorous tone, using analogies and emojis to make it easy for even the most novice readers to understand. So, fasten your seatbelts, put on your…

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#anti-malware software #behavior-based detection #botnet #collaboration against botnets #combat botnets #digital menace #firewall #network security #recognizing botnet signs #traffic analysis #vulnerability patches

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phantomrose96 · 9 months ago

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At this point, after this has happened a dozen times, why the hell is anyone pushing any update that wide that fast. They didn't try 10 nearby computers first? Didn't do zone by zone? Someone needs to be turbo fired for this and a law needs to get written.

The "this has happened a dozen times" really isn't correct. This one is unprecedented.

But yes the "how the hell could it go THAT bad?" is the thing everyone with even a little software experience is spinning over. Because it is very easy to write code with a bug. But that's why you test aggressively, and you roll out cautiously - with MORE aggressive testing and MORE cautious rollout the more widely-impacting your rollout would be.

And this is from my perspective in product software, where my most catastrophic failure could break a product, not global systems.

Anti-malware products like Crowdstrike are highly-privileged, as in they have elevated trust and access to parts of the system that most programs wouldn't usually have - which is something that makes extremely thorough smoke-testing of the product way MORE important than anything I've ever touched. It has kernel access. This kind of thing needs testing out the wazoo.

I can mostly understand the errors that crop up where like, an extremely old machine on an extremely esoteric operating system gets bricked because the test radius didn't include that kind of configuration. But all of Windows?

All of Windows, with a mass rollout to all production users, including governments?

There had to be layers upon layers of failures here. Especially given how huge Crowdstrike is. And I really want to know what their post-mortem analysis ends up being because for right now I cannot fathom how you end up with an oversight this large.

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cyberstudious · 4 months ago

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tuesday, december 17th, 2024

work is very busy at the moment! I'm trying to wrap up a few projects before everyone is out for the holidays. I'm also still trying to finish Practical Malware Analysis by the end of the year. I went to my favorite coffee shop after work to do some reading & take some notes. I'm still kind of far behind on doing the labs (I need way more practice with dynamic analysis lol), but I'm going to keep trying!

#studyblr #studyspo #study inspo #studying #study aesthetic #op #evening coffee shop time is such a good vibe #one of the joys of adulthood is realizing you can just do whatever #going to a cafe in the evening on a random tuesday? why not!

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ditzyblues · 3 months ago

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April O' Neil Enneagram Analysis. (She's a 3)

DISCLAIMER: I am always learning more about the Enneagram, so this is my own understanding of April’s fixation into the type 3. If you’d typed April as anything else before, I hope to open your eyes to my more correct typing.

Let’s start with what a 3 even is. An E3 is a type in the image/triad center of the Enneagram. These types are characterized by their lack of self esteem. An E3 will try to make up for this lack in finding success.

Success in what? Anything the E3 chooses, really. For the purposes of fiction, the goal is often very tangible, like being the best in their career or being the strongest fighter. Their self worth is attached to the pursuit of their goal.

In short, an E3 is looking outside themselves to fulfill their self esteem needs, when they need to be looking inwards and finding self satisfaction. Their growth point is often authenticity and learning they’re enough.

I’ll be using three (heh) April episodes: “Hypno! Part Deux,” “Operation Normal,” and “Always Be Brownies.”

In "Hypno! Part Deux," April is fixated on appearing cool to Taylor Martin, as this'll grant her social acceptance and fulfill her self esteem of belonging. This manifests as rejecting anything that’ll threaten this persona. (Donnie’s malware software, Mayhem’s magic.)

Note: due to an E3's ambition to reach their goals, they're often willing to abandon their true selves in order to fit in well and succeed in social scenarios, especially E3's with a social instinct (April is a social 3.)

This goal of fitting in and being cool is quickly lost when April's life is threatened (as with any type.) But towards the end, when everyone is safe and broken free of Hypno's curse, Taylor has THIS to say..

Beginning-of-episode April would've been devastated at this, but at the end, her growth is complete. She doesn't need this silly persona and the social standing that comes with it to be complete.. her "not coolness" saved the day!! E3 arc completed!

Honestly April's arc in "Operation Normal" is pretty similar to this previous episode. April fixates on appearing as someone she just isn't, pushes away her brothers who she can be herself around, but learns it's okay to be a weirdo!!!

It's "Always Be Brownies" time. I have an ABB phD. April begins the episode at her prototypical-ist E3: Insecure and down about her multiple club failures. She's devoted herself to these things, but just can't succeed!

This is a hit to her self-esteem. But after being kidnapped by Casey's girl scouts, April finds that through her tenacity, strength, and ambition, she really isn't that big of a loser after all. All on her own!

This is amplified by the fact she doesn't let Splinter reassure her, she reassures herself and finds her self worth. It doesn't get more E3 than that, if you ask me.

I rest my case. April O' Neil is an Enneagram 3, with a primary social instinct that she filters her threeness through. The reason I chose episodes where she's operating on her own is that she lets loose around her brothers and isn't concerned with all of this around them.

#rottmnt #april o'neil #rise april #rottmnt april #kj speaks #enneagram #im coming out as an enneagram nerd #im a four.... wing three #so i understand april a whole bunch #i wouldve made this more in depth but . i had formatted this as a twt thread initially #my bad #ill do casey next btw

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mariacallous · 11 months ago

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Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella has hailed the company's new Recall feature, which stores a history of your computer desktop and makes it available to AI for analysis, as “photographic memory” for your PC. Within the cybersecurity community, meanwhile, the notion of a tool that silently takes a screenshot of your desktop every five seconds has been hailed as a hacker's dream come true and the worst product idea in recent memory.

Now, security researchers have pointed out that even the one remaining security safeguard meant to protect that feature from exploitation can be trivially defeated.

Since Recall was first announced last month, the cybersecurity world has pointed out that if a hacker can install malicious software to gain a foothold on a target machine with the feature enabled, they can quickly gain access to the user's entire history stored by the function. The only barrier, it seemed, to that high-resolution view of a victim's entire life at the keyboard was that accessing Recall's data required administrator privileges on a user's machine. That meant malware without that higher-level privilege would trigger a permission pop-up, allowing users to prevent access, and that malware would also likely be blocked by default from accessing the data on most corporate machines.

Then on Wednesday, James Forshaw, a researcher with Google's Project Zero vulnerability research team, published an update to a blog post pointing out that he had found methods for accessing Recall data without administrator privileges—essentially stripping away even that last fig leaf of protection. “No admin required ;-)” the post concluded.

“Damn,” Forshaw added on Mastodon. “I really thought the Recall database security would at least be, you know, secure.”

Forshaw's blog post described two different techniques to bypass the administrator privilege requirement, both of which exploit ways of defeating a basic security function in Windows known as access control lists that determine which elements on a computer require which privileges to read and alter. One of Forshaw's methods exploits an exception to those control lists, temporarily impersonating a program on Windows machines called AIXHost.exe that can access even restricted databases. Another is even simpler: Forshaw points out that because the Recall data stored on a machine is considered to belong to the user, a hacker with the same privileges as the user could simply rewrite the access control lists on a target machine to grant themselves access to the full database.

That second, simpler bypass technique “is just mindblowing, to be honest,” says Alex Hagenah, a cybersecurity strategist and ethical hacker. Hagenah recently built a proof-of-concept hacker tool called TotalRecall designed to show that someone who gained access to a victim's machine with Recall could immediately siphon out all the user's history recorded by the feature. Hagenah's tool, however, still required that hackers find another way to gain administrator privileges through a so-called “privilege escalation” technique before his tool would work.

With Forshaw's technique, “you don’t need any privilege escalation, no pop-up, nothing,” says Hagenah. “This would make sense to implement in the tool for a bad guy.”

In fact, just an hour after speaking to WIRED about Forshaw's finding, Hagenah added the simpler of Forshaw's two techniques to his TotalRecall tool, then confirmed that the trick worked by accessing all the Recall history data stored on another user's machine for which he didn't have administrator access. “So simple and genius,” he wrote in a text to WIRED after testing the technique.

That confirmation removes one of the last arguments Recall's defenders have had against criticisms that the feature acts as, essentially, a piece of pre-installed spyware on a user's machine, ready to be exploited by any hacker who can gain a foothold on the device. “It makes your security very fragile, in the sense that anyone who penetrates your computer for even a second can get your whole history,” says Dave Aitel, the founder of the cybersecurity firm Immunity and a former NSA hacker. “Which is not something people want.”

For now, security researchers have been testing Recall in preview versions of the tool ahead of its expected launch later this month. Microsoft said it plans to integrate Recall on compatible Copilot+ PCs with the feature turned on by default. WIRED reached out to the company for comment on Forshaw's findings about Recall's security issues, but the company has yet to respond.

The revelation that hackers can exploit Recall without even using a separate privilege escalation technique only contributes further to the sense that the feature was rushed to market without a proper review from the company's cybersecurity team—despite the company's CEO Nadella proclaiming just last month that Microsoft would make security its first priority in every decision going forward. “You cannot convince me that Microsoft's security teams looked at this and said ‘that looks secure,’” says Jake Williams, a former NSA hacker and now the VP of R&D at the cybersecurity consultancy Hunter Strategy, where he says he's been asked by some of the firm's clients to test Recall's security before they add Microsoft devices that use it to their networks.

“As it stands now, it’s a security dumpster fire,” Williams says. “This is one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen from an enterprise security standpoint.”

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gabrielsbubblegumbitch · 1 year ago

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got any silly voxval headcannons? (Maybe velvette too idk)

like for example who cooks out of the three of them

Of course you can <3 I'm a really angsty girlie so I don't know how silly they actually are but there you go:

None of them can cook, but that's not really a problem for Vox and Velvette. Vox could survive on plain bread and black coffee for eternity, while Velvette could eat only candies. Val, on the other hand, is the ultimate hedonist. He's all about the tasty, full-fat fast food or gourmet stuff, and he's always pushing for takeout. Come on, guys, we're fucking rich, let's order something. Sure, they could hire someone to cook for them, but Vox is too paranoid to let an outsider near their food. He's still on the hunt for a chef who can match Val's extravagant tastes and is willing to sign off soul. If they had to pick someone to cook, Vox would probably be the best bet since he's the only one who can actually follow a recipe.

Velvette is the smartest when it comes to managing finances. Vox technically doesn't like to waste money but he has a taste for luxurious stuff, he can't resist an expensive car, fucking show-off. Valentino basically burns money on every useless shit he likes, I bet those crystals he badazzled his gun with were real diamons.

Velvette helps Val maintain his fluff, and he styles her hair. It's a cute little trade-off they've got going on.

Valentino has a habit of breaking electronic devices and downloading malware. Vox hates him for it.

Vox can easily go 72h without sleep, fueled by coke and rage. Valentino occasionally drugs his coffee to put him down to sleep, because after 68th hour all electronics in the tower starts malfunctioning.

Val used to be a full-time performer, but now he's more like a RuPaul—lending his face to the brand and only occasionally gracing the stage. But every time he does perform, Vox makes sure to be there front and center.

Their schedules are very incompatible and they have to spend a lot of time managing their businesses but they have weekly appointments to do catch up and discuss strategy. Those are usually very unserious, they end up hitting the bong and playing Mario Cart.

There was this one time Vox tried hitting on Velvette because she's totally his type. It was awkward as hell, and they both agreed to never speak of it again. Valentino has no idea about it.

Valentino would really want to have a dog but Vox really likes dogs so he doesn't allow him to get one by imposing strict anti-pet policy in the tower.

Val knows all of Vox's and Velvette's kinks and sometimes produces custom porn for them as gifts.

As much as they love spending time together, Val and Velvette can't stand watching TV with Vox because he gets overly emotional and doesn't allow to skip commercials because he enjoys them

Vox occasionally invites Val to be a guest judge on reality shows, which always skyrockets ratings but sometimes ends nasty for the contestants.

Val's obsessed with textures, especially nice fabrics. Give him a nice fluffy blanket and he will shut up for 15 minutes fixated on touching it.

Vox, with his business and strategic management degree, sometimes tries to pitch these ideas to Velvette and Valentino, he's like Guys, have you considered using the BCG matrix? Ever heard of SWOT analysis? We should discuss KPIs. They mock him relentlessly for it.

Val once tried putting drag makeup on Vox's face, and let's just say the result was... less than glamorous.

During their honeymoon phase, Vox and Val fucked everywhere. At first, Velvette found it amusing, but eventually, she grew to hate it. She finally snapped when she found out they'd fucked on the dinner table and she set it on fire.

Val "secretly" ghostwrote some trashy smut novels (they are absolutely horrible, worst Wattpad shit you could dig out). Vox secretly bought and read every single one, finding plenty of references to himself along the way.

Vox loves it when Val wears stripper platforms, even though it makes their height difference even more ridiculous.

Valentino's wardrobe takes two entire rooms and still expands. Vox doesn't know how to stop it.

Vox owns a few lingerie sets, only because Val loses his fucking mind whenever he wears them. Velvette designed them herself and keeps photos of Vox wearing them as blackmail material, just in case.

#hazbin hotel #vox #valentino #voxval #ask #staticmoth #velvette #vox hazbin #hazbin hotel valentino #headcanon #velvette hazbin #the vees

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agapi-kalyptei · 9 months ago

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crowdstrike: hot take 1

It's too early in the news cycle to say anything truly smart, but to sum things up, what I know so far:

there was no "hack" or cyberattack or data breach*

a private IT security company called CrowdStrike released a faulty update which practically disabled all its desktop (?) Windows workstations (laptops too, but maybe not servers? not sure)

the cause has been found and a fix is on the way

as it stands now, the fix will have to be manually applied (in person) to each affected workstation (this could mean in practice maybe 5, maybe 30 minutes of work for each affected computer - the number is also unknown, but it very well could be tens (or hundreds) of thousands of computers across thousands of large, multinational enterprises.

(The fix can be applied manually if you have a-bit-more-than-basic knowledge of computers)

Things that are currently safe to assume:

this wasn't a fault of any single individual, but of a process (workflow on the side of CrowdStrike) that didn't detect the fault ahead of time

[most likely] it's not that someone was incompetent or stupid - but we don't have the root cause analysis available yet

deploying bugfixes on Fridays is a bad idea

*The obligatory warning part:

Just because this wasn't a cyberattack, doesn't mean there won't be related security breaches of all kinds in all industries. The chaos, panic, uncertainty, and very soon also exhaustion of people dealing with the fallout of the issue will create a perfect storm for actually malicious actors that will try to exploit any possible vulnerability in companies' vulnerable state.

The analysis / speculation part:

globalization bad lol

OK, more seriously: I have not even heard about CrowdStrike until today, and I'm not a security engineer. I'm a developer with mild to moderate (outsider) understanding of vulnerabilities.

OK some background / basics first

It's very common for companies of any size to have more to protect their digital assets than just an antivirus and a firewall. Large companies (Delta Airlines) can afford to pay other large companies to provide security solutions for them (CrowdStrike). These days, to avoid bad software of any kind - malware - you need a complex suite of software that protects you from all sides:

desktop/laptop: antivirus, firewall, secure DNS, avoiding insecure WiFi, browser exploits, system patches, email scanner, phishing on web, phishing via email, physical access, USB thumb drive, motherboard/BIOS/UEFI vulnerabilities or built-in exploits made by the manufacturers of the Chinese government,

person/phone: phishing via SMS, phishing via calls, iOS/Android OS vulnerabilities, mobile app vulnerabilities, mobile apps that masquerade as useful while harvesting your data, vulnerabilities in things like WhatsApp where a glitched JPG pictures sent to you can expose your data, ...

servers: mostly same as above except they servers have to often deal with millions of requests per day, most of them valid, and at least some of the servers need to be connected to the internet 24/7

CDN and cloud services: fundamentally, an average big company today relies on dozens or hundreds of other big internet companies (AWS / Azure / GCP / Apple / Google) which in turn rely on hundreds of other companies to outsource a lot of tasks (like harvesting your data and sending you marketing emails)

infrastructure - routers... modems... your Alexa is spying on you... i'm tired... etc.

Anyway if you drifted to sleep in the previous paragraph I don't blame you. I'm genuinely just scratching the surface. Cybersecurity is insanely important today, and it's insanely complex too.

The reason why the incident blue-screened the machines is that to avoid malware, a lot of the anti-malware has to run in a more "privileged" mode, meaning they exist very close to the "heart" of Windows (or any other OS - the heart is called kernel). However, on this level, a bug can crash the system a lot more easily. And it did.

OK OK the actual hot lukewarm take finally

I didn't expect to get hit by y2k bug in the middle of 2024, but here we are.

As bad as it was, this only affected a small portion of all computers - in the ballpark of ~0.001% or even 0.0001% - but already caused disruptions to flights and hospitals in a big chunk of the world.

maybe-FAQ:

"Oh but this would be avoided if they weren't using the Crowdwhatever software" - true. However, this kind of mistake is not exclusive to them.

"Haha windows sucks, Linux 4eva" - I mean. Yeah? But no. Conceptually there is nothing that would prevent this from happening on Linux, if only there was anyone actually using it (on desktop).

"But really, Windows should have a better protection" - yes? no? This is a very difficult, technical question, because for kernel drivers the whole point is that 1. you trust them, and 2. they need the super-powerful-unrestrained access to work as intended, and 3. you _need_ them to be blazing fast, so babysitting them from the Windows perspective is counterproductive. It's a technical issue with no easy answers on this level.

"But there was some issue with Microsoft stuff too." - yes, but it's unknown if they are related, and at this point I have not seen any solid info about it.

The point is, in a deeply interconnected world, it's sort of a miracle that this isn't happening more often, and on a wider scale. Both bugfixes and new bugs are deployed every minute to some software somewhere in the world, because we're all in a rush to make money and pay rent and meet deadlines.

Increased monoculture in IT is bad for everyone. Whichever OS, whichever brand, whichever security solution provider - the more popular they are, the better visible their mistakes will be.

As much as it would be fun to make jokes like "CrowdStroke", I'm not even particularly mad at the company (at this point - that might change when I hear about their QA process). And no, I'm not even mad at Windows, as explained in the pseudo-FAQ.

The ultimate hot take? If at all possible, don't rely on anything related to computers. Technical problems are caused by technical solutions.

#crowdstrike #cybersecurity #anyway i'm microdosing today so it's probably too boring to read #but hopefully it at least mostly made sense #to be honest I wanted to have more of a hot take #but the truth is mundane

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