Ransomware attacks were nothing new, but this one had a secret weapon, a sophisticated software exploit known as EternalBlue, published by the Shadow Brokers in April and believed to have been developed by the NSA. … NYU [Tandon School of Engineering] security researcher Justin Cappos, who works on securing patching procedures as part of The...
Category: <span>Press Highlights</span>
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Software Protecting Future Cars Starts To Make Inroads
Uptane, the cyber security software developed by New York University, Southwest Research Institute, and the University of Michigan, is making inroads into the global automotive supply chain. Last week, the German company Advanced Telematic Systems (ATS) said it integrated Uptane into its connected-car products. … NYU [Tandon School of Engineering]’s Justin Cappos runs the project,...
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Following the Money Hobbled vDOS Attack-for-Hire Service
A new report proves the value of following the money in the fight against dodgy cybercrime services known as “booters” or “stressers” — virtual hired muscle that can be rented to knock nearly any website offline. … The researchers posed as buyers of nearly two dozen booter services — including vDOS — in a bid...
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Higher Ed Stepping in to Fill Cybersecurity Gaps
In recent weeks, a pervasive ransomware attack affected systems throughout the world, causing chaos in National Health System hospitals in Great Britain and continuing to cripple hundreds of thousands of computers… The uptick in interest is a far cry from when Nasir Memon, a professor at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the founder...
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We Need Technology But at What Cost?
Though we now think we are protected by fingerprint readers, these are also prone to cyberattacks. If you think your fingerprint is unique, think again. Masterprints, digitally altered fingerprints that work like a master key, have been discovered by researchers for New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering. With these masterprints, one can unlock up...
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New Study Exposes Vulnerability of Smartphone’s Fingerprint Scanner
One of the prime reasons why phone users prefer fingerprint scanner-enabled smartphones is because of the sense of privacy and security that it offers. Or so we thought … The new findings have been released by Nasir Memon, a professor in the department of computer science and engineering at New York University’s Tandon School of...
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Can Big Data Analysis Swing a Political Election? (Video)
As nearly everything in our lives transitions from the real to the digital world, the more those things can — and are — being tracked. Every like, tweet, search and swipe ours is a piece of that digital data mosaic that makes up our online life. But with that massive amount of information, companies, advertisers...
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Trump’s Call for a Crackdown on Botnets Is a Long Shot
President Trump wants to crack down on botnets, the networks of hacked zombie computers that criminals or adversaries can use to carry out large-scale cyberattacks. Achieving this would surely disrupt the cybercriminal infrastructure, but it will also require that the administration overcome monumental technical and political hurdles. Zachary K. Goldman comments in the MIT Technology...
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WannaCry Ransomware Attack Illustrates Need for Evolution in Cybersecurity Norms
Individuals and institutions affected by the WannaCry ransomware attack face a Hobson’s choice—the malicious software (malware) encrypts a user’s documents while the decryption keys remain in the hands of the cybercriminals. Victims of the attack can either pay the hackers for the release of their files, feeding the profit motive that generates attacks like this...
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New Hacking Threats: Fingerprint Reader Vulnerabilities and Sophisticated Ransomware
Researchers for New York University’s (N.Y.U.) Tandon School of Engineering discovered masterprints, digitally altered fingerprints that could match many people’s fingers…”If I have this glove or fake hand with these master prints on it then I can unlock say 25, 30, 40 percent of phones,” Professor Nasir Memon of N.Y.U. Tandon said.