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Phish — a Vermont-founded jam band — has been focusing on fighting for racial equity in the jam band scene for awhile. Now its volunteer group, Phans for Racial Equity (PHRE), has been announced as the next Dinner And A Movie (DAAM) beneficiary to help aid in its efforts. According to a press release shared with AfroTech, PHRE will receive all funds donated to its WaterWheel Foundation in concert with the next Dinner And A Movie (DAAM) livestream scheduled for Tuesday, June 29. “We want to thank Phish and WaterWheel for recognizing both the importance of focusing on racial equity in our own community and the opportunity to mobilize thousands of fans to take action through their love of live music,” Malcolm Howard — founding member of PHRE’s Board of Directors — said in a statement. “Black people face constant threats to our safety, and our community must speak out and get involved. As Phish’s song Rift states, ‘silence contagious in moments like these.’” DAAM was created in response...
The following tips will help your company avoid phishing attacks and mitigate the risk if the breach gets through. Companies are juicy targets for threat actors from the dark web because their proprietary data is a commodity that can be traded and leveraged for industrial espionage, blackmail, unfair competition or outright theft of funds. To their credit, lots of organizations use high-end defenses to thwart unauthorized access nowadays, including sophisticated IDS and IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems) that stop the classic hacker incursions in their tracks. Under the circumstances, cybercrooks are increasingly focusing on social engineering techniques to pull off their breaches. They know human factor is one of the most vulnerable segments in an organization’s security posture, and the overall protection of enterprise assets is only as strong as its weakest link. Whereas there are numerous different flavors of social engineering, phishing is by far the most common one....
Companies are juicy targets for threat actors from the dark web because their proprietary data is a commodity that can be traded and leveraged for industrial espionage, blackmail, unfair competition or outright theft of funds. To their credit, lots of organizations use high-end defenses to thwart unauthorized access nowadays, including sophisticated IDS and IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems) that stop the classic hacker incursions in their tracks. Under the circumstances, cybercrooks are increasingly focusing on social engineering techniques to pull off their breaches. They know human factor is one of the most vulnerable segments in an organization’s security posture, and the overall protection of enterprise assets is only as strong as its weakest link. Whereas there are numerous different flavors of social engineering, phishing is by far the most common one. It denotes a tactic where hackers send rogue emails to a company’s employees, requesting sensitive corporate...
Cybersecurity remains one of the most important — and unpredictable — topics shaping today’s technology landscape. At AFROTECH™ 2024, Nicole Dove, director of security engineering at Riot Games, led a session on how bad actors use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance cyberattacks and how defenders are evolving to stay ahead. Moderated by Dr. Christine Izuakor, founder and CEO of Cyber Pop-up, the session also included Lola Obamehinti, founder of Nigerian Techie who has over a decade of experience at major tech companies including eBay. During the session, Dove and Obamehinti were presented with high-stakes real-world scenarios to respond to live. “We’ve all heard a lot of the nightmare stories over the last year, especially when it comes to security,” Izuakor said. “Everything from unprecedented amounts of data being leaked to social media hacks to a global IT outage — and it’s important as leaders for us to be able to respond in ways that are efficient, to remain calm, to think...
At a time when rising data breaches and scams enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) are dominating headlines, it is more crucial than ever to go the extra mile to protect one’s data privacy and boost digital security . From phishing scams that mimic a loved one’s voice to deepfakes , fabricated USPS texts, identity theft, and fraud, modern-day threats are far more frequent and sophisticated. During AFROTECH™ 2024 , Kunmi Akingbade of Deloitte , Anietie Umoh of Meta , and Cortney Worthy of Dropbox took the Cybersecurity Stage to share insights on navigating a high-stakes digital landscape where personal data is constantly collected, analyzed, and exploited. The 40-minute panel warned of rising threats and offered tips for those looking to build or grow a career in cybersecurity, data privacy, and risk management. “In cybersecurity, it is common that you wear multiple hats,” Umoh said , emphasizing the importance of prioritizing and juggling multiple tasks. “Oftentimes you may have...
Dr. Christine Izuakor is making it easier for people in technology to forge meaningful connections. The Houston, TX, native is a cybersecurity professional with over a decade of experience leading cybersecurity functions at Fortune 100 companies. Her career journey could have looked very different had she pursued the medical field, a path favored by her Nigerian parents. However, she “failed miserably” in her attempt to become an eye doctor. Her pivot came after taking a course on encryption, which sparked her interest in cybersecurity. “I immediately switched my major and went on to earn a Ph.D. in security engineering. From there, I spent about 10 years leading different security functions at United Airlines, was a graduate cybersecurity professor, and so that’s what really kind of got me into this space and then allowed me to grow,” she told AFROTECH™ in an interview. Cyber Pop-up Today, Izuakor works part-time as an adjunct professor in cybersecurity at various schools and...
For many individuals seeking new employment, one of the most stressful aspects of a job hunt is nailing the interview . Your in-person performance before your potential employer could make or break your chances of being hired, and provides you with the best opportunity to sell yourself on merit, personality, and knowledge of the field. But, in order to do all of that, you’ll first need to answer a few common interview questions that you should expect when applying for most roles. These questions range from simple yes or no answer sets to more elaborate inquiries into your work experience and employment history. While the most common interview questions are designed to give your employer a full picture of your personality and capability, some can be quite tricky to traverse. That challenging aspect doesn’t bode well for those already anxious about the job application and onboarding process. That’s where we come in with the following list of the most common interview questions, in...
Claudette McGowan has raised significant funding to address cybersecurity concerns. Protexxa McGowan founded Protexxa, a Canada-based cybersecurity firm launched in 2021. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help companies and individuals resolve cyber issues or attacks faster. Examples of this include detecting exposed passwords, taking down online images, and developing response plans for customers in the event of an attack, a press release mentioned. With human error accounting for 90% of cyber attacks, the company’s solutions focus on improving personal cybersecurity hygiene to reduce business risk, per the press release. “People aren’t prepared for the reality of this risk, plus AI is helping attackers to scale, every device is connected, and there’s a shortage in cybersecurity talent to help reduce these risks,” McGowan told TechCrunch. “Using simple passwords, not using MFA [multi-factor authentication], ignoring privacy settings or over-sharing are all ways humans play a...
The very second you first understand the concept of what jobs are, people start asking the age-old question: What do you want to be when you grow up? Regardless of how the decision develops, each person eventually lands on what they want to do. Discovering your passion and calling is the fun part. For some — in particular, people of color — determining where to cultivate that passion can be much more intricate. But, finding a company that’s committed to equity, can provide a safe and inclusive space and ensures that benefits are on par with expectations isn’t quite as cumbersome as some may think. As the world of tech becomes inundated with career options for future technologists, Accenture has established itself as a world-class firm that’s delivering on the promise of technology and human ingenuity. Accenture’s commitment to provide clients with diverse innovation allows it to achieve and develop the best solutions. The company’s culture of equity ensures an inclusive work...
Do you remember the time when working from home was considered a luxury? Now, workers across the world have transitioned to working remotely due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19. Remote work has become a necessity in today’s world. However, the sudden transition to remote work has left many gaps in security strategies and protocols. More companies are considering making the transition to remote work long-term, but this will require making changes to the security protocols and strategies to ensure protection against identity theft, data breaches, and other cyberattacks. What security measures does your business have in place to ensure your remote workers are protected? Tip #1: Invest in the right antivirus software One of the most effective resources available to your business is antivirus software . A cyber attack can result in significant financial and reputational damage to a business. There is a strong chance the numbers will rise as more cyber criminals look to obtain...
Microsoft is seeking to reinforce its cybersecurity, following a recent legal victory against overseas hackers. According to CNBC, the court ruling allowed Microsoft to appropriate 50 domains that hackers used to infiltrate user accounts. “Thallium,” a group of hackers reportedly based in North Korea, used malware to collect and misuse the personal information of thousands of users in America, Japan, and South Korea. The latest pernicious attacks compromised systems and enabled emails, calendar entries, and other password-protected information to remain available to hackers even after users had changed their passwords . Thallium hackers gained access to Microsoft accounts through phishing techniques, in which users are prompted to click on links that appear to be from genuine sources. The fallout from such hacks is substantial, as the malware embedded in the links creates infinite system vulnerabilities. Thallium is not the only group of its kind. Other groups, such as the...
Many business functions, no matter the industry, use the Internet to send packets of communication which adjust inventory levels, charge credit cards, manage personnel profiles and much more. Since we’re in an ultra-connected society and there’s no going back, there are always online threats that we should be aware of including viruses, malware, trojan horses, ransomware, Social Engineering, man in the middle attacks, phishing and more. According to Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigation Report , 43 percent of breaches targeted the data or processes of small businesses. Even though the threat of cyber attacks is high than its ever been, cyber security remains an afterthought for too many entrepreneurs and business owners — something they’re only focused on after the damage is done. Here are a few steps any diligent business owner who wants to ensure their operations run effectively and safely should take to protect their business data and maintain client and customer trust: 1....
Nobody wants random people accessing their emails, especially if you’re running a presidential campaign. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that Hillary Clinton’s own campaign emails were breached. Despite that cautionary tale, almost every 2020 presidential candidate isn’t using a basic email security feature. Agari — an email security company — released new data that showed only Elizabeth Warren uses both email authentication and advanced email security. Warren is also the only candidate to use domain-based message authentication, report, and conformance policy, or DMARC, TechCrunch noted . DMARC is an email security feature designed to reduce the potential for email abuse by using Sender Policy Framework (SKF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). As outlined by TechCrunch, the feature is pretty useful because it can verify a sender’s email and mark emails as spam or can reject them if an email can’t be properly validated. “For US congressional and presidential candidates with...
Facebook doesn’t have the best reputation for creating a secure platform. From leaving passwords in plain text, to its app developers leaving users’ records exposed , Facebook continues to slip up. Now, a report by Cisco cybersecurity research division — Talos — has found that Facebook still has an ongoing problem with cybercrime groups. Talos said it compiled a list of 74 groups on Facebook with about 385,000 members who “promised to carry out an array of questionable cyber dirty deeds.” This included selling or trading stolen bank and credit card information and email spamming tools. The majority of those groups didn’t work all that hard to hide what they were doing. According to Talos, most used obvious names like “Facebook hack (Phishing)” and “Spammer & Hacker Professional.” To find the groups, all anyone had to do was a simple search containing some keywords. In addition, Talos noted that once someone joins one or more of those cybercrime groups, Facebook’s own algorithms...
On Wednesday, a Georgia man pleaded guilt y to hacking the Apple accounts of professional athletes and musicians. Beginning in at least March 2015, 27-year-old Kwamaine Jerell Ford made accounts meant to mimic Apple customer service. He sent emails targeting college and professional athletes — including NBA and NFL players — and rappers. Authorities have not released the names of those impacted. Ford took accounts over by attempting to reset the password, changing the contact email, and changing the security questions. Apple reported that they received “hundreds” of unauthorized logins from the victims’ accounts. On some accounts, Ford found credit card information, which he used to pay for “thousands of dollars in air travel, hotel stays, other travel expenses, furniture, and money transfers”. “The high profile victims in this case are an example that no matter who you are, hackers like Ford are trying to get your personal information,” FBI agent Chris Hacker said. “This case...