You? Target of Artificial intelligence Cyber Attacks – News ! You Have To Understand

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 

CYBER ATTACKS

The next major cyber attack could involve Artificial Intelligence Expert Systems. It could even happen very early: At a recent cybersecurity conference, 62 industry professionals, out of the 100 questioned, said they thought the first AI-enhanced cyberattack could come in the next 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence Powered Cyber Attacks

This doesn’t mean robots will be marching down Your Main Streets. Rather, artificial intelligence will make existing cyber attack efforts – things like to examine theft, denial-of-service attacks, and password cracking – more powerful and more efficient. 

This is dangerous enough – this type of hacking can steal money, cause emotional harm and even injure or kill people. 

Larger attacks can cut power to hundreds of thousands of people, shut down hospitals and even affect national security.

Way to Analyze Cyber Attacks with AI

Adding AI to today’s cybercrime and cybersecurity world will escalate what is already a rapidly changing arms race between attackers and defenders.

Automated Faster Attacks

Beyond computers’ lack of need for food and sleep – needs that limit human hackers’ efforts, even when they work in teams – automation can make complex attacks much faster and more effective.

To date, the effects of automation have been limited. Very rudimentary AI-like capabilities have for decades given virus programs the ability to self-replicate, spreading from computer to computer without specific human instructions. 

In addition, programmers have used their skills to automate different elements of hacking efforts. 

Distributed attacks, for example, involve triggering a remote program on several computers or devices to overwhelm servers. The attack that shut down large sections of the internet in October 2016 used this type of approach. 

In some cases, common attacks are made available as a script that allows an unsophisticated user to choose a target and launch an attack against it.

Improved adaptation

AI-enabled attackers will also be much faster to react when they encounter resistance, or when cybersecurity experts fix weaknesses that had previously allowed entry by unauthorized users. 

The AI may be able to exploit another vulnerability, or start scanning for new ways into the system – without waiting for human instructions.

This could mean that human responders and defenders find themselves unable to keep up with the speed of incoming attacks. 

Avoiding the dangers

Operating autonomously could lead AI systems to attack a system it shouldn’t, or cause unexpected damage. 

For example, software started by an attacker intending only to steal money might decide to target a hospital computer in a way that causes human injury or death. 

The potential for unmanned aerial vehicles to operate autonomously has raised similar questions of the need for humans to make the decisions about targets.

AI Powered Cyber Attacks can Hack Your Facebook, Youtube, Amazon and other accounts as well and can target your money for doing this.

Top 5 Operating Systems Used for Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing

Top 5 Operating Systems Used For Ethical Hacking And Penetration Testing

What is Operating System (OS)?

An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs.

Now, It’s time to pause the archaic Windows vs. OS X vs. Linux discussion and switch over to some advanced operating systems dedicated to pen testing and ethical hacking. 

This list includes Linux distros like Kali Linux, Parrot Security OS, BlackArch, etc.

Top 5 Operating Systems Used For Ethical Hacking And Penetration Testing - 2018

1. KALI LINUX

It is developed by Offensive Security as the rewrite of BackTrack and tops our list as one of the top operating systems for hacking purposes. This Debian-based OS comes with 500+ preinstalled pen testing tools and applications that make your security toolbox richer to start along. These flexible tools are frequently updated and are offered for different platforms like ARM and VMware. Kali Linux is also feasible for a forensic job as it comes with a live boot capability that provides a perfect environment for vulnerability detection.
Download Kali Linux

2. PARROT SECURITY OS

It is also a Debian-based OS that is developed by Frozenbox’s team. Parrot security is a cloud-friendly operating system designed for ethical hacking, pen testing, computer forensics, cryptography, etc. Compared to others, Parrot Security OS is a lightweight OS that is highly efficient to work with. Parrot Security OS is a mixture of Frozenbox OS and Kali Linux. Moreover, this highly customizable hacking operating system also comes with a strong community support.
Download Parrot Security OS

3. BACKBOX

BackBox Linux is an Ubuntu-based operating system that is used for security assessment and penetration testing. BackBox Linux has a wide range of security analysis tools that can be used for web application analysis, network analysis, etc. It is fast and easy to use Linux distro that is famous among hacker’s community which comes with a complete desktop environment. The software applications provided by the OS are regularly updated with the most stable versions.
Download BackBox

4. Samurai Web Testing Framework

Samurai Web Testing Framework is essentially a live Linux environment that comes pre-configured to work as a web penetration testing platform. It contains multiple free and open source hacking tools for detecting web vulnerabilities. It is often known as the best operating system for Web Penetration Testing.

Download Samurai Web Testing Framework

5. DEFT LINUX

The open-source Linux distribution “DEFT” stands for Digital Evidence and Forensic Toolkit. DEFT is based on Ubuntu and built around the DART (Digital Advanced Response Toolkit) software. It is preconfigured with many popular forensic tools and documents that can be used by ethical hackers, penetration testers, IT security specialists, and other individuals.

Download DEFT Linux

However, there are many other distributions as well that are used by many professional, but these are the mainly used distributions that are highly recommended and preferred by experienced professionals from the field. Moreover, the selection of Linux distribution depends on the purpose for what purpose it is being used.
For More Knowledge of Ethical Hacking Click Here

DDoS Attack - Working and Tools

DDoS Attack

What is DDoS Attack?

• Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks is a subclass of denial of service (DoS) attacks. A DDoS attack involves multiple connected online devices, collectively known as a Botnet, which is used to overwhelm a target website with fake traffic.

• A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt normal traffic of a targeted server, service or network by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic.

• From a high level, a DDoS attack is like a traffic jam clogging up with the highway, preventing regular traffic from arriving at its desired destination.

Difference Between DoS and DDoS Attack?

In a DoS attack, a perpetrator uses a single Internet connection to either exploit a software vulnerability or flood a target with fake requests—usually in an attempt to exhaust server resources (e.g., RAM and CPU).

On the other hand, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks is launched from multiple connected devices that are distributed across the Internet. These multi-person, multi-device barrages are generally harder to deflect, mostly due to the sheer volume of devices involved. Unlike single-source DoS attacks.

DDoS attacks also differ in the manner of their execution. Broadly speaking, DoS attacks are launched using homebrewed scripts or DoS tools (e.g., Low Orbit Ion Canon), while DDoS attacks are launched from botnets — large clusters of connected devices (e.g., cell phones, PCs or routers) infected with malware that allows remote control by an attacker.

How does a DDoS attack work?

A DDoS attack requires an attacker to gain control of a network of online machines in order to carry out an attack. Computers and other machines (such as IoT devices) are infected with malware, turning each one into a bot (or zombie). The attacker then has remote control over the group of bots, which is called a botnet.

Once a botnet has been established, the attacker is able to direct the machines by sending updated instructions to each bot via a method of remote control. When the IP address of a victim is targeted by the botnet, each bot will respond by sending requests to the target, potentially causing the targeted server or network to overflow capacity, resulting in a denial-of-service to normal traffic. Because each bot is a legitimate Internet device, separating the attack traffic from normal traffic can be difficult.

What are common types of DDoS attacks?

Different DDoS attack vectors target varying components of a network connection. In order to understand how different DDoS attacks work, it is necessary to know how a network connection is made. A network connection on the Internet is composed of many different components or “layers”. Like building a house from the ground up, each step in the model has a different purpose. The OSI model, shown below, is a conceptual framework used to describe network connectivity in 7 distinct layers.

There are 3 Types of Attacks  -

1. Application Layer attack

2. Protocol Attack

3. Volumetric Attack

Tools Used in DoS/DDoS Attacks -

1. Slowloris

2. LOIC ( Low Orbit Ion Cannon )

3. GoldenEye

4. HOIC ( High Orbit Ion Cannon )

5. XOIC

6. RUDY ( R U Dead Yet ? )

7. TOR's Hammer

8. THC-SSL-DoS

9. Pyloris

10. HULK ( Http Unbreakable Load King )

Andriod Tools -

1. AnDOSid

2. LIOC

Social Engineering - Tactics and Preventions

SOCIAL ENGINEERING

What is Social Engineering?

• Social engineering is the term used for a broad range of malicious activities accomplished through human interactions.

• It uses psychological manipulation to trick users into making security mistakes or giving away sensitive information.

• Social engineering is the art of manipulating users of a computing system into revealing confidential information that can be used to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. 

• The term can also include activities such as exploiting human kindness, greed, and curiosity to gain access to restricted access buildings or getting the users into installing backdoor software.

Note - What makes social engineering especially dangerous is that it relies on human error, rather than vulnerabilities in software and operating systems.

What are some examples of what social engineers say or do?Criminals will often take weeks and months getting to know a place before even coming in the door or making a phone call. Their preparation might include finding a company phone list or org chart and researching employees on social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook. 

There are three ways to do it in an organization are -

1. On Phone Call 

2. In Office

3. Online

SOCIAL ENGINEERING ATTACK TECHNIQUESSocial engineering attacks come in many different forms and can be performed anywhere where human interaction is involved. The following are the five most common forms of digital social engineering assaults.

1. Baiting 

Baiting attacks use a false promise to pique a victim’s greed or curiosity. They lure users into a trap that steals their personal information or inflicts their systems with malware.

2. Scareware

Scareware involves victims being bombarded with false alarms and fictitious threats. Users are deceived to think their system is infected with malware, prompting them to install software that has no real benefit (other than for the perpetrator) or is malware itself. Scareware is also referred to as deception software, rogue scanner software, and fraudwares.

3. Pretexting

Here an attacker obtains information through a series of cleverly crafted lies. The scam is often initiated by a perpetrator pretending to need sensitive information from a victim so as to perform a critical task.

The attacker usually starts by establishing trust with their victim by impersonating co-workers, police, bank and tax officials, or other persons who have right-to-know authority. The pretexter asks questions that are ostensibly required to confirm the victim’s identity, through which they gather important personal data.

4. Phishing

As one of the most popular social engineering attack types, phishing scams are email and text message campaigns aimed at creating a sense of urgency, curiosity or fear in victims. It then prods them into revealing sensitive information, clicking on links to malicious websites, or opening attachments that contain malware.

5. Spear Phishing

This is a more targeted version of the phishing scam whereby an attacker chooses specific individuals or enterprises. They then tailor their messages based on characteristics, job positions, and contacts belonging to their victims to make their attack less conspicuous. Spear Phishing requires much more effort on behalf of the perpetrator and may take weeks and months to pull off. They’re much harder to detect and have better success rates if done skillfully.

NOTE - To perform social engineering attacks for educational purpose you can use Social Engineering Toolkit (SET) in Kali Linux.

How to Defend Yourself from Social Engineers?

Social engineers manipulate human feelings, such as curiosity or fear, to carry out schemes and draw victims into their traps. Therefore, be wary whenever you feel alarmed by an email, attracted to an offer displayed on a website, or when you come across stray digital media lying about. Being alert can help you protect yourself against most social engineering attacks taking place in the digital realm.

• Don’t open emails and attachments from suspicious sources – If you don’t know the sender in question, you don’t need to answer an email. Even if you do know them and are suspicious about their message, cross-check and confirm the news from other sources, such as via telephone or directly from a service provider’s site. Remember that email addresses are spoofed all of the time; even an email purportedly coming from a trusted source may have actually been initiated by an attacker.
• Use multifactor authentication – One of the most valuable pieces of information attackers seek are user credentials. Using multifactor authentication helps ensure your account’s protection in the event of system compromise. Imperva Incapsula Login Protect is an easy-to-deploy 2FA solution that can increase account security for your applications.
• Be wary of tempting offers – If an offer sounds too enticing, think twice before accepting it as fact. Googling the topic can help you quickly determine whether you’re dealing with a legitimate offer or a trap.
• Keep your antivirus/antimalware software updated – Make sure automatic updates are engaged, or make it a habit to download the latest signatures first thing each day. Periodically check to make sure that the updates have been applied, and scan your system for possible infections.