From our International Desk (of dumb things from around the world):
Anyone who has worked in the security field for a while knows that often the biggest vulnerabilities may come from the simplest (or stupidest) of mistakes.
Take passwords, for example. Where do you store them? In your head? In a file? On a piece of paper in your wallet? On a sticky-note or write them on your white board?
Or maybe post them on your computer screen? Let’s take a look at a few examples.
A recent blog post by cybersecurity expert, Graham Cluley, highlights a blunder by Australian TV station Canberra News7.
During a broadcast interview conducted via a Zoom video chat, the cameraman no doubt imagined he or she was getting a terrific angle pointing over the reporter’s shoulder. Unfortunately, however, the view didn’t just show the interviewee on the screen – but also a monitor festooned with stuck-on login credentials.
To their credit, Canberra News7 apparently did have two-factor authentication on it’s Gmail account, at least creating an additional hurdle for would-be attackers- yes, they tried, then posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lee_mead/status/1292373805730369536
But wait, there’s more…
British SkyNews weather report:
BBC video report on the British rail network (the video has since been taken down, but the screenshot is out there). Um, and maybe consider a more complex password?
Superbowl security on CBS:
Can’t leave out the French: TV station TV5Monde:
And the well known Hawaii Emergency Management report from 2018:
What more can be said?
- Protect your passwords- and use good ones!
- Make used of a reliable password manager.
- AND- turn on two-factor authentication.
Read more from Graham Cluley: