Techshots' Weekly Cybersecurity Newsletter

Hello readers,

We are back with another newsletter for the week gone by. By the end of it, you will have a fair idea about everything that happened in the world of cybersecurity and how it impacts you.?

Let’s get started.

Netflix is tightening its noose around password sharing

Streaming giant Netflix recently announced that it has expanded its crackdown on password sharing to the United States among 100 other countries. This means accounts cannot be shared for free outside one home. If you wish to share your account with someone beyond your home, you’ll have to pay an additional cost, which is $8 in the United States. This crackdown has been extended to countries like Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil, but India is so far not on the list. Considering how competitive the Indian market is, more so with the arrival of Jio Cinema, do you think Netflix can risk this move here? Tell us in the comments.

Moving on! Adobe launched a budget smart home security system to compete with Google Nest.

Called Abode Security Kit, this kit comes with the wireless Abode Security Hub, one mini sensor, and one keyfob. It can also work with Google Nest products, claimed reports, but not with Apple Home. It costs $159.99. Company CEO Christopher Carney said, “We've understood that home security is a paramount concern for all users, yet a steep upfront cost often presents a significant hurdle.” Would you buy it to keep your smart home safe?

Talking about safety. A new report claims 73% Indian companies were attacked by cybercriminals in 2022

This number is staggering considering 57% of companies reported ransomware attacks in 2021. The CTO of Sophos, the company that released this damning report, said, “With almost three-quarters of Indian organisations reporting that they have been victim to ransomware criminals, a lot of work needs to be done. The key to lowering this number is to work to aggressively lower the time taken to detect as well as to respond.”?

Now that we are on the topic, at least some companies are taking steps to combat ransom attacks.?

In the UK, major tech firms, telecom groups and banks have joined hands to spy on scammers. As part of a trial, the group will use around 300 phone numbers and 100 email addresses to "engage with scammers in a way that is undetectable to them". The idea is to gather information on the tools that fraudsters use on victims. Do you think the “scam the scamsters” move will succeed?

But what about situations when countries are involved in cyberfraud??

Recently, Microsoft said hackers backed by China have been targeting US critical infrastructure. These hackers could be laying the technical groundwork for the potential disruption of critical communications between the US and Asia during future crises. It said this plan has been in motion since 2021. However, Microsoft didn’t say why it revealed this information now. Did Microsoft see an uptick in the targeting of critical infrastructure?

Before we wrap up this week’s newsletter, it’s important to talk about the one morphed picture which has gone viral in India.?

An image of wrestlers protesting against a BJP MP shows them smiling when in reality, they were not. The picture has been morphed using Artificial Intelligence, sparking the AI boon or bane debate yet again. What do you think of AI? Share your thoughts with us.

Do write to me at [email protected] to tell me about the topics you'd want to read about.