CyberAware Podcast Minnesota State University, Mankato

Looking to break into the field of cybersecurity? Special guest Dr. Michael Hart, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato, gives his best advice! Nathan sits down with Dr. Hart to chat about the job market, skills needed for the field, recommended coursework, degrees, and certifications, and a plethora of other resources to get started. Plan your path to landing your dream cybersecurity career!

This episode concludes with news stories including a data breach at electronics company Panasonic and a cyberattack on Ohio-based DNA Diagnostics Center.

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News Sources:


Story 1:

Seals, Tara. "Panasonic's Data Breach Leaves Open Questions." Threatpost, 30 November 2021, https://threatpost.com/panasonic-data-breach-questions/176660/


Story 2:

Toulas, Bill. "DNA Testing Firm Discloses Data Breach Affecting 2.1 Million People." Bleeping Computer, 30 November 2021, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/dna-testing-firm-discloses-data-breach-affecting-21-million-people/

The internet took the world by storm, and with it came a variety of cybercrimes that you should know about. From identity theft to cyber stalking, Ham and Nathan run through some of the most common cybercrimes that affect millions of people a year. Learn top risks to look out for in order to avoid falling victim to criminals.

This episode concludes with news from expert Mercy, including a recent cyberattack on wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems, a confirmed data breach on internet domain registrar GoDaddy, and an up and coming TSA PreCheck membership scam.

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News Sources:

Story 1:

Toulas, Bill. "Wind Turbine Giant Vestas' Data Compromised in Cyberattack." Bleeping Computer, 22 November 2021, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wind-turbine-giant-vestas-data-compromised-in-cyberattack/


Story 2:

Seals, Tara. "GoDaddy's Latest Breach Affects 1.2M Customers." Threatpost, 22 November 2021, https://threatpost.com/godaddys-latest-breach-customers/176530/


Story 3:

Toulas, Bill. "Fake TSA PreCheck Sites Scam US Travelers with Fake Renewals." Bleeping Computer, 19 November 2021, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-tsa-precheck-sites-scam-us-travelers-with-fake-renewals/

Whether you're an aspiring crypto enthusiast, a skeptic, or just plain curious – learn the basics of what cryptocurrency is and some of the potential risks. Find out what crypto coins really are, some interesting examples, and how they're used. From Bitcoin to Dogecoin, Nathan and Ham walk you through this intriguing world with basic facts and personal anecdotes. Plus, find out top risks you should watch out for, including scams, cryptojacking, and mining.



This episode concludes with news from expert Mercy, including a TikTok scam targeting influencers, an update on the Robinhood data breach, and hundreds of WordPress sites hacked for a cryptocurrency ransom.



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News Sources:



Story 1:
Montalbano, Elizabeth. "Phishing Scam Aims to Hijack TikTok 'Influencer' Accounts." Threatpost, 17 November 2021, https://threatpost.com/phishing-scam-tiktok-influencer/176391/



Story 2:
Abrams, Lawrence. "7 Million Robinhood User Email Addresses for Sale on Hacker Forum." Bleeping Computer, 15 November 2021, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/7-million-robinhood-user-email-addresses-for-sale-on-hacker-forum/



Story 3:
Toulas, Bill. "WordPress Sites Are Being Hacked in Fake Ransomware Attacks." Bleeping Computer, 16 November 2021, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wordpress-sites-are-being-hacked-in-fake-ransomware-attacks/

Rewind to see how the past has influenced the present and fast forward to see what the future could bring with special guest expert Jeff Hall of Truvantis, a cybersecurity company. Nathan sits down with Jeff to chat about his experiences in the changing field of cybersecurity, including changes in the internet, the job landscape, and college degrees since he entered. The two also discuss the reality of cyberwarfare and new trends for the future including innovation in artificial intelligence and machine learning.



This episode concludes with news stories from expert Mercy, including a cyberattack on trading company Robinhood, a phishing attack targeting Microsoft 365 and Google users, and the exciting new availability of Mozilla Firefox in the Microsoft Windows Store.
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News Sources:



Story 1:



Abrams, Lawrence. "Robinhood Discloses Data Breach Impacting 7 Million Customers." Bleeping Computer, 8 November 2021, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/robinhood-discloses-data-breach-impacting-7-million-customers/



"Robinhood Announces Data Security Incident (Update)." Robinhood, 16 November 2021, https://blog.robinhood.com/news/2021/11/8/data-security-incident




Story 2:



Iyer, Abhishek. "A Pointed Spoof: Proofpoint Credential Phishing." Armorblox, 4 November 2021, https://www.armorblox.com/blog/proofpoint-credential-phishing/



Seals, Tara. "Proofpoint Phish Harvests Microsoft O365, Google Logins." Threatpost, 5 November 2021, https://threatpost.com/proofpoint-phish-microsoft-o365-google-logins/176038/




Story 3:



Warren, Tom. "Mozilla's Firefox Browser Arrives in the Windows Store." The Verge, 9 November 2021, https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/9/22771845/mozilla-firefox-microsoft-store-windows-download

The secret to staying secure? Check for and protect from risks! Nathan and Ham cover the basics on how to get started. From identifying to preventing security threats, find out just how important assessing your risks can be. This quick episode walks you through the essential steps for finding security risks in your daily life and preventing incidents from occurring.


This episode concludes with news from expert Mercy, including Google Chrome Malware targeting Windows machines and an announcement from Facebook about the deletion of its face recognition system.



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News Sources:

Story 1:

Iwamaye, Andrew. "Sneaking Through Windows: Infostealer Malware Masquerades as Windows Application." Rapid7, 28 October 2021, https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2021/10/28/sneaking-through-windows-infostealer-malware-masquerades-as-windows-application/

Montalbano, Elizabeth. "Google Chrome is Abused to Deliver Malware as 'Legit' Win 10 App." Threat Post, 29 October 2021, https://threatpost.com/chrome-deliver-malware-as-legit-win-10-app/175884/



Story 2:

Abrams, Lawrence. "Facebook to Delete 1 Billion Faceprints in Face Recognition Shutdown." Bleeping Computer, 2 November 2021, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/facebook-to-delete-1-billion-faceprints-in-face-recognition-shutdown/

Wondering where to start with backing up your data? Nathan and Ham have you covered with the basics. Learn about what exactly a backup is, what the cloud really means, and other types of backups like hard drives. Nathan and Ham walk through the pros and cons of each and answer the question – do you really need to back up your data? Hear personal stories of sulfur pits and corrupted hard drives from Ham, plus learn about the different types of data and who can access them.



This episode concludes with news from expert Mercy about a recent Craigslist phishing scam and more malicious Android apps.