DHS reported a breach of several government agencies, apparently by Russian hackers. The full article is here. More details on the technical implications of this are here.
Many government agencies use SolarWinds products; any organization relying should follow the detailed developments closely.
The most technically interesting and sophisticated item in this report has been the hackers’ ability to bypass two factor authentication as discussed in the second article above.
For most people, the thought of having their computer or smart phone taken over is frightening. Our standard advice to prevent hacks: do not open anything from someone you do not know. Do not open anything you were not expecting. Do not open anything that looks suspicious.
For this newest iPhone hack, you don’t have to do a thing. Take a look at the video in the article below to see a rapid, frightening hack:
https://mashable.com/article/iphone-hack-scary/
Just to check your “hackability,” let me ask this: Did you at least think about it before you clicked that link?
There is redemption in the article: keep your devices updated; this prevents the hack. I know there can be irritating changes in iOS with new versions, but nothing like the irritation of being hacked.