A warning from cybersecurity and digital forensic expert, Ricoh Danielson
Protecting yourself from new online threats such as Log4J is now more important than ever, warns cybersecurity and digital forensic expert Ricoh Danielson. Log4J allows threat actors to access your computer without you knowing it.
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This online vulnerability is hidden in standard Microsoft code. Chinese and Korean scammers could possibly use it to transfer your entire identity including passwords, financial information, nationality, and other biometric information.
By stealing personal identities, such as the identities of high-level executives in a corporation, empowers a threat actor to potentially gain confidential information and access. Danielson predicts an uptick of threat actors performing cyber-attacks over the next 25 years to cause havoc with U.S. businesses including major corporations and financial institutions.
To protect yourself, one solution is to have a proactive, defensive, and robust cyber security mindset. This will empower an individual to implement various technology solutions such as vulnerability management, incident response, patch management, and data loss prevention.
This should be done on a regular basis, however, it’s not enough.
“You also have to be diligent and hyper-vigilant at continuously practicing cyber security hygiene and not putting it off since there’s too much at stake,” said Danielson. “This includes changing your passwords and implementing a multi-factor authentication.”
As a U.S. Army veteran, Danielson sees online threats as an ongoing battle. Even though we’re inundated with cybersecurity advice, not enough people are taking it seriously, probably because it’s not sexy, he notes.
“Inaction is a huge problem. Everyone should be practicing cybersecurity wellness. I hope my book Decisive Action, which will be out later this year, will motivate you to change your mind,” said Danielson.
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For the younger generation, cyber-attacks are becoming somewhat normalized to the extent that these threats aren’t being taken seriously. The older generation, however, specifically those involved with the government, who have their own business, or are in high-level positions, should understand the risks of cyberattacks.
“The older generation understands the need for cybersecurity from a high level, but many of them don’t understand the full picture and the technology itself. The younger generation understands the technology but may not want to comprehend the need for cybersecurity,” said Danielson.
Threat actors can steal protected health information and other crucial personal information, all mainly for financial gain.
“These malicious threats are like a heart attack. They’ll first steal your mortgage, your identity, and everything in between to give you a financial heart attack when you turn 60,” said Danielson.
Cybersecurity protection is evolving and one day Danielson believes authentication will be based on your DNA.
Recently, Danielson has been overwhelmed with security projects. In one recent project, he has helped the Nashville school authorities understand the need for cybersecurity on laptops for children. However, the biggest issue he sees is keeping information private in healthcare.
He worked with a university hospital in San Francisco to de-identify medical records of a million medical charts to keep personal information private so it could be sold to a Google medical project to study commonalities among Alzheimer patients.
“The only way the university could contribute to the study is to respect privacy laws and de-identify data,” said Danielson.
He’s also helped financial and healthcare institutions that are most at risk. On numerous occasions, Danielson has negotiated ransomware threats for various clients.
“In the past year, cyber threats have significantly increased, and it will be getting worse in the next five years. Everyone should be proactive to protect themselves. Take it seriously now before it happens to you,” said Danielson.
Danielson is a U.S. Army veteran and now a busy and highly sought-after cybersecurity and digital forensic expert, helping companies from healthcare to financial institutions tighten cybersecurity.
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