SYNFUL KNOCK HITS CISCO'S ROUTERS

Internet is considered as one of Humanity’s best inventions. However it is increasingly seen as a threat to our own privacy. Our opinion towards internet is turning negative. Ashley Madison among others have recently suffered from cyber attacks. Another recent case was Cisco, the worldwide leader in IT. Are these cases changing the way we use Internet?

A new form of malicious software (SYNful Knock), has been implanted in 79 Cisco’s routers in 19 countries. The hackers could use this spying tool to access important  and useful data. SYNful Knock avoids firewalls, anti-virus, or any other form of detection and security tool used to safeguard data.

Photo credit: http://arstechnica.com

Cisco, has defend its reputation by claiming that this is not due to the reliability of its software. Actually, the hackers entered the routers by stealing valid network administration credentials. To mitigate the problem, Cisco explained to their customers how to increase the security of its network and how to avoid, detect and solve the SYNful Knock attack.

It is alarming the amount of information we are sharing on internet and the ease with whom it can be stolen. Even a big company such as Cisco is never 100% safe from these attacks. We are taking privacy more seriously. In fact, only about a fifth of people surveyed by the European Commission trusted online businesses. Surprisingly, we are using internet more than ever. Internet usage in USA is nearly 90%, and it’s even higher in some Scandinavian countries.

In conclusion, although we are not changing the way we use internet at all, this cases should be taken seriously by companies. Companies with an online presence which can’t protect their customer’s data and provide their customers with a strong feeling of security, have the risk of loosing customer’s reliance on the firm and therefore, loosing online sales and its reputation.