PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

 In this project, I was to search for cybersecurity articles in the news to find what the risks, threats, and weaknesses we all share on our computers and mobile devices. To identify what hackers search for and take, and what is done to protect our information.

NEWS ARTICLES:

Nigeria Arrests 13 University Students for Internet Fraud

This article  describes a group of students and youth using phishing schemes such as: email phishing, greeting card scams, credit card or bank loan scams, lottery fee scams, identity shaming, website pranks, silhouetted profiles, and high-tech disaster fraud  to take money from people. They even gain access to company servers to infiltrate their system and try to get wire transfers from associates while pretending to be an employee. The article also stated that employment for young adults is down and they are seeking quick wealth. 

Many people have been affected by these students' actions. Spam ware on personal computers and the knowledge to know not to click on sites asking for money or playing on your heart strings to send money to save someone or something can help prevent these attacks from continuing.

SOURCE:

• Published by: OCCRP Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

> reported by: Nneoma Omeje 

• Where was it published? Amsterdam

• When was it published? October 1, 2024

• Accuracy of the article: Appears to be valid; offers Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram links; also includes quotes from other sources and embedded links to their findings.

• Purpose and Objectivity: Their mission is to expose crime and corruption so the public can better protect themselves. No ads, contained related articles.

• Links and Citations: https://www.occrp.org/en/news/nigerian-arrests-13-university-students-for-internet-fraud

Hackers Claim 'Catastrophic' Internet Archive Attack

The article reports on a group linked to a pro-Palestinian hacktivist movement. It launched a catastrophic cyber attack revealing the details of 31 million people, compromising their email addresses and screen names. A group named SN_BlackMeta is claiming responsibility on The Internet Archive, a non-profit organization known for its digital library and the Wayback Machine (a tool used to browse archived versions of websites).

Besides emails and passwords, encrypted passwords were also compromised by the hackers. When the breach was found the system was shut down, scrubbed, and security was updated. As well as these actions, changing passwords, not clicking any links on the site, and staying off the site all together until the issue is resolved would be beneficial, and was advised.

SOURCE:

• Author: Marie Boran  Technology Reporter

• Where was it published?: Marie is based in Carlow, Ireland

• When was it published?: October 10, 2024

• Integrity of the facts: Newsweek is pretty reputable. Also, when I hovered over "News Article" under the byline, it stated "Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources." She also has quotes from officials from The Internet Archive and  made an update with an expert. Links for social media were offered.

• Purpose and Objectivity: The article was to inform about cyber attacks, and the process of stopping and increasing the public's protection online. It also briefly described other breaches made by this group.

• Links and Citations: https://www.newsweek.com/catastrophic-internet-archive-hack-hits-31-million-people-1966866

What I learned:

In searching for a relevant article for this assignment I quickly realized this was a hot topic with numerous story lines and articles reporting on cyber security, hackers, breaches, and fraud. I also noticed there were a few articles that reported on actual fraud and identity theft in the real mail.  I feel like there are all these ways to protect my information, but just as many ways for someone to figure out how to steal my identity or passwords and take what I have. No one can be 100% protected.