Cybersecurity in the News

What was this project?

For this assignment, we had to complete a cybersecurity training course and then read and evaluate two different articles related to the cybersecurity issues that we learned about in the training.

Article 1: "Cisco Sees AI Software Making Phishing Attacks Harder to Resist"

What is the article about?

This article is about phishing scams and how AI software might be used to make phishing scams more difficult to differentiate. This concern is brought up by Cisco Systems Inc, but this issue could affect various companies and industries. Jeetu Patel (the head of Cisco's security and collaboration units) says that the solution to combat new phishing scams would be to rapidly look through internet traffic data to find patterns that indicate something is a scam.

Evaluating the source

• Author: Ian King

• Source: Bloomberg

• Relevance: Published 04/24/23

• Accuracy: It is true that AI could be used to make phishing scams more believable, and that would cause major problems if it isn't combated properly.

• Purpose and Objectivity: The article is written without any strongly worded opinions and it isn't titled in a way that deceives people into clicking on it. There is a strong focus on Cisco, so it would have been more informative if the author heard from other companies as well or wrote about the effects it would have industry-wide rather than focusing on just one company.

• Links and Citations: Quotes Cisco's head of security Jeetu Patel

Article 2: "How internet fraud cost South Carolina businesses millions in 2022"

What is this article about?

This article deals with internet fraud and details how many businesses in South Carolina fell victim to it last year. To combat internet fraud, the South Carolina Small Business Development Center offers several programs to help small businesses with cybersecurity.

Evaluating the source

Author: Christina Lee Knauss

Source: Columbia Regional Business Report

Relevance: Published 04/25/23

Accuracy: The article is factual and backs up its statements with reputable sources.

Purpose and Objectivity: The article is sympathetic towards businesses that have become the victims of internet fraud, but the author doesn't use heavily exaggerated language in the title or body of the article to entice readers to click on it.

Links and Citations: The author links to CyberSecure SC, the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, and the South Carolina Small business Development Center. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (and agent Cindy Starns), CyberSecure SC's director Kim Christ, and one of SBDC's managers Earl Gregorich are quoted/used as sources.

Cybersecurity Certificate

Lessons Learned

I learned how dangerous and costly internet scams can be. I was surprised to read that internet frauds cost South Carolina $100 million just last year, and they ranked relatively low compared to other states based on how much money was lost to internet fraud (only ranking #25). I also learned that people who work in cybersecurity have to always be prepared to change tactics and adapt to new scams, like how new advancements in AI could bring out more believable phishing scams.