To lock your Social Security number (SSN), you first need to either contact the Social Security Administration or use your E-Verify account to self-lock it. It is necessary to lock your SSN when you suspect that it has been stolen and used to commit fraud or identity theft. If you notice suspicious activity in your bank accounts, missing mail or mistakes in your tax returns, you might be a victim of identity theft and should lock your SSN immediately.

A Quick Response (QR) code is made up of black and white pixels, designed for someone to scan with their camera to access links, contact information and more. Some common QR code scams you should be aware of include QR codes on parking meters, unexpected package deliveries, phishing emails, restaurant menus or unsolicited text messages. One study in October 2023 found that 22% of worldwide phishing attacks used QR codes to spread malware.

The idea that people are the weakest link has been a constant topic of discussion in cybersecurity conversations for years, and this may have been the case when looking at the attack landscape of the past. But we live in a new world where artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs) and deep fake technology are changing every day.

In recent weeks we’ve covered how criminals use bots to steal accounts across the web. Credential stuffing tools make this easy and quick to do. If you missed it, watch a live demo of the process in this webinar. In this post we’ll look in more detail at what happens next. How do criminals monetize stolen accounts? To answer this, we’ll use the example of streaming services – one of the quickest and easiest commodities for crooks to shift and make a quick profit.

In the first blog in this series, we unpacked the foundational concepts of encryption at rest and introduced you to Elastic Cloud’s “bring your own key” (BYOK) feature, which allows you to do encryption at rest with encryption keys managed by the KMS service of your cloud provider. The second blog of this series dives into the technical nuances of implementing encryption at rest with AWS KMS keys.

On August 13th, 2024, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published the first three cryptographic standards designed to resist an attack from quantum computers: ML-KEM, ML-DSA, and SLH-DSA. This announcement marks a significant milestone for ensuring that today’s communications remain secure in a future world where large-scale quantum computers are a reality.

Protecting PII data has never been more crucial. In today’s digital age, personal information is constantly at risk from cyber threats. Ensuring data privacy is essential for maintaining trust and compliance with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). PII means Personally Identifiable Information. It includes data that can identify someone, like their name, address, or social security number.

In the high-stakes world of cybersecurity, where threats evolve hourly and every endpoint is a potential vulnerability, rapid response can make or break an organisation's defences. A recent customer case study showcases how our Quick Actions feature is enhancing the way organisations handle cybersecurity incidents.

In AI and machine learning, providing accurate and timely information is crucial. However, equally important is an AI model’s ability to recognize when it doesn’t have enough information to answer a query and to gracefully decline to respond. This capability is a critical factor in maintaining the reliability and trustworthiness of the entire system.