Cyber warfare training center in NYC | What Is IT?

You won't find any elliptical machines at Cybergym. However, heavy lifting is being done by "good guys" doing "bad things" for a good reason. Governments and companies can come here to see how vulnerable they are to a cyberattack.

Selling (fake) social media followers is big business | What Is IT?

We've all had the reaction of judging content and individuals by their number of followers and likes and not by their substance. Surprise, surprise--in the world of social media, many followers and likes aren't real. Not only is fake social media following still a thing, it is big business.

Meltdown and Spectre hardware bugs: What to know and do | What Is IT?

Your important data—passwords, photos, e-mails and instant messages—are at risk because of a design flaw in Intel's processor chip. The flaw leaves your personal devices vulnerable to attack. Fixing the flaw could result in your system slowing down as much as 30 percent.

How the Mirai botnet attack is linked to a Minecraft stunt | What Is IT?

In October 2016, the internet was almost brought to a screeching halt. Twitter, Netflix, Amazon and other websites were knocked down thanks to a sophisticated cyber-attack on the American tech firm Dyn. At the time, there were fears it could be the opening shots in a new cyber war.

Cyber warfare: Battling bots | What Is IT?

Computer software designed to make life easier is now running amok—from politics to the music industry. Call it the battle of the bots. Like most things, bots aren't inherently bad. They've just garnered a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons, particularly over the past year. So what exactly are they?

Human trafficking on the dark web and beyond | What Is IT?

The dark web is the internet's sinister side. The dark web cannot be found by using search engines such as Google. It can only be accessed via special software known as TOR, The Onion Router. You can find guns, drugs, sex, and counterfeit cash for sale on the dark web.

Can big data analysis swing a political election? | What Is IT? The Big Idea Edition

As nearly everything in our lives transitions from the real to the digital world, the more those things can -- and are -- being tracked. Every like, tweet, search and swipe ours is a piece of that digital data mosaic that makes up our online life. But with that massive amount of information, companies, advertisers and now political campaigns are gaining a big advantage.

What is Ransomware? | What Is IT?

You wake up, turn on your computer, and there it is-- A menacing message informing you that the data on your computer is encrypted. The only way to unlock it is to pay up. You're now the victim of Ransomware

Trump’s executive order on cyber security | What Is IT?

President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at modernizing and improving the nation's computer networks as he continues to fend off critics of his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, who was leading an investigation into alleged Russian hacking in the 2016 election and possible ties to Trump associates.

The business of cyber security | What Is IT?

You see hacks and data breaches on the news all the time. Target, Yahoo, eBay, and Sony are just some of the major companies where millions of records have been stolen. But those are just the ones that make the news because they affect so many people. Experts say the majority of hacks (75 percent of them) happen at small or medium sized companies. You just don't hear about them.