Graphic Designing

According to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), graphic design is defined as “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content.” In other terms, graphic design communicates certain ideas or messages in a visual way. These visuals can be as simple as a business logo, or as complex as page layouts on a website.

“Graphic design takes graphical and textual elements and implements them into multiple types of media,” says designer Alexandros Clufetos, when asked to elaborate on the graphic design definition. “It helps the producer connect with the consumer. It conveys the message of the project, event, campaign or product.”Graphic design can be used by companies to promote and sell products through advertising, by websites to convey complicated information in a digestible way through infographics, or by businesses to develop an identity through branding, among other things.“Every day, we take many of the subtly artistic things around us for granted. But hidden in every magazine corner, the exit sign or textbook lies a set of design ideas that influence our perceptions,” says Jacob Smith, founder of illustration studio ProductViz.It’s also important to remember that although many graphic design projects have commercial purposes like advertisements and logos, it is also used in other contexts and graphic design work is often created purely as a means for artistic expression.

Graphic design basics

To better understand the meaning of the graphic design, it is important to be aware of the elements and principles that make up a design. Elements are used in conjunction or opposition with each other to create visually striking and impactful designs.

These graphic design elements include:

Color, Form, Line , Shape, Size, Space, Texture

Graphic designers also adhere to the principles of design, which are essentially a set of guidelines that help a design achieve effective composition. These basic principles aid in creating balance and stability for the piece of work.

These graphic design principles include:

Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Movement, Proportion, Rhythm

You’ve heard the old saying that “rules are meant to be broken,” which can certainly ring true in this case. But a good graphic designer must first understand these principles before making the conscious decision to break them.

Types of graphic design

As mentioned earlier, there is no single graphic design meaning. Graphic design is composed of many fields and specializations, ranging from print and web design to animation and motion graphics. Graphic design offers opportunities and options for individuals of almost any interest.

If you’d asked someone 30 years ago to define graphic design, their answer would have likely been focused on print-related examples like magazines, movie posters, and advertisements. Now we’re living in the digital age, which has given birth to several new types of graphic design. Some of the most notable modern-day graphic design examples stem from advancements in technology. Here’s a glimpse of some of these types of graphic design:

Website design involves creating engaging and intuitive web pages for users. This includes the overall layout, color scheme, and navigation.

User experience (UX) design is focused on ensuring a website or application is easy and satisfying to use. These designers emphasize value, usability, adaptability, and desirability.

Motion graphics design—or animation—brings visual elements to life through special effects, TV shows, video games, and movies.

Graphic design tools

Now that you know what type of jobs and specializations are out there, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with the graphic design tools that help get the job done. One of the most basic, and least expensive, tools designers use is a sketchbook. Graphic designers will often sketch out ideas or rough drafts on paper before turning to a computer to complete the process.

That being said, computers and design software are essential in today’s digital climate, even if you are designing for print. The type of computer you need is based on preference, but when it comes to software, Adobe products such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign are mainstays in the graphic design world. If you are just beginning and don’t want to commit to the high price tag Adobe products often carry, similar free open-source software such as GIMP can help you begin to master the basics.

Lastly, ideas and inspiration are what a graphic designer needs most. “You need to have a solid concept serving as the foundation of your design and communication,” explains Chad Birenbaum, co-founder of Duckpin Design. “This concept and idea need to work on paper first and then the computer should be used as a tool to bring the concept to life.”

Graphic designers gain inspiration from the world around them, so if you are worried you aren’t creative enough, go outside, bounce ideas off your peers, or seek ideas from the internet. There are plenty of inspiring graphic design blogs that can help get your creative juices flowing.

Call to Action (CTA) Importance in marketing

 CTA

A call to action (CTA) is a marketing term that refers to the next step a marketer wants its audience or reader to take. The CTA can have a direct link to sales. For example, it can instruct the reader to click the buy button to complete a sale, or it can simply move the audience further along towards becoming a consumer of that company's goods or services. The CTA can suggest that the reader subscribes to a newsletter that contains product updates, for example. To be effective, a CTA should be obvious and should immediately follow the marketing message.

1) A call to action (CTA) is a marketing term that refers to the next step or the action that the marketer wants the consumer to take.

2) Calls to action can be as direct, such as a button that says "Buy Now," or a softer CTA such as "Read More."

3) Through practices such as A/B testing, marketers can learn which CTAs are most effective in getting the audience to do a specific action.

The nature of the CTA varies by the advertising medium. For example, a television ad for a charity organization may end with a CTA that directs people to call a 1-800 number or to visit a webpage, whereas a charity's monthly e-newsletter may just contain a “donate now” button in the body. In that vein, there are both hard and soft calls to action, depending on where the customer is in the journey to buy a product. For example, a softer call to action as a customer is simply learning about a new product or brand that may invite them to learn more. Other more direct CTAs have language such as "buy now."

A/B Testing

Advertisers have found that data from the CTA represent a prime opportunity for A/B testing, which tests the effectiveness of marketing methods. Wording and appearance matter for conversions. People who shy away from the term “free trial” sometimes react differently to “give it a try” or “access now.” In digital marketing particularly, it is possible to run tests in near real-time, tweaking the CTA as data on click-through rates comes in.

CTA can be the culmination of an advertisement or merely a step in the process. Sales filters where leads are collected, cultivated, and converted will have multiple CTAs. For example, the process may begin with a CTA for the prospect to try a trial subscription and then continue with several midpoint CTAs to encourage an upgrade. This could be followed with a “final” CTA to maintain access if the lead has not been converted. Next, there may be an additional CTA sent within a certain period after the “last” CTA with a discount or other enticement for the prospect. Each CTA action can be worded differently based both on the last CTA the prospect ignored and the feedback from all potential customers from AB tests.

Digital marketing uses analytical feedback to adjust both the appearance and frequency of CTAs. Print and other traditional media lack feedback mechanisms that can match such immediacy, but there are still audiences that can be reached using these traditional channels. Whether digital or traditional, it is difficult to turn the audience into customers if an advertisement lacks a clear CTA.

Google Display Network

The Google Display Network is one of Google's main advertising networks (Google Search Network is the other). The Network allows you to connect with customers browsing Google websites like Google Finance, Gmail blogger, and YouTube, as well as other partner sites, mobile websites, and applications. The Google Display Network site list spans over two million websites and reaches over 90% of the internet population.  It's important to note that the display network matches AdWords ads based on the content of a given page. Therefore, you are better able to select your audience based on appealing to their interests. The Display Network also helps build brand awareness, customer loyalty, and engagement by placing your content all over the internet.

Show Your Ads on the Internet

The Google Display Network allows you to choose how people browsing the internet see your ad. You can control precisely which websites your ads appear on, or you can use targeting methods to help select relevant websites based on keywords, placement, audiences, or topics.

You can use the following ad formats when advertising on Google's Display Network

Text Ads -simple ad consisting of a headline, web address display URL, and a brief description of the product or service

Image Ads - pictures depicting your product or service

Rich Media Ads - complex advertisements that include advanced features like video and audio, or other elements that encourage engagement.

Video Ads - Videos that appear on your selected websites containing information about your product/service

App Promotion Ads - Reach customers on the go using mobile devices or tablets through application software.

The Google ad network allows you to show your ad to many different people in different ways. The Display network is particularly useful for targeting and placement. You can choose to show your ads to customers in different countries, certain geographical locations, or even based on the native language of potential customers. This can be particularly useful in countries where a single language is not dominant. 

IoT Attack

 

What is an IoT Attack?

Technology and our lives are highly connected today. We use our smartphones for home automation systems. And what’s how we rely on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the internet. All our networks and devices online are open to cybersecurity threats. The same is true for digital assets that include IoT systems owned by businesses. A malicious person can compromise your automated employee check-in console. They can break into your office network. Or, someone could guess your weak password. They can then take control of your smart home security system.

Any such attack on an IoT device or network is called an IoT attack. It can infect your devices with malware. Or, breaking into your systems using loopholes like unoptimized user permissions. IoT attacks can compromise devices connected to the IoT system. This includes phones and computers. Your humble smart TV can be a loophole for cybercriminals. They can quickly gain control of your WiFi network. An IoT attack can compromise IoT apps, software, and operating systems.

IoT Devices Not Secure

IoT devices are not always created with security in mind. Here, we are not talking about mobiles or computers as they come with a basic level of security. However, devices like smart TVs or wearables to track your heartbeat are more prone to cyberattacks.

Some IoT devices are insecure, to begin with. You can experience many vulnerabilities like:

• Lack of updates
• Inadequate device management features
• Unencrypted data storage and exchange
• Outdated hardware
• Insecure network ports
• Lack of privacy protection

Businesses need to assess the security features of an IoT device. Do it before installation or use. Try to choose devices that focus on security. These need to come with inbuilt protocols to avoid IoT attacks.

Common IoT Attacks

IoT attacks are becoming more common as we get familiar with connected systems. Cybercriminals can attack different components of an IoT setup, including hardware and software. Some of the common IoT attacks are:

1) Smartphones serve as the main hardware for many IoT systems. They run the apps that control and manage IoT applications. This includes your home or office automation devices. As a result, smartphones are a common target of IoT cyber-attacks. According to Nokia, android devices are more vulnerable and account for 26.64% of infections. In addition, Windows computers are responsible for 38.92% of all infections. Overall, the number of compromised IoT devices increased by 100% in 2020.

2) Automation is now omnipresent in our homes and work. From climate control to security, businesses today depend on technology. It’s what helps to foster a safe working environment. However, the same IoT systems that boost productivity can become a security concern. Take the case of the Milwaukee couple, for example. Hackers compromised their smart home and took control of the thermostat and security cameras. They also played vulgar music and pushed the room temperature to 90 degrees.

3) Just like your phone, smart devices can become a victim of IoT attacks. The list of devices can include smart TVs, smart cameras, wearables, smart appliances like washing machines, and more. Any device connected to an IoT network is open to vulnerabilities.

4) IoT applications use an operating system like Android to run things. You also have mobile apps and desktop apps to control your devices and automation systems. A cybercriminal can gain entry into your IoT network and compromise operating systems and software. It can be the apps on your mobile, smart TV, or the core operating platform.

Secure all IoT devices.

Secure every device with a strong password, whether it’s your smart security camera or phone. You can even use free online password generators to create robust passwords. In addition, secure your network devices like broadband routers and modems. Ensure your routers have a strong password, as infected routers are responsible for 75% of IoT attacks.

Antivirus and firewalls on your IoT devices

Install paid antivirus on your desktop and mobile to ward off malware and viruses. Your networks should also have reliable firewalls to protect them from intrusions.

The same applies to IoT infrastructures and apps on the cloud.

Secure all user accounts.

End users can let cybercriminals gain entry into an IoT network and launch an attack. For example, someone can use the brute-force method to compromise your employee’s account and access your IoT applications. As a result, secure all user accounts that log into your IoT systems. The first step is to use a strong password for your smart and regular devices. In addition, you can further beef up your security by activating two-factor authentication.

Optimize your user permissions. This way, access is limited to only credible parties.

Update your software, apps, and operating systems.

Outdated core software and apps are a way to invite security troubles. Hackers can exploit security gaps in old apps and take control of your IoT network. As a result, you should always update your software and apps. Download the latest stable versions of your digital solutions and updated patches to stay secure.

Cryptojacking

Cryptojacking is a threat that implants itself within a mobile device or computer and then employs measures to mine cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is virtual or digital money, which adopts the form of coins or tokens. The most prominent example is Bitcoin, however, there are around 3,000 other types of cryptocurrency. While certain cryptocurrencies have moved into the physical world via credit cards and the like, the majority remain virtual. Cryptocurrencies operate using a distributed database called a blockchain. The blockchain is updated regularly with information about the transactions that have occurred since the previous update. Every set of recent transactions is merged into a “block” as determined through a complex mathematical process.

Malicious mining is less destructive than other cyber threats such as ransomware, but this doesn’t mean that it is something to dismiss. Cryptojacking attacks might result in both indirect and direct losses for an organization. In the end, the targets are the ones who must pay for the computing power. Besides a noticeable increase in electrical consumption, mining contributes to the aging of hardware by overworking processing cores, including cores belonging to discrete graphics cards, to enable malicious extraction of cryptocurrency. These costs are compounded because cryptojacking attacks tend to go undetected for several months, and it is often difficult to determine their true cost.

Research suggests that after maliciously mining cryptocurrency for two consecutive days using mobile mining malware, the batteries of the infected devices may begin to expand to the point where the affected phones are physically deformed.

This wasted bandwidth also decreases the efficiency and speed of genuine computing workloads. Many organizations have experienced situations where computers stop because a program consumes all the available resources. Although there are several legitimate reasons for this, including resource-intensive background tasks or automatic updates, malicious mining should not be included.

When cryptojacking malware overwhelms a system, it can result in severe performance issues, which will have an immediate impact on your customers and end-users. If, for instance, a healthcare provider is a victim, staff could be unable to access critical patient health data. Attacks have also targeted essential infrastructure, such as a European water company. Cryptojacking could at first appear to be a simple hack, but the cybercriminal who carries out such attacks may be more dangerous than an opportunistic parasite. As with ransomware, crypto-jacking could be used as a decoy to detract attraction from more serious threats. Attacks could also be combined with fake antivirus software to assail victims with ads stating that they must pay to have their devices cleaned. This is a troubling blend of ransomware and malicious mining. Attacks could appear to be financially motivated, but the true aim of using crypto-jacking malware could be to overload infected systems and cause physical damage.

Cryptojacking Attacks Work

Hackers have two key strategies to get a target computer to secretly mine cryptocurrencies, and may use a combination of both strategies:

Download 

one way is to persuade victims to load cryptomining code onto their devices. This is achieved through social-engineering methods like phishing, where the victims get an email that looks legitimate and encourages them to activate a link. The link runs a malicious code, which adds the cryptomining script to the device. The script then runs in the background while the targeted individual works.

Injection 

the other strategy is to inject a script into an ad or website, which is distributed to multiple websites. Once the victim views the website or the infected ad appears on their browser, the script is executed automatically. The victim’s computer does not store any code. In both strategies, the code executes complex mathematical problems on the target computer and passes the results to a server controlled by the hacker.

Hybrid 

attackers may combine the two strategies to maximize their gains. For instance, out of hundreds of devices mining cryptocurrencies for an attacker, 10% could be receiving income from code on the target machines, while 90% do so via their web browsers.

Crypto miners spread

Certain cryptomining scripts have worming abilities that let them infect other servers and devices on a target network. This also makes them difficult to isolate and remove—maintaining persistence on a network is in the best financial interest of crypto jacking.

To maximize their capacity to spread across a network, cryptomining code could include multiple versions that leverage weaknesses in different network protocols. In some cases, the cryptomining code downloads multiple versions and tries to execute them, until one is successful.

Detect Cryptojacking

Cryptojacking attempts are often masked as standard, normal behavior. This makes this malicious activity difficult to detect – but not impossible. Here are several methods you can use to detect cryptojacking:

Decreased performance 

cryptojacking causes decreased performance on computing devices. You should watch out for slower system performance, as well as devices that run slowly, crash, or exhibit unusually poor performance. Another indicator is a battery that drains more quickly than it usually would.

Overheating cryptojacking 

this term refers to a resource-intensive process that may cause a computing device to overheat. Overheating cryptojacking may cause damage to your computers or shorten the lifespan of the device. A fan that runs faster than usual may indicate that a cryptojacking website or script is overheating the device. The fan, in this scenario, is running excessively in order to prevent fire or melting.

Central processing unit (CPU) usage 

if you browse a site with little or no media content, an increase in CPU usage may indicate that there are cryptojacking scripts running. You can run a cryptojacking test by checking the central processing unit (CPU) usage of the device. You can check this by using either the Task Manager or Activity Monitor. However, this might not yield complete results, because processes can hide or mask themselves as something that looks legitimate. Additionally, a computer running at maximum capacity runs very slowly – this can make troubleshooting more difficult.

Cryptojacking Prevention

Although it is hard to discover if your computer system has been compromised by crypto-jacking, there are some measures you can take to prevent these attacks and protect your networking systems and computer, as well as your crypto-assets:

Instruct your IT team

IT staff should be trained to detect and understand cryptojacking. They must be aware of any initial signs of an attack and be prepared to respond immediately with a further investigation.

Educate your employees

T teams rely on employees informing them when computers are overheating or running slowly. Employees must have an understanding of cyber security and know to avoid clicking on links in emails that may contain crypto-jacking code and only download from known links.

Use anti-cryptomining extensions

cryptojacking scripts are generally deployed in web browsers. Use browser extensions, including No Coin, minerBlock, and Anti Minder, to block crypto miners across the web.

Use ad-blockers

cryptojacking scripts are often embedded in web ads. Use an ad-blocker to block and detect malicious customizing code.

Disable JavaScript

when surfing online, disable JavaScript to prevent cryptojacking code from infecting your organization’s computers. Remember that disabling JavaScript will also block some of the functions you require when browsing.

Form jacking

Formjacking involves using malicious JavaScript code to steal personal and financial information from website forms. Cybercriminals attack the form page itself, then each time someone fills out a form, a duplicate of the entered information is sent to the attacker.

Formjacking can be thought of as new-age card-skimming. You’ve probably heard about the scenario in which a small device — known as a skimmer — is added by criminals to card readers at a point of sale. This device can read and store information from the card’s magnetic strip. Heavily targeted card readers include those at ATMs and gas pumps. These are easily accessible compared to, for example, a card reader located alongside an in-store cash register. Formjacking follows a similar concept to card skimming but has been adapted to the online world. This makes the practice more far-reaching than skimming and easily accessible to cybercriminals across the globe. Formjacking is relatively simple to execute, another likely reason it’s becoming increasingly attractive to data thieves. An attack begins when they insert JavaScript code into the target website. Note that it usually takes the form of a supply chain attack and targets code provided by a third party, not the website itself.

Once the malicious code is in place, when the user enters their information and sends the form to the website, all details are also sent to the attacker. The user hits “Submit” or the equivalent, the transaction goes through as normal so there’s no sign that anything is awry. This is why it’s difficult for either the user or the website owner to detect form jacking until it’s too late.

Examples of form jacking

Sixth June: In October 2019, it was discovered that the checkout page of this fashion retailer’s website had been formjacked. It’s unclear how many customers were affected but it was believed to have been in the thousands.

Ticketmaster: Between September 2017 and June 2018, up to 40,000 Ticketmaster customers fell victim to a form jacking attack. The fault was laid on Inbenta, a chat support tool that had created code for Ticketmaster’s site. The attack was only discovered when an online banking platform, Monzo, discovered that some of its customers’ cards had been compromised.

British Airways: In September 2018, British Airways apologized after 380,000 customers had their card details stolen in a form jacking attack. The attack took place over two weeks and the thieves stole all the information they needed to make an online purchase with the credit card details, including names, addresses, card numbers, expiry dates, and security codes.

Newegg: Online retailer Newegg was the subject of a month-long form jacking attack in August and September 2018. The attack appeared to be almost identical to the British Airways and Ticketmaster cases.

Prevent from jacking

Many of us complete online transactions on a daily basis without a second thought, assuming the websites we’re using are secure and have our backs when it comes to protecting our information. Thankfully, there are a couple of ways we can have a bit more control over the security of our payment information.

One is to consider using a masked credit card. These cards, offered by certain financial institutions, provide you with a set of card details for one-time use, either online or in a store. Once the details have been used, they are no longer valid for future purchases. Masked credit cards are often misleadingly referred to as “fake” credit cards, but they are legitimate forms of payment.

Another option is to look into payment methods that use tokenization. This is another way to add an extra layer of security to credit card payments and is used by systems like Apple Pay and Google Pay. The concept is similar to a masked credit card and a “token” is used to replace the real credit card number.

Businesses can prevent form jacking

Use solid antivirus software: A reputable antivirus software can help protect against some (but not all) form jacking attacks.

Run penetration tests and vulnerability scans: These can help identify software vulnerabilities so you can patch them before a hacker finds them.

Rigorously test updates: It’s important to test new updates for any odd behavior. The most prominent form of Jacking attacks have been software supply chain attacks, so it’s crucial to have strict testing in place for any third-party software.

Monitor for behavioral pattern changes: Proper monitoring of a system may help you spot suspicious patterns and block offending applications before more damage is done.

Backdoors Attack

What is a backdoor

A backdoor is a malware type that negates normal authentication procedures to access a system. As a result, remote access is granted to resources within an application, such as databases and file servers, giving perpetrators the ability to remotely issue system commands and update malware. Backdoor installation is achieved by taking advantage of vulnerable components in a web application. Once installed, detection is difficult as files tend to be highly obfuscated.

Webserver backdoors are used for a number of malicious activities, including:

• Data theft
• Website defacing
• Server hijacking
• The launching of distributed denial of services  (DDoS) attacks
• Infecting website visitors (watering hole attacks)
• Advanced persistent threat (APT) assaults
• 
  
• 
  
• Backdoor trojan installation
• The most prevalent backdoor installation method involves remote file inclusion  (RFI), an attack vector that exploits vulnerabilities within applications that dynamically reference external scripts. In an RFI scenario, the referencing function is tricked into downloading a backdoor trojan from a remote host.

Perpetrators typically identify targets using scanners, which locate websites having unpatched or outdated components that enable file injection. A successful scanner then abuses the vulnerability to install the backdoor on the underlying server. Once installed, it can be accessed at any time, even if the vulnerability enabling its injection has since been patched. The backdoor trojan injection is often done in a two-step process to bypass security rules preventing the upload of files above a certain size. The first phase involves the installation of a dropper—a small file whose sole function is to retrieve a bigger file from a remote location. It initiates the second phase—the downloading and installation of the backdoor script on the server.

Backdoor shell removal

Once installed, backdoors are very hard to weed out. Traditionally, detection involves using software scanners to search for known malware signatures in a server file system. This process is error-prone, however. Backdoor shell files are almost always masked through the use of alias names and—more significantly—code obfuscation (sometimes even multi-layer of encryption).

Detection is further complicated since many applications are built on external frameworks that use third-party plugins; these are sometimes laden with vulnerabilities or built-in backdoors. Scanners that rely on heuristic and signature-based rules might not be able to detect hidden code in such frameworks. Even if a backdoor is detected, typical mitigation methods (or even a system reinstallation) are unlikely to remove it from an application. This is particularly true for backdoors having a persistent presence in rewritable memory.

At Imperva, we use a combination of methods to prevent backdoor installation, as well as to detect and quarantine existing backdoor shells.

On one hand, the Imperva cloud web application firewall (WAF) uses a combination of default and user-defined security rules to prevent RFI attacks from compromising your application. The WAF is deployed as a secure proxy at the edge of your network, ensuring that malicious requests are blocked before they’re able to interact with your application. As a result, your site is secured from the moment you onboard our service. If your web server was already compromised before onboarding, the Imperva backdoor protection solution lets you detect and remove shells from your file system. The solution takes the novel approach of intercepting connection requests to malicious shells—a preferable alternative to scanning a server for backdoor files. Unlike backdoor files, which are easily hidden, connection requests cannot be obfuscated to hide their malicious intent.