Tomáš Foltýn

Tomáš Foltýn

Editor-in-chief


Education: M.A. in translation and interpreting

Highlights of your career: Wearing two career hats for the better part of the past ten years while retaining a semblance of normality.

Position and history of ESET I joined ESET as a security writer in late 2017 after being bitten by the cybersecurity bug.

What malware do you hate the most Ransomware (for adding insult to injury, literally).

Favorite activities: Reading, cycling, travelling.

Golden rule for cyberspace? 'Distrust and caution are the parents of security.' Benjamin Franklin’s thoughtful advice from 300 years ago nicely applies to cyberspace.

When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? A gifted 386 PC in the mid-1990s. It worked a little erratically, though (or maybe it was a classic example of 'problem exists between keyboard and chair'?)

Favorite computer game / activity: I'm a bit of a power user of RSS feeds, which I use to indulge my news consumption habit while keeping empty ‘news calories’ at bay.


423 articles by Tomáš Foltýn

FBI warns of email scams claiming to be from Bureau

FBI warns of email scams claiming to be from Bureau

FBI warns of email scams claiming to be from Bureau

Another template attempts to scare, rather than thrill, the recipients. Upon learning that “your IP address and other identifying information were used to commit multiple online crimes”, the mark is urged to contact the sender by phone immediately.

Tomáš Foltýn • 06 Feb 2018 • 2 min. read


Babies’ personal data hawked on dark web

Babies’ personal data hawked on dark web

Babies’ personal data hawked on dark web

The price puts the data records at a significant premium when compared to other stolen datasets. While, in general, many adverts in the dark recesses of the internet are fake, children’s personally identifiable information (PII) has for long been viewed as a particularly valuable commodity.

Tomáš Foltýn • 26 Jan 2018 • 2 min. read


How well can bug hunting pay?

How well can bug hunting pay?

How well can bug hunting pay?

In some countries, the financial allure of looking for security vulnerabilities is (even) more striking, according to the findings of a survey released recently by bug bounty platform provider HackerOne.

Tomáš Foltýn • 25 Jan 2018 • 2 min. read


South Korea moves to ban anonymous cryptocurrency trading

South Korea moves to ban anonymous cryptocurrency trading

South Korea moves to ban anonymous cryptocurrency trading

As part of the policy, underage individuals and foreigners without local bank accounts will be barred from trading in virtual currencies. Banks will be required to share information about cryptocurrency exchanges with each other.

Tomáš Foltýn • 23 Jan 2018 • 3 min. read


Up to 40,000 OnePlus customers potentially hit by credit card hack

Up to 40,000 OnePlus customers potentially hit by credit card hack

Up to 40,000 OnePlus customers potentially hit by credit card hack

The breach put at risk ‘only’ the customers who entered their payment data on oneplus.net between the middle of November 2017 and January 11, 2018. Those who paid with previously saved credit card details or via PayPal are believed to be out of harm's way.

Tomáš Foltýn • 22 Jan 2018 • 1 min. read


World Economic Forum: Cyberthreats rising in prominence in global risk landscape

World Economic Forum: Cyberthreats rising in prominence in global risk landscape

World Economic Forum: Cyberthreats rising in prominence in global risk landscape

The latest survey marks a shift from optimism regarding technological risks in the previous years. The heightened levels of worry come on the back of an escalation in cybersecurity threats, which, as noted by the WEF, are growing in prevalence and in disruptive potential alike.

Tomáš Foltýn • 22 Jan 2018 • 3 min. read


Carphone Warehouse faces hefty fine for 2015 breach

Carphone Warehouse faces hefty fine for 2015 breach

Carphone Warehouse faces hefty fine for 2015 breach

The attackers gained access to a range of customer data such as names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and marital status. Making matters worse, the historical payment card details of some 18,000 customers were also compromised.

Tomáš Foltýn • 17 Jan 2018 • 3 min. read


Security event in Taiwan ‘rewards’ quiz winners with malware-laden USB drives

Security event in Taiwan ‘rewards’ quiz winners with malware-laden USB drives

Security event in Taiwan ‘rewards’ quiz winners with malware-laden USB drives

The distribution of the USB sticks was halted on December 12 after some of the quiz’s successful entrants reported that their rewards had been flagged by their security software as containing malware.

Tomáš Foltýn • 12 Jan 2018 • 2 min. read


Tank-traps versus trappings in virtual currencies: A cybersecurity minefield

Tank-traps versus trappings in virtual currencies: A cybersecurity minefield

Tank-traps versus trappings in virtual currencies: A cybersecurity minefield

Bitcoin, the progenitor of the entire cryptocurrency boom and still the most popular virtual currency, experienced a truly heady run-up in value. Its price surge was punctuated with a crescendo midway through December, when a single bitcoin approached $20,000.

Tomáš Foltýn • 10 Jan 2018 • 6 min. read