Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Of Kittens and Princes: the latest updates on two Iranian espionage operations (Check Point Software) Cyber-warfare and espionage have long been common weapons in the arsenal of governments, armies, and intelligence agencies around the world. The Islamic
After Lightning Comes Thunder (Check Point Research) The Most Persistent Iranian APT Rumbling Again By: Safebreach Labs and Checkpoint Research Summary Cyber warfare has long become a common practice in the arsenal of governments, armies, and intelligence agencies around the world. What once used to be a black art, reserved to the elite of the elite and conducted by few, has now... Click to Read More
Microsoft: No Evidence SolarWinds Was Hacked Via Office 365 (CRN) Microsoft said its investigation hasn’t found any evidence that SolarWinds was attacked through Office 365, meaning the hackers gained privileged credentials in some other way.
Plex Media Server Abused for DDoS Attacks (SecurityWeek) Malicious actors have been abusing Plex Media Server to amplify DDoS attacks, Netscout warned.
How A Dated Cyber-Attack Brought A Stock Exchange To Its Knees (NDTV.com) The website of the New Zealand Stock Exchange slowed to a crawl on a Tuesday afternoon in August. It was so badly throttled that the exchange couldn't post market announcements, as required by financial regulators. So with an hour left for trading, management shut the entire operation down.
Hacktivists deface multiple Sri Lankan domains, including Google.lk (ZDNet) Authorities said they detected the attack a few hours after it started and blocked it on Saturday.
Several “.lk” domains under cyber attack (ADAderana) UPDATE: The “.lk” domains that came under a cyber attack this morning (February 06) have been restored. Registrar of LK Domain Registry Prof. Gihan Dias said measures were taken to restore the hacked websites, adding that necessary actions will be taken against those who are responsible for the attack.
SilentFade malware attacks ramp up in Southeast Asia (Channel Asia) India, Indonesia and Malaysia were among the top 10 countries globally to have been hit by the greatest number of malware attacks by the SilentFade group last month.
Experian says investigating if involved in Brazil data breach (Reuters) Credit data firm Experian said on Monday it was continuing to investigate whether the personal data of millions of people in Brazil that was found to be illegally offered for sale online could be connected with its Brazilian business Serasa.
Experian responds to media speculation in Brazil (Directors Talk) Experian plc (LON:EXPN) has announced that following recent media reports concerning data which is being illegally offered for sale on the internet, some of which may have been sourced from Serasa’s non-sensitive marketing data, Experian is continuing to carry out a detailed forensic investigation.
Hacker group allegedly leaks data of Indian Army personnel using Airtel network; company denies claim (Tech2) Red Rabbit Team in a message to PTI claimed that it has access to pan-India data of Bharti Airtel through a shell uploaded on the company's server and will leak more data soon.
Ransomware Attacks Hit Major Utilities (Threatpost) Eletrobras, the largest power company in Latin America, faces a temporary suspension of some operations.
COMB breach: 3.2B email and password pairs leaked online (Security Affairs) The Largest compilation of emails and passwords (COMB), more than 3.2 billion login credentials, has been leaked on a popular hacking forum. More than 3.2 billion unique pairs of cleartext emails and passwords have been leaked on a popular hacking forum, the collection aggregates data from past leaks, such as Netflix, LinkedIn, Exploit.in, Bitcoin, and […]
Web developers SitePoint discloses a data breach (Security Affairs) The website, and publisher of books, courses and articles for web developers, SitePoint discloses a data breach that impacted 1M users. SitePoint is an Australian-based website, and publisher of books, courses and articles for web developers. The company has disclosed a data breach and notified its users via email. Threat actors offered for sale an archive containing […]
Hackers post detailed patient medical records from two hospitals to the dark web (NBC News) The files, which number in at least the tens of thousands, includes patients’ personal identifying information.
Patient names and colonoscopy results from US hospitals posted by hackers to the dark web (The Verge) It’s an unusual move for cybercriminals.
Premier Health Partners Notice of Data Breach to Consumers (Office of the Vermont Attorney General) Premier Health Partners ("Premier") writes to make you aware of a recent incident...
Packaging Giant WestRock Says Ransomware Attack Hit Production (SecurityWeek) WestRock says the recent ransomware incident resulted in its mills producing less than planned.
Cyber attack in Winthrop prevented access to Google classroom, email (MassLive) Officials said that no confidential information was accessed during the attack.
Cyber-Attack on Woodland Trust (Infosecurity Magazine) Conservation charity notifies members of sophisticated December cyber-assault
UPMC reports massive data breach, thousands of patients potentially affected (WJAC) UPMC is reporting a massive data breach that likely affected more than 36,000 patients, according to a press release. Officials say the data breach was reported to them byCharles J. Hilton & Associates, who provides billing-related legal services to the health system, whose email system was reportedly hacked.
UPMC Data Breach - FOX8 (FOX8) UPMC is reporting a massive data breach that likely affected more than 36,000 patients, according to a press release. Officials say the data breach was reported to them by Charles…
Comment: Could Foxtons cyber-attack be more serious than first thought? (Property Industry Eye) According to an investigation, the data circulating on the dark web is much more problematic than Foxtons is claiming.
Threat Experts: Foxtons Data Breach Was Egregor Ransomware (Infosecurity Magazine) Double extortion attempt likely, according to Kela
Cann Group gets hit by cyber attack, says it's given a fraudster $3.6m (Stockhead) Cann Group (ASX:CAN) has been hit by a cyber attack, and the early signs don't look good as the company said $3.6m has gone missing.
Generation Z Cupid shoots arrows through cyberspace (SHINE) Pay someone to play online games with you ... and quench your emotional thirst.
Election email security (Valimail) Valimail’s analysis shows that, at virtually every level of the American election infrastructure, there is massive vulnerability to impersonation. This is due largely to the poor penetration of email authentication standards that can prevent spoofing.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
Fortinet fixes critical vulnerabilities in SSL VPN and web firewall (BleepingComputer) Fortinet has fixed multiple severe vulnerabilities impacting its products.
The vulnerabilities range from Remote Code Execution to SQL Injection, to Denial of Service (DoS) and impact the FortiProxy SSL VPN and FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) products.
Microsoft to wipe out old Edge browser with Windows 10 security update (CNET) Out with the old, in with the new Edge on April 13.
Google kills The Great Suspender: here's what you should do next (ZDNet) The Great Suspender, an extension that automatically shut down tabs you weren't using, has been blocked by Google "because it contains malware." That's left users with lost tabs and concerns about what to do next.
Cyber Trends
Cybercrime Goes Mainstream (Dark Reading) Organized cybercrime is global in scale and the second-greatest risk over the next decade.
Nothing Seems to Stop Relentless Hackers Exfiltrating Trade Secrets (National Defense) The news shocked the cybersecurity world: FireEye, a leading security company with 9,600 customers across 103 countries, had been hacked.
The IronNet February Threat Intelligence Brief (IronNet) IronNet's February Threat Intelligence Briefs includes a Year in Review 2020 infographic that highlights top detections, key figures, and a SUNBURST overview.
ESET Threat Report Q4 2020 | WeLiveSecurity (WeLiveSecurity) ESET Threat Report Q4 2020 gives a snapshot of the main cyber-threats and trends in the last quarter of 2020 and brings exclusive ESET research updates.
2021 ‘State of the Phish’ Explores the Critical Need for People-Centric Security, User Resilience (Proofpoint) We are excited to announce the launch of our State of the Phish report, a yearly look at user awareness, vulnerability, and resilience. More data-rich than ever, this seventh annual study features analysis of survey responses, simulated phishing exercises, and real-world attacks to provide insights into phishing and other cyber threats—and what you can do about them.
Cybersecurity Threats: The Daunting Challenge Of Securing The Internet Of Things (Forbes) By 2025, it is expected that there will be more than 30 billion IoT connections, almost 4 IoT devices per person on average and that also amounts to trillions of sensors connecting and interacting on these devices.
How a successful phishing attack can hurt your organization (TechRepublic) Data loss is the number one result of a fruitful phishing campaign, but account compromises and ransomware attacks can threaten your organization as well, says Proofpoint.
88% of MedTech Executives Not Prepared for a Cyberattack (Irdeto Insights) Medical and healthcare technology is developing at a rapid pace. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the connected medical technology revolution with telehealth and remote patient monitoring prioritized as never before.
Malicious Actors Reserving Cyber Attacks for the Hospitality Industry (The State of Security) Hospitality is one of the most likely industries to be targeted by cybercriminals looking to steal personal and financial data.
Marketplace
Insurers can make data privacy a competitive differentiator (PropertyCasualty360) Consumers are willing to make an array of additional data available to insurers and other financial service providers.
Insight Partners preps sale of Thycotic (PE Hub) Evercore is advising the company on its sale process, which is currently in its early stages, the sources said.
Telos Awarded $13.5M FBI Contract for Enterprise Risk Management (GlobeNewswire) Bureau’s Enterprise Information Security Section to leverage Xacta to meet stringent GRC requirements
Microsoft ends donations to lawmakers who refused to certify election (Axios) The decision follows listening sessions with employees to discuss the future of Microsoft's political action committee after the Capitol riot.
Reddit CEO Backs WallStreetBets Amid Calls for Stiffer Moderation (Wall Street Journal) The chief of the social network whose users sparked the GameStop stock-trading frenzy says he has confidence in its user-reliant model for policing speech.
Elon Musk’s Dogecoin Tweeting Has Believers Barking for More (Wall Street Journal) A cryptocurrency that began in 2013 as a joke is suddenly worth a total of more than $6 billion.
Are self-taught coders a cybersecurity problem? (Tech Wire Asia) Lockdowns throughout the last year have led many to upskill, and coding is one of the most popular choices Today, individuals have access to endless
BlueVoyant Hires IBM Security Veteran for European MSSP Expansion (MSSP Alert) BlueVoyant, a Top 250 MSSP & cybersecurity services company, hires IBM Security veteran Gyorgy Robert Racz to drive European expansion.
Segmentation specialist Illumio names new APAC boss (CRN Australia) David Shephard joins from Bitglass.
FireEye names new channel boss for EMEA (ITP.net) Luca Brandi brings more than three decades of experience in channel sales, including the last six of them at FireEye
Products, Services, and Solutions
LIFARS Launches ‘Logchecker’ To Automate Threat Intelligence Searches (PRWeb) LIFARS LLC, a New York City-based leader in cybersecurity services, including incident response, digital forensics, ransomware mitigation and cyber resiliency s
Open Source Tool Helps Organizations Secure GE CIMPLICITY HMI/SCADA Systems (SecurityWeek) Industrial cybersecurity firm OTORIO releases an open source tool designed to help organizations secure GE CIMPLICITY HMI/SCADA systems.
Bitglass Boasts SASE Blitz With Fortinet, Other SD-WAN Vendors (SDxCentral) Cloud-security vendor Bitglass today announced a blitz of integrations with SD-WAN vendors Aruba, 128 Technology, Fortinet, and Silver Peak.
Radiance Technologies partners with Kettering Health Network to offer health care to employees (PR Newswire) Radiance Technologies has partnered with Kettering Health Network to offer health care services to their employees in Beavercreek. Eligible...
Arista Delivers Multi-Domain Segmentation for Zero Trust Enterprise (Newswire) Arista Networks today announced a new zero trust security framework for today's digital enterprise. Arista Multi-Domain Macro-Segmentation Service is a suite of capabilities for integrating security policy with the network through an open and consistent network segmentation approach across network domains.
This MPC Wallet Could be the Answer to Cryptocurrency Security (Hacker Noon) This new MPC-based wallet technology thinks it is unbreakable. With constant news of cryptocurrency exchange breaches, cold wallets are becoming crucial.
Chinese flock to freewheeling US chat app Clubhouse (Nikkei Asia) Audio-based social-media platform becomes free-speech haven for mainland users
Chinese-speaking Clubhouse users are creating "silent rooms" (Protocol) Clubhouse is blowing up in China, but many Chinese-speaking users aren't talking. Instead, they're using it to network. One chatroom is named "Silent Room 2: No talking on the microphone, just checking bios and following each other" in traditional Chinese script. It's attracted over 1,700 participan...
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
Three ways MITRE ATT&CK can improve your organizational security (Help Net Security) MITRE ATT&CK is an objective, third-party standard with which organizations can measure their own detection coverage, as well as EDR coverage.
Why It's Tough to Get Help Opting Out of Data Sharing (Consumer Reports) It's tough to get help opting out of data sharing, Consumer Reports says. A CR study reveals progress, along with problems, when California consumers use "authorized agents" to stop their data from being sold
Activists complain of weakened voting security standard (AP NEWS) Leaders of the federal agency overseeing election administration have quietly weakened a key element of proposed security standards for voting systems, raising concern among...
There Are Spying Eyes Everywhere—and Now They Share a Brain (Wired) Security cameras. License plate readers. Smartphone trackers. Drones. We’re being watched 24/7. What happens when all those data streams fuse into one?
Stop trying to take humans out of security operations (ZDNet) The core capabilities of human beings are AI's blind spots; "humanness" is simply not yet ,or possibly ever replicable by artificial intelligence. We have yet to build an effective security tool that can operate without human intervention. The bottom line is this: Security tools cannot do what humans can do.
Working From Home? Here’s How To Avoid Becoming A Ransomware Victim (Forbes) Homeworkers in lockdown are a prime target for ransomware attacks - find out how to avoid becoming a victim here.
Research and Development
A Swiss Company Says It Found Weakness That Imperils Encryption (Bloomberg) Discovery upends thinking on ‘what constitutes unbreakable’. Scientists want to see the data before declaring breakthrough.
This is how we lost control of our faces (MIT Technology Review) The largest ever study of facial-recognition data shows how much the rise of deep learning has fueled a loss of privacy.
Academia
Georgia universities sweep NSA competition (FOX 5 Atlanta) Georgia's universities such as the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech are producing some of the country's top future malware hunters.
Cyber Heroines: Changing the Future for African Girls (Africanews) More than 445 teachers from 14 African countries uncover the route to technology and cybersecurity careers for African girls. Only 3.7% of African schools offer.
Demand for tech courses on the rise in British universities (Computing) The popularity of tech-based higher education subjects is climbing sharply, with acceptances to AI courses rising 400 per cent in the last decade
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
Myanmar’s new military government orders to temporarily block internet access (TechCrunch) Updated at 1.46AM PT February 6: Telenor says Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has directed all mobile operators to temporarily shut down the data network in Myanmar. Voice and SMS services remain open. “In the directive, the MoTC cites legal basis in Myanmar’s Telecomm…
Myanmar shuts down internet to stifle anti-coup protests (Engadget) Myanmar has shut down much of its internet access to curb anti-coup protests, and services like Instagram and Twitter have been blocked.
Into the Grey Zone: The 'offensive cyber' used to confuse Islamic State militants and prevent drone attacks (Sky News) Two top officials overseeing UK cyber operations have spoken to Sky News about tactics used in the fight against Islamic State.
Isis drones thwarted by secret UK cyberattacks (Times) A secret mission jammed Islamic State drones and blocked its fighters from communicating in battle, a senior security official has disclosed.Jeremy Fleming, the GCHQ director, told The Grey Zone, a
UK targets drones and Isis online servers in cyberattack (Bollyinside) According to military and security heads. The revelations of Jeremy Fleming, director of the electromagnetic intelligence agency GCHQ, and General Sir
From Lightbulbs to 5G, China Battles West for Control of Vital Technology Standards (Wall Street Journal) Whoever has control of industrial norms for telecommunications, electricity transmission and artificial intelligence is in a position to dominate. For years, Western countries had the whip hand. Not anymore.
Google 1st tech firm to comply with new South Korean Internet law (ETCIO.com) South Korea's ICT ministry said on Monday that tech giant Google will take measures to provide stable services, becoming the first company to come und..
Central Bank of Nigeria bans banks from servicing crypto exchanges (Cointelegraph) Nigeria's central bank has banned financial institutions from rendering services to crypto exchanges.
Ex-US Cyber Boss Calls For Military Strikes On Ransomware Hackers (Silicon UK) US military should use 'information warfare' to strike back against ransomware gangs, as cyber-attacks threaten to disable state and local services
Sophisticated cybersecurity threats demand collaborative, global response (Microsoft Security) Since December, the United States, its government, and other critical institutions including security firms have been addressing the world’s latest serious nation-state cyberattack, sometimes referred to as ‘Solorigate’ or ‘SUNBURST.’ As we shared earlier this is a moment of reckoning for our industry and needs a unified response of defenders across public and private sectors.
How the United States Lost to Hackers (New York Times) America’s biggest vulnerability in cyberwarfare is hubris.
Ex-NSA man Aitel again clashes with NYT over cyber attack article (iTWire) Former NSA hacker and ex-owner of security company Immunity, Dave Aitel, has once again criticised New York Times' cyber security reporter Nicole Perlroth, claiming that nearly every detail in a piece the journalist wrote to promote an upcoming book of hers is wrong. Aitel made the comments on T...
Finally, an Interesting Proposal for Section 230 Reform (Wired) A new bill directly targets the most egregious excesses of online platform immunity.
This is the Democrats’ plan to limit Section 230 (Protocol) The Senate bill would defend civil rights and take on a range of online harms.
Senate Dems' Section 230 Bill Would Allow For Limited Suits (Law360) Three U.S. Senate Democrats on Friday unveiled the latest bid to chip away at tech companies' liability shields for third-party content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act with a bill that would allow harassment and cyberstalking victims to bring lawsuits.
Cruz Delays Vote On Raimondo For Commerce Secretary (Law360) Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has placed a hold on the nomination of Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo as President Joe Biden's U.S. Department of Commerce secretary, complaining that she seems insufficiently forceful against Chinese tech giant Huawei and its alleged role in espionage.
Biden Commerce nominee vows to protect U.S. networks from Huawei, ZTE (ET Telecom) The Commerce Department under former President Donald Trump took aim at China on numerous fronts, adding dozens of Chinese companies to a trade blackl..
U-M professor appointed to FDA medical device security post (University of Michigan News) University of Michigan computer science researcher Kevin Fu is joining the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in its ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and effectiveness of medical devices, such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, hospital imaging machines and other electronic devices...
Biden calls for agency ideas to win the race for national security talent (Federal News Network) The new memo shows the Biden administration is looking for a wide array ideas from agencies to better recruit, retain and support a diverse national security workforce. Notably…
A Better Bureaucracy Can Close the Gap Between Defense and Commercial Technology (War on the Rocks) As it is currently organized, the U.S. government is ill-equipped to deal with the growing number of national security challenges that exist at the
N.Y. regulator releases cyber insurance framework (PropertyCasualty360) The guidelines outline best practices for P&C insurers to strengthen risk strategies and protect against a growing threat.
Nevada bill would allow tech companies to create governments (AP NEWS) Planned legislation to establish new business areas in Nevada would allow technology companies to effectively form separate local governments. Democratic Gov. Steve...
After data breach, bill introduced to create ‘state office of cybersecurity’ in Washington (Tri-City Herald) In the wake of a data breach that exposed the personal data of over 1 million residents, Washington state legislators will consider a bill to create a state office that coordinates cybersecurity efforts.
In Our View: Auditor’s Office data breach adds insult to injury (The Columbian) A data breach at the State Auditor’s Office has compounded the mess that has been Washington’s unemployment insurance system throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Virginia Lawmakers Poised to Pass New Rules for Internet Privacy (Wall Street Journal) Some businesses warn of a state-by-state approach to internet privacy as Virginia and other states move forward with their own consumer privacy laws.
Biden Taps New York Fed Market Chief as National Security Deputy (Bloomberg) President Joe Biden plans to name New York Federal Reserve markets chief Daleep Singh to serve as deputy national security adviser, a move the White House says reflects a commitment to prioritizing U.S. workers in foreign policy.
Biden says Trump should not receive intelligence briefings due to his "erratic behavior" (Axios) "What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?" Biden told CBS.
The White House says intelligence officials will be the ones to determine whether Trump can access briefings (Business Insider) President Biden previously said he didn't think it was a good idea, because Trump "might slip and say something."
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
China Arrests Australian TV Anchor on National Security Charge (Bloomberg) Australia says anchor Cheng Lei has been formally arrested. Comes amid deteriorating tensions between the two countries.
Mike Lynch begins extradition battle with US over Autonomy takeover (Times) A British technology entrepreneur will begin his fight next week against an extradition request that could mean that he will face a US criminal fraud trial over the takeover of Autonomy, the software
British Tycoon Mike Lynch Back in Court — This Time Facing U.S. (Bloomberg) Autonomy founder returns to London court to oppose extradition. Lynch fighting U.S. prosecutors attempt to bring fraud case.
UK High Court Imparts GDPR Risk Insight For US Companies (Law360) A U.K. court's recent Soriano v. Forensic News decision — that a U.S. publication didn't fall within the EU General Data Protection Regulation's territorial scope — should provide relief to U.S. companies but leaves open questions about which minimal commercial activities with the EU would create greater risks, says Kate Paine at Shook Hardy.
FBI leaned on Dutch cops' hacking in Emotet disruption (CyberScoop) U.S. and European law enforcement agencies last week conducted an extraordinary crackdown on Emotet, a botnet of infected computers that has defrauded victims of millions. The operation involved officials from nine governments, but one move was decisive: Dutch police used their cyber authorities to infiltrate Emotet infrastructure.
Opinion | They Stormed the Capitol. Their Apps Tracked Them. (New York Times) Times Opinion was able to identify individuals from a trove of leaked smartphone location data.
Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund says entire intelligence community missed signs of riot (KSRO) Brent Stirton/Getty ImagesBrent Stirton/Getty ImagesBy JACK DATE, ABC News (WASHINGTON) — Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund sent an eight-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congressional leaders on Monday, providing a detailed account of
Minneapolis police tapped Google to identify George Floyd protesters (TechCrunch) Civil liberties groups have criticized the use of these dragnet search warrants.
5th Circ. Creates Roadblocks For New HHS Privacy Enforcers (Law360) The Biden administration could face a tougher time punishing data security missteps and securing record-setting fines following an unprecedented Fifth Circuit ruling in January that cut down a $4.3 million penalty against MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The late Amanda Todd's accused cyber bully extradited to Canada (National Observer) A Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd has been extradited to Canada, more than eight years after her suicide drew global headlines.
JPML Refuses To Centralize Dickey's Data Breach Suits (Law360) Six putative class actions being litigated in Texas and California federal courts over a data breach at Dickey's Barbecue Pit will stay put, after the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation rejected a request to centralize the suits in California.
