Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 26 April 2024

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Coalition Finds More Than Half of Cyber Insurance Claims Originate in the Email Inbox

The 2024 Cyber Claims Report by insurer Coalition reveals critical vulnerabilities and trends affecting cyber insurance policyholders. Notably, over half of the claims in 2023 stemmed from funds transfer fraud (FTF) and business email compromise (BEC), underlining the critical role of email security in cyber risk management. The report also indicated heightened risks associated with boundary devices like firewalls and VPNs, particularly if they are exposed online and have known vulnerabilities. Additionally, the overall claims frequency and severity rose by 13% and 10% respectively, pushing the average loss to $100,000. These insights emphasise the necessity of proactive cyber security measures and the valuable role of cyber insurance in mitigating financial losses from cyber incidents.

Sources: [IT Security Guru] [Emerging Risks]

Unmasking the True Cost of Cyber Attacks: Beyond Ransom and Recovery

The global cost of cyber crime is expected to soar to $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, a steep rise from $3 trillion in 2015, underscoring a significant improvement in the methods of cyber criminals, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. Beyond direct financial losses like ransomware payments, the hidden costs of cyber attacks for businesses include severe operational disruptions, lost revenue, damaged reputations, strained customer relationships, and regulatory fines. These incidents, further exacerbated by increased insurance premiums, collectively contribute to substantial long-term financial burdens. The report indicates that 88% of data breaches are attributable to human error, underscoring the importance of comprehensive employee training alongside technological defences. To combat these evolving cyber threats effectively, organisations must adopt a multi-pronged strategy that includes advanced security technologies, regular system updates, employee education, and comprehensive security audits.

According to another report from SiliconAngle, cyber insurance claims increased 13% year-over-year in 2023, with the 10% rise in overall claims severity attributed to mounting ransomware attack claims.

Sources: [The Hacker News] [Huntress] [SC Media]

Why Cyber Security Should Be Driving Your Enterprise Risk Management Strategy

Cyber security has transformed from a secondary concern into the cornerstone of corporate risk management. The historical view of cyber security as merely a component of broader risk strategies is outdated; it now demands a central role in safeguarding against operational, financial, and reputational threats. Many businesses, recognising the vital role of technology in all operations, have begun elevating the position of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to integrate cyber security into their overall enterprise risk frameworks. This shift not only enhances visibility and strategic alignment at the highest organisational levels but also fosters more robust defences against cyber threats. As such, adopting a cyber security-centric approach is crucial for compliance and long-term resilience in the face of growing digital threats.

Source: [Forbes]

Ransomware Double-Dip: Re-Victimisation in Cyber Extortion

A recent cyber security study reveals a troubling trend of re-victimisation among organisations hit by cyber extortion or ransomware attacks. Analysis of over 11,000 affected organisations shows recurring victimisation due to repeated attacks, data reuse among criminal affiliates, or cross-affiliate data sharing. Notably, cyber extortion incidents have surged by 51% year-on-year. Additionally, a separate study reports payments exceeding $1 billion and a 20% increase in ransomware attack victims since early 2023. These findings underscore the increasing sophistication and persistence of cyber criminals. Despite law enforcement efforts, adaptable cyber crime groups swiftly resume operations, complicating effective threat mitigation. Organisations must enhance their cyber security measures to avoid becoming repeated targets.

Sources: [Security Magazine] [The Hacker News] [SC Media]

AI is a Major Threat and Many Financial Organisations Are Not Doing Enough

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a major concern for organisations, especially for the financial services sector due to the information they hold. Recent reports have found that AI has driven phishing up by 60% and AI tools have been linked to data exposure in 1 in 5 UK organisations. But it is not just attackers utilising AI: a separate report found that 20% of employees have exposed data via AI.

Currently, many financial organisations are not doing enough to secure themselves to fight AI. In a recent survey, 69% of fraud-management decision makers, AML professionals, and risk and compliance leaders reported that criminals are more advanced at using AI for financial crime than firms are in defending against it.

Sources: [Verdict] [Beta News] [Infosecurity Magazine] [TechRadar] [Security Brief]

[Biometric Update]

6 out of 10 Businesses Struggle to Manage Cyber Risk

A report has found that 6 in 10 businesses are struggling to manage their cyber risk and just 43% have confidence in their ability to address cyber risk. Further, 35% of total respondents worry that senior management does not see cyber attacks as a significant risk; the same percentage also reported a struggle in hiring skilled professionals. When it came to implementing their security policy, half of respondents found difficulty, and when it came to securing the supply chain, a third reported worries.

Given the inevitability of a cyber attack, organisations need to prepare themselves. Those that struggle to manage their cyber risk and/or hire skilled professions will benefit from outsourcing to skilled, reputable cyber security organisations who can guide them through the process.

Sources: [PR Newswire] [Beta News]

'Junk Gun' Ransomware: New Low-Cost Cyber Threat Targets SMBs

Sophos’ research reveals a concerning trend: ‘junk gun’ ransomware variants are now traded on the dark web. Rather than going the traditional route of selling or buying ransomware to or as an affiliate, attackers have now begun creating and selling unsophisticated ransomware variants for a one-time cost. Priced at a median of $375, they attract lower-skilled attackers, especially those targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). As major ransomware players fade, these variants pose significant threats, accounting for over 75% of cyber incidents affecting SMBs in 2023.

Source: [Security Brief] [Tripwire]

Penetration Testing Infrequency Leaves Security Gaps

Many organisations are struggling to maintain the balance between penetration testing and IT changes within the organisation, leaving security gaps according to a recent report. The report found that 73% of organisations reported changes to their IT environments at least quarterly, however only 40% performed penetration testing at the same frequency.

The issue arises where there is a significant duration during which changes have been implemented without undergoing assessment, leaving organisations open to risk for extended periods of time. Consider the situation in which an organisation moves their infrastructure from on-premise to the cloud: they now have a different IT environment, and with that, new risks.

Black Arrow always recommends that a robust penetration test should be conducted whenever changes to internet facing infrastructure have been made, and at least annually.

Source: [MSSP Alert]

Bank Prohibited from Opening New Accounts After Regulators Lose Patience with Poor Cyber Security Governance

A bank in India has been banned from signing up new customers, and instructed to focus on improving its cyber security after “serious deficiencies and non-compliances” were found within their IT environment. The compliances provided by the bank were described as “inadequate, incorrect or not sustained”. The bank is now subject to an external audit, which if passed, will consider the lifting of the restrictions placed upon them.

Source: [The Register]

The Psychological Impact of Phishing Attacks on Your Employees

Phishing remains one of the most prevalent attack vectors for bad actors, and its psychological impact on employees can be severe, with many employees facing a loss in confidence and job satisfaction as well as an increase in anxiety. In a study by Egress, it was found that 74% of employees were disciplined, dismissed or left voluntarily after suffering a phishing incident, which can cause hesitation when it comes to reporting phishing.

Phishing incidents and simulations where employees have clicked should be seen as an opportunity to learn, not to blame, and to understand why a phish was successful and what can be done in future to prevent it. Organisations should perform security education and awareness training to help employees lessen their chance of falling victim, as well as knowing the reporting procedures.

Source: [Beta News]

Where Hackers Find Your Weak Spots

A recent analysis highlights social engineering as a primary vector for cyber attacks, emphasising its reliance on meticulously gathered intelligence to exploit organisational vulnerabilities. Attackers leverage various intelligence sources; Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) for public data, Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT) for social media insights, Advertising Intelligence (ADINT) from advertising data, Dark Web Intelligence (DARKINT) from the DarkWeb, and the emerging AI Intelligence (AI-INT) using artificial intelligence. These methods equip cyber criminals with detailed knowledge about potential victims, enabling targeted and effective attacks. The report underscores the critical importance of robust information management and employee training to mitigate such threats, specifically advocating for regular training, AI-use policies, and proactive intelligence gathering by organisations to protect against the substantial risks posed by social engineering.

Source: [Dark Reading]

The Role of Threat Intelligence in Financial Data Protection

The financial industry’s reliance on digital processes has made it vulnerable to cyber attacks. Criminals target sensitive customer data, leading to financial losses, regulatory fines, and reputational damage. To combat these threats such as phishing, malware, ransomware, and social engineering, financial institutions must prioritise robust cyber security measures. One effective approach is threat intelligence, which involves ingesting reliable threat data, customised to your sector and the technology you have in place, and dark web monitoring.

Source: [Security Boulevard]

Government Cannot Protect Business and Services from Cyber Attack, Decision Makers Say

According to a recent report, 66% of surveyed IT leaders expressed a lack of confidence in their government’s ability to defend people and enterprises from cyber attacks, especially those from nation state actors. This scepticism arises from the growing complexity of threats and the rapid evolution of cyber warfare. While governments play a critical role in national security, their agility in adapting to the ever-changing digital landscape leaves organisations finding themselves increasingly responsible for their own protection.

Source: [TechRadar] [Security Magazine]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ransomware triggers cyber insurance claims increase | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Coalition Finds More Than Half of Cyber Insurance Claims Originate in the Email Inbox - IT Security Guru

• Pen Testing Infrequency Leaves Security Gaps | MSSP Alert

• Six out of 10 businesses struggle to manage cyber risk (betanews.com)

• Email inbox cyber crime leaps as claims soar (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• It Costs How Much?!? The Financial Pitfalls of Cyber Attacks on SMBs | Huntress

• Why Cyber Security Should Be Driving Your Enterprise Risk Management Strategy (forbes.com)

• Cyber attacks are on the rise, and that includes small businesses. Here's what to know | AP News

• Cyber staff priority as threats continue – report (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• UK government cannot protect businesses and services from cyber attacks, IT pros say | TechRadar

• Why cyber attacks shouldn’t be viewed as isolated incidents - Raconteur

• Bank banned from opening new accounts over IT risks • The Register

• Battening down the hatches: Navigating third-party cyber threats  | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Cyber Attacks Keep Rising. Here's What Small Businesses Need to Know | Inc.com

• 73% of SME security pros missed or ignored critical alerts - Help Net Security

• Unmasking the True Cost of Cyber Attacks: Beyond Ransom and Recovery (thehackernews.com)

• 4 steps CISOs can take to raise trust in their business | TechTarget

• NCSC Says Newer Threats Need Network Defence Strategy | Trend Micro (US)

• Uncertainty is the most common driver of noncompliance - Help Net Security

• More and more businesses now have CISOs - but they're increasingly taking the blame for attacks | TechRadar

• Cyber metrics journey | Professional Security

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransomware triggers cyber insurance claims increase | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Coalition Finds More Than Half of Cyber Insurance Claims Originate in the Email Inbox - IT Security Guru

• Report finds a near 20% increase in ransomware victims year-over-year | Security Magazine

• Risks to ransomware attack payment | Professional Security

• Ransomware Double-Dip: Re-Victimization in Cyber Extortion (thehackernews.com)

• 'Junk gun' ransomware: New low-cost cyber threat targets SMBs (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Mandiant: Attacker dwell time down, ransomware up in 2023 | TechTarget

• Behavioural patterns of ransomware groups are changing - Help Net Security

• Record ransomware attacks in March 2024, report finds (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Ransomware payments drop to record low of 28% in Q1 2024 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers use developing countries as testing ground for new ransomware attacks (ft.com)

• Ransomware Still On Rise Despite Better Defences, Firm Says - Law360

• Hackers are using developing countries for ransomware practice | Ars Technica

• Dark web inundated by cheap ransomware tools | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Unmasking the True Cost of Cyber Attacks: Beyond Ransom and Recovery (thehackernews.com)

• Action needed amid escalating ransomware attacks, record-high payments | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• HelloKitty ransomware rebrands, releases CD Projekt and Cisco data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Rising Ransomware Issue: English-Speaking Western Affiliates (govinfosecurity.com)

• Ransomware in Q1 2024: Frequency, size of payments trending downwards, SMBs beware! - Help Net Security

• CL0P ransomware gang is on the rise | Hogan Lovells - JDSupra

• Proportion paying ransoms declines in Q1 2024, even as takings break a new record (computing.co.uk)

• Megazord Ransomware Attacking Healthcare & Govt Entities (cybersecuritynews.com)

• CISA ransomware warning program set to fully launch by end of 2024 | CyberScoop

• DragonForce Ransomware Group Uses LockBit’s Leaked Builder - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber Hygiene Helps Organisations Mitigate Ransomware-Related Vulnerabilities  | CISA

• Ransomware attacks rise in global food & agriculture sector (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Preventing Ransomware Attacks at Scale (hbr.org)

Ransomware Victims

• Hackers Were in Change Healthcare 9 Days Before Attack (pymnts.com)

• UnitedHealth BlackCat Attack Cost is $872M in Q1 | MSSP Alert

• UnitedHealth admits breach could affect large chunk of US • The Register

• Back from the Brink: UnitedHealth Offers Sobering Post-Attack Update (darkreading.com)

• UnitedHealth Paid Ransom to Protect Patient Data | MSSP Alert

• Will the Change Healthcare case finally make providers do a business impact analysis? | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• UNDP, City of Copenhagen Targeted in Data-Extortion Cyber Attack (darkreading.com)

• Cannes Hospital Cancels Medical Procedures Following Cyber Attack - Security Week

• Small medical practices will close because of Change cyber attack, says AMA | Healthcare IT News

• HelloKitty ransomware rebrands, releases CD Projekt and Cisco data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Sweden's liquor shelves to run empty this week due to ransomware attack (therecord.media)

• Authentication failure blamed for Change Healthcare ransomware attack | CSO Online

• Ransomware feared as Octapharma Plasma closes 150+ centers • The Register

• Red Ransomware takes credit for Targus attack | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Ransomware Gang Leaks Data Allegedly Stolen From Government Contractor - Security Week

• Carpetright unable to trade after cyber attack - Retail Gazette

• Street lights in Leicester City cannot be turned off due to a cyber attack (securityaffairs.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Phishing attacks up 60 percent driven by AI (betanews.com)

• Coalition Finds More Than Half of Cyber Insurance Claims Originate in the Email Inbox - IT Security Guru

• The psychological impact of phishing attacks on your employees (betanews.com)

• Hackers Create Legit Phishing Links With Ghost GitHub, GitLab Comments (darkreading.com)

• Authorities investigate LabHost users after phishing service shut down | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Researchers Detail Multistage Attack Hijacking Systems with SSLoad, Cobalt Strike (thehackernews.com)

• LA County Health Services: Patients' data exposed in phishing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

BEC

• Coalition Finds More Than Half of Cyber Insurance Claims Originate in the Email Inbox - IT Security Guru

• Email inbox cyber crime leaps as claims soar (emergingrisks.co.uk)

Other Social Engineering

• LastPass Users Lose Master Passwords to Ultra-Convincing Scam (darkreading.com)

• Open Source Groups Warn of Social Engineering Backdoors | MSSP Alert

Artificial Intelligence

• AI is a major threat and financial organisations are not doing enough to fight it | Biometric Update

• Phishing attacks up 60 percent driven by AI (betanews.com)

• Fifth of CISOs Admit Staff Leaked Data Via GenAI - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Five Eyes agencies publish report on AI security | Hogan Lovells - JDSupra

• AI tools linked to data exposure in 1 in 5 UK organisations (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Security Leaders Braced for Daily AI-Driven Attacks by Year-End - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• CSOs say AI is 'biggest cyber threat' to organisations | TechRadar

• Man arrested for 'framing colleague' with AI-generated voice • The Register

• Microsoft Warns: North Korean Hackers Turn to AI-Fueled Cyber Espionage (thehackernews.com)

• People doubt their own ability to spot AI-generated deepfakes - Help Net Security

• A National Security Insider Does the Math on the Dangers of AI | WIRED

• 40% of organisations have AI policies for critical infrastructure | Security Magazine

• GPT-4 can exploit real vulnerabilities by reading advisories • The Register

• 25 cyber security AI stats you should know - Help Net Security

• Cyber Threats in the Age of AI: Protecting Your Digital DNA - Security Boulevard

• The Dark Side of Deepfakes: How Malicious Actors Use Synthetic Media to Manipulate and Deceive | Metaverse Post (mpost.io)

• 6 security items that should be in every AI acceptable use policy | CSO Online

• 'Poisoned' data could wreck AIs in wartime, warns Army software acquisition chief - Breaking Defence

• The use of AI in war games could change military strategy (theconversation.com)

2FA/MFA

• Strengths & Weaknesses of MFA Methods Against Cyber Attacks | Duo Security

• What is multi-factor authentication (MFA), and why is it important? - Help Net Security

Malware

• ToddyCat APT Is Stealing Data on 'Industrial Scale' (darkreading.com)

• Report says over 10 million devices were infected by data-stealing malware in 2023 - PhoneArena

• New Brokewell malware takes over Android devices, steals data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GitLab affected by GitHub-style CDN flaw allowing malware hosting (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft unmasks Russia-linked ‘GooseEgg’ malware (therecord.media)

• Hackers hijack antivirus updates to drop GuptiMiner malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• eScan Antivirus Update Mechanism Exploited to Spread Backdoors and Miners (thehackernews.com)

• Beware! Notorious Samurai Stealer Used in Targeted Attacks (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Threat Actor Uses Multiple Infostealers in Global Campaign - Security Week

• Seedworm Hackers Exploit RMM Tools to Deliver Malware (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Antivirus updates hijacked to drop dangerous malware | TechRadar

• Hackers infect users of antivirus service that delivered updates over HTTP | Ars Technica

• Researchers sinkhole PlugX malware server with 2.5 million unique IPs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Millions of IPs remain infected by USB worm years after its creators left it for dead | Ars Technica

• North Korea's Lazarus Group Deploys New Kaolin RAT via Fake Job Lures (thehackernews.com)

Mobile

• Report says over 10 million devices were infected by data-stealing malware in 2023 - PhoneArena

• Ukrainian soldiers’ apps increasingly targeted for spying, cyber agency warns (therecord.media)

• iPhone password reset attacks are real – how to protect yourself | Mashable

• New Brokewell malware takes over Android devices, steals data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Godfather Banking Trojan Spawns 1.2K Samples Across 57 Countries (darkreading.com)

• Major Security Flaws Expose Keystrokes of Over 1 Billion Chinese Keyboard App Users (thehackernews.com)

• Give Your iPhone a Security Boost With This iOS 17.4 Feature - CNET

• A Briefing on SIM Hijacking | Intel471

Data Breaches/Leaks

• 5.3M World-Check records may be leaked; how to check your records | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Hackers stole 7,000,000 people's DNA. But what can they do with it? | Tech News | Metro News

• AT&T Offers All Customers Free Security Bundle After Data Breach (tech.co)

• AT&T faces class action lawsuit over massive data breach exposing 70 million customers’ personal information (click2houston.com)

• App bug exposes 1M neighbourhood watchers to data harvesters • The Register

• Fifth of CISOs Admit Staff Leaked Data Via GenAI - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Rising Ransomware Issue: English-Speaking Western Affiliates (govinfosecurity.com)

• Russian FSB Counterintelligence Chief Gets 9 Years in Cyber Crime Bribery Scheme – Krebs on Security

• Authorities investigate LabHost users after phishing service shut down | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• To Catch a Cyber Criminal -- and the Fallout That Follows (informationweek.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• eScan Antivirus Update Mechanism Exploited to Spread Backdoors and Miners (thehackernews.com)

• Lazarus On the Hunt: How North Korean Hackers are Targeting Crypto via LinkedIn (bitcoinist.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Most people still rely on memory or pen and paper for password management - Help Net Security

• The rise of the outsmarted insider (betanews.com)

• CesiumAstro claims former exec spilled trade secrets to upstart competitor AnySignal | TechCrunch

Insurance

• Ransomware triggers cyber insurance claims increase | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Coalition Finds More Than Half of Cyber Insurance Claims Originate in the Email Inbox - IT Security Guru

• Email inbox cyber crime leaps as claims soar (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Coalition: Insurance claims for Cisco ASA users spiked in 2023 | TechTarget

• Munich Re on the impact of cyber rate changes | Insurance Business America (insurancebusinessmag.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Battening down the hatches: Navigating third-party cyber threats  | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Ransomware Gang Leaks Data Allegedly Stolen From Government Contractor - Security Week

• Tech Investments Help SMBs Fortify Supply Chains Amid Economic, Workforce, and Security Concerns | Business Wire

Cloud/SaaS

• How Attackers Can Own a Business Without Touching the Endpoint (thehackernews.com)

• 5 Hard Truths About the State of Cloud Security 2024 (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• How Attackers Can Own a Business Without Touching the Endpoint (thehackernews.com)

• Identity-based security threats are growing rapidly: report | CSO Online

Encryption

• Europol asks tech firms, governments to get rid of E2EE • The Register

• How tech firms are tackling the risks of quantum computing | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• Australian authorities call for Big Tech help with decryption • The Register

Linux and Open Source

• Open Source Groups Warn of Social Engineering Backdoors | MSSP Alert

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Most people still rely on memory or pen and paper for password management - Help Net Security

• Apple @ Work: Over 52% of workers try to memorize and reuse the same password across multiple apps at work - 9to5Mac

• New Password Cracking Analysis Targets Bcrypt - Security Week

• Brute Force Password Cracking Takes Longer - Don't Celebrate Yet (technewsworld.com)

Social Media

• Dutch govt body: Don't use Facebook if unsure about privacy • The Register

• North Korea's Lazarus Group Deploys New Kaolin RAT via Fake Job Lures (thehackernews.com)

Malvertising

• Windows 11 now comes with its own adware (engadget.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• 10 colleges and universities shaping the future of cyber security education - Help Net Security

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• What is the EU Cyber Solidarity Act? | UpGuard

• International Lawyers Network Announces the Launch of Comprehensive Data Protection Guide (prleap.com)

• Preparing for NIS2: A Compliance Guide For Covered Entities | UpGuard

• NIS2: Preparing for EU’s New Cyber Security Rules | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati – JDSupra

• Compliance in 2024: Cutting through the noise (federalnewsnetwork.com)

• Google Postpones Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Amid UK Regulatory Scrutiny (thehackernews.com)

• A view from Brussels: To be sovereign, or not to be (iapp.org)

• Cyber Security | UK Regulatory Outlook April 2024 - Lexology

• Net neutrality has been restored in the US - Help Net Security

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Fortifying your business with ISO 27001 - DCD (datacenterdynamics.com)

• Preparing for NIS2: A Compliance Guide For Covered Entities | UpGuard

• Taking Time to Understand NIS2 Reporting Requirements - Security Boulevard

Data Protection

• International Lawyers Network Announces the Launch of Comprehensive Data Protection Guide (prleap.com)

• Boost your data protection with insights from Dell's report - SiliconANGLE

• A view from Brussels: To be sovereign, or not to be (iapp.org)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Cyber staff priority as threats continue – report (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Pluralsight Study Finds the Biggest Technical Skills Gaps are in Cyber Security, Cloud, and Software Development (prnewswire.com)

• Three Ways Organisations Can Overcome the Cyber Security Skills Gap - Security Boulevard

• Addressing the cyber skills shortage: 5 key steps to take | CSO Online

• Five Essential Steps To Land Your First Cyber Security Job (forbes.com)

• Expert Insight: Outdated Recruitment Methods Are Impeding The Global Cyber Army - IT Security Guru

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Exploring Law Enforcement Hacking as a Tool Against Transnational Cyber Crime - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

• Authorities investigate LabHost users after phishing service shut down | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Trend Micro Collaborated with Interpol in Cracking Down Grandoreiro Banking Trojan | Trend Micro (US)

• To Catch a Cyber Criminal -- and the Fallout That Follows (informationweek.com)

• Man arrested for 'framing colleague' with AI-generated voice • The Register

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Campaigns and political parties are in the crosshairs of election meddlers | CyberScoop

• Mandiant: Russia, Iran pose biggest threat to 2024 elections • The Register

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Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• State-Sponsored Hackers Exploit Two Cisco Zero-Day Vulnerabilities for Espionage (thehackernews.com)

China

• ToddyCat APT Is Stealing Data on 'Industrial Scale' (darkreading.com)

• Chinese, Russian espionage campaigns increasingly targeting edge devices (therecord.media)

• UK mulls fresh controls on 'sensitive tech' after China cyber claim (thenextweb.com)

• FBI Director Wray Issues Dire Warning on China's Cyber Security Threat (darkreading.com)

• Head of Belgian Foreign Affairs Committee says she was hacked by China | Reuters

• New tool used in China-linked attacks against Asia-Pacific | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Dutch intelligence warns of stronger threats from China, jihadists and extremists | NL Times

• MITRE breached by nation-state threat actor via Ivanti zero-days - Help Net Security

• Ads on .gov.uk websites raise eyebrows over privacy • The Register

• China's Vision for Global Security: Implications for Southeast Asia | United States Institute of Peace (usip.org)

Russia

• Microsoft: APT28 hackers exploit Windows flaw reported by NSA (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft issues warning over ‘GooseEgg’ tool used in Russian hacking campaigns | ITPro

• Chinese, Russian espionage campaigns increasingly targeting edge devices (therecord.media)

• Russia's Fancy Bear Pummels Windows Print Spooler Bug (darkreading.com)

• Who Are APT29? - Security Boulevard

• Overflowing Water Tank Linked to Russian Cyber Attack (govtech.com)

• Russia accused of jamming GPS signal on flights from UK causing route chaos (inews.co.uk)

• Russian Sandworm hackers targeted 20 critical orgs in Ukraine (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Rare Computer Virus Detected in Ukrainian Network, Confidential Document Potentially Compromised (kyivpost.com)

• Russian FSB Counterintelligence Chief Gets 9 Years in Cyber Crime Bribery Scheme – Krebs on Security

• Campaigns and political parties are in the crosshairs of election meddlers | CyberScoop

• Mandiant: Russia, Iran pose biggest threat to 2024 elections • The Register

• Ukrainian soldiers’ apps increasingly targeted for spying, cyber agency warns (therecord.media)

• MITRE breached by nation-state threat actor via Ivanti zero-days - Help Net Security

• Ukraine participates in NATO cyber security exercise in Estonia / The New Voice of Ukraine (nv.ua)

• Cyber attacks on Poland surged after election of pro-Ukraine regime (thenextweb.com)

Iran

• $10 Million Bounty on Iranian Hackers for Cyber Attacks on US Gov, Defence Contractors - Security Week

• Campaigns and political parties are in the crosshairs of election meddlers | CyberScoop

• Mandiant: Russia, Iran pose biggest threat to 2024 elections • The Register

• Iranian nationals charged with hacking US companies, Treasury and State departments | CyberScoop

• The Biggest 2024 Elections Threat: Kitchen-Sink Attack Chains (darkreading.com)

North Korea

• Over 10 Defence Industry Firms Targeted in Concentrated Cyber Attacks by N. Korean Hackers l KBS WORLD

• Hackers hijack antivirus updates to drop GuptiMiner malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Warns: North Korean Hackers Turn to AI-Fuelled Cyber Espionage (thehackernews.com)

• North Korean Hackers Target Dozens of Defence Companies - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• North Korea's Lazarus Group Deploys New Kaolin RAT via Fake Job Lures (thehackernews.com)

Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence

• Dutch intelligence warns of stronger threats from China, jihadists and extremists | NL Times

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Vulnerability Management

• Third-Party Software Patching: Your Cyber Armor in 2024 | MSSP Alert

• Automated patch management: 9 best practices for success | TechTarget

• Vulnerability Exploitation on the Rise as Attacker Ditch Phishing - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Vulnerabilities Versus Intentionally Malicious Software Components - The New Stack

• GPT-4 can exploit real vulnerabilities by reading advisories • The Register

• CISA ransomware warning program set to fully launch by end of 2024 | CyberScoop

Vulnerabilities

• 22,500 Palo Alto firewalls "possibly vulnerable" to ongoing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Palo Alto Networks Discloses More Details on Critical PAN-OS Flaw Under Attack (thehackernews.com)

• Nation-state actors exploited two zero-days in Cisco ASA and FTD firewalls to breach government networks - Security Affairs

• Russia's Fancy Bear Pummels Windows Print Spooler Bug (darkreading.com)

• 'MagicDot' Windows Weakness Allows Unprivileged Rootkit Activity (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft: APT28 hackers exploit Windows flaw reported by NSA (bleepingcomputer.com)

• MITRE says state hackers breached its network via Ivanti zero-days (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GitLab affected by GitHub-style CDN flaw allowing malware hosting (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google Patches Critical Chrome Vulnerability - Security Week

• Microsoft releases Exchange hotfixes for security update issues (bleepingcomputer.com)

• PoC Exploit Released For Critical Oracle VirtualBox Vulnerability (gbhackers.com)

• Critical Forminator plugin flaw impacts over 300k WordPress sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Dependency Confusion Vulnerability Found in Apache Project - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Major Security Flaw in Popular Keyboard Apps Puts Millions at Risk (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Patch Now: CrushFTP Zero-Day Cloud Exploit Targets US Orgs (darkreading.com)

• GitHub vulnerability leaks sensitive security reports | TechTarget

• New Password Cracking Analysis Targets Bcrypt - Security Week

• Maximum severity Flowmon bug has a public exploit, patch now (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

Tools and Controls

• Seedworm Hackers Exploit RMM Tools to Deliver Malware (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Third-Party Software Patching: Your Cyber Armour in 2024 | MSSP Alert

• The Role of Threat Intelligence in Financial Data Protection - Security Boulevard

• Automated patch management: 9 best practices for success | TechTarget

• Rethinking How You Work with Detection and Response Metrics (darkreading.com)

• Choosing SOC Tools? Read This First [2024 Guide] - Security Boulevard

• Research Shows How Attackers Can Abuse EDR Security Products - SecurityWeek

• What is multi-factor authentication (MFA), and why is it important? - Help Net Security

• Strengths & Weaknesses of MFA Methods Against Cyber Attacks | Duo Security

• Zero Trust Takes Over: 63% of Orgs Implementing Globally (darkreading.com)

• Pen Testing Infrequency Leaves Security Gaps | MSSP Alert

• 5 Hard Truths About the State of Cloud Security 2024 (darkreading.com)

• Explore CASB use cases before you decide to buy | TechTarget

• SD-WAN: Don't Build a Dead End, Prepare for Future-Proof Secure Networking - SecurityWeek

• Identity-based security threats are growing rapidly: report | CSO Online

• Microsoft criticized for charging for security add-ons • The Register

• 5 insights from new Microsoft CNAPP guide | Microsoft Security Blog

• The Peril of Badly Secured Network Edge Devices (inforisktoday.com)

• VPNs, Firewalls' Nonexistent Telemetry Lures APTs (darkreading.com)

• The first steps of establishing your cloud security strategy - Help Net Security

• 40% of organizations have AI policies for critical infrastructure | Security Magazine

• Understand the Benefits and Limitations of Automated Tools in Penetration Testing (prweb.com)

• World´s most advanced cyber defence exercise kicks off in Tallinn

• Tech Investments Help SMBs Fortify Supply Chains Amid Economic, Workforce, and Security Concerns | Business Wire

• CISA ransomware warning program set to fully launch by end of 2024 | CyberScoop

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• M-Trends 2024 | Google Cloud

• Mandiant's M-Trends Report Reveals New Insights from Frontline Cyber Investigations (prnewswire.com)

• Coalition's 2024 Cyber Claims Report (coalitioninc.com)

• Boost your data protection with insights from Dell's report - SiliconANGLE

• 2024 Cisco Cyber Security Readiness Index

• Rising Cyber Threats Pose Serious Concerns for Financial Stability (imf.org)

• Cyber Security in the UK - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)

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Other News

• These sectors are top targets for cyber crime, and other cyber security news to know this month | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• Online Banking Security Still Not Up to Par, Says Which? - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Why Educating HR Professionals on Cyber Risk Is Crucial (thehrdirector.com)

• Where Hackers Find Your Weak Spots (darkreading.com)

• Network Threats: A Step-by-Step Attack Demonstration (thehackernews.com)

• Microsoft is reportedly making security improvements its current top priority at the company - Neowin

• UK cyber agency NCSC announces Richard Horne as its next chief executive (therecord.media)

• Internet cable at Cali airport cut in apparent sabotage • The Register

• DOD establishes Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defence for Cyber Policy (securityintelligence.com)

• EU Statement – UN General Assembly 1st Committee: Cyber Security | EEAS (europa.eu)

• US: The European Union and the United States hold the 9th Cyber Dialogue in Brussels | EEAS (europa.eu)

• Why Tourists Are Particularly Vulnerable To Cyber Attacks (maltatoday.com.mt)

• Microsoft needs to win back trust - The Verge

• AI Is Going Well For Microsoft, But Cyber Security Is Not - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) - Benzinga

• Questions for IT and cyber leaders from the CSRB Microsoft report | Computer Weekly

• World´s most advanced cyber defence exercise kicks off in Tallinn

• Why Cyber Security Is Key To Solving Global Crises (forbes.com)

• Cyber Security is Relentless! | Gray Reed - JDSupra

• Colleges spending more than ever on cyber security efforts (insidehighered.com)

• Foreign states targeting UK universities, MI5 warns - BBC News

• Cyber resilience in the public sector: lessons for UK Councils (techinformed.com)

• Digital Blitzkrieg: Unveiling Cyber Logistics Warfare (darkreading.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·         Automotive

·         Construction

·         Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·         Defence & Space

·         Education & Academia

·         Energy & Utilities

·         Estate Agencies

·         Financial Services

·         FinTech

·         Food & Agriculture

·         Gaming & Gambling

·         Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·         Health/Medical/Pharma

·         Hotels & Hospitality

·         Insurance

·         Legal

·         Manufacturing

·         Maritime

·         Oil, Gas & Mining

·         OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·         Retail & eCommerce

·         Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·         Startups

·         Telecoms

·         Third Sector & Charities

·         Transport & Aviation

·         Web3

As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 26 January 2024

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 26 January 2024

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Russian Hackers’ Breach of Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Corporate Mailboxes is an Identity Threat Detection Wake-up Call

Just recently, it was publicly disclosed that Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) had their corporate mailboxes breached by threat actors. In the Microsoft breach, a hacking group had used a password spray attack to compromise a non-production test account, and leverage that to access corporate accounts. In the HPE breach, corporate access was gained through unauthorised access to SharePoint files. Both attacks highlight the need for identity threat detection: the ability to identify malicious activity from trusted identities before more sophisticated damage is caused. Cyber incidents are a matter of when, not if, and it is important to have detection capabilities, even for trusted accounts.

Sources: [Help Net Security] [Security Boulevard]

94% of CISOs are Concerned About Third-Party Cyber Threats, Yet Only 3% Have Started Implementing Security Measures

A recent study found that while 94% of CISOs are concerned with third-party cyber security threats,  including 17% who view it as a top priority, only 3% have implemented a third -party cyber risk management solution and 33% have noted plans to implement this year. Small and medium sized businesses may not have the resources of a larger organisation yet will have a similar level of third-party risk. This makes the need for an effective solution even more important, and in some cases this may include outsourcing to cyber experts.

Sources: [Dark Reading]

Cyber Risks Needs to be Prioritised as a Key Business Risk, Says UK Government, as New Cyber Security Governance Code Puts Cyber Risks on Boardroom Agenda

The UK Government has proposed a new Code of Practice on cyber security governance, aimed at directors and senior business leaders. The draft document emphasises the need to prioritise cyber security on par with financial and legal risks. It outlines several key areas for focus, including risk management, cyber strategy, fostering a cyber security culture among employees, incident planning and response, and establishing clear governance structures. With digital technologies playing a crucial role in business resilience, the code calls for greater involvement of executive and non-executive directors in technology governance strategies. The UK Minister for AI and Intellectual Property has highlighted that cyber attacks are as damaging to organisations as financial and legal pitfalls. It is crucial that directors take a firm grip of their organisation’s cyber security regimes to protect their customers, workforce, business operations and the wider economy. This initiative reinforces the importance of a holistic approach to cyber security, including robust incident response plans and regular practice to enhance cyber resilience. It’s a timely reminder that cyber threats are as detrimental to organisations as financial and legal challenges, and this code aims to empower leaders to navigate these threats effectively.

Sources: [Computer Weekly] [Electronics Specifier] [GOV UK] [TechRadar] [Infosecurity Magazine]

81% of Security Professionals Say Phishing Is Top Threat

A recent study found 81% of organisations anticipated phishing as their top security risk over the coming months. In a separate report, it was found that 94% of organisations globally had experienced an email security incident in the past 12 months, with a 10% rise in phishing. It is not just emails where phishing attacks are occurring: in another report, the second half of 2023 saw a 198% increase in browser based phishing attacks. It is clear that phishing is a threat to organisations, and it is important to be prepared.

Sources: [ITPro] [Beta News] [Security Magazine]

Ransomware Attacks Cause Significant Psychological Harm

One area of ransomware that often gets overlooked, is the psychological impact. A recent report by the Royal United Services Institute found that some attacks had caused so much impact that organisations hired post-traumatic stress disorder support teams. A significant number of respondents experienced sleep deprivation, resulting in them developing extreme fatigue and falling asleep at work. Various levels of stress were experienced by security workers, with one interviewee citing the stress of a ransomware attack as a potential cause for a heart attack that required surgery. This highlights that, as with the wider subject of cyber and information security, consideration needs to be given to more than just IT and IT controls: it shows the need for a holistic approach to include people, operations and technology.

Sources: [The Record Media] [TechRadar]

Breached Password Report Reveals Two Million Compromised Cloud Credentials Used '123456' as Password

A recent report has revealed that two million compromised cloud credentials used ‘123456’ as a password. This alarming trend underscores the ongoing issue of weak passwords, which are easily exploited by hackers. Despite the availability of advanced password creation and storage tools, a significant number of individuals and organisations continue to use weak passwords. Furthermore, the report found that 88% of organisations still rely on passwords as their primary authentication method. Despite the focus on password security, nearly every organisation has had risk management lapses. The report highlights the urgent need for stronger password policies and the adoption of more secure authentication methods. Equally, the attacks highlight that simply moving to the cloud does not solve security challenges, and poor cyber hygiene in the cloud will lead to problems.

Sources: [ITPro] [Business Wire] [Security Magazine]

NCSC: UK Intelligence Fears AI will Fuel Ransomware and Exacerbate Cyber Crime

An article published by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) states that AI is already being used to increase the efficacy of cyber attacks, and that AI will continue to significantly increase the odds of a successful attack. AI models will build capability as they are informed by data describing previous successful attacks. The NCSC noted that “It is likely that highly capable unfriendly nation states have repositories of malware that are large enough to effectively train an AI model for this purpose”. The message from the NCSC is clear: AI will propel cyber incidents and organisation must take this into consideration as part of their wider cyber risk management strategy.

Sources: [The Register] [PC Mag] [The Messenger ] [Silicon UK]

Cyber Attacks More than Doubled in 2023, so Why Are So Many Firms Still Not Taking Security Seriously, or Why Firms Ignore Vulnerabilities at Their Own Risk

Cyber attacks soared again last year, and attackers are increasingly taking advantage of software vulnerabilities to breach organisations. This is due to the continuous discovery of new vulnerabilities, and with that, a constant challenge for firms to apply patches. A report found many organisations lack an effective vulnerability management programme and are leaving themselves open to attacks; and in some cases they are left vulnerable for years.

One key hindrance found by the report is the sheer volume of vulnerabilities identified and patched by vendors, leaving organisations with the perpetual challenge of timely patching. This complication is made worse for small and medium sized businesses where they have less resources. The report found that legacy systems are a large risk for many organisations;  in fact, older Windows server OS versions - 2012 and earlier – were found to be 77% more likely to experience attack attempts than newer versions. Many firms are still not taking this danger seriously enough and as a result, blind spots and critical vulnerabilities are worsening, creating more opportunities for attackers.

Sources: [ITPro] [Help Net Security] [ITPro]

Historic Data Leak Reveals 26 billion Records: Check What is Exposed

In what has been described as the ‘mother of all breaches’, 26 billion records have been exposed. These aren’t all new, as a lot of the records are from numerous breaches, however they are all in one location, compiled and index for use. With the emergence of this, there is will likely be a surge in attacks and if you haven’t changed your credentials, or are reusing these same credentials, you may find yourself a victim. To check if your email has been compromised in a breach, you can check on the website www.HaveIBeenPwned.com

Source: [Security Affairs]

Boardroom Cyber Expertise Comes Under Scrutiny

Cyber security concerns continue to be a critical issue for organisations, driven by factors such as data protection, compliance, risk management, and business continuity. However, a recent report reveals a concerning trend where only 5% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) report directly to the CEO, down from 11% in 2021. This gap between cyber security leadership and board-level involvement is a challenge. A report emphasises that many board members lack the technical expertise to understand cyber security, while CISOs often communicate in technical jargon, making it difficult for boards to grasp the significance of security issues. To bridge this gap, it's crucial to educate board members on the real-world risks and costs associated with cyber incidents. Sharing simple metrics like the global average cost of a data breach, which is $4.45 million, can help them understand the financial impact. Moreover, CISOs should learn to convey cyber security matters in business terms and quantify the organisation's cyber risk exposure. By providing boards with information to understand and engaging in informed discussions, they can enhance their cyber security strategy and ensure that these vital issues are prioritised appropriately.

Source: [Security Intelligence]

“It is a whole new bar”: Months Left for Applicable Firms to Prepare for New EU Cyber Security Rules

The landscape of cyber security is evolving rapidly, with two significant EU regulations: the Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), set to take effect in the coming months. NIS2 expands cyber security standards to include critical services like transportation, water services, and health services, while DORA focuses on the financial services sector and aims to ensure resilience against cyber threats.

These regulations necessitate strong cyber security testing, incident reporting processes, and comprehensive assessments of third-party providers' security. Compliance with these regulations will introduce complexity and costs, requiring organisations to prepare comprehensively for the evolving cyber security landscape, including the implications of artificial intelligence. Transparency and understanding are key, as boards must fully comprehend data processing and technology usage within their organisations, ushering in a new era of cyber security governance.

Source: [The Currency]

Ransomware Attacks Break Records In 2023: The Number of Victims Rose By 128%

In 2023, there was a significant surge in ransomware attacks globally. The number of attack attempts more than doubled, increasing by 104%. A report shows that there were 1,900 total ransomware attacks within just four countries: the US, UK, Germany, and France. The use of double extortion techniques, where hackers not only encrypt the data but also steal confidential data beforehand and threaten to release it if their demands are not fulfilled, are becoming increasingly common, with now triple and quadruple extortion techniques also being increasingly deployed. It was also found that data exfiltration was present in approximately 91% of all publicly recorded ransomware attacks in 2023. These figures underscore the growing threat of ransomware and the need for robust cyber security measures.

Sources: [Security Boulevard] [Security Affairs] [Security Brief] [Business Wire]

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Treat cyber risk like financial or legal issue, says UK government | Computer Weekly

• New Cyber Security Governance Code Puts Cyber Risks on Boardroom Agenda - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Business leaders urged to toughen up cyber attack protections - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• Organisations face devastating financial consequences from cyber attacks (betanews.com)

• Cyber attacks more than doubled in 2023, so why are so many firms still not taking security seriously? | ITPro

• Cyber Security Attack Attempts More Than Doubled, Increasing 104% in 2023 | Business Wire

• “It is a whole new bar”: Months left to prepare for new EU cyber security rules - The Currency :The Currency

• The growing role of CISOs in cyber security governance - APDR (asiapacificdefencereporter.com)

• Boardroom cyber expertise comes under scrutiny (securityintelligence.com)

• Resilience: The New Priority for Your Security Model (inforisktoday.com)

• 10 must-have security tips for digital nomads | Computerworld

• Top 3 Priorities for CISOs in 2024 (darkreading.com)

• CISOs Struggle for C-Suite Status Even as Expectations Skyrocket (darkreading.com)

• Navigating The 'Fog Of A Cyber Attack' (forbes.com)

• The cost of cyber crime to reach over $12tn by 2025

• Why cyber attacks mustn’t be kept secret - Help Net Security

• Business continuity vs. disaster recovery vs. incident response | TechTarget

• Why resilience leaders must prepare for polycrises - Help Net Security

• The best cyber defence needs more than tech - eCampus News

• The CISO Role Undergoes a Major Evolution (darkreading.com)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransomware attacks break records in 2023: the number of victims rose by 128% (securityaffairs.com)

• Impact of Ransomware attacks take mental health toll on small business owners, report says (therecord.media)

• UK Intelligence Fears AI Will Fuel Ransomware, Exacerbate Cyber Crime (pcmag.com)

• Britons must 'strengthen defences' against growing threat of AI-assisted ransomware, cyber security chief warns | UK News | Sky News

• The rise of cyber extortion and 'Hacktivism' - Verdict

• Ransomware recovery – the need for speed | TechRadar

• Medibank hack: Russian sanctioned over Australia's worst data breach - BBC News

• UK gov tells SMBs to get better at protecting themselves from cyber attacks | TechRadar

• Researchers link 3AM ransomware to Conti, Royal cyber crime gangs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Kasseika ransomware uses antivirus driver to kill other antiviruses (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Akira ransomware attack on Tietoevry disrupted the services of many Swedish organisations (securityaffairs.com)

• Organisations invest more in data protection but recover less - Help Net Security

• Evolving BianLian ransomware attack strategies detailed | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Hackers target TeamViewer to try and get access to your company's network | TechRadar

• Ransomware Victims

• Major US, UK Water Companies Hit by Ransomware - SecurityWeek

• Sweden’s Riksbank Turns to Police as Cyber Attack Hits IT Firm - BNN Bloomberg

• Owner of The North Face, Supreme, Vans, Reports Breach Affecting 35M Users (pcmag.com)

• Primary Health & Wellness Center, LLC’s public notice of ransomware incident (databreaches.net)

• Akira ransomware attack on Tietoevry disrupted the services of many Swedish organisations (securityaffairs.com)

• LockBit gang claims the attack on the sandwich chain Subway (securityaffairs.com)

• loanDepot says ransomware gang stole data of 16.6 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Aviation Leasing Giant AerCap Hit by Ransomware Attack - SecurityWeek

• Global fintech firm EquiLend offline after recent cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware Group Offers Hacked Serbian Electricity Provider's Data For Download (rferl.org)

• Cyber attack in Merseyside as 'immediate steps taken' (msn.com)

• Housing association confirms 'cyber security incident' but can't confirm if tenants' data was lost | Shropshire Star

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Four-in-ten employees sacked over email security breaches as firms tackle “truly staggering” increase in attacks | ITPro

• 81 percent of security pros say phishing is the top threat (betanews.com)

• Browser Phishing Threats Grew 198% Last Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Invoice Phishing Alert: TA866 Deploys WasabiSeed & Screenshotter Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Organisations need to switch gears in their approach to email security - Help Net Security

• HPE Says Russian Government Hackers Had Access to Emails for 6 Months - SecurityWeek

• Russian hackers breached Microsoft, HPE corporate maliboxes - Help Net Security

• Don’t Take The Bait: How To Prevent A Phishing Attack | Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP - JDSupra

• Trezor reveals 66,000 users could face phishing attack (coinjournal.net)

• Is This a Phishing Email? 8 Warning Signs to Look Out For

• PHP-less phishing kits that can run on any website | Netcraft

• New KnowBe4 Report Shows Major Spike in Public Sector Attacks in 2023 | Business Wire

Artificial Intelligence

• AI Will ‘Almost Certainly’ Turbocharge Cyber attacks, UK Warns - The Messenger

• The near-term impact of AI on the cyber threat - NCSC.GOV.UK

• NCSC: AI to boost nation-states’ malware potency • The Register

• AI’s Efficacy is Limitless in Cyber Crime | MSSP Alert

• Top 4 LLM threats to the enterprise | CSO Online

• The rise of cyber extortion and 'Hacktivism' - Verdict

• Battling Misinformation During Election Season (darkreading.com)

• Unmasking Deceptive Behaviour: Risks and Challenges in Large Language Models (azoai.com)

• AI-driven cyber attacks and defences to create a battle of algorithms in 2024 (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Researchers Map AI Threat Landscape, Risks (darkreading.com)

• Misinformation and irresponsible AI: Experts forecast how technology may shape our near future (techxplore.com)

• ChatGPT Cyber Crime Surge Revealed in 3000 Dark Web Posts - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• More than 1 in 4 Organisations Banned Use of GenAI Over Privacy and Data Security Risks - New Cisco Study (prnewswire.com)

• The Cyber Security Horizon: AI, Resilience and Collaboration in 2024 - Security Boulevard

Malware

• NCSC: AI to boost nation-states’ malware potency • The Register

• MacOS devices are being targeted by pirated apps that want to hijack your machine | TechRadar

• Invoice Phishing Alert: TA866 Deploys WasabiSeed & Screenshotter Malware (thehackernews.com)

• 'Inhospitality' malspam campaign targets hotel industry | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Blackwood APT delivers malware by hijacking legitimate software update requests - Help Net Security

• SystemBC Malware's C2 Server Analysis Exposes Payload Delivery Tricks (thehackernews.com)

• HP CEO justifies blocking third-party ink cartridges by claiming they can inject malware | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Mobile

• Apple Issues Patch for Critical Zero-Day in iPhones, Macs - Update Now (thehackernews.com)

• iPhone, Android Ambient Light Sensors Allow Stealthy Spying (darkreading.com)

• New method to safeguard against mobile account takeovers - Help Net Security

• Bluetooth Flaw Let Hackers Takeover of iOS & Android Devices (cybersecuritynews.com)

• SEC confirms X account was hacked in SIM swapping attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Zero-Click Bluetooth Attack: A Growing Threat for Unpatched Android Phones - gHacks Tech News

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Ukrainian mobile bank sees a spike in ‘non-stop’ DDoS pressure (therecord.media)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Ring Will No Longer Allow Police to Request Doorbell Camera Footage From Users - SecurityWeek

• HP CEO justifies blocking third-party ink cartridges by claiming they can inject malware | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Historic data leak reveals 26 billion records: check what's exposed (securityaffairs.com)

• Data of 15 million Trello users scraped and offered for sale - Help Net Security

• Personal details of 6,000 people leaked in Greater Manchester council data breach (msn.com)

• BreachForums hacking forum admin sentenced to 20 years supervised release (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Healthtech firm's cyber attack victim list keeps growing - Digital Journal

• VF Corp Says Data Breach Resulting From Ransomware Attack Impacts 35 Million - SecurityWeek

• Class Actions Filed Over Builders Mutual, Progressive’s Own Data Breaches (claimsjournal.com)

• loanDepot cyber attack causes data breach for 16.6 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Jason’s Deli says customer data exposed in credential stuffing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The growing threat of data breaches in the age of AI and data privacy | TechRadar

• Data Privacy Week: US Data Breaches Surge, 2023 Sees 78% Increase - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 23andMe data breach: Hackers stole raw genotype data, health reports (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Coventry school reprimanded for data breach after IT system 'hacked three times' - CoventryLive (coventrytelegraph.net)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Winter is coming and so are the hackers (betanews.com)

• Grooming, radicalization and cyber attacks: INTERPOL warns of ‘Metacrime’

• Bulletproof Hosting: A Critical Cyber Criminal Service | Intel471

• 'VexTrio' TDS: The Biggest Cyber Crime Operation on the Web? (darkreading.com)

• The cost of cyber crime to reach over $12tn by 2025

• Researchers link 3AM ransomware to Conti, Royal cyber crime gangs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ChatGPT Cyber Crime Surge Revealed in 3000 Dark Web Posts - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber criminal malice shifts away from Russia and Ukraine | Insurance Times

• The sophistication of cyber criminals intensifies with emerging strategies for cashing in or causing chaos - IT Security Guru

• Barracuda's new Cybernomics 101 report uncovers the financial forces driving cyber attacks (prnewswire.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Cyber criminals stole $1.7 billion from crypto funds in 2023 as attacks proliferated (therecord.media)

• US regulator admits cyber security lapse before rogue Bitcoin post - BBC News

• Trezor reveals 66,000 users could face phishing attack (coinjournal.net)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Majority of companies not prepared for insider threats (betanews.com)

• Amid Rising Insider Threats, Most Companies are Vulnerable and Lack the Strategies to Protect Themselves, New Research Finds | Business Wire

• Fighting insider threats is tricky but essential work - Help Net Security

Insurance

• Insurance industry responds to evolving risks with innovation and collaboration: Allianz - Reinsurance News

• Cyber Insurance Industry Suggests Cyber Security Best Practices (networkcomputing.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Panorays Study Finds 94% of CISOs Are Concerned About Third-party Cyber Threats, Yet Only 3% Have Implemented Security Measures (darkreading.com)

• From vulnerability to vigilance: strategies for ensuring supply chain security (techuk.org)

• Bolstering global supply chains: Enhancing resilience, digital logistics, and national security harmony (techuk.org)

• Supply chain security: Responding to emerging cyber threats (techuk.org)

• CISOs' role in identifying tech components and managing supply chains - Help Net Security

• Rethinking supply chain resilience as cyber attacks get more disruptive (techuk.org)

Cloud/SaaS

• On premises vs. cloud pros and cons, key differences | TechTarget

• The 2024 Specops Breached Password Report Reveals Two Million Compromised Cloud Credentials Used ‘123456’ as Password | Business Wire

• The biggest cloud security risk in 2024 will be stolen and exposed credentials | ITPro

Identity and Access Management

• Why Microsoft’s Latest Breach is an Identity Threat Detection Wake-Up Call - Security Boulevard

Encryption

• Cryptographers Are Getting Closer to Enabling Fully Private Internet Searches | WIRED

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Why Microsoft’s Latest Breach is an Identity Threat Detection Wake-Up Call - Security Boulevard

• Accepting a calendar invite in Outlook could leak your password | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• There's no excuse for having a weak password in 2024

• The 2024 Specops Breached Password Report Reveals Two Million Compromised Cloud Credentials Used ‘123456’ as Password | Business Wire

• Jason’s Deli says customer data exposed in credential stuffing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 88% of organisations use passwords as primary authentication method | Security Magazine

• The biggest cloud security risk in 2024 will be stolen and exposed credentials | ITPro

Social Media

• Meta won't remove fake Instagram profiles that are clearly catfishing (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Watch out for "I can't believe he is gone" Facebook phishing posts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• SEC confirms X account was hacked in SIM swapping attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malvertising

• Intro to Digital Fingerprints: Understanding, Manipulating, and Defending Against Online Tracking | HackerNoon

• Google Updates Chrome's Incognito Warning to Admit It Tracks Users in ‘Private’ Mode | WIRED

• Cryptographers Are Getting Closer to Enabling Fully Private Internet Searches | WIRED

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• “It is a whole new bar”: Months left to prepare for new EU cyber security rules - The Currency :The Currency

• Without clear guidance, SEC’s new rule on incident reporting may be detrimental - Help Net Security

• SEC confirms X account was hacked in SIM swapping attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Navigating The 'Fog Of A Cyber Attack' (forbes.com)

• US regulator admits cyber security lapse before rogue Bitcoin post - BBC News

• The CISO Role Undergoes a Major Evolution (darkreading.com)

• Coventry school reprimanded for data breach after IT system 'hacked three times' - CoventryLive (coventrytelegraph.net)

• Countdown for businesses to comply with leaked EU AI Act draft begins | Biometric Update

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• “It is a whole new bar”: Months left to prepare for new EU cyber security rules - The Currency :The Currency

• Prioritising CIS Controls for effective cyber security across organisations - Help Net Security

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Top 3 Priorities for CISOs in 2024 (darkreading.com)

• CISOs Struggle for C-Suite Status Even as Expectations Skyrocket (darkreading.com)

• Why we need more continuous hands-on training and fewer cyber security certifications | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• BreachForums hacking forum admin sentenced to 20 years supervised release (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ring Will No Longer Allow Police to Request Doorbell Camera Footage From Users - SecurityWeek

• Secret Service to revive the Cyber Investigations Advisory Board | CyberScoop

• Court charges dev with hacking after cyber security issue disclosure (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ukrainian Security Service Nabs Russian Hacker Planning Cyber Attacks on Government Websites - Militarnyi

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Battling Misinformation During Election Season (darkreading.com)

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Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity

Nation State Actors

• NCSC: AI to boost nation-states’ malware potency • The Register

China

• Chinese Spies Exploited VMware vCenter Server Vulnerability Since 2021 - SecurityWeek

• The small print leaving UK plc exposed to ‘nuclear level’ cyber attacks (telegraph.co.uk)

• Michael Rogers on China's Cyber Threat - The Wire China

• China’s feared spy agency steps out of the shadows

• Cyber criminal malice shifts away from Russia and Ukraine | Insurance Times

Russia

• Microsoft's Top Execs' Emails Breached in Sophisticated Russia-Linked APT Attack (thehackernews.com)

• Why Microsoft’s Latest Breach is an Identity Threat Detection Wake-Up Call - Security Boulevard

• Microsoft Says Russians Hacked It to Find Information About Themselves (businessinsider.com)

• Sneak-and-peek Midnight Blizzard attack highlights “worrying flaws” in Microsoft security processes | ITPro

• Microsoft Warns of Widening APT29 Espionage Attacks Targeting Global Orgs (thehackernews.com)

• HP Enterprise was hacked by the same Russian state-sponsored group that targeted Microsoft (engadget.com)

• HPE Says Russian Government Hackers Had Access to Emails for 6 Months - SecurityWeek

• Russian hackers shift to new malware tactics, Google says (siliconrepublic.com)

• Massive cyber attack targets Ukrainian online bank (kyivindependent.com)

• Learning From Ukraine's Pioneering Approaches to Cyber Security (darkreading.com)

• Cyber criminal malice shifts away from Russia and Ukraine | Insurance Times

• Ukrainian energy giant, postal service, transportation agencies hit by cyber attacks (therecord.media)

• Ukraine’s Largest Gas and Oil Company Under Cyber Attack (kyivpost.com)

• Ukrainian Security Service Nabs Russian Hacker Planning Cyber Attacks on Government Websites - Militarnyi

• Medibank hack: Russian sanctioned over Australia's worst data breach - BBC News

• Hundreds of Russian sites breached by Ukrainian hackers | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Akira ransomware attack on Tietoevry disrupted the services of many Swedish organisations (securityaffairs.com)

• Apple Pays $13 Million Russian Fine, Goes Directly Into Federal Budget (businessinsider.com)

Iran

• Microsoft: Iran's Mint Sandstorm APT Blasts Educators, Researchers (darkreading.com)

• With Iran's cyber attacks on rise since Gaza war, Israel looks to private industry - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East

North Korea

• North Korea's ScarCruft Attackers Gear Up to Target Cyber Security Pros (darkreading.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• 45% of critical CVEs left unpatched in 2023 - Help Net Security

• Patch management: Why firms ignore vulnerabilities at their own risk | ITPro

• What Is Vulnerability Management? Definition, Process Steps, Benefits and More - Security Boulevard

• Security vendors are accused of bending CVE assignment rules • The Register

• German IT Consultant Fined Thousands for Reporting Security Failing (darkreading.com)

• The effect of omission bias on vulnerability management - Help Net Security

• 52% of Serious Vulnerabilities We Find are Related to Windows 10 (thehackernews.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Cisco warns of critical RCE flaw in communications software (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA emergency directive: Mitigate Ivanti zero-days immediately (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Third Ivanti Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild, CISA Reports (darkreading.com)

• Ivanti: VPN appliances vulnerable if pushing configs after mitigation (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chrome 121 ships with security updates and new AI tools - gHacks Tech News

• Apple Issues Patch for Critical Zero-Day in iPhones, Macs - Update Now (thehackernews.com)

• Accepting a calendar invite in Outlook could leak your password | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Hackers Targeting Critical Atlassian Confluence Vulnerability Days After Disclosure - SecurityWeek

• Chinese Spies Exploited VMware vCenter Server Vulnerability Since 2021 - SecurityWeek

• Critical Vulnerabilities Found in Open Source AI/ML Platforms - SecurityWeek

• Threat actors exploit Apache ActiveMQ flaw to deliver the Godzilla Web Shell (securityaffairs.com)

• Bluetooth Flaw Let Hackers Takeover of iOS & Android Devices (cybersecuritynews.com)

• High-Severity Vulnerability Patched in Splunk Enterprise - SecurityWeek

• Patch Your Fortra GoAnywhere MFT Immediately - Critical Flaw Lets Anyone Be Admin (thehackernews.com)

• Millions at Risk As 'Parrot' Web Server Compromises Take Flight (darkreading.com)

• Security vendors are accused of bending CVE assignment rules • The Register

• Mozilla Releases Security Updates for Thunderbird and Firefox | CISA

• 5379 GitLab servers vulnerable to zero-click account takeover attacks (securityaffairs.com)

• Hackers target WordPress database plugin active on 1 million sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Tools and Controls

• Why Microsoft’s Latest Breach is an Identity Threat Detection Wake-Up Call - Security Boulevard

• Ransomware recovery – the need for speed | TechRadar

• Resilience: The New Priority for Your Security Model (inforisktoday.com)

• With so much data at hand, should cyber defences be more effective? | TechRadar

• Password Manager Statistics 2024 (coolest-gadgets.com)

• How to Shine in Your Next Cyber Security Audit - Security Boulevard

• AI-driven cyber attacks and defences to create a battle of algorithms in 2024 (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Business continuity vs. disaster recovery vs. incident response | TechTarget

• Why resilience leaders must prepare for polycrises - Help Net Security

• Court charges dev with hacking after cyber security issue disclosure (bleepingcomputer.com)

• German IT Consultant Fined Thousands for Reporting Security Failing (darkreading.com)

• The 9 best incident response metrics and how to use them | TechTarget

• The Cyber Security Horizon: AI, Resilience and Collaboration in 2024 - Security Boulevard

• We Must Consider Software Developers a Key Part of the Cyber Security Workforce | CISA

• Cyber Insurance Industry Suggests Cyber Security Best Practices (networkcomputing.com)

• Emerging trends and strategies in digital forensics - Help Net Security

• Cyber Security Risk Management: Frameworks, Plans, & Best Practices - Security Boulevard

• IT and Security Teams Increasingly United in Battle Against Sophisticated Cyberthreats, Research Finds (prnewswire.com)

• HP CEO justifies blocking third-party ink cartridges by claiming they can inject malware | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Cloudflare Releases 2024 API Security and Management Report (infoq.com)

• The 2024 Specops Breached Password Report Reveals Two Million Compromised Cloud Credentials Used ‘123456’ as Password | Business Wire

• Barracuda's new Cybernomics 101 report uncovers the financial forces driving cyber attacks (prnewswire.com)

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Other News

• With so much data at hand, should cyber defences be more effective? | TechRadar

• Threat actors are exploiting web applications - Security Boulevard

• Public Sector Cyber Attacks Rise By 40% in 2023 - IT Security Guru

• Cyber Security Challenges at the World Economic Forum (govtech.com)

• Much-Needed Cyber Security Help for Hospitals May Have Strings Attached | Corporate Counsel (law.com)

• The Threat Landscape Is Always Changing: What to Expect in 2024  | Proofpoint US

• What is Lateral Movement in Cyber Security? - Security Boulevard

• Cyber Security and Trends in 2024 Based on WEF 2024 Outcomes | HackerNoon

• IT and Security Teams Increasingly United in Battle Against Sophisticated Cyberthreats, Research Finds (prnewswire.com)

• US suffered cyber attacks from 168 threat actors in 2023 | Security Magazine

• US continues to be leading cyber threat target | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Rise in cyber crime attacks against Industrial IoT sparks alarm (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Offshore wind farms are vulnerable to cyber attacks, study shows (techxplore.com)

• Government Security Vulnerabilities Surge By 151%, Report Finds - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·         Automotive

·         Construction

·         Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·         Defence & Space

·         Education & Academia

·         Energy & Utilities

·         Estate Agencies

·         Financial Services

·         FinTech

·         Food & Agriculture

·         Gaming & Gambling

·         Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·         Health/Medical/Pharma

·         Hotels & Hospitality

·         Insurance

·         Legal

·         Manufacturing

·         Maritime

·         Oil, Gas & Mining

·         OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·         Retail & eCommerce

·         Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·         Startups

·         Telecoms

·         Third Sector & Charities

·         Transport & Aviation

·         Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 22 December 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Majority of 2023’s Critical Cyber Attacks Stemmed from Fewer Than 1% of Vulnerabilities, with 1 in 4 High Risk Vulnerabilities Exploited Within 24 Hours of Going Public

A new Qualys report reveals that less than 1% of vulnerabilities are responsible for the greatest damage, and a quarter of high-risk vulnerabilities are now being exploited within a day of disclosure. In 2023, a record-breaking 26,000 vulnerabilities have been identified so far, emphasising the need for organisations to accelerate their response times. High-risk vulnerabilities, particularly in network devices and web applications, are the main targets for attackers seeking unauthorised access or privilege escalation. This situation underscores the critical need for organisations to implement a multi-layered defence strategy, automate patching where appropriate especially in areas of critical infrastructure, and adopt zero-trust principles to safeguard against such swift and potent cyber threats.

Sources: [SiliconANGLE] [SC Media]

Ransomware Gangs Are Increasingly Turning to Remote Access Tools for Attacks, As UK Honeypots Attacked 17 million Times Per Day

Nearly three quarters of cyber-attacks across the UK in 2023 targeted technology frequently used for remote working, new data from Coalition has revealed.

Attackers frequently target Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), a tool that lets users access office computers from home, as it grants the attacker quick access to devices and allows them to execute further attacks.

Honeypot sensors maintained by Coalition have recorded 5.8 billion attacks so far in 2023, averaging around 17 million attacks per day. Of these it was found that 76% of attacks targeted RDP.

Attackers exploit RDP vulnerabilities that often stem from simple configuration mistakes. By taking steps like disabling unnecessary remote access or tightening controls, companies can help shield themselves from these pervasive threats.

Sources: [Insurance Times] [TechRadar] [Infosecurity Magazine]

Why Employees Are a Bigger Security Risk than Hackers

In today's interconnected world, the spotlight is often on cyber criminals attacking from outside, but a worrying trend points inward. A recent study by Imperva reveals that insiders pose a significant threat, being behind 58% of security incidents. The incidents are a mixture of deliberate misuse and accidents, however the majority of organisations lack a strategy to combat these risks. Even when strategies exist, they may be undermined by employees bypassing IT protocols or due to the pressures of adapting to new technologies. With insider incidents on the rise by 47% in two years, the costs are too great to ignore.

Source: [Raconteur]

77% of Financial Services Firms Detected a Cyber Attack in the Last Year, as Finance and Healthcare Continue to Suffer the Most Cyber Attacks

Cyber attacks are more prevalent in the financial services sector than in any other industry. Last year, 77% of financial institutions were targeted, primarily through phishing and ransomware attacks. After financial services the second most targeted sector is healthcare. Both types of institutions are attractive targets not only because of their wealth of sensitive data but also because disruptions to their operations can lead to substantial ransom payments. They face increasingly sophisticated threats and the financial impact is significant, with approximately a quarter of these institutions estimating damages of at least $50,000. To mitigate these risks organisations are turning to cyber insurance, which necessitates further tightening of security practices, including identity and access management, to meet insurers’ stringent standards.

The healthcare sector reported over 179,000 cyber attacks in a single quarter, affecting entities globally. The primary threats were infostealers and ransomware. There have been scores of notable incidents where hospitals have been shut down or otherwise unable to operate. In many cases, this resulted in closing emergency departments, interfering with planned or emergency surgeries and forcing ambulances to divert to other hospitals, potentially causing life threatening delays. Further, a recent report analysing the enterprise risk management for the financial sector found that the two biggest concerns were rising interest rates at 74% and ransomware attacks at 65%.

Sources: [Security Magazine] [MSSP Alert] [PR NewsWire] [Security Magazine]

New Report Data Shows 75% Increase in Suspicious Emails Hitting Inboxes

A new report has unveiled the escalating threat posed by phishing emails, as detected by DMARC software. In the past year, there's been a 70% rise in emails flagged as fraudulent, with almost 18% of total email traffic in the first half of 2023 being intercepted as potential phishing attempts. This surge underscores a pressing need for robust email security measures. Simple yet effective tools like DMARC, which automatically weeds out emails impersonating legitimate domains, are becoming critical in the fight against these sophisticated scams. With the average cost of a cyber attack now well into the millions, and given the high click rates on phishing emails, it is clear that taking proactive steps to strengthen an organisations digital defence is not just sensible, it is essential for safeguarding the businesses in the digital age.

Source: [Dark Reading]

Threat Actors Still Exploiting Old Unpatched Vulnerabilities

A report by Cisco has found that the most targeted vulnerabilities this year, same as previous years, were old unpatched vulnerabilities which should have been fixed a long time ago. Some of these security gaps in widely-used applications like Microsoft Office and or within versions of Windows itself are over a decade old. Unpatched vulnerabilities can leave systems open to exploitation, potentially leading to unauthorised access, data breaches, and widespread security incidents, including being a key enabler of ransomware attacks. This highlights an urgent call to action for organisations to patch known vulnerabilities and secure user accounts to fortify their defences against cyber threats.

Source: [IT Business]

Many Organisations Still Lack Formal Cyber Security Training

As we navigate into 2024, a new report by the SANS Institute found that more than 30% of organisations do not regularly perform cyber readiness exercises, while 40% have yet to establish formal training for cyber security. These findings underline a gap between the need for robust security measures and actual preparedness. On a positive note, most organisations are adopting frameworks like the NIST CSF to shape their security posture, and two-thirds are actively using metrics to gauge the effectiveness of their security operations. Yet, there’s a call to action here: for real progress, intentional investment and commitment to comprehensive training and stringent security operations are non-negotiable. This is the path to mature security operations that can withstand the complexities of today’s cyber threats.

Source: [Security Brief]

Addressing the Growing Threat of Supply Chain Cyber Attacks

As businesses become more interconnected through digital supply chains, supply chain cyber attacks are becoming more of a pressing issue for organisations. The attackers tend to exploit weaknesses in third-party suppliers, often with less guarded entry points, to access larger networks. With companies increasingly outsourcing and using cloud adoption, the need for stringent third-party cyber risk assessments is vital. However, complexities arise with the shared responsibility model for cloud security, where setting out the division of security duties between cloud service providers and clients can blur lines of defence. To tackle these challenges, integration of cyber security into procurement and supply chain processes is essential. This means enforcing collaboration between procurement and cyber security teams, mandating security standards in vendor contracts, and utilising automated tools for continuous risk assessments. Safeguarding modern supply chains is no longer a siloed task but a strategic, organisation wide imperative.

Source: [HackerNoon]

Cyber Incident Costs Surge 11% as Budgets Remain Muted

A new report found an 11% jump in the direct costs of a significant cyber incident, now averaging $1.7 million. The burden is even heavier for those without cyber insurance, with costs escalating to $2.7 million per incident. Cyber risks like fraud, third-party breaches, and data theft remain prevalent. Despite these increasing threats, cyber security budgets have grown modestly and are not keeping pace with the increased level of threat. The report also highlights a concerning gap in understanding cyber threats and a lack of internal training, emphasising the critical need for not just financial investment, but also a deeper engagement with cyber security training and awareness within organisations.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

Attacks on Critical Infrastructure are Harbingers of War: Are We Prepared?

The escalating cyber threats against critical infrastructure, like recent attacks on water authorities, highlight an urgent security concern. These attacks, which are often state-sponsored, are not just targeting financial or data assets but are striking at essential services vital to human survival. The tactics used in these attacks, known as Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB), are aimed at weakening a nation by disrupting services like power and water, key to both civil stability and military operations. Nations like Russia, China, and Iran employ these strategies for different purposes, ranging from strategic military advantages to ideological victories. The use of ransomware, as seen in the increasing incidents reported by the FBI, is a tool for both financial gain and geopolitical disruption. As we face these multifaceted threats, the need for robust cyber security measures to protect our critical infrastructure has never been more pressing. It is a call to action for nations and organisations alike to fortify their defences against these evolving and serious cyber threats.

Source: [SC Media]

UK Data Centres to be Classed as Critical Infrastructure Under New Gov Proposals

The UK government is considering new regulations aimed at enhancing the security and resilience of data centres. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) recognises the vital role of these data hubs and is examining the adequacy of current safety practices. With the identification of varying levels of security across the sector, the prospect of legislating minimum security standards is on the table. This may include establishing a regulatory body to oversee incident reporting and risk mitigation strategies, particularly for third-party service providers. These measures underscore the government's commitment to safeguarding data centres, which are increasingly integral to the UK's economic vitality and national security. As part of a broader initiative, the sector could be designated as critical national infrastructure, aligning it with international best practices and ensuring comprehensive protection from cyber threats and other risks.

Source: [ITPro]

Data Exfiltration and Extortion is the New Ransomware Threat, as 65% of Organisations Say Ransomware Concerns Impact Risk Management

Cyber criminals are escalating their tactics and becoming more aggressive in their effort to maximise disruption and compel the payment of ransom demands. Earlier this year, the ransomware group ALPHV exploited the new US data breach disclosure rules by filing a complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against a victim company for not reporting an alleged significant data breach. This marks a strategic evolution from traditional ransomware attacks, where data is encrypted and held hostage, to more nuanced extortion schemes. Such tactics are becoming more sophisticated, with triple extortion attacks threatening not just the target company but also their partners and clients. This shift from encryption to pure extortion requires a fresh understanding of cyber threats and a re-evaluation of defence strategies. It highlights the urgent need for businesses to protect not just their own data but also to consider the security of their entire data supply chain.

Source: [TechCrunch]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Cyber Incident Costs Surge 11% as Budgets Remain Muted - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Three Tech Budget Implementations To Help Optimize Your Resources (forbes.com)

• New Report: 85% Firms Face Cyber Incidents, 11% From Shadow IT - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 65% of organisations say ransomware concerns impact risk management | Security Magazine

• Healthcare and Finance Suffer Most Cyber Attacks | MSSP Alert

• CFOs are under the gun as the SEC's new 4-day data breach disclosure window goes into effect | Fortune

• SEC vs SolarWinds: A cyber security game changer for CISOs (securitybrief.co.nz)

• 77% of financial organisations detected a cyber attack in the last year | Security Magazine

• Level of cyber security: the new key indicator of a company's performance | TechRadar

• Managing cyber security risk during challenging economic times (techinformed.com)

• Many organisations still lack formal IT security training in 2024 (securitybrief.co.nz)

• The year in cyber security: 6 stories to read from 2023 | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• After-Incident Reports Turn Breaches Into Security Blueprints (pymnts.com)

• What's the Best Way to Communicate After a Data Breach? (darkreading.com)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Why extortion is the new ransomware threat | TechCrunch

• 65% of organisations say ransomware concerns impact risk management | Security Magazine

• FBI: ALPHV ransomware raked in $300 million from over 1,000 victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware attacks hit new record in November :: Insurance Day

• Ransomware attacks on the rise in the UK (itsecuritywire.com)

• UK at High Risk of ‘Catastrophic’ Cyber Attack Affecting Critical Infrastructure: Report (insurancejournal.com)

• Ransomware surges, despite aggressive defences | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• BlackCat Strikes Back: Ransomware Gang “Unseizes” Website, Vows No Limits on Targets - Security Week

• A Major Ransomware Takedown Suffers a Strange Setback | WIRED

• Double-Extortion Play Ransomware Strikes 300 Organisations Worldwide (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware trends and recovery strategies companies should know - Help Net Security

• Ransomware Attacks in November Rise 67% From 2022 (darkreading.com)

• 10 of the biggest ransomware attacks in 2023 | TechTarget

• BianLian, White Rabbit, and Mario Ransomware Gangs Spotted in a Joint Campaign (securityaffairs.com)

• ALPHV Second Most Prominent Ransomware Strain Before Reported Downtime - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• CISA releases Play ransomware guidelines | Security Magazine

• US and Australia Warn of Play Ransomware Threat - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Devices (and ransomware) are everywhere: How endpoint security must adapt | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Behind the Scenes of Matveev's Ransomware Empire: Tactics and Team (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware gangs are increasingly turning to remote encryption, and that's a huge problem | TechRadar

• FBI Develops Decryption Tool That Could Tackle Casino Attacks (sbcamericas.com)

Ransomware Victims

• Homebuyers stress as thousands of house purchases frozen by cyber attack - Property Industry Eye

• Ransomware gang behind threats to Fred Hutch cancer patients (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Delta Dental of California data breach exposed info of 7 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Seattle cancer centre confirms cyber attack after ransomware gang threats (therecord.media)

• France International Schools Agency Impacted by Ransomware Hack - Bloomberg

• MOVEit Vulnerability Hits Delta Dental: 7 Million Records Exposed - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber Attack Slams The North Face and Vans Owner, Shares Plunge - The Messenger

• Mr Cooper now says 15M people's data exposed in cyber attack • The Register

• MongoDB shares fall on cyber security incident By Investing.com

• 2.7M medical records exposed in double-extortion ransomware attack | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Nearly 3 million affected by ransomware attack on medical software firm (therecord.media)

• Title insurance giant First American offline after cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• St Vincent’s Health Australia says data stolen in cyber attack (yahoo.com)

• Kansas City-area hospital transfers patients, reschedules appointments after cyber attack (therecord.media)

• Ransomware cyber attack hits Milton Town School District (databreaches.net)

• The ransomware attack on Westpole is disrupting digital services for Italian public administration (securityaffairs.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Generative AI is making phishing attacks more dangerous | TechTarget

• New DMARC Data Shows 75% Increase in Suspicious Emails Hitting Inboxes (darkreading.com)

• Anatomy of a Phishing Attack: How Hackers Trick You - Techopedia

• Qakbot is back and targets the Hospitality industry (securityaffairs.com)

• SMTP Smuggling Allows Spoofed Emails to Bypass Authentication Protocols - Security Week

• Fake F5 BIG-IP zero-day warning emails push data wipers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New phishing attack steals your Instagram backup codes to bypass 2FA (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber espionage group Cloud Atlas targets Russian companies with war-related phishing attacks (therecord.media)

Artificial Intelligence

• Generative AI is making phishing attacks more dangerous | TechTarget

• AI’s efficacy is constrained in cyber security, but limitless in cyber crime - Help Net Security

• 'Unintended harms' of generative AI are national security risk to UK (techmonitor.ai)

• Unequal Risk, Unequal Reward: How Gen AI disproportionately harms countries (ox.ac.uk)

• Anonymous Sudan hacking group pledges to keep targeting OpenAI's ChatGPT (axios.com)

• Security Researchers: ChatGPT Vulnerability Allows Training Data to be Accessed by Telling Chatbot to Endlessly Repeat a Word - CPO Magazine

• AI in Cyber Security: It's All About Being Aware (inforisktoday.com)

• How AI is weaponized for cyber attacks (betanews.com)

• Why 'dark AI' is a top cyber security concern for 2024 | Pension Times

• The cyber security arms race: AI vs. AI | TechRadar

• How AI Is Shaping the Future of Cyber Crime (darkreading.com)

• 4 ways CISOs can manage AI use in the enterprise | CIO

2FA/MFA

• New phishing attack steals your Instagram backup codes to bypass 2FA (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malware

• New KV-Botnet Targeting Cisco, DrayTek, and Fortinet Devices for Stealthy Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Rhadamanthys Malware: Swiss Army Knife of Information Stealers Emerges (thehackernews.com)

• Hackers Exploiting Old MS Excel Vulnerability to Spread Agent Tesla Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Windows and macOS targeted by new Go-based malware | TechRadar

• QNAP VioStor NVR vulnerability actively exploited by malware botnet (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Over 10K downloads amassed by malicious PyPi packages | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Info stealers and how to protect against them (securityaffairs.com)

• 8220 Gang Exploiting Oracle WebLogic Server Vulnerability to Spread Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Qakbot is back and targets the Hospitality industry (securityaffairs.com)

• Qakbot Sightings Confirm Law Enforcement Takedown Was Only a Setback (darkreading.com)

• Hospitality Industry Faces New Password-Stealing Malware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber criminals target hotel staff for management credentials • The Register

• BattleRoyal Cluster Signals DarkGate Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Scam 'missed parcel' SMS messages: advice on avoiding malware - NCSC.GOV.UK

• 3 Ways to Use Real-Time Intelligence to Defeat Bots (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft: Hackers target defence firms with new FalseFont malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hospitality sector subjected to new malware attacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Mobile

• iOS 17.2 update puts an end to Flipper Zero's iPhone shenanigans | ZDNET

• The 5G risk: How to protect your smartphone from emerging security threats - PhoneArena

• Apple rolls out iOS 17.2.1 with bugfixes and minor improvements - Neowin

• What is spyware and what can you do to stay protected? - Amnesty International

• NSO Group May Be On Its Way Out But There’s No Shortage Of Competitors To Take Its Place | Techdirt

• Suspects can refuse to provide phone passcodes to police, court rules | Ars Technica

Internet of Things – IoT

• IoT security strategy: an arms race for businesses | ITPro

• Porsche To Kill ICE-Powered Macan In Europe Over Cyber Security Laws | Carscoops

• Cyber security and car thefts: how are car makers responding? | CAR Magazine

• Marketer sparks panic with claims it uses smart devices to eavesdrop on people | Ars Technica

• Marketing firm admits it listens to conversations to sell targeted ads (searchengineland.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Data of over a million users of the crypto exchange GokuMarket exposed (securityaffairs.com)

• MongoDB says customer data was exposed in a cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mr Cooper now says 15M people's data exposed in cyber attack • The Register

• Wolverine-developer Insomniac Games sees 1.67TB of secrets leaked in data breach | Ars Technica

• Everything Hackers Just Revealed in Sony Insomniac Games Leak (tech.co)

• Comcast says hackers stole data of close to 36 million Xfinity customers | TechCrunch

• BMW dealer at risk of takeover by cyber criminals - Security Affairs

• Celebrities Found in Unprotected Real Estate Database Exposing 1.5 Billion Records - Security Week

• Data leak exposes users of car-sharing service Blink Mobility (securityaffairs.com)

• Hacked security cam footage from bedrooms, dressing rooms, spas found to be on sale on Telegram group - NotebookCheck.net News

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Ex-Amazon engineer pleads guilty to hacking crypto exchanges (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How Microsoft’s cyber crime unit has evolved to combat increased threats | Ars Technica

• Gang charged with running $80 million "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scam (bitdefender.com)

• Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit Goes Deep on How It Disrupts Cyber Crime | WIRED

• German police takes down Kingdom Market cyber crime marketplace (bleepingcomputer.com)

• INTERPOL celebrates huge cyber crime Christmas present (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Law enforcement Operation HAECHI IV led to the seizure of $300 Million (securityaffairs.com)

• Two arrested as police investigate Birmingham dark web drugs trade - Birmingham Live (birminghammail.co.uk)

• NSA Blocked 10 Billion Connections to Malicious and Suspicious Domains - Security Week

• BattleRoyal Cluster Signals DarkGate Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Intelligence Researchers to Study Computer Code for Clues to Hackers’ Identities - WSJ

• Dark web marketplace Kingdom Market dismantled | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Lapsus$ teen sentenced to indefinite detention in hospital • The Register

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Data of over a million users of the crypto exchange GokuMarket exposed (securityaffairs.com)

• Ex-Amazon engineer pleads guilty to hacking crypto exchanges (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Gang charged with running $80 million "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scam (bitdefender.com)

• DeFi’s billion-dollar secret: The insiders responsible for hacks – Cointelegraph Magazine

• Crypto scammers abuse Twitter ‘feature’ to impersonate high-profile accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crypto drainer steals $59 million from 63k people in Twitter ad push (bleepingcomputer.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Insider threats: why employees are a bigger risk than hackers (raconteur.net)

• Former IT manager pleads guilty to attacking high school network (bleepingcomputer.com)

• DeFi’s billion-dollar secret: The insiders responsible for hacks – Cointelegraph Magazine

Insurance

• Mandatory protections, higher premiums and continued growth -- cyber insurance predictions for 2024 (betanews.com)

• Uninsured firms incur 69% higher cyber incident costs - CIR Magazine

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• What is supply chain risk management (SCRM)? | Definition by TechTarget

• Addressing the Growing Threat of Supply Chain Cyber Attacks | HackerNoon

• Homebuyers stress as thousands of house purchases frozen by cyber attack - Property Industry Eye

• Supply chain emerges as major vector in escalating automotive cyber attacks - Help Net Security

• Adapting to the Post-SolarWinds Era: Supply Chain Security in 2024 (darkreading.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Most cloud transformations are stuck in the middle - Help Net Security

• IoT security strategy: an arms race for businesses | ITPro

• Millions of Microsoft Accounts Power Lattice of Automated Cyber Attacks (darkreading.com)

• Box cloud storage down amid 'critical' outage (bleepingcomputer.com)

Encryption

• Zscaler ThreatLabz Finds Most Cyber Attacks Hide (itsecuritywire.com)

• 86% of cyber attacks are delivered over encrypted channels - Help Net Security

• SSH protects the world’s most sensitive networks. It just got a lot weaker | Ars Technica

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• The password attacks of 2023: Lessons learned and next steps (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA urges vendors to get rid of default passwords | CyberScoop

• BMW dealer at risk of takeover by cyber criminals - Security Affairs

• Hospitality Industry Faces New Password-Stealing Malware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber criminals target hotel staff for management credentials • The Register

Social Media

• Social media platform X back up after global outage | Reuters

• Crypto scammers abuse Twitter ‘feature’ to impersonate high-profile accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crypto drainer steals $59 million from 63k people in Twitter ad push (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New phishing attack steals your Instagram backup codes to bypass 2FA (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malvertising

• Malvertising has been out of control in 2023, and Google needs to do more to stop it | ITPro

Training, Education and Awareness

• Are We Ready to Give Up on Security Awareness Training? (thehackernews.com)

• Many organisations still lack formal IT security training in 2024 (securitybrief.co.nz)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• CFOs are under the gun as the SEC's new 4-day data breach disclosure window goes into effect | Fortune

• SEC vs. SolarWinds: A cyber security game changer for CISOs (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Porsche To Kill ICE-Powered Macan In Europe Over Cyber Security Laws | Carscoops

• UK data centres to be classed as critical infrastructure under new gov proposals | ITPro

• Clock Starts on SEC Cyber Attack Rules: What CISOs Should Know (informationweek.com)

• SEC disclosure rule for ‘material’ cyber security incidents goes into effect | CyberScoop

• What Do CISOs Have to Do to Meet New SEC Regulations? (darkreading.com)

• EU agrees amendments to Cyber Solidarity Act in bid to create ‘cyber shield’ for member states | ITPro

• Rules targeting financial criminals will require new filings for startups and small businesses – GeekWire

• A quiet cyber security revolution is touching every corner of the economy as US, allies ‘pull all the levers’ to face new threats | Fortune

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Cyber Security Frameworks: A Guide for MSSPs | MSSP Alert

• SANS Institute Research Shows the Frameworks Organisations Use (darkreading.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• How cyber security roles are changing and what to look for when hiring | CSO Online

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• BlackCat Strikes Back: Ransomware Gang “Unseizes” Website, Vows No Limits on Targets - Security Week

• A Major Ransomware Takedown Suffers a Strange Setback | WIRED

• US law enforcement seizes BlackCat ransomware site, distributes decryption key (axios.com)

• Ex-Amazon engineer pleads guilty to hacking crypto exchanges (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How Microsoft’s cyber crime unit has evolved to combat increased threats | Ars Technica

• Gang charged with running $80 million "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scam (bitdefender.com)

• Former IT manager pleads guilty to attacking high school network (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit Goes Deep on How It Disrupts Cyber Crime | WIRED

• German police takes down Kingdom Market cyber crime marketplace (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Law enforcement Operation HAECHI IV led to the seizure of $300 Million (securityaffairs.com)

• Two arrested as police investigate Birmingham dark web drugs trade - Birmingham Live (birminghammail.co.uk)

• Interpol op cuffs 3,500 cyber suspects, seizes $300M • The Register

• NSA Blocked 10 Billion Connections to Malicious and Suspicious Domains - Security Week

• Qakbot Sightings Confirm Law Enforcement Takedown Was Only a Setback (darkreading.com)

• Suspects can refuse to provide phone passcodes to police, court rules | Ars Technica

• Dark web marketplace Kingdom Market dismantled | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Lapsus$ teen sentenced to indefinite detention in hospital • The Register

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Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• Attacks on critical infrastructure are harbingers of war: Are we prepared? | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Nation State Actors

China

• China's Cyber Warfare Surges With Hacking Of US Infrastructure (thefederalist.com)

• Espionage from the East: "Russia Is a Storm, China Is Climate Change" - DER SPIEGEL

• US cyber warriors issue a call to arms - Asia Times

• China's Secret War Preps Inside US Utilities (spytalk.co)

• National Grid drops Beijing-backed supplier over UK power network fears (ft.com)

• Chinese Spacecraft Emitting Strong Signal Over North America (futurism.com)

• A top-secret Chinese spy satellite just launched on a supersized rocket | Ars Technica

• China's MIIT Introduces Color-Coded Action Plan for Data Security Incidents (thehackernews.com)

Russia

• Cyber attack on Kyivstar is likely one of highest-impact disruptive in Ukraine since Feb 2022 - British intelligence (interfax.com.ua)

• The UK Defence Intelligence Analyses Massive Cyber Attack Ukraine Suffered | Defence Express (defence-ua.com)

• Ukraine updates: UK says Ukraine suffered severe cyber attack – DW – 12/16/2023

• Espionage from the East: "Russia Is a Storm, China Is Climate Change" - DER SPIEGEL

• US cyber warriors issue a call to arms - Asia Times

• Anonymous Sudan hacking group pledges to keep targeting OpenAI's ChatGPT (axios.com)

• UK and partners form The Tallinn Mechanism for cyber security - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• Ukraine mobile cyber attack high impact says UK - Emerging Risks Media Ltd

• Russian APT29 Hacked US Biomedical Giant in TeamCity-Linked Breach (hackread.com)

• Cyber espionage group Cloud Atlas targets Russian companies with war-related phishing attacks (therecord.media)

Iran

• Israel-linked hacking group claims it ‘disabled’ gas stations across Iran | World News - Hindustan Times

• Iranian 'Seedworm' Cyber Spies Target African Telcos & ISPs (darkreading.com)

Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence

• Intellexa and Cytrox: From fixer-upper to Intel Agency-grade spyware (talosintelligence.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• 2023 Cyber Threats: 26,000+ Vulnerabilities, 97 Beyond CISA List - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Majority of 2023's critical cyber attacks stemmed from fewer than 1% of vulnerabilities - SiliconANGLE

• 1 in 4 high-risk CVEs are exploited within 24 hours of going public | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Will Putting a Dollar Value on Vulnerabilities Help Prioritize Them? (darkreading.com)

• Creating a formula for effective vulnerability prioritization - Help Net Security

• Zoom Unveils Open Source Vulnerability Impact Scoring System - Security Week

• Threat actors still exploiting old unpatched vulnerabilities, says Cisco | IT Business

Vulnerabilities

• 80 percent of Struts 2 downloads include critical flaw • The Register

• ESET fixed a high-severity bug in the Secure Traffic Scanning Feature of several products (securityaffairs.com)

• Fortinet Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products | CISA

• Flaws in pfSense firewall can lead to arbitrary code execution (securityaffairs.com)

• QNAP VioStor NVR vulnerability actively exploited by malware botnet (bleepingcomputer.com)

• MOVEit Vulnerability Hits Delta Dental: 7 Million Records Exposed - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft discovers critical RCE flaw in Perforce Helix Core Server (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Years-Old, Unpatched GWT Vuln Leaves Apps Open to Server-Side RCE (darkreading.com)

• 8220 Gang Exploiting Oracle WebLogic Server Vulnerability to Spread Malware (thehackernews.com)

• 3CX Urges Customers to Disable Integration Due to Potential Vulnerability - Security Week

• Mozilla Patches Firefox Vulnerability Allowing Remote Code Execution, Sandbox Escape - Security Week

• Researchers uncover major security issue in Microsoft Azure - here's what we know | TechRadar

• Microsoft Outlook Zero-Click Security Flaws Triggered by Sound File (darkreading.com)

• 3CX warns customers to disable SQL database integrations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Dell Urges Customers to Patch Vulnerabilities in PowerProtect Products - Security Week

• Outlook Plays Attacker Tunes: Vulnerability Chain Leading to Zero-Click RCE - Security Week

• Targeted F5 Vulnerability 'Update' Delivers Wiper to Israeli Victims (darkreading.com)

• Urgent: New Chrome Zero-Day Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild - Update ASAP (thehackernews.com)

• Ivanti releases patches for 13 critical Avalanche RCE flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Apple rolls out iOS 17.2.1 with bugfixes and minor improvements - Neowin

• Hackers Exploiting MS Excel Vulnerability to Spread Agent Tesla Malware (thehackernews.com)

• SSH protects the world’s most sensitive networks. It just got a lot weaker | Ars Technica

• Impact of Log4Shell Bug Was Overblown, Say Researchers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Fake F5 BIG-IP zero-day warning emails push data wipers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Security Vulnerabilities Uncovered in pfSense Firewall Software - Patch Now (thehackernews.com)

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Tools and Controls

• AI’s efficacy is constrained in cyber security, but limitless in cyber crime - Help Net Security

• More cyber criminals turning to remote desktop protocol attacks | Insurance Times

• Insurer’s UK Honeypots Attacked 17 Million Times Per Day - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The cyber security arms race: AI vs. AI | TechRadar

• Microsoft unveils new, more secure Windows Protected Print Mode (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 65% of organisations say ransomware concerns impact risk management | Security Magazine

• AI in Cyber Security: It's All About Being Aware (inforisktoday.com)

• Demystifying Open XDR: What It Is, How to Do It, and ROI | Binary Defence

• 5 things you need to know about your EDR | CSO Online

• Can you trust Windows Hello biometric authentication | Kaspersky official blog

• Many organisations still lack formal IT security training in 2024 (securitybrief.co.nz)

• How CISOs can manage multiprovider cyber security portfolios | TechTarget

• Intelligence Researchers to Study Computer Code for Clues to Hackers’ Identities - WSJ

• CISA Releases Microsoft 365 Secure Configuration Baselines and SCuBAGear Tool | CISA

• Are Workstation Security Logs Actually Important? | MSSP Alert

• What's the Best Way to Communicate After a Data Breach? (darkreading.com)

• How Segmentation Can Slow a Cyber Attack - ClearanceJobs

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Annual Payment Fraud Intelligence Report: 2023 | Recorded Future

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Other News

• The Financial Sector Experiences More Cyber Attacks than Other Verticals, and those Incidents Result in Costlier Outcomes (prnewswire.com)

• 77% of financial organisations detected a cyber attack in the last year | Security Magazine

• Small businesses targeted by cyber criminals for data (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Retailers Are Being Barraged By Cyber Attacks This Holiday Season (forbes.com)

• Complexity leaves energy companies vulnerable to cyber attacks - Verdict

• The MOVEit breach may well have been the biggest cyber attack of the year | TechRadar

• How to bolster security against intellectual property theft (c4isrnet.com)

• In Cyber Security, Some Conventional Wisdom, While Well-Intentioned, Is Off-Base (newsweek.com)

• Navigating The Cyber Security Landscape In 2024 (forbes.com)

• 3 Strategic Insights from Cyber Security Leader Study (trendmicro.com)

• Healthcare sector warned of poor cyber hygiene; CISA doles out remedy advice | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• The truth behind four small business cyber security myths (themanufacturer.com)

• Conclusion of Crossed Swords: the most exciting offensive cyber operations exercise

• Australia announces cyber security plan after major breaches | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• National Grid drops Beijing-backed supplier over UK power network fears (ft.com)

• As British Library faces fallout of cyber attack—what can arts bodies do to combat ransomware threats? (theartnewspaper.com)

• NIST Report Spotlights Cyber, Privacy Risks in Genomic Data (inforisktoday.com)

• Zscaler ThreatLabz Finds Most Cyber Attacks Hide (itsecuritywire.com)

• 86% of cyber attacks are delivered over encrypted channels - Help Net Security

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·         Automotive

·         Construction

·         Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·         Defence & Space

·         Education & Academia

·         Energy & Utilities

·         Estate Agencies

·         Financial Services

·         FinTech

·         Food & Agriculture

·         Gaming & Gambling

·         Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·         Health/Medical/Pharma

·         Hotels & Hospitality

·         Insurance

·         Legal

·         Manufacturing

·         Maritime

·         Oil, Gas & Mining

·         OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·         Retail & eCommerce

·         Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·         Startups

·         Telecoms

·         Third Sector & Charities

·         Transport & Aviation

·         Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 15 December 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

MPs say UK Could be Brought to Standstill ‘At Any Moment’ as Scathing Report Calls for Greater Security Investment

According to the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS), the UK is one of the most targeted countries in the world for cyber attacks, predominantly coming from Russian-linked threat actors. The report describes the UK as being at high risk from catastrophic ransomware attacks, and warns that the country could face significant challenges in managing future attacks.

Further, the report noted that the UK’s regulatory frameworks are insufficient and large amounts of national infrastructure are still vulnerable to ransomware because of their reliance on legacy IT systems.

Sources: [ITPro] [Emerging Risks Media Ltd]

Gartner Finds 45% of Organisations Experienced Third Party-Related Business Interruptions

Despite increased investments in third-party cyber security risk management (TPCRM) over the last two years, 45% of organisations experienced third party-related business interruptions, according to a new Gartner survey. This is reinforced by a separate survey, in which 97% of respondents reported having suffered negative impacts from a breach in a third party or supplier partner in the last year; a figure that has remained unchanged for the past three years.

The results show that despite the increase in attention and investments in third party risk management, organisations are not carrying these out in a way that is decreasing the risk.

Sources: [CIR Magazine] [Gartner]

Major Cyber Attack Paralyzes Ukraine's Largest Telecom Operator; Russia Expected to Ramp Up Attacks on Ukraine’s Allies

Ukraine's biggest telecom operator Kyivstar has become the victim of a "powerful hacker attack," disrupting customer access to mobile and internet services. Its mobile app and website were down but they managed to restore some of its landline services on the same day of the attack. 24 million Kyivstar users have been urged to change all passwords following the attack.

So far, two Russia-aligned hacker groups have claimed responsibility for the hack: Killnet and Solntsepek. While Killnet have not provided any evidence of the attack, Solntsepek posted several screenshots of Kyivstar systems that it allegedly hacked, on its Telegram channel. The group said it “destroyed 10 thousand computers, more than 4 thousand servers, all cloud storage, and backup systems”.

Further, Russia is expected to ramp up their cyber campaign efforts targeting Ukraine’s allies as part of the ongoing conflict in the region. Last winter saw an increase in attacks that is likely to be repeated this year. The use of wiper malware to target critical national infrastructure (CNI) outside of Ukraine), similar to the attack on Kyivstar above, is just one tactic that could be deployed to disrupt Western allies’ ability, and motivation, to continue military support to Ukraine.

Sources: [Record Media] [New Voice of Ukraine] [Hacker news] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Gov Info Security]

81% of Companies had Malware, Phishing and Password Attacks in 2023

According to Verizon, 81% of organisations faced malware, phishing and password attacks last year, and these attacks were mainly targeted at users. Further, it was found that 62% percent of companies suffered a security breach connected to remote working. Certainly, attacks are not limited to particular sectors or organisations. Everyone can be a target and it is important to keep that in mind when focusing on securing the organisation; yet despite cyber security affecting everyone, 91% of CEOs/CFOs put the responsibility for cyber security squarely with IT.

Source: [Security Magazine]

Cyber Criminals Hit SMEs With Skills Once Limited to Nation State Actors

According to SentinelOne, mid-sized businesses are being targeted by cyber criminals who are displaying skills previously limited to expert government hackers. Cyber criminals are more organised than ever and have a better understanding of how businesses run; this, paired with technical acumen and AI, has created a difficult environment for medium-sized businesses who don’t possess the budget of a large organisation.

Sources: [Washington Times] [SiliconANGLE]

Russian Cyber Actors are Exploiting a Known Vulnerability with Worldwide Impact

The US National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and co-authoring agencies warn that the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) cyber actors are exploiting a publicly known vulnerability to compromise victims globally, including in the United States and allied countries. To raise awareness and help organisations identify, protect, and mitigate this malicious activity, the authoring agencies have jointly released a Cyber Security Advisory (CSA) on SVR’s exploiting of JetBrain’s TeamCity software, widely used by developers and software providers.

The advisory warns that APT29, the notorious Russian group behind the 2020 SolarWinds hack, are actively exploiting this vulnerability, joining state-sponsored actors from North Korea. The exploit in TeamCity could give attackers enough access to manipulate a software's source code, sign certificates, and compile and deploy processes.

Sources: [NSA] [Dark Reading] [The Register]

Why Cyber Security Is a Competitive Advantage: Reaching Digital Success

In the tech-driven world, cyber security’s importance is paramount for protecting sensitive data and critical systems. Significant increases in vulnerabilities and breaches have led to stricter guidelines and regulations for most sectors; a trend we expect to see increasing with regulations becoming more and more stringent. Increased regulation can only be good for affected industries and sectors to drive increased security.

However, beyond regulatory compliance, cyber security is a critical competitive differentiator and should be seen as such, rather than simply as a tick box exercise to satisfy a regulator or viewed as an increase in regulatory burden. Data breaches can lead to severe financial setbacks and damage to a company's reputation and customer trust. The legal and financial consequences of non-compliance with cyber security regulations are significant.

Building a comprehensive cyber security strategy that includes risk assessments, incident response plans, and proactive measures is essential in this era of rapid vulnerability exploitation. Embracing cyber security is not just a choice but a necessity for success in the digital age.

Source: [Forbes]

Ransomware-as-a-Service: The Growing Threat You Can't Ignore

Ransomware attacks have become a significant and pervasive threat in the ever-evolving realm of cyber security. Among the various iterations of ransomware, one trend that has gained prominence is Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). This latest ransomware business model allows inexperienced hackers to use on-demand tools for attacks, reducing time and cost. They pay a fee, choose a target, and launch an attack with the provider’s tools. The effects of RaaS are starting to be noticed, as a recent survey showed the time from network breach to file encryption has dropped below 24 hours for the first time.

Source: [Hacker News]

66% of Employees Prioritise Daily Tasks Over Cyber Security

According to a recent survey, 66% of respondents stated that completing daily tasks is more crucial than cyber security, such as cyber security training. The tasks that were being prioritised over cyber security training include monthly targets, manager-assigned tasks and emails.

The survey highlights the need for improved cyber security training in organisations, with 64% of employees wanting time for this training during work hours, and 43% referring more engaging methods like videos and interactive sessions. The data suggests a shift from the annual training model, with 29% receiving quarterly training, 13% semi-quarterly, and 11% monthly. Addressing these needs is crucial for cyber security readiness.

Source: [Security Magazine]

Cyber Attack on Irish Utility Cuts Off Water Supply for Two Days

Last week, a cyber attack on a small Irish water utility disrupted the water supply for two days, affecting 180 people. The water utility’s representatives said the hackers may have breached the system due to their firewall not being “strong enough”. However, in most cases, hackers target internet-exposed devices or controllers that are either not protected at all or protected by a default password. This follows a warning from the US Government about the CyberAv3ngers group, an Iranian affiliated threat actor, which has been actively attacking water facilities in multiple US states.

Source: [Security Week]

Who Is Responsible for Cyber Security? You.

Cyber security is a concern that should resonate with every member of the C-suite and senior staff because when it fails, the entire business is impacted. Recent examples like the “bleach breach” at Clorox and the cyber attack on MGM Resorts illustrate the financial and reputational consequences of cyber security incidents, with losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. To effectively address this, C-suite executives and their teams must actively support cyber security initiatives led by CIOs and CISOs. The introduction of new government regulations, such as those from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), require organisations to swiftly report and manage cyber security incidents, impacting various departments beyond just the security team. To succeed in this environment, organisations must make cyber security information accessible across teams, allocate budgets for cyber security, and view cyber security as a catalyst for innovation and growth rather than a burden. For this to happen every single person within an organisation, from the very top to the very bottom, has a role to play in keeping the organisation secure and no one can think that security is someone else’s job.

Source: [Forbes]

Many Popular Websites Still Cling to Password Creation Policies From 1985

Website security, particularly password creation policies and login practices, requires immediate attention. A study of over 20,000 websites uncovers significant vulnerabilities with 75% of websites permitting passwords even shorter than 8 characters (which was the recommendation all the way back in 2012), and 12% even allow single-character passwords. Furthermore, 40% limit password length to being far shorter than current recommendations, and worse 72% permit dictionary words or known breached passwords.

The study also reveals that a third of websites do not support special characters in passwords. Remarkably, many websites continue to adhere to outdated password policies from 2004 or even 1985, and only 5.5% comply with stricter modern guidelines. This underscores the immediate need for standardising and strengthening password policies across the web, as well as enhancing education and outreach efforts to address these critical security weaknesses. Such passwords can influence people’s password choice, which can then enter the corporate environment. This can lead to their account having a higher risk of compromise, and in turn, risks to the data belonging to the organisation.

Source: [Help Net Security]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Who Is Responsible For Cyber Security? You. (forbes.com)

• How C-Level Executives Can Increase Cyber Resilience (forbes.com)

• Increased Cyber Regulation in the Offing as Attacks Mount (darkreading.com)

• Ex-Uber CSO: Lessons Learned from the Breach and Legal Case (darkreading.com)

• The SEC action against SolarWinds highlights how tough it can get for CISOs | CSO Online

• How to Enlist the CFO as a Cyber Security Budget Ally | Mimecast

• 7 Must-Ask Questions for Leaders on Security Culture | MSSP Alert

• Why Cyber Security Is A Competitive Advantage: Reaching Digital Success (forbes.com)

• Cyber Security Attacks Are On the Rise — Is Your Business Prepared? | Entrepreneur

• Tech prediction #2: Businesses will turn to Cyber Security as a Service - Digital Journal

• Is Cyber Security as a Service (CSaaS) the Answer? (automation.com)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• UK ransomware attack could bring country to a "standstill" as scathing report calls for greater security investment | ITPro

• UK Downplays Ransomware Threat at Its Peril, Says Committee (inforisktoday.com)

• Ransomware Surge is Driving UK Inflation, Says Veeam - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware Groups' Latest Tactic: Weaponized Marketing (inforisktoday.com)

• CNI 'vulnerable to ransomware' | Professional Security

• Ransomware-as-a-Service: The Growing Threat You Can't Ignore (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware most wanted — part 2, LockBit & Clop (techinformed.com)

• The end of ransomware payments: how businesses fit into the fight | ITPro

• Vulnerabilities Now Top Initial Access Route For Ransomware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• OpenText Cyber Security 2023 Global Ransomware Survey | MSSP Alert

• Russian banker of Hive ransomware network arrested in Paris (databreaches.net)

• US reveals email addresses used to send ransomware demands • The Register

• Virtual Kidnapping: The Dark World of Cyber Extortion (govinfosecurity.com)

Ransomware Victims

• Kraft Heinz launches investigation after ransomware gang claims to have stolen data - SiliconANGLE

• Norton Healthcare disclosed a data breach after ransomware attack (securityaffairs.com)

• US healthcare giant Norton says hackers stole millions of patients’ data during ransomware attack | TechCrunch

• Insomniac Reportedly Hacked, Blackmailed With Game Leaks And Doxing (thegamer.com)

• BAUER Group is operational again after cyber attack | Corporate - EQS News (eqs-news.com)

• Nissan dealerships in ANZ crippled by cyber attack - Drive

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• 81% of companies had malware, phishing and password attacks in 2023 | Security Magazine

• 39% of security leaders cite phishing as most feared cyber attack | Security Magazine

• Quishing is the new phishing: Why you need to think before you scan that QR code | ZDNET

• Cyber Criminals Exploit OAuth Apps for BEC, Phishing Attacks (petri.com)

• Google Forms Used in Call-Back Phishing Scam | Tripwire

• Approval Phishing Scams Drain $1bn of Cryptocurrency from Victims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• US reveals email addresses used to send ransomware demands • The Register

• Dental Plan Administrator Fined $400K for Phishing Breach (govinfosecurity.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• SMEs "losing" battle against AI-powered cyber attacks, say experts - Tech Monitor

• ICO Warns of Fines for “Nefarious” AI Use - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• AI in 2024: More business use, more fraud risks | Premium | Compliance Week

• Europe Reaches a Deal on the World’s First Comprehensive AI Rules - Security Week

• The White House's private fears over the rise of AI in the Middle East (telegraph.co.uk)

• Holiday Scams Propelled By Artificial Intelligence | Foodman CPAs & Advisors - JDSupra

• Responsibly Implementing AI, the Unstoppable Force (darkreading.com)

• How to stop Dropbox from sharing your personal files with OpenAI (cnbc.com)

• Israel's AI can produce 100 bombing targets a day in Gaza. Is this the future of war? (theconversation.com)

Malware

• 81% of companies had malware, phishing and password attacks in 2023 | Security Magazine

• Researchers Unveal GuLoader Malware's Latest Anti-Analysis Techniques (thehackernews.com)

• Hacker Uses Infostealer Data to Gain Access to Brazil’s Police Portal | Info Stealers

• Stealthy Linux rootkit found in the wild after going undetected for 2 years | Ars Technica

• Lazarus Group Using Log4j Exploits to Deploy Remote Access Trojans (thehackernews.com)

• Recruiters, beware of cyber crooks posing as job applicants! - Help Net Security

• How criminals disguise URLs | Kaspersky official blog

• Iranian State-Sponsored OilRig Group Deploys 3 New Malware Downloaders (thehackernews.com)

• 29 malware families targeted 1800 banking apps in 61 countries | Security Magazine

• Stealthy new botnet targets VPN devices and routers while staying disguised | TechRadar

• Ten new Android banking trojans targeted 985 bank apps in 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Surge in deceptive simplicity exploitation by cyber attackers (securitybrief.co.nz)

Mobile

• Apple Releases Security Updates to Patch Critical iOS and macOS Security Flaws (thehackernews.com)

• Apple Testing New Stolen Device Protection Feature for iPhones - Security Week

• Hackers outsmart Apple to install keyloggers on iPhones - PhoneArena

• Android barcode scanner app exposes user passwords (securityaffairs.com)

• New 5G Modem Flaws Affect iOS Devices and Android Models from Major Brands (thehackernews.com)

• Six of the most popular Android password managers are leaking data | ZDNET

• SpyLoan Scandal: 18 Malicious Loan Apps Defraud Millions of Android Users (thehackernews.com)

• '5Ghoul' Vulnerabilities Haunt Qualcomm, MediaTek 5G Modems - Security Week

• WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, and other messaging platforms face constant security risks - Help Net Security

• 29 malware families targeted 1800 banking apps in 61 countries | Security Magazine

• Ten new Android banking trojans targeted 985 bank apps in 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Geopolitics to Blame For DoS Surge in Europe, Says ENISA - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Websites down as Newsquest hit by cyber attack - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage

Internet of Things – IoT

• How Cyber Security Can Build Consumer Trust In Self-Driving Vehicles (forbes.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Apple: 2.5B Records Exposed, Marking Staggering Surge in Data Breaches (darkreading.com)

• UK Ministry of Defence Fined For Afghan Data Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• DNA companies should receive severe penalties for losing our data | TechCrunch

• Why the 23andMe Data Breach Is Such a Disaster (gizmodo.com)

• US nuclear research lab data breach impacts 45,000 people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ubiquiti users claim to have access to other people’s devices (securityaffairs.com)

• 2.5m people's data lost in Norton hospital ransomware hit • The Register

• Dubai’s largest taxi app exposes 220K+ users (securityaffairs.com)

• Toyota Financial Services discloses data breach (securityaffairs.com)

• US Air Force Disciplines 15 as IG Finds That Security Failures Led to Massive Classified Documents Leak - Security Week

• DonorView exposes 1M records for unknown time frame • The Register

• Dental Plan Administrator Fined $400K for Phishing Breach (govinfosecurity.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Cyber criminals hit businesses with skills once limited to Chinese, Russian government hackers - Washington Times

• Cyber Crime Orgs Increasingly Use Human Trafficking to Staff Scam Mills (darkreading.com)

• Interpol strikes slavers who force people to scam you online • The Register

• Microsoft goes after a cyber criminal group that sold millions of fraudulent accounts online - Neowin

• Cyber criminals and nation states up their game in persistent global attacks - SiliconANGLE

• Dark web forums reveal next year’s cyber security threats - Digital Journal

• Trafficking for cyberfraud an increasingly globalized crime, Interpol says (nbcnews.com)

• Kelvin Security hacking group leader arrested in Spain (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware most wanted — part 2, LockBit & Clop (techinformed.com)

• New cyber crime market 'OLVX' gains popularity among hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How cyber criminals are using Wyoming shell companies for global hacks | Reuters

• Exploitation of the internet and the mind: How cyber criminals operate | TechRadar

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Approval Phishing Scams Drain $1bn of Cryptocurrency from Victims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Crypto Startup Ledger Users’ Wallets Drained in Hack - Bloomberg

• Ledger says attacker conducted phishing attack on former employee - Blockworks

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• 66% of employees prioritize daily tasks over cyber security | Security Magazine

• Privilege elevation exploits used in over 50% of insider attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Prison for man who wiped bank's data after being fired for accessing porn in the office (bitdefender.com)

• Employees are weaponizing private emails with colleagues | Fortune

Insurance

• Making Cyber Insurance Available for Small Biz, Contractors (darkreading.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Gartner Survey Finds 45% of Organisations Experienced Third Party-Related Business Interruptions During the Past Two Years

• UK firms increasing their focus on supply chain cyber risk – report - CIR Magazine

• US officials say Russian targeting JetBrains servers for potential SolarWinds-style operations | Reuters

• Manchester Public Schools Lose $180K to Hacked Vendor (govtech.com)

• Software & Security: How to Move Supply Chain Security Up the Agenda (darkreading.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Multi-Cloud vs. Hybrid Cloud: The Main Difference (techtarget.com)

• SAP's attempt to migrate security tools to cloud failed • The Register

• Cloud engineer wreaks havoc on bank's network after firing • The Register

Linux and Open Source

• Stealthy Linux rootkit found in the wild after going undetected for 2 years | Ars Technica

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• 81% of companies had malware, phishing and password attacks in 2023 | Security Magazine

• Almost 90 percent say they're prepared for password-based attacks -- but half still fall for them (betanews.com)

• Android barcode scanner app exposes user passwords (securityaffairs.com)

• Six of the most popular Android password managers are leaking data | ZDNET

• Many popular websites still cling to password creation policies from 1985 - Help Net Security

Social Media

• How a social engineering hack turned these Facebook pages into a dumping ground for spam (engadget.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Increased Cyber Regulation in the Offing as Attacks Mount (darkreading.com)

• ICO Warns of Fines for “Nefarious” AI Use - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How European countries are implementing new cyber security framework – EURACTIV.com

• Cyber Solidarity Act moves ahead in EU Parliament with key committee vote – EURACTIV.com

• Europe Reaches a Deal on the World’s First Comprehensive AI Rules - Security Week

• FBI Issues Guidance for Delaying SEC-Required Data Breach Disclosure  - Security Week

• The SEC action against SolarWinds highlights how tough it can get for CISOs | CSO Online

• SEC Cyber Security Breach Rule: What it Means for MSSPs | MSSP Alert

• Ex-Uber CSO Joe Sullivan on why he ‘had to get over’ shock of data breach conviction | TechCrunch

• Government plans to regulate to tackle datacentre threats | Computer Weekly

• eIDAS: EU’s internet reforms will undermine a decade of advances in online security - Help Net Security

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• MITRE Launches Critical Infrastructure Threat Model Framework - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• UK IT staff working nearly as much overtime as law enforcement | ITPro

• Getting Into Cyber Security: A Guide for IT Security Careers | ITPro Today: IT News, How-Tos, Trends, Case Studies, Career Tips, More

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Cloud engineer wreaks havoc on bank's network after firing • The Register

• Kelvin Security hacking group leader arrested in Spain (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft goes after a cyber criminal group that sold millions of fraudulent accounts online - Neowin

• Russian banker of Hive ransomware network arrested in Paris (databreaches.net)

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Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• Another Cyber Attack on Critical Infrastructure and the Outlook on Cyberwarfare (informationweek.com)

• Geopolitics to Blame For DoS Surge in Europe, Says ENISA - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• International justice – France offers support to the International Criminal Court to step up cyber security (12 Dec. 2023) - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (diplomatie.gouv.fr)

• Debate Roils Over Extent of Nation-State Cyber Involvement in Gaza (darkreading.com)

• Think tank report labels NSO, Lazarus, 'cyber mercenaries' • The Register

Nation State Actors

• What CISOs Need to Know About Nation State Actors (informationweek.com)

China

• Warning: Russia and China Target Cyber Security Weak Points (govinfosecurity.com)

• China's Cyber Attacks Target US Infrastructure In Preparation For Potential Conflict: Report - Benzinga

• Microsoft: Mystery Group Targeting Telcos Linked to Chinese APTs (darkreading.com)

• China’s cyber intrusions have hit ports and utilities, officials say - The Washington Post

• CISA unveils Google Workspace guidelines informed by Chinese breach of Microsoft | CyberScoop

• Chinese APT Volt Typhoon Linked to Unkillable SOHO Router Botnet  - Security Week

• Stealthy new botnet targets VPN devices and routers while staying disguised | TechRadar

• China warns its geographic data breach puts industry at risk (techinformed.com)

Russia

• Major Cyber Attack Paralyzes Kyivstar - Ukraine's Largest Telecom Operator (thehackernews.com)

• Ukraine’s Largest Phone Operator Hacked in “Act of War” - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 24 million Kyivstar users urged to change all passwords due to cyber attack / The New Voice of Ukraine (nv.ua)

• Hackers damaged some infrastructure of Ukraine’s Kyivstar telecom company (therecord.media)

• Warning: Russia and China Target Cyber Security Weak Points (govinfosecurity.com)

• Russia Set to Ramp Up Attacks on Ukraine’s Allies This Winter - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK government takes steps to thwart Russia's FSB hackers (techmonitor.ai)

• Cyber criminals hit businesses with skills once limited to Chinese, Russian government hackers - Washington Times

• Russian APT28 Hackers Targeting 13 Nations in Ongoing Cyber Espionage Campaign (thehackernews.com)

• US officials say Russian targeting JetBrains servers for potential SolarWinds-style operations | Reuters

• Global TeamCity Exploitation Opens Door to SolarWinds-Style Nightmare (darkreading.com)

• NCSC warning on Russian targeting | Professional Security

• Iranian Parliament Approves Information Security Deal With Russia | Iran International (iranintl.com)

• Ukrainian intelligence takes down Russia's tax system in major cyber warfare operation

• MI6 chief thanks Russian state television for its 'help' in encouraging Russians to spy for the UK | AP News

• Russian foreign intelligence service spotted exploiting JetBrains vulnerability (therecord.media)

• User activity showed greater increase in traffic on 3G network compared to 4G (LTE) network / The New Voice of Ukraine (nv.ua)

• Leader of Russian hacktivist group Killnet ‘retires,' appoints new head (therecord.media)

• Russian banker of Hive ransomware network arrested in Paris (databreaches.net)

Iran

• Another Cyber Attack on Critical Infrastructure and the Outlook on Cyberwarfare (informationweek.com)

• Two-day water outage in remote Irish region caused by pro-Iran hackers (therecord.media)

• Iranian Parliament Approves Information Security Deal With Russia | Iran International (iranintl.com)

• Iranian State-Sponsored OilRig Group Deploys 3 New Malware Downloaders (thehackernews.com)

North Korea

• Stronger action against North Korean cyber threats pushed by US, South Korea, Japan | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Lazarus sub-group targets South Korean defence firms | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Lazarus hackers drop new RAT malware using 2-year-old Log4j bug (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus Operation Blacksmith Attacking Organisations Worldwide (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Think tank report labels NSO, Lazarus, 'cyber mercenaries' • The Register

Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence

• Geopolitics to Blame For DoS Surge in Europe, Says ENISA - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Debate Roils Over Extent of Nation-State Cyber Involvement in Gaza (darkreading.com)

• Think tank report labels NSO, Lazarus, 'cyber mercenaries' • The Register

• Leader of Russian hacktivist group Killnet ‘retires,' appoints new head (therecord.media)

• Cyber Attack Disrupts TV Services Across UAE, AI Anchor Broadcasts Graphic Content from Gaza | Metaverse Post (mpost.io)

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Vulnerability Management

• Vulnerabilities Now Top Initial Access Route For Ransomware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Over 30% of Log4J apps use a vulnerable version of the library (bleepingcomputer.com)

• One in four apps remain exposed to Log4Shell • The Register

Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft's Final 2023 Patch Tuesday: 33 Flaws Fixed, Including 4 Critical (thehackernews.com)

• New RCE vulnerability in Apache Struts 2 fixed, upgrade ASAP (CVE-2023-50164) - Help Net Security

• Apple Releases Security Updates to Patch Critical iOS and macOS Security Flaws (thehackernews.com)

• SAP Security Patch Day December 2023 | SAP Blogs

• Adobe Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products | CISA

• Chrome 120 Update Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities - Security Week

• 50K WordPress sites exposed to RCE attacks by critical bug in backup plugin (bleepingcomputer.com)

• '5Ghoul' Vulnerabilities Haunt Qualcomm, MediaTek 5G Modems - Security Week

• Lazarus hackers drop new RAT malware using 2-year-old Log4j bug (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Sophos backports RCE fix after attacks on unsupported firewalls (bleepingcomputer.com)

• One in four apps remain exposed to Log4Shell • The Register

• Russian foreign intelligence service spotted exploiting JetBrains vulnerability (therecord.media)

• This is how to protect your computers from LogoFAIL attacks | ZDNET

• Over 1,450 pfSense servers exposed to RCE attacks via bug chain (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Tools and Controls

• Attacks abuse Microsoft DHCP to spoof DNS records • The Register

• Balancing AI advantages and risks in cyber security strategies - Help Net Security

• What is Cyber security threat intelligence sharing (att.com)

• The Cyber Security Conundrum: Best-Of-Breed Vs. Single Pane Of Glass (forbes.com)

• Discord adds Security Key support for all users to enhance security (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Modern Attack Surface Management (ASM) for SecOps (trendmicro.com)

• Cyber Security Attacks Are On the Rise — Is Your Business Prepared? | Entrepreneur

• Are business cyber security measures really fit for purpose? - Digital Journal

• New Microsoft Incident Response team guide shares best practices for security teams and leaders | Microsoft Security Blog

• Which cyber security controls are organisations struggling with? - Help Net Security

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Other News

• UK must improve cyber risk management in face of catastrophic threats - Emerging Risks Media Ltd

• Positive Technologies: successful cyber attacks on financial organisations have doubled (zawya.com)

• Sellafield nuclear plant: I pray fears of a leak at the site are being taken seriously | The Independent

• Is macOS as secure as its users think? | Kaspersky official blog

• The 3 Most Prevalent Cyber Threats of the Holidays (darkreading.com)

• Over 3,800 Ministry of Defence passes lost or stolen (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)

• My home, my castle: Only 1 in 6 Brits are concerned about cyberthreats at home – PCR (pcr-online.biz)

• NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron to step down in 2024 | Computer Weekly

• Reflecting On The Evolution Of Cyber Security In 2023 (forbes.com)

• Unveiling the Cyber Threats to Healthcare: Beyond the Myths (thehackernews.com)

• This is how to protect your computers from LogoFAIL attacks | ZDNET

• Polish train maker denies claims it geofenced trains • The Register

• Positive Technologies: successful cyber attacks on financial organisations have doubled (zawya.com)

• Cyber criminals continue targeting open remote access products - Help Net Security

• Threat actors misuse OAuth applications to automate financially driven attacks | Microsoft Security Blog

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 29 September 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Ransomware Groups Are Shifting Their Focus Away from Larger Targets

Ransomware groups are once again prioritising attacks on smaller organisations as they look to target those with less mature security capabilities. Analysis from Trend Micro has shown that ransomware groups such as Lockbit, Cl0p and Black Cat are slowing down attacks against “big game” targets, such as multinationals, and are focusing their attention on smaller organisations. It was found that the overall ransomware attack victim numbers increased by 47% from H2 2022.

Organisations “of up to 200 employees”, those within the small-to-medium-sized range, accounted for the majority (575) of attacks using LockBit’s ransomware across H1 2023. Similar trends were observed with rivals in the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) space. Nearly half (45%) of Black Cat victims were in the same size range. There are many underlying factors in the recent surge of attacks on smaller organisations, however one big cause is the economic factor and the perception that smaller organisations are not going to be as well protected.

Sources: [Techcentral] [Helpnet Security]

Cover-ups Still the Norm as Half of Cyber Attacks go Unreported

A report found that 48% of organisations that experience critical cyber incidents and disasters such as ransomware attacks do not report it to the appropriate authorities, and 41% do not even disclose cyber attacks to their boards. Alarmingly, 32% simply “forgot” and 22% self-reported that there wasn’t a system in place to report it. In the UK, failure to report a breach within 72 hours could make a company eligible for a fine up to €10 million or 2% of annual global turnover if deemed a lower-level infringement, and up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover for higher-level infringements.

The lack of reporting also has a knock-on effect: a significant number of cyber attacks go un-reported and therefore this skews statistics, meaning the current numbers of known cyber attacks are likely much lower than the actual figure.

Sources: [Computer Weekly] [InfoSecurity Magazine]

Reported Cyber Security Breaches Increase Threefold for Financial Services Firms

New research shows that cyber security breaches for UK financial service firms have increased threefold from 187 attacks (2021-2022) to 640 attacks (2022-2023). This comes as the pensions sector reported the biggest jump in breaches rising from 6 to 246 in the same period, a concerning large increase of 4,000%. These patterns are not only relevant to the UK however, with separate reports highlighting an 119% increase in attacks on financial sector cyber attacks globally from 2022 to 2023.

Trustees can be liable for failures in managing cyber risk, so any business looking to protect itself from the impact of a cyber attack should invest in understanding its cyber footprint, the risks it poses, and have the right policies/procedures in place.

Sources: [CIR Magazine] [PensionsAge] [CityAM] [TechRadar]

Attacks on SME’s Surged in The First Half of 2023

According to Kaspersky, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dealt with more attacks during the first half of the year compared to the same time the year previous. Worryingly, a separate report found that over three quarters of SME leaders could not confidently identify a cyber incident at work and 50% of respondents felt they were unable to identify the difference between a phishing email and real email.

An outcome of the study was the identification of a need for effective user training. SMEs do not have the budget to have a wide range of tools, however they can strengthen their users’ security practices.  Black Arrow enables SMEs to strengthen their people controls through bespoke and affordable education and awareness training for all levels of the organisation.

Sources: [Inquirer] [HelpNet Security] [Insurance Times]

The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security

The average tenure of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is said to sit between 18 to 24 months; research highlights the reasons including the strain of the role, the perceived lack of leadership support, and the attraction of more money from a different employer. There is often a gap while the replacement is recruited, during which there is nobody looking after the organisation’s security.

In some cases, organisations may look to outsource by using the services of a virtual CISO (vCISO) with cost savings and greater stability and flexibility. The Black Arrow vCISO team are experienced world-class specialists, providing independent, impartial and objective expertise across the wide range of essential CISO skills with significant advantages compared to an internal resource.

Source: [Security Week]

Bermuda Struggles to Recover from Ransomware Attack

The Bermudan Government this week suffered what they referred to as a significant cyber incident. Workers were cut off from email and telephone systems, with affected departments resorting to manual processes and issuing of paper based cheques. The Government was unable to make payroll payments, and parcels could not be sent from the Island’s Post Offices. It is noted that while not all systems were affected, the government took everything offline out of precaution. It is believed that some other regional governments have also been impacted.

The attack has been attributed to Russia or Russian-based actors, but attribution in cases like this can be difficult. It should be noted that, if involvement from Russia were confirmed, both Russian state actors and Russian based cyber criminals work closely in a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties. Using cyber crime groups as fronts provides nation state actors with a level of deniability, while also allowing them to direct the operation and benefit from it. Equally, cyber crime groups get to do their thing with the blessing, whether tacit or explicit, of the national authorities in their country. In general, countries where this happens (such as Russia, North Korea and China) have no interest in cooperating with Western authorities, so the cyber criminals essentially work with impunity.

Sources: [Duo] [GovInfo Security] [Bleeping Computer]

Businesses Remain Unprepared Despite Cyber Threats Remaining a Top Concern

A report found cyber threats continue to rank among the top three business concerns for a wide spectrum of companies. Despite it being such a concern, a significant percentage of businesses admitted to not conducting cyber assessments for vendors (57%) or customers’ assets (56%), having an incident response plan (50%), or implementing multifactor authentication for remote access (44%). Phishing scams were of particular concern, with companies reporting a notable increase in incidents, jumping from 14% to 27% over the past year.

Cyber attacks are a certainly a sobering reality, with nearly 23% of survey participants disclosing that their company had fallen victim to a cyber attack and 49% of these incidents occurred within the past year.

Source: [Reinsurance News]

Business Leaders More Anxious About Ransomware Than Recession as Victims from Single Attack Surpasses 2,000 Organisations

According to a recent study, half of business leaders are more worried about falling victim to a ransomware attack than macroeconomic hardship. Over 60% of businesses who had suffered a ransomware attack reported concerns about the prospect of a second ransomware attack, and 71% of leaders admitted their businesses wouldn’t be able to withstand it. 56% said they had increased hiring costs, nearly half experienced increased customer complaints, and 47% reported team stress. This comes as the tally of victims from the MOVEit attack alone surpasses 2,000 organisations. To make matters worse, the FBI has described dual ransomware attacks taking place, with the second attack less than 48 hours after the first.

Source: [Tech Informed] [Helpnet Security] [Helpnet Security] [BleepComputer]

Hotel Hackers Redirect Guests to Fake Booking[.]com Site in Major Phishing Campaign

Booking.com users have become the focus of a new, large-scale phishing campaign that involved hackers taking control of the hotel’s Booking[.]com account. Once in control, the attackers were then able to utilise personal information and craft messages, tailored to victims.

With many organisations using sites such as Booking[.]com, it is imperative that staff are trained effectively, to reduce the risk of them falling victim to a phishing campaign.

Sources: [BleepingComputer] [Inforsecurity Magazine]

Cyber Leaders Worry That AI Will Overwhelm Cyber Defences

A survey of 250 leaders found that 85% worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences while almost two thirds (61%) have already seen an increase in cyber attack complexity due to AI. Overall 80% view AI as the single biggest cyber threat their business faces, and seven out of 10 are investing in more resilient measures to improve their detection and response protocols.

AI can certainly be overwhelming, but with the right expertise, organisations can navigate their way to improving their AI defences. Black Arrow’s expert team helps your leadership to understand and manage AI-based risks, and safely adopt artificial intelligence in your organisation.

Source: [Management Issues]

Boards Still Lack Cyber Security Expertise

A study by the US National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and the Internet Security Alliance (ISA) found that just 12% of S&P 500 companies have board directors with relevant cyber credentials, showing that there is still a lack of expertise at the board level. Boards can improve their expertise by engaging with training that is tailored to leadership. Black Arrow supports business leaders in organisations of all sizes to demonstrate governance of their cyber security, by owning their cyber security strategy and leveraging their existing internal and external resources to build resilience against a cyber security incident. Source: [Wallstreet Journal]

4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident

In the event of a cyber incident, there are a number of problems that emerge, but some you may not be aware of. These may include investigations by auditors, a freeze on payments by banks, and uncertainty about notifying third parties including customers. Your insurance provide may also launch a review of the cyber security controls that you had in place before the incident, to determine the payout.

Ideally, you will never have to face a cyber incident, but it can happen and it’s best to ensure you are well placed to deal with it, by understanding what needs to be done and how to respond. Black Arrow works with organisations of all sizes and sectors to design and prepare for managing a cyber security incident; this can include an Incident Response Plan and an educational tabletop exercise for the leadership team that highlights the proportionate controls to help the organisation prevent and mitigate an incident.

Source: [Dark Reading]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security - Security Week

• Boards Still Lack Cyber Security Expertise - WSJ

• Cyber leaders worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences (management-issues.com)

• It's time to safeguard the financial sector: Navigate employee turnover to defend against escalating cyber attacks (betanews.com)

• Businesses Unprepared for Cyber Attacks Despite Steady Concern (insurancejournal.com)

• Cyber criminals are targeting the financial sector more than ever | TechRadar

• The hidden costs of neglecting cyber security for small businesses - Help Net Security

• Majority of UK SME c-suites lacking awareness of cyber risks | Insurance Times

• Business leaders most anxious about ransomware attacks (techinformed.com)

• Cyber security incident response: Your company's ICU (channelweb.co.uk)

• Cover-ups still the norm in the wake of a cyber incident | Computer Weekly

• Many firms aren't reporting breaches to the proper authorities | TechRadar

• Half of Cyber-Attacks Go Unreported - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• CISOs are struggling to get cyber security budgets: Report | CSO Online

• CISOs are spending more on cyber security - but it might not be enough | TechRadar

• Cyber threats remain top concern for businesses in 2023: Travelers Risk Index - Reinsurance News

• Despite rising insider risk costs, budgets are being wasted in the wrong places - Help Net Security

• The Hot Seat: CISO Accountability in a New Era of SEC Regulation (darkreading.com)

• Proactive Security: What It Means for Enterprise Security Strategy (darkreading.com)

• Essential guide to cyber security compliance | Intruder

• 4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident (darkreading.com)

• Moving From Qualitative to Quantitative Cyber Risk Modeling - Security Week

• Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransomware soars as enterprises struggle to respond - Verdict

• Ransomware groups are once again targeting smaller businesses for more lucrative payouts - TechCentral.ie

• Ransomware groups are shifting their focus away from larger targets - Help Net Security

• Business leaders most anxious about ransomware attacks (techinformed.com)

• Why is Ransomware Such a Prevalent Threat and Popular Tool for Attackers? | MSSP Alert

• ShadowSyndicate: A New Cyber Crime Group Linked to 7 Ransomware Families (thehackernews.com)

• The Group Claiming To Have Hacked Sony Is Using GDPR As A Weapon For Demanding Ransoms | Techdirt

• FBI: Dual ransomware attack victims now get hit within 48 hours (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cl0p's MOVEit attack tally surpasses 2,000 victim organisations - Help Net Security

• MOVEit cyber attack is pause for concern | Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C. - JDSupra

• Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)

• 'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars - The Japan Times

• Amidst MGM, Caesar's Incidents, Attackers Focus on Luxury Hotels (darkreading.com)

• Youth hacking ring at the center of cyber crime spree | CyberScoop

• Current ransomware defencs efforts are not working - Help Net Security

• VMware users anxious about costs and ransomware threats - Help Net Security

• MSP shares details of Kaseya VSA ransomware attack, recovery | TechTarget

• Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)

• Study Reveals Conti Affiliates Money Laundering Practices (inforisktoday.com)

• Akira Ransomware Mutates to Target Linux Systems, Adds TTPs (darkreading.com)

• Trend Micro Report Reveals Increase of LockBit Ransomware Attacks in US (thedefensepost.com)

• Hospital Ransomware Attacks Go Beyond Health Care Data (securityintelligence.com)

• Patient Care at Risk as Hospitals Increasingly on Frontlines of Ransomware Attacks | The Epoch Times

• Ransomware a threat to the trucking industry - FreightWaves

Ransomware Victims

• Bermuda Struggles to Recover From Cyber Attack (govinfosecurity.com)

• Cl0p's MOVEit attack tally surpasses 2,000 victim organisations - Help Net Security

• Amidst MGM, Caesar's Incidents, Attackers Focus on Luxury Hotels (darkreading.com)

• MGM, Caesars Cyber Attack Responses Required Brutal Choices (darkreading.com)

• Russian ransomware LockBit threatens to leak internal data from The Weather Network on dark web - The Globe and Mail

• City of Dallas has set a budget of $8.5 million to mitigate the May Royal ransomware attack. (securityaffairs.com)

• Ransomware Group Claims to Have Breached 'All of Sony Systems' (vgchartz.com)

• 900 US Schools Impacted by MOVEit Hack at National Student Clearinghouse - Security Week

• Youth hacking ring at the center of cyber crime spree | CyberScoop

• MGM Resorts and Caesars face class action lawsuits over September cyber attacks By Investing.com

• UK logistics firm blames ransomware attack for insolvency, 730 redundancies (therecord.media)

• Ransomed.vc Group Hits NTT Docomo After Sony Breach Claims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware group demands $51 million from Johnson Controls after cyber attack (bitdefender.com)

• Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)

• Alphv group claims the hack of Clarion, a global manufacturer of audio and video equipment for cars (securityaffairs.com)

• Leekes cyber attack? NoEscape ransomware gang claims breach (techmonitor.ai)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• This devious phishing scam makes it look like dodgy emails are actually safe | TechRadar

• Booking.com Customers Targeted in Major Phishing Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Use of QR codes in email phishing | Securelist

• How Does Modern Phishing Work? | HackerNoon

• New AtlasCross hackers use American Red Cross as phishing lure (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers Trick Outlook Into Showing Fake AV Scan | ITPro Today: IT News, How-Tos, Trends, Case Studies, Career Tips, More

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Nigerian man pleads guilty to attempted $6 million BEC email heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BEC Attacks Increase By 279% in Healthcare - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Rise in cyber criminals leveraging voice phishing and OTP theft for data breaches: Report | Tech News (hindustantimes.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• Cyber leaders worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences (management-issues.com)

• No 10 worried AI could be used to create advanced weapons that escape human control | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• The Biggest AI Trends in Cyber Security - CNET

• Google is working to keep Bard chats out of Search • The Register

• Nuclear Brinkmanship in AI-Enabled Warfare: A Dangerous Algorithmic Game of Chicken - War on the Rocks

• New working group to probe AI risks and applications | CyberScoop

• A Primer On Artificial Intelligence And Cyber Security (forbes.com)

• How should organisations navigate the risks and opportunities of AI? - Help Net Security

Malware

• Malware attacks on SMEs surged in H1 | Inquirer Business

• Gozi strikes again, targeting banks, cryptocurrency and more (securityintelligence.com)

• 'Culturestreak' Malware Lurks Inside GitLab Python Package (darkreading.com)

• Deadglyph: New Advanced Backdoor with Distinctive Malware Tactics (thehackernews.com)

• New variant of BBTok Trojan targets users of +40 banks in LATAM (securityaffairs.com)

• A powerful new malware backdoor is targeting governments across the world | TechRadar

• Researchers uncover thriving market for malware targeting IoT devices - The Hindu

• ZenRAT Malware Uncovered in Bitwarden Impersonation - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Mobile

• Spyware: Spyware can infect your phone or computer via the ads you see online: report - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

• China-Linked EvilBamboo Targets Mobiles - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• iOS 17 update secretly changed your privacy settings; here's how to set them back (bitdefender.com)

• Dangerous XenomorphAndroid malware is stealing from 100 banking apps — protect yourself now | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Predator Spyware Delivered to iOS, Android Devices via Zero-Days, MitM Attacks - Security Week

• Russian Firm Willing to Pay $20 Million for iPhone, Android Zero-Day Exploits (pcmag.com)

Botnets

• Bot Swarm: Attacks From Middle East & Africa Are Notably Up (darkreading.com)

• New variant of BBTok Trojan targets users of +40 banks in LATAM (securityaffairs.com)

• Asian banks are a favorite target of cyber cooks, and malicious bots their preferred tool | ZDNET

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Over 700 Dark Web Ads Offer DDoS Attacks Via IoT in 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Internet of Things – IoT

• If You Have An Amazon Alexa Device, You Need To Check This Security Update List (slashgear.com)

• Researchers uncover thriving market for malware targeting IoT devices - The Hindu

• Where Linux is in your home, and how to protect Linux devices from hacking | Kaspersky official blog

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Billions of usernames and passwords leaked online — how to see if you’re affected | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• ICO sees breach reports from FS firms triple - CIR Magazine

• UK pension schemes reveal 4,000% rise in cyber security breaches - Pensions Age Magazine

• Reported cyber security breaches increase threefold for financial services firms (cityam.com)

• British charities warn supporters their personal data has been breached • Graham Cluley

• Air Canada discloses data breach of employee and 'certain records' (bleepingcomputer.com)

• National Student Clearinghouse data breach impacts 890 schools (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BORN Ontario child registry data breach affects 3.4 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 900 US Schools Impacted by MOVEit Hack at National Student Clearinghouse - Security Week

• Regulator Warns Breaches Can Cost Lives - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hospital alert as 24,000 letters meant for GPs lost in computer error - Mirror Online

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• 'Marriages of Convenience' Between State Actors and Cyber Criminals Provide Cover for Both | Decipher (duo.com)

• 'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars - The Japan Times

• Asian banks are a favourite target of cyber cooks, and malicious bots their preferred tool | ZDNET

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• NFT Hype Collapse Means 95% of The Digital Assets Are Now 'Worthless' | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

• Gozi strikes again, targeting banks, cryptocurrency and more (securityintelligence.com)

• Yet another hack hits NFT marketplace OpenSea - SiliconANGLE

• Crooks stole $200 million worth of assets from Mixin Network (securityaffairs.com)

• Bitcoin scammer who was snared by victims sentenced - BBC News

• Security researcher stopped at US border for investigating crypto scam (bleepingcomputer.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• 75% who didn't report cyber attack to leadership, felt guilty about it | Security Magazine

• Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar

• Despite rising insider risk costs, budgets are being wasted in the wrong places - Help Net Security

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Hotel hackers redirect guests to fake Booking.com to steal cards (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Beware: fraud and smishing scams targeting students | Bournemouth University

• Yet another hack hits NFT marketplace OpenSea - SiliconANGLE

• Crooks stole $200 million worth of assets from Mixin Network (securityaffairs.com)

• Fraud prevention forces scammers to up their game - Help Net Security

• Why young people are more prone to online scams than boomers are (news5cleveland.com)

• Bitcoin scammer who was snared by victims sentenced - BBC News

• Security researcher warns of chilling effect after feds search phone at airport | TechCrunch

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• Study Reveals Conti Affiliates Money Laundering Practices (inforisktoday.com)

• Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security

Insurance

• Exploring Cyber Insurance and its Intersection with Property Coverage | Woodruff Sawyer - JDSupra

• Half of organisations with cyber insurance implemented additional security measures to qualify for the policy or reduce its cost - IT Security Guru

Dark Web

• Over 700 Dark Web Ads Offer DDoS Attacks Via IoT in 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)

• How the Okta Cross-Tenant Impersonation Attacks Succeeded (darkreading.com)

• Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)

• 3 phases of the third-party risk management lifecycle | TechTarget

Cloud/SaaS

• Guide: SaaS Offboarding Checklist - Help Net Security

Containers

• Kubernetes attacks in 2023: What it means for the future - Help Net Security

Encryption

• The UK just passed an online safety law that could make people less safe (theconversation.com)

• Regulators Are 'Hurting Their Own Country' in Seeking Encryption Backdoors: Nym CEO - Decrypt

Open Source

• Where Linux is in your home, and how to protect Linux devices from hacking | Kaspersky official blog

• Akira Ransomware Mutates to Target Linux Systems, Adds TTPs (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Why Shouldn’t You Use the Same Password Everywhere Online (makeuseof.com)

• Are You Willing to Pay the High Cost of Compromised Credentials? (thehackernews.com)

Biometrics

• The multi-national push to ban facial recognition in public spaces | Biometric Update

Social Media

• Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)

• X scraps tool to report electoral fake news - researchers - BBC News

Malvertising

• Spyware: Spyware can infect your phone or computer via the ads you see online: report - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar

Travel

• Security researcher stopped at US border for investigating crypto scam (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion

• Regulator Warns Breaches Can Cost Lives - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• The Group Claiming To Have Hacked Sony Is Using GDPR As A Weapon For Demanding Ransoms | Techdirt

• The UK just passed an online safety law that could make people less safe (theconversation.com)

• Are we about to lose the last pillar of our digital security? | Euronews

• New working group to probe AI risks and applications | CyberScoop

• SEC Gives Finality on Cyber Security Disclosures for Public Companies | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP - JDSupra

• Why California's Delete Act matters for the whole country - Help Net Security

• Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• MITRE ATT&CK project leader on why the framework remains vital for cyber security pros - Help Net Security

• Why It’s Wrong To Judge SIEM Success Only Against The ATT&CK Framework (forbes.com)

• Urgent actions for protecting utilities against cyber-attack: Navigating NIS 2 - Utility Week

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security - Security Week

• Demand for cyber security staff trebled since 2019 | Business Post

• Cyber security and staffing issues key risks for companies | Accountancy Daily

• Cyber security skills employers are desperate to find in 2023 - Help Net Security

• Preventing security professionals from ‘quietly quitting’ due to alert fatigue (securitybrief.co.nz)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Nigerian man pleads guilty to attempted $6 million BEC email heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Western District of Washington | French cyber criminal pleads guilty to fraud and aggravated identity theft for hacking private information | United States Department of Justice

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)

• X scraps tool to report electoral fake news - researchers - BBC News

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Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

Russia

• Russia’s APT29 intensifies espionage operations | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Russian hacking operations target Ukrainian law enforcement | CyberScoop

• Cyber-Attacks on Ukraine Surge 123%, But Success Rates Plummet - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Government of Bermuda blames Russian threat actors for the cyber attack (securityaffairs.com)

• Bermuda probes major cyber attack as officials slowly bring operations back online (thestar.com)

• Ukraine war: Cyber Attack in Crimea after Black Sea fleet HQ hit | News UK Video News | Sky News

• Russian hackers trying to steal evidence of Moscow’s war crimes in Ukraine - cyber chief (ukrinform.net)

• 'Marriages of Convenience' Between State Actors and Cyber Criminals Provide Cover for Both | Decipher (duo.com)

• Examining the Activities of the Turla APT Group (trendmicro.com)

• Scottish Tory MSP has website hacked by 'hostile Russian group' | The National

• Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)

• Russian Firm Willing to Pay $20 Million for iPhone, Android Zero-Day Exploits (pcmag.com)

• Cyber Attack on Russian Air Booking System Sparks Flight Delays - The Moscow Times

China

• China's BlackTech Hacking Group Exploited Cisco Routers to Target US and Japanese Companies (thehackernews.com)

• Chinese hackers stole 60,000 emails from US State Department in Microsoft hack, Senate staffer says (databreaches.net)

• Taiwan is bracing for Chinese cyber attacks, White House official says - POLITICO

• China-Linked EvilBamboo Targets Mobiles - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Chinese Gov Hackers Caught Hiding in Cisco Router Firmware - Security Week

• Budworm: APT Group Uses Updated Custom Tool in Attacks on Government and Telecoms Org | Symantec Enterprise Blogs (security.com)

• China’s national security minister lists top digital threats • The Register

Misc Nation State/Cyber Warfare

• 'Marriages of Convenience' Between State Actors and Cyber Criminals Provide Cover for Both | Decipher (duo.com)

• Sophisticated APT Clusters Target Southeast Asia - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Why Zero Days Are Set for Highest Year on Record - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Another Chrome security issue is exploited in the wild (and affecting all Chromium-based browsers) - gHacks Tech News

• Google assigns new maximum rated CVE to libwebp bug exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco Warns of IOS Software Zero-Day Exploitation Attempts - Security Week

• Researchers Release Details of New RCE Exploit Chain for SharePoint (darkreading.com)

• High-Severity Flaws Uncovered in Atlassian Products and ISC BIND Server (thehackernews.com)

• GPUs from all major suppliers are vulnerable to new pixel-stealing attack | Ars Technica

• Firefox 118 Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities - Security Week

• Hackers actively exploiting Openfire flaw to encrypt servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)

• China's BlackTech Hacking Group Exploited Cisco Routers to Target US and Japanese Companies (thehackernews.com)

• macOS 14 Sonoma Patches 60 Vulnerabilities - Security Week

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Tools and Controls

• Cyber security incident response: Your company's ICU (channelweb.co.uk)

• CISOs are spending more on cyber security - but it might not be enough | TechRadar

• 4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident (darkreading.com)

• Half of organisations with cyber insurance implemented additional security measures to qualify for the policy or reduce its cost - IT Security Guru

• The 5 most dangerous Wi-Fi attacks, and how to fight them | PCWorld

• The Biggest AI Trends in Cyber Security - CNET

• How SOAR helps improve MTTD and MTTR metrics | TechTarget

• What Is a Network Security Assessment and Why You Need It | MSSP Alert

• Why You Should Phish In Your Own Pond (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• The pitfalls of neglecting security ownership at the design stage - Help Net Security

• Guide: SaaS Offboarding Checklist - Help Net Security

• A Primer On Artificial Intelligence And Cyber Security (forbes.com)

• Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar

• Proactive Security: What It Means for Enterprise Security Strategy (darkreading.com)

• Looking Beyond the Hype Cycle of AI/ML in Cyber Security (darkreading.com)

• The Dark Side of Browser Isolation – and the Next Generation Browser Security Technologies (thehackernews.com)

• Moving From Qualitative to Quantitative Cyber Risk Modelling - SecurityWeek

• Cyber security budgets show moderate growth - Help Net Security

• Evaluating Security Outsourcing in the Wake of Recent High-Profile Cyber Attacks: Info-Tech Research Group Publishes New Resource (prnewswire.com)

• Exploring Cyber Insurance and its Intersection with Property Coverage | Woodruff Sawyer - JDSupra

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Other News

• Cyber criminals are targeting the financial sector more than ever | TechRadar

• The hidden costs of neglecting cyber security for small businesses - Help Net Security

• SMBs face growing cyber security threats, but basic measures can lower risks | ZDNET

• Why aviation needs to prioritise cyber security – Airport World (airport-world.com)

• The key threats facing ICS/OT environments (betanews.com)

• Are Fire Departments Prepared for a Cyber Attack? | HackerNoon

• Fintechs must brace for rising cyber security challenges | Mint (livemint.com)

• Space Force chief says commercial satellites may need defending | Ars Technica

• UK Cyber Security Council CEO reflects on a year of progress | CSO Online

• Google Loophole Lets Drug Dealers Hijack Nearly Any Website to Sell Narcotics (businessinsider.com)

• Cyber Hygiene: A First Line of  Against Evolving Cyber Attacks (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Attacks hit military, Parliament websites as India hacker group targets Canada (cheknews.ca)

• KnowBe4 Finds US. Healthcare a Top Target For Cyber Attacks (prnewswire.com)

• US Government Shutdown Could Bench 80% of CISA Staff - SecurityWeek

• Recommendations for Managing Cyber Security Threats in the Manufacturing Sector | Foley & Lardner LLP - JDSupra

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·         Automotive

·         Construction

·         Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·         Defence & Space

·         Education & Academia

·         Energy & Utilities

·         Estate Agencies

·         Financial Services

·         FinTech

·         Food & Agriculture

·         Gaming & Gambling

·         Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·         Health/Medical/Pharma

·         Hotels & Hospitality

·         Insurance

·         Legal

·         Manufacturing

·         Maritime

·         Oil, Gas & Mining

·         OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·         Retail & eCommerce

·         Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·         Startups

·         Telecoms

·         Third Sector & Charities

·         Transport & Aviation

·         Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 18th August 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Ransomware Group Targeting MSPs Worldwide in New Campaign

Russia-based cyber attackers called Play are evolving, with the ransomware group now using remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools at outsourced IT providers or managed service providers (MSPs) to gain access and hit downstream customers. A significant number of eventual targets are medium sized business. The group is also utilising intermittent encryption, where files are only partly encrypted, to avoid detection.

The attacks highlight the need for organisations to be aware of where they are in the supply chain and how they can be targeted through their supplier. It is not enough for an organisation to focus on its own security in isolation; organisations also need to have a way of effectively assessing their supply chain risk which includes their MSP.

Source [Dark Reading]

As Ransomware Surges, A lack of Resources Makes SMBs Most Vulnerable

Ransomware attacks continue to increase, with 1500 victims confirmed this year. It is likely this figure will continue to rise. In parallel, criminals are evolving and with that comes a rise in triple extortion; attackers are not just encrypting and exfiltrating an organisation’s data, but also using this data to blackmail employees and target third parties, hitting the supply chain.

Unfortunately for SMBs, they do not have the resources to keep up with such attacks, making them the most vulnerable. A report found that organisations that had 51 to 200 employees were the most targeted, followed by organisations with 11 to 50 employees. When it came to the types of organisations, the Financial Services sector placed first.

This should not mean SMBs should just accept this and wait to be attacked; on the contrary, their increased vulnerability means that SMBs need to effectively prioritise and allocate resources, and if necessary getting in specialist external help, to ensure their protections are the best that resources allow.

Sources [WWD] [InfoSecurity Magazine] [CRN]

Business Email Compromise Attack Costs Far Exceeding Ransomware Losses

Cloudflare's 2023 Phishing Threats Report recorded a 17% spike in business email compromise (BEC) related financial losses between December 2021 and 2022, noting that threat actors are increasingly leaning on this attack method to target organisations. Additionally, across 2022 nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents to the study said they experienced an attempted or successful BEC attack. The Cloudflare report found that the financial impact of BEC led to organisations suffering losses in excess of $2.7 billion, whereas ransomware caused losses of $34.3 million during the same period.

Source [ITPro]

Email Phishing Remains the Main Entry for Cyber Criminals; People with Six Personality Traits are More Susceptible

According to a report, phishing attacks were found to be the initial attack vector for nine in ten cyber attacks. The report found that the focus of a cyber criminal tended to be two objectives: achieving authenticity and getting victims to click. Worryingly, 89% of unwanted messages were found to have bypassed authentication checks, leaving people and procedures as the last line of defence in an organisation.

A separate study found that having the following traits made a user more susceptible to phishing: extroverted, agreeable, people-pleasing, quick to trust, fearful or respectful of authority, and poor self-control.

With employees playing such an important role in preventing phishing, organisations need to ensure that employees are aware of what to look for in a phishing email with regular training to account for evolving tactics. This training should be carried out by experts with experience of conducting phishing simulations, accompanied with the ability to educate users on how they can protect themselves from falling victim.

Sources [Tech Radar] [Makeuseof]

Gartner Study Finds Generative AI to be a Top Emerging Risk for Organisations

In a recent survey, Gartner found that generative AI models such as ChatGPT were the second greatest emerging risk, with concerns around data privacy. This has led to organisations looking to ban such AI, with a separate report by Blackberry finding that ChatGPT faced banning from 75% of organisations.

Banning AI in the organisation is a short-term solution. The benefits of AI are clear and its usefulness in an organisation is significant, with reports finding 75% of IT leaders in favour. Organisations should instead look at how they can govern the usage of AI in their organisation, to reduce the risk of AI-related incidents and improve the effectiveness of work.

Sources [Security Magazine] [Analytics Insight] [IT Security Guru] [Decrypt]

LinkedIn Suffers Significant Wave of Account Hacks

LinkedIn users are reporting losing access to their accounts, with some being pressured into paying a ransom to get back in or else face permanent account deletion. LinkedIn is no stranger to being a target of cyber criminals; last year, the platform was deemed the most abused brand in phishing attempts likely due to its recognisability and widespread use in the corporate world. This extended as far as threat actors using fake LinkedIn profiles.

With the number of accounts being compromised, users need to be vigilant in their use of LinkedIn and be on the lookout for suspicious messages. Black Arrow recommends that users ensure they are using strong and unique passwords, combined with multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect themselves.

Source [Dark Reading]

High Net-Worth Families are at Risk of Cyber Crime

A report found that high net-worth families have prioritised cyber security with a notable 77% of respondents stating they had a cyber security plan; however, 55% said their plan “could be better”.

A cyber security plan is not optional anymore. High net-worth families are at increased risk, with criminals cottoning on to the amount of information that is out there and the financial gain that can be made if that information is used effectively. Social media is just one of the things increasing the risk of cyber crime; unbeknownst to some families, their social media may be providing criminals a treasure trove of insight into a family’s wealth, real-time location and habits. Such information can be used by a cyber criminal to employ attacks.

Source [Campdenfb]

Cyber Attack Rule Raises Insurance Risks for Corporate Officers

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued rules that formally outlined directors’ responsibilities in cyber security governance for the first time, laying the groundwork for potential enforcement actions. The recently issued rules bring potential regulatory probes and shareholder legal class action alleging senior executives failed to supervise their businesses’ cyber security practices.

Although the practice is not yet universal, a growing number of director and officer (D&O) policies are being drafted with cyber related exclusions. Meanwhile, most cyber insurance policies exempt SEC enforcement actions and investor claims, but some cover allegations against a company’s executives over their cyber security roles.

Whilst this is only in the US at the moment, other developed nations are likely to follow suit.

Source [Bloomberg Law]

PSNI and UK Voter Breaches Show Data Security Should be Taken More Seriously

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the UK Electoral Commission both suffered cyber incidents on the same day. Whilst both incidents were different in how they happened, the result was the same: sensitive information had been leaked. In the case of the PSNI, the data was leaked through a response to a freedom of information (FOI) request, in which an Excel sheet was accidentally included by the PSNI. The Electoral Commission incident resulted from a cyber attack.

The incidents are a wake-up call for organisations. If you have not already done so, you need to put things in place to help protect your data from ending up online. The PSNI incident in particular highlights the need to ensure that data does not leave the organisation by accident.

Source [The Guardian]

The Imperative of Cyber Preparedness: The Power of Tabletop Exercises

Cyber security has become an inescapable concern for organisations across industries. With cyber threats ranging from data breaches to ransomware attacks, it is paramount that companies remain vigilant and prepared.

A key way to be prepared is through a tabletop exercise that simulates a hypothetical cyber security incident and helps organisations to practice and evaluate their response. One example scenario can be responding to a ransomware attack blocking access to the organisation's computers for a ransom. These exercises serve as a practical, engaging, and low-risk way for teams to identify vulnerabilities in current plans, improve coordination, and evaluate the decision-making process during a crisis and this is something that we do with our clients on a regular basis.

Source [JDSupra]

Why Are Phones a Cyber Security Weak Spot?

Mobile phones are more interconnected than ever, with their usage extending to the workplace. Despite this, they often enter the corporate environment with a lack of protection and oversight. When laptops are in the corporate environment they are often secured through methods such as encryption and often the organisation has a clear oversight of the applications and activity on the laptop. Mobile phones on the other hand, are often left unmonitored, despite the fact they can and often do carry sensitive information.

Mobile phones also carry additional risks; for a start, they are easier to lose, due to their size difference and the fact they are often out more. In addition, they may have more entry points. Internet of things (IoT) devices, such as smart appliances, are often controlled by phones, making them another entry point for an attacker.

Source [Tech Shout]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Hedge Fund Cyber security Trends Report says Majority Firms Report a Surge in Cyber Attacks - ITSecurityWire

• Lack of Resources Makes SMBs Most Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks – WWD

• 1 in 5 CIOs Believe Cyber Security Ops Are Not An Immediate Priority - IT Security Guru

• Cyber threat risks reach three-year high – Avast (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Cyber Attack Rule Raises Insurance Risks for Corporate Officers (bloomberglaw.com)

• The Imperative of Cyber Preparedness: The Power of Tabletop Exercises | Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP - JDSupra

• Why Finance Leaders In Midsize Businesses Are Stepping Up Cyber security Efforts (forbes.com)

• Why are ultra-high-net-worth families at increased risk of cyber crime? | Campden FB

• Traditional vs. Enterprise Risk Management: How Do They Differ? (techtarget.com)

• 4 reasons to understand technology risks when buying a business (businessplus.ie)

• What did you say? Boards tackle corporate jargon | Fortune

• Boards Don't Want Security Promises — They Want Action (darkreading.com)

• Cyber attacks and data protection worries loom large | Natasha Doris | CDR Article (cdr-news.com)

• How threats to mid-sized businesses impact us all - Help Net Security

• 7 Reasons People Don't Understand What You Tell Them (darkreading.com)

• 6 Cyber Threat Areas for Companies and Organisations to Prioritize (forbes.com)

• How poor cyber security policies disrupt business continuity - IT Security Guru

• Cyber Prevention, Training Attract More Spend Than Remediation, Recovery, Execs Say - | MSSP Alert

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Lack of Resources Makes SMBs Most Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks – WWD

• Business email compromise attack costs far exceeding ransomware losses | ITPro

• Reported ransomware attacks doubled in key sectors (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Ransomware Surges With 1500 Confirmed Victims This Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 'Play' Ransomware Group Targeting MSPs Worldwide in New Campaign (darkreading.com)

• As Ransomware Gangs Shift To Data Extortion, Some Adopt A New Tactic: ‘Customer Service’ | CRN

• Triple Extortion Ransomware and the Cyber Crime Supply Chain (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Companies are finding it harder to detect ransomware | TechRadar

• Top 3 Ransomware Attack Vectors And How To Avoid Them (techtarget.com)

• Ransomware: To pay or not to pay - Help Net Security

• Knight ransomware distributed in fake Tripadvisor complaint emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 'DoubleDrive' attack turns Microsoft OneDrive into ransomware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Why Hospitals Are Being Increasingly Targeted by Cyber Attacks | Chicago News | WTTW

• 'Bulletproof' Lolekhosted ransomware hacker indicted (cnbc.com)

• LOLEKHosted admin arrested for aiding Netwalker ransomware gang (bleepingcomputer.com)

• It's time for companies to double down on cyber security measures as ransomware attacks rise, say experts | CBC News

• Monti ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers with new Linux locker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crimeware server used by NetWalker ransomware seized and shut down – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Rapid7 Says ROI for Ransomware Remains High; Zero-Day Usage Expands - SecurityWeek

• Sophos: ‘Royal’ Is Trying to Make Itself the King of Ransomware (darkreading.com)

• Cuba Ransomware Deploys New Tools: Targets Critical Infrastructure Sector in the US and IT Integrator in Latin America (databreaches.net)

• Microsoft: BlackCat's Sphynx ransomware embeds Impacket, RemCom (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 3 strategies that can help stop ransomware before it becomes a crisis | CSO Online

• Latitude Financial takes profit hit from major cyber attack | The West Australian

• MOVEit cyber attack ignites worry about retirement plan fiduciary responsibility | Pensions & Investments (pionline.com)

• Ransomware down 57%, Secureworks warns against complacency (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Ransomware Diaries: Volume 3 – LockBit’s Secrets (databreaches.net)

• HHS Launches 'Digiheals' Project to Better Protect US Hospitals From Ransomware | WIRED

• Ransomware Renaissance 2023: The Definitive Guide to Stay Safer (securityintelligence.com)

• How to Create a Ransomware Incident Response Plan (techtarget.com)

Ransomware Victims

• Several hospitals still counting the cost of widespread ransomware attack (malwarebytes.com)

• Has leading UK jeweller been hit by BianLian ransomware gang? (techmonitor.ai)

• teiss - News - Ernst & Young says MOVEit Transfer hack impacted over 30,000 Bank of America customers

• Cyber attack on Bay area vendor cripples real estate industry (therealdeal.com)

• Colorado warns 4 million of data stolen in IBM MOVEit breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Millions of Americans’ health data stolen after MOVEit hackers targeted IBM | TechCrunch

• LockBit claims seven new victims in ransomware spree (techmonitor.ai)

• Cyber attack strikes Prince George's County schools, district says - The Washington Post

• Clorox Operations Disrupted By Cyber Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Inside Housing - News - Hackney to procure new IT system after cyber attack

• Largest switching and terminal railroad in US investigating ransomware data theft (therecord.media)

• Honor Among Cyber Criminals? Why a Canadian Firm Paid Ransom (inforisktoday.com)

• Alberta dental benefits administrator hit by cyber attack | Edmonton Sun

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Phishing remains most dominant, fastest growing internet crime (securitybrief.co.nz)

• If You Have These 6 Personality Traits, You're More Vulnerable to Phishing Scams (makeuseof.com)

• Business email compromise attack costs far exceeding ransomware losses | ITPro

• Reports show 62% jump in phishing attacks last year - The Hindu BusinessLine

• Phishing Operators Make Ready Use of Abandoned Websites for Bait (darkreading.com)

• Email – The System Running Since 71’ - SecurityWeek

• 3 Major Email Security Standards Prove Too Porous for the Task (darkreading.com)

• Most consumers can't spot phishing scams | TechRadar

• Cyber Security Experts: AI Could Be Phishing Schemes’ Ultimate Weapon — Or Worse - The Messenger

• Spear Phishing vs Phishing: How to Tell the Difference (techrepublic.com)

• How to Prevent Phishing Attacks with Multi-Factor Authentication (techrepublic.com)

• As Phishing Gets Even Sneakier, Browser Security Needs to Step Up (darkreading.com)

• Email security vendor leaves 2M domains open to phishing hacks, study finds (axios.com)

• What Is a Blank Image Phishing Scam? (makeuseof.com)

• Cyber Criminals Abusing Cloudflare R2 for Hosting Phishing Pages, Experts Warn (thehackernews.com)

• 'Gold mine' phishing scams rob Main Street on social media like Meta (cnbc.com)

• Malicious QR code hacking campaign is targeting Microsoft credentials - SiliconANGLE

• Phishing campaign steals accounts for Zimbra email servers worlwide (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 30% of phishing threats involve newly registered domains - Help Net Security

• Russian Hackers Use Zulip Chat App for Covert C&C in Diplomatic Phishing Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Gone Phishing: An Analysis of a Targeted User Attack (huntress.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Business email compromise attack costs far exceeding ransomware losses | ITPro

Artificial Intelligence

• Generative AI a Top Emerging Risk for Organisations: Gartner Survey - Decrypt

• 66% of Organisations in UK Set to Ban ChatGPT and Generative AI Apps on Work Devices - IT Security Guru

• ChatGPT Faces Ban from 75% of Organisations: Blackberry Report (analyticsinsight.net)

• AI Is Coming For Your Data: 6 Steps To Ensure Cyber Resilience (forbes.com)

• New study by AMD finds nearly half of organisations are not ready for AI - IT Security Guru

• Over 74% of organisations see a rise in AI use by cyber criminals | Security Magazine

• Navigating generative AI risks and regulatory challenges - Help Net Security

• Cyber security Experts: AI Could Be Phishing Schemes’ Ultimate Weapon — Or Worse - The Messenger

• Top 10 AI Security Risks According to OWASP (trendmicro.com)

• AI 'evil twins' may already be manipulating human nature | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Cyber security practitioners' generative AI dilemma (iapp.org)

• People Coaxed AI Into Giving Wrong Math Answers, System Prone to Flaws (businessinsider.com)

• Following Pushback, Zoom Says It Won't Use Customer Data to Train AI Models (darkreading.com)

• AI a Top Risk and the Preferred Solution to Financial Crime - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• AI Can Decipher Passwords by Listening to Keystrokes Over Zoom: Study (businessinsider.com)

• Why the “voluntary AI commitments” extracted by the White House are nowhere near enough - Help Net Security

• Fake Out: Disinformation Campaigns Get Generative AI Boost (inforisktoday.com)

• Insurance Regulators ‎Continue to ‎Grapple With the Rapid Development ‎and ‎Use of Artificial ‎Intelligence | Locke Lord LLP - JDSupra

2FA/MFA

• How to prevent multifactor authentication fatigue attacks - SiliconANGLE

• How to Prevent Phishing Attacks with Multi-Factor Authentication (techrepublic.com)

Malware

• Potent Trojans Targeting MacOS Users - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Approximately 2000 Citrix NetScaler servers were backdoored in massive campaign-Security Affairs

• Almost 2,000 Citrix NetScaler servers backdoored in hacking campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)

• XWorm, Remcos RAT Evade EDRs to Infect Critical Infrastructure (darkreading.com)

• Malware could be hiding on your Mac thanks to faults in Apple’s Background Task Manager | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• An Apple Malware-Flagging Tool Is ‘Trivially’ Easy to Bypass | WIRED

• Macs are getting compromised to act as proxy exit nodes - Help Net Security

• Credentials for cyber crime forums found on roughly 120K computers infected with info stealers-Security Affairs

• Malware Dwell Time: Everything You Need to Know (makeuseof.com)

• Gootloader SEO watering hole malware targets law firms | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Security Researchers Publish Gigabud Banking Malware Analysis - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Raccoon Stealer malware returns with new stealthier version (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Beware! Subscription malware arms hackers with tools to steal your private data | Laptop Mag

• New Financial Malware 'JanelaRAT' Targets Latin American Users (thehackernews.com)

• Malware Unleashed: Public Sector Hit in Sudden Surge, Reveals New Report (thehackernews.com)

• North Korean Hackers Suspected in New Wave of Malicious npm Packages (thehackernews.com)

• Stories from the SOC - Unveiling the stealthy tactics of Aukill malware (att.com)

• Hackers are increasingly hiding within services such as Slack and Trello to deploy malware | Cyber scoop

• Massive 400,000 proxy botnet built with stealthy malware infections (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Users of cyber crime forums often fall victim to info-stealers, researchers find (therecord.media)

• 10 people, including 16-year-old youth arrested for suspected involvement in malware scams (databreaches.net)

• Turns out AI probably isn't very good at writing malware • The Register

• Malware Turning Windows Machines Into Proxies (databreachtoday.co.uk)

Mobile

• Why Are Phones A Cyber security Weak Spot? - TechShout

• Lapsus$ hackers took SIM-swapping attacks to the next level (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Does Turning Your Android Phone Off Protect You From Malware? (makeuseof.com)

• 3 Mobile or Client-Side Security Myths Debunked (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Criminals Targeting Victims through Mobile Beta-Testing Applications (ic3.gov)

• Threat actors use beta apps to bypass mobile app store security (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FBI warns of money-stealing fake beta-release mobile apps • The Register

• Three reasons why your smartphone needs security protection (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Unsupported Compression Methods Enable Android Malware to Bypass Detection (zimperium.com)

• This $70 device can spoof an Apple device and trick you into sharing your password | TechCrunch

Botnets

• Massive 400,000 proxy botnet built with stealthy malware infections (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mirai Common Attack Methods Remain Consistent, Effective (darkreading.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• How the FBI goes after DDoS cyber attackers | TechCrunch

• Most DDoS attacks tied to gaming, business disputes, FBI and prosecutors say (therecord.media)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Runaway Charger: The Major Threat Of Hacking EV Stations (slashgear.com)

• Is YOUR electric car vulnerable to hackers? How cyber criminals could steal personal data because of weak security at charging hubs and 'flaws' in vehicles' outdated software | Daily Mail Online

• Ford says cars with WiFi vulnerability still safe to drive (bleepingcomputer.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Electoral Commission had unpatched vulnerability on server • The Register

• PSNI and UK voter breaches show data security should be taken more seriously | Data and computer security | The Guardian

• UK Police Data Breach Exposes Victim Information - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK govt contractor MPD FM leaks employee passport data-Security Affairs

• Cumbria Police accidentally publish officers' names and salaries online (bitdefender.com)

• PSNI: Leaked Data Will be Used to Target Police Officers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• LinkedIn hack: You need to check your LinkedIn account - gHacks Tech News

• ICO reprimands law firm over data breach that saw money stolen - Legal Futures

• Over 100 Court Service agency workers warned of payslip security breach after cyber attack | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

• How & Why Cyber Criminals Fabricate Data Leaks (darkreading.com)

• Researchers find sensitive personal data in over 30% of cloud assets | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Web app warning: 74% of apps with PII are vulnerable to a 'major exploit', report | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Insurance Data Breach Victims File Class-Action Suit Against Law Firm (darkreading.com)

• Alberta Dental Services Security Breach Exposes 1.47M Records - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The most notable data breaches of 2023… So far | IT Reseller Magazine (itrportal.com)

• Discord.io confirms breach after hacker steals data of 760K users (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Millions of Americans’ health data stolen after MOVEit hackers targeted IBM | TechCrunch

• teiss - News - Ernst & Young says MOVEit Transfer hack impacted over 30,000 Bank of America customers

• Man arrested in Northern Ireland police data leak • The Register

• teiss - News - PBI data breach impacted more than 1.2m customers of Wilton Reassurance Life Company

• Here’s what you need to do after your personal data is breached (telegraph.co.uk)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Meet the Most (In)Famous Hacking Groups Active Today (makeuseof.com)

• Cyber security researchers become target of criminal hackers | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Credentials for cyber crime forums found on roughly 120K computers infected with info stealersSecurity Affairs

• Lapsus$ hackers took SIM-swapping attacks to the next level (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How & Why Cyber Criminals Fabricate Data Leaks (darkreading.com)

• Who Are Script Kiddies? Are They a Threat to Your Security? (makeuseof.com)

• Researchers Harvest, Analyse 100K Cyber Crime Forum Credentials (darkreading.com)

• File sharing site Anonfiles shuts down due to overwhelming abuse (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 5 Types of Cyber Crime Groups (trendmicro.com)

• How Innovation Accelerators Are at Work on the Dark Side (darkreading.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried sent to jail • The Register

• Web3 projects suffered from forty-two exploits within a week (coinpaper.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• The Data Behind Human Cyber Risk - GovInfoSecurity

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• A Third of UK University Students Targeted By Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried sent to jail • The Register

• UK gov keeps repeating its voter registration website is NOT a scam (bleepingcomputer.com)

• “Grab hold and give it a wiggle” – ATM card skimming is still a thing – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Latin Americans Fall Prey to More Online Scams, Cyber Attacks (insurancejournal.com)

• The road ahead for ecommerce fraud prevention - Help Net Security

• A Huge Scam Targeting Kids With Roblox and Fortnite 'Offers' Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight | WIRED

Insurance

• Cyber Attack Rule Raises Insurance Risks for Corporate Officers (bloomberglaw.com)

• Insurance Data Breach Victims File Class-Action Suit Against Law Firm (darkreading.com)

• The cyber security insurance market is estimated at USD 14.4 (globenewswire.com)

• Insurance Regulators ‎Continue to ‎Grapple With the Rapid Development ‎and ‎Use of Artificial ‎Intelligence | Locke Lord LLP - JDSupra

Dark Web

• Researchers Harvest, Analyse 100K Cyber Crime Forum Credentials (darkreading.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Building Cyber security into the supply chain is essential as threats mount (att.com)

• Why the public sector still loves Capita (even though it got hacked) - Tech Monitor

• How to Ensure Cyber Resilience Across the Supply Chain - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Experts Uncover Weaknesses in PowerShell Gallery Enabling Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• PowerShell Gallery Prone to Typosquatting, Other Supply Chain Attacks (darkreading.com)

Software Supply Chain

• Study reveals staggering cost of vulnerable software supply chains - Plant & Works Engineering (pwemag.co.uk)

• Why a Software Bill of Materials Is Business-Critical - The Futurum Group

Cloud/SaaS

• 'DoubleDrive' attack turns Microsoft OneDrive into ransomware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Researchers find sensitive personal data in over 30% of cloud assets | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Web app warning: 74% of apps with PII are vulnerable to a 'major exploit', report | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Amazon AWS distances itself from Moq amid data collection controversy (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Adapting to the Cloud Era of Cyber security: How CISO’s Priorities Are Evolving | Network Computing

• Datacentre management vulnerabilities leave public clouds at risk | Computer Weekly

• Spear Phishing vs Phishing: How to Tell the Difference (techrepublic.com)

Containers

• Kubernetes clusters face widespread attacks across numerous organisations - Help Net Security

Encryption

• UK Government Slammed For Encryption Mistruths - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• WhatsApp is right to be angry about the UK’s encryption mess | The Spectator

• Google adds post-quantum encryption key protection to Chrome • The Register

API

• The Evolution of API: From Commerce to Cloud-Security Affairs

• How financial services cyber regulations are hotting up for API security (betanews.com)

Open Source

• Why a Software Bill of Materials Is Business-Critical - The Futurum Group

• Monti Ransomware Returns with New Linux Variant and Enhanced Evasion Tactics (thehackernews.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• 6 best practices to defend against corporate account takeover attacks | CSO Online

• What's the State of Credential theft in 2023? (thehackernews.com)

• Building a secure future without traditional passwords - Help Net Security

• Are browser-stored passwords secure? | Kaspersky official blog

• Passwordless is more than a buzzword among cyber security pros - Help Net Security

• More hardcoded credentials than ever, and sloppy coding is to blame | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• AI Can Decipher Passwords by Listening to Keystrokes Over Zoom: Study (businessinsider.com)

Social Media

• LinkedIn hack: You need to check your LinkedIn account - gHacks Tech News

• LinkedIn accounts hacked in widespread hijacking campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 'Gold mine' phishing scams rob Main Street on social media like Meta (cnbc.com)

Malvertising

• Adblock 360 Adware Extension: 3 Ways to Remove for Good - MSPoweruser

• Malvertisers up their game against researchers (malwarebytes.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Tips on employee cyber security training, risks and how to manage them - Albany Business Review (bizjournals.com)

Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion

• Sextortion suspects on trial after one victim dies • The Register

• Digital Safety Advice is Not Getting Through to Women - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Navigating generative AI risks and regulatory challenges - Help Net Security

• UK Government Slammed For Encryption Mistruths - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• ICO reprimands law firm over data breach that saw money stolen - Legal Futures

• Breaking Down the New SEC Cyber security Rules | Epiq - JDSupra

• Confusion Surrounds SEC's New Cyber security Material Rule (darkreading.com)

• How do we define “cyber worker”? The SEC’s rationale behind its new cyberincident disclosure rule. (thecyberwire.com)

• Why the “voluntary AI commitments” extracted by the White House are nowhere near enough - Help Net Security

• How financial services cyber regulations are hotting up for API security (betanews.com)

• A closer look at the new TSA oil and gas pipeline regulations - Help Net Security

• New York’s Department of Financial Services Moves to Further Bolster Cyber security Requirements | Jackson Lewis P.C. - JDSupra

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Center for Internet Security announces secretive Microsoft partnership | StateScoop

• What's New in the NIST Cyber security Framework 2.0 (darkreading.com)

Data Protection

• Researchers find sensitive personal data in over 30% of cloud assets | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Amazon AWS distances itself from Moq amid data collection controversy (bleepingcomputer.com)

• India Passes New Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDPB), Putting Users' Privacy First (thehackernews.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• 650,000 cyber jobs are now vacant: How to tackle the risk (securityintelligence.com)

• Effectively upskilling cyber security professionals to help close the skills gap | CSO Online

• How to overcome the challenges of today's cyber security talent shortage - SiliconANGLE

• Army struggling to hire cyber staff as attacks on Britain ramp up (telegraph.co.uk)

• Vietnam admits massive shortage of infosec pros • The Register

• Heavy workloads driving IT professionals to resign - Help Net Security

• ISC2 Announces Major Milestone as Community Grows to Half a Million Strong (prnewswire.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Polish police arrest five in swoop on Cyber Crime site - TVN24

• How the FBI goes after DDoS cyber attackers | TechCrunch

• Lapsus$ Report: Law Enforcement Battles Cyber Threats (beincrypto.com)

• LOLEKHosted admin arrested for aiding Netwalker ransomware gang (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 10 people, including 16-year-old youth arrested for suspected involvement in malware scams (databreaches.net)

• Sextortion suspects on trial after one victim dies • The Register

• Crimeware server used by NetWalker ransomware seized and shut down – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Raccoon Stealer malware back with updated version following administrator arrest (therecord.media)

• Man arrested in Northern Ireland police data leak • The Register

• India Passes New Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDPB), Putting Users' Privacy First (thehackernews.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Amazon AWS distances itself from Moq amid data collection controversy (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Following Pushback, Zoom Says It Won't Use Customer Data to Train AI Models (darkreading.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Fake Out: Disinformation Campaigns Get Generative AI Boost (inforisktoday.com)

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Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

Russia

• Russian and Chinese hackers breached Foreign Office systems in cyber attack kept secret from public (inews.co.uk)

• Foreign Office cyber attacks may have risked safety of civil servants and UK's allies, Tory MPs say (inews.co.uk)

• APT29 is targeting Ministries of Foreign Affairs of NATO-aligned countries-Security Affairs

• Russian spy agencies targeting Starlink with custom malware, Ukraine warns (telegraph.co.uk)

• Russian-African Security Gathering Exposes Kremlin's Reduced Influence (darkreading.com)

• Hacked electronic sign declares “Putin is a dickhead” as Russian ruble slumps • Graham Cluley

• Russian Hackers Use Zulip Chat App for Covert C&C in Diplomatic Phishing Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Suspected spies for Russia held in major UK security investigation - BBC News

• Russia turning to sleeper cells and unofficial agents | Espionage | The Guardian

China

• Russian and Chinese hackers breached Foreign Office systems in cyber attack kept secret from public (inews.co.uk)

• Researchers Shed Light on APT31's Advanced Backdoors and Data Exfiltration Tactics (thehackernews.com)

• DHS to Review Microsoft’s Security in Chinese Email Hack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Top US cyber official warns of infrastructure attack risk if China tensions rise (nbcnews.com)

• New Zealand says it is aware of China-linked intelligence activity in country | Reuters

• China teases imminent exposé of seismic US spying scheme • The Register

• Wide-ranging cyberespionage campaign by China's Ministry of State Security. Vulnerabilities in CPUs. MacOS threat trends. (thecyberwire.com)

• Chinese Espionage Group Active Across Eastern Europe (inforisktoday.com)

• 15,000 cyber attacks detected per second in Taiwan: Software provider - Focus Taiwan

• China would consider attacks on US railroads, pipelines if it invades Taiwan, Easterly says (therecord.media)

• US lawmaker says FBI notified him of email breach linked to Microsoft cloud hack | TechCrunch

• China-Linked Bronze Starlight Group Targeting Gambling Sector with Cobalt Strike Beacons (thehackernews.com)

Iran

• German Intelligence Warns of Surge in Iranian Espionage (govinfosecurity.com)

• Charming Kitten Targets Iranian Dissidents with Advanced Cyber Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Iran and the Rise of Cyber Enabled Influence Operations (darkreading.com)

North Korea

• North Korean Hackers Suspected in New Wave of Malicious npm Packages (thehackernews.com)

Misc/Other/Unknown

• APTs use of lesser-known TTPs are no less of a headache - Help Net Security

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Vulnerability Management

• Electoral Commission had unpatched vulnerability on server • The Register

• Web app warning: 74% of apps with PII are vulnerable to a 'major exploit', report | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Almost 2,000 Citrix NetScaler servers backdoored in hacking campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA Adds Citrix ShareFile Flaw to KEV Catalog Due to In-the-Wild Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Patched Citrix NetScaler Devices Still Contain Backdoors (govinfosecurity.com)

• Critical Security Flaws Affect Ivanti Avalanche, Threatening 30,000 Organizations (thehackernews.com)

• Zoom ZTP & AudioCodes Phones Flaws Uncovered, Exposing Users to Eavesdropping (thehackernews.com)

• Magento shopping cart attack targets critical vulnerability • The Register

• New Python URL Parsing Flaw Enables Command Injection Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Data centers at risk due to flaws in power management software | CyberScoop

• Bugs in transportation app Moovit gave hackers free rides | TechCrunch

• Ongoing Xurum Attacks on E-commerce Sites Exploiting Critical Magento 2 Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• Google Chrome 116: more Telemetry and 26 security patches - gHacks Tech News

• Google Fixes 26 Bugs Amid Fake Update Warning - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• AMD has fixed its latest security flaw - but at the cost of massive slowdowns | TechRadar

• Windows 11 update install failures are reportedly happening again – and it’s breaking the built-in antivirus | TechRadar

• Proxyjacking trend continues as attackers abuse years-old GitLab vulnerability | ITPro

• Multiple Flaws Found in the Avada WordPress Theme and Plugin - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Windows feature that resets system clocks based on random data is wreaking havoc | Ars Technica

Tools and Controls

• What is Cyber security Monitoring? - MSSP Alert

• XWorm, Remcos RAT Evade EDRs to Infect Critical Infrastructure (darkreading.com)

• AI-powered fraud detection: Strengthening security in fintech | The Financial Express

• Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows to enhance security with meeting ID and passcode requirement - OnMSFT.com

• MaginotDNS attacks exploit weak checks for DNS cache poisoning (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Evaluate the risks and benefits of AI in cyber security | TechTarget

• How to Choose a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Solution (darkreading.com)

• Lock Down APIs to Prevent Breaches (darkreading.com)

• How to Prevent Phishing Attacks with Multi-Factor Authentication (techrepublic.com)

• Building a secure future without traditional passwords - Help Net Security

• Passwordless is more than a buzzword among cyber security pros - Help Net Security

• SEC cyber security rules shape the future of incident management - Help Net Security

• AI a Top Risk and the Preferred Solution to Financial Crime - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Traditional vs. Enterprise Risk Management: How Do They Differ? (techtarget.com)

• Endpoint Management Statistics, Trends And Facts 2023 - Abdalslam

• SASE and requirements of business | Professional Security

• Why You Need Continuous Network Monitoring? (thehackernews.com)

• CISA releases cyber defence plan for remote monitoring and management software - SiliconANGLE

• How poor cyber security policies disrupt business continuity - IT Security Guru

• Cyber Prevention, Training Attract More Spend Than Remediation, Recovery, Execs Say - | MSSP Alert

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Other News

• Cyber attacks against the UK Electoral Commission reveal an ongoing threat to democracy (techxplore.com)

• Healthcare incurs highest data breach costs – for the 13th year in a row | Healthcare IT News

• Here's Why You Should Never Accept Unsolicited Tech by Post (makeuseof.com)

• Government highlights cyber threat to health and social care | UKAuthority

• Why is the Education Sector a Target for Cyber Attacks? | UpGuard

• Cyber security in the Entertainment Industry: Risks and Solutions | UpGuard

• What would an OT cyber attack really cost your organisation? | CSO Online

• Education has had most cyber attacks, survey finds | Education Business (educationbusinessuk.net)

• Cyber attacks Are On The Up: What Are The Risks & Remedies For Aviation? (simpleflying.com)

• Bank of Ireland ATM Glitch Hands Out 'Free' Money (gizmodo.com)

• Exclusive: 300 independent retailers affected by cyber attack | News | Retail Week (retail-week.com)

• Documentary shines spotlight on a central bank heist and threats from cyber criminals - BNN Bloomberg

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 14 April 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Almost Half of Former Employees Say Their Passwords Still Work

An alarming number of organisations are not properly offboarding employees when they leave, especially in regard to passwords. In a new survey of 1,000 workers who had access to company passwords at their previous jobs, 47% admitted to using them after leaving the company.

According to the survey one in three respondents said they had been using the passwords for upwards of two years, which is a distressingly long time for organisations not to be aware of who is accessing those accounts and services.

When asked what they use the passwords for, 64% said to access their former email accounts and 44% to access company data. A concerning 10% of respondents said they were trying to disrupt company activities.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-threat-monitor/almost-half-of-former-employees-say-their-passwords-still-work

• Efficient Risk Based Patch Management Means Eliminating Just 2% of Exposures Could Protect 90% of Critical Assets

A recent cyber security report analysed over 60 million security exposures, or weaknesses that could give an attacker access to systems. The report found that only 2% enabled attackers access to critical assets, while 75% of exposures along attack paths lead to “dead ends”. Further, the report shows that average organisations have 11,000 exploitable security exposures monthly, with techniques targeting credentials and permissions affecting 82% of organisations and exploits accounting for over 70% of all identified security exposures.

The report found that most security alerts were benign and did not lead to critical assets. By applying efficient risk based patch management and reducing unnecessary access to critical assets, organisations can mitigate a significant amount of risk. This isn’t a simple task however, for an organisation to be able to employ efficient risk based patch management it must have a sufficient level of cyber maturity and internal vulnerability scanning accompanied by a dynamic threat intelligence component.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/eliminating-2-exposures-protect-90/

• Printers Pose Persistent Yet Overlooked Threat

A rash of printer-related vulnerabilities in 2023 have punctuated security expert warnings that printers continue to be a significant vulnerability within companies — especially as remote workers require printing resources or access to corporate printers. So far in 2023, Lexmark advised that a publicly available remote exploit had already targeted a code execution flaw in its printers, HP warned of a vulnerable firmware version on some of its enterprise printers, and Microsoft fixed three remote code execution vulnerabilities in its printer drivers.

Printers remain a likely soft spot in most companies’ attack surface area, particularly because they are not always part of a company’s asset management process and are often left out of security assessments and risk registers. Many organisations don’t know where their printers are, their security status, configuration, monitoring or logging activity. Research has shown that 67% of companies are worried about the risk home printers may pose and only 26% of information technology and cyber security professionals are confident in their organisation’s printing infrastructure security.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/printers-pose-persistent-yet-overlooked-threat

• Employees Are as Likely as Cyber Criminals to Cause Cyber Incidents

Employees and cyber criminals cause similar numbers of data leakages. Kaspersky’s 2022 IT Security Economics survey found cyber-attacks caused 23% of data leakages, while employees caused a similar proportion, at 22%. The rise in employees causing leakages may be linked with more remote working since the pandemic, with new staff laptops, tablets, and virtual private networks (VPNs) featuring among the extra endpoints and systems needing security. Although innocent mistakes or ignoring cyber-security policy were behind most leakages, security managers reported 36% of employee-triggered leakages were deliberate acts of sabotage or espionage. The high number of cyber-incidents stemming from employee action shows all organisations need thorough cyber-security awareness training to teach all staff how to avoid common security mistakes.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/business-reporter/employees-cyber-criminals-cyber-incidents-b2314225.html

• Over 90% of Organisations Find Threat Hunting a Challenge

Executing essential cyber security operations tasks during the threat hunting process is an increasingly challenging proposition to the vast majority of organisations, with 93% of those polled for a Sophos report saying they find basic security operations a chore.

In the report, “The state of cybersecurity 2023: The business impact of adversaries on defenders”, Sophos said these findings were likely the result of the ongoing cyber security skills shortage, which is creating a domino effect in security operations: a lack of skilled personnel makes investigating alerts take longer, which reduces the security team’s capacity and increases the organisation’s exposure to higher levels of risk.

Organisations that suffer the most are those with revenues of less than $10m (£8m), which are more likely to lack the necessary skillsets, followed by organisations with revenues of more than $5bn, where organisational and system complexity likely play a more prominent role.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/365534612/Over-90-of-organisations-find-threat-hunting-a-challenge

• 75% of Organisations Have Suffered a Cyber Security Breach

Most organisations need stronger security controls to stop cyber security breaches and cyber attacks, according to “The Data Dilemma: Cloud Adoption and Risk Report” from security service edge (SSE) company Skyhigh Security. Key takeaways from the report include:

• 97% of organisations indicated they are experiencing private cloud problems.

• 75% have experienced a cyber security breach, threat and/or theft of data.

• 75% said shadow IT “impairs their ability to keep data secure.”

• 60% allow employees to download sensitive data to their personal devices.

• 52% noted their employees are using SaaS services that are commissioned by departments outside of IT and without direct involvement of their IT department.

• 37% said they do not trust the public cloud to secure their sensitive data.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/skyhigh-security-report-75-of-organizations-have-suffered-a-cybersecurity-breach/

• Leak Shows Evolving Russian Cyber War Capabilities

The leak of thousands of pages of secret documentation related to the development of Moscow’s cyber and information operations capabilities paint a picture of a government obsessed with social control and committed to scaling their capacity for non-kinetic interference.

The leaked documents detail methods and training simulations intended to prepare an operator workforce for offensive operations against critical infrastructure targets. Tools revealed by these recent leaks suggest a desire and an ability to extensively map foreign vulnerabilities and make the job of Russia’s cyber conflict operators as accessible and scalable as possible.

This leak reinforces the significant concern regarding the threat posed by Russian cyber forces to firms across the globe.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3692821/ntc-vulkan-leak-shows-evolving-russian-cyberwar-capabilities.html#tk.rss_news

• Outsourced Payroll and HR Services Firm Forced to Shut Down After Cyber Attack

Belgian headquartered HR and payroll giant SD Worx has suffered a cyber attack causing them to shut down all IT systems for their UK and Ireland services. While the login portals for other European countries are working correctly, the company's UK customer portal was not accessible. As a full-service human resources and payroll company, SD Worx manages a large amount of sensitive data for their client's employees.

According to the company's general conditions agreement, this data may include tax information, government ID numbers, addresses, full names, birth dates, phone numbers, bank account numbers, employee evaluations, and more.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sd-worx-shuts-down-uk-payroll-hr-services-after-cyberattack/

• When a Cyber Criminal Steals Personal Data from Your Organisation What Do You Do and Who Do You Need to Inform?

If that happens it might be time for your management to clear their desks. The prospect of financial penalties and reputational damage is very real. You need to know your obligations — for instance, reporting the breach to applicable authorities and regulators within strict timeframes — understand the breach, and prioritise. Then you communicate and remedy. If you haven’t planned well, it’s going to be tough.

You need to understand the data breach. Who is affected — is it staff or customer data? What exactly have the cyber criminals accessed? Consider the type of information: salary details and passport copies, or customer payment information.

If personal data has been lost or compromised, you will likely have an obligation under data protection regulations to report the breach to your applicable data protection authority within 72 hours, and if you are a regulated business there will likely be similar requirements to report to your regulator within a similar timeframe. Knowing your obligations — ideally before any hack takes place — will guide how well you respond.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-should-i-inform-after-a-data-hack-dcrzvgp2x

• Insider Threat and Ransomware: A Growing Issue

Ransomware is a growing epidemic. 2022 saw a slew of high-profile attacks leading to massive paydays for cyber criminals. Cyber criminals work just as hard to conceal their identities and location as they do to exploit weaknesses and capture valuable data to hold hostage. Organisations not only stand to lose money in this scenario, but the damage to their reputation and trustworthiness in the market can be challenging to recover from. Customers place high trust in the safety of their personal information, and it’s the company they hold accountable – not the thieves – if it slips into the wrong hands.

Even if you have good technical controls, the low-hanging fruit is capitalising on the human element and gaining entrance through a person within your organisation. Insider threats come in all shapes and sizes and roles, including employees, executives, former employees, board members, contractors, and service providers. Insider threats, by their very nature, pose a unique challenge for organisations.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/insider-threat-and-ransomware-a-growing-issue/

• How LockBit Changed Cyber Security Forever

LockBit are one of the most prolific ransomware gangs globally, accounting for almost half of ransomware attacks in 2022. They not only maintain a high profile, but they’ve also turned ransom monetisation upside down. Thanks to their innovative approach, the group has claimed 44% of total ransomware attacks launched in 2022. LockBit made history by launching the industry’s first bug bounty program initiated by a ransomware group. The operation invites security experts to uncover vulnerabilities and report them for rewards ranging from $1,000 to a staggering $1 million. This has since been expanded and now offers bounties for creative ways to enhance ransomware operations.

https://securityintelligence.com/articles/how-lockbit-changed-cybersecurity/

• Hybrid Work Environments Are Stressing CISOs

The impact of the hybrid workforce on security posture, as well as the risks introduced by this way of working, are posing concerns for CISOs and driving them to develop new strategies for hybrid work security, according to a new report.

Among the report’s most critical findings is the revelation that browsing-based threats ranked as CISOs’ number one concern, regardless of whether their organisation was operating primarily in an in-office, hybrid, or remote setting.

And as for the risks posed by hybrid and remote workers specifically, insecure browsing also topped the list of CISOs’ concerns.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/04/12/hybrid-work-environments-stressing-cisos/

• Protect Your Data with a USB Condom

USB isn't just a charging protocol, it also allows data to flow back and forth, and while most of the time this data flow is safe, it is possible to create a malicious charging port that can do bad things, such as plant malware on your device or steal your data. Equally, an employee plugging their personal phone into a corporate USB port may present a danger to the corporate network through the phone. A USB condom is a small dongle that adds a layer of protection between your device and the charging point you're attaching it to by blocking the data being transferred through the port. If you must use a charger, cable, or charging port that isn't under your control, it makes sense to use a USB condom.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/protect-your-data-with-a-usb-condom/

• Strategising Cyber Security: Why a Risk-based Approach is Key

By 2027, cyber crime could cost the global economy nearly $24 trillion. Businesses often find themselves at the sharp end of this challenge, and, as such, cyber security is a critical aspect of the modern business landscape. Cyber threats are multiplying and pose serious financial, legal and reputational challenges to organisations.

Modern and effective cyber security management entails more than managing technology risk; it encompasses managing business risk. Organisations must recognise cyber security as a strategic imperative integrated into their overall risk management framework — and this starts at the board level.  In some cases, board members may find it beneficial to seek help in assessing appropriate levels of control.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/04/strategizing-cybersecurity-why-a-risk-based-approach-is-key/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Microsoft Issues Patches for 97 Flaws, Including Active Ransomware Exploit (thehackernews.com)

• Microsoft patches vulnerability used in Nokoyawa ransomware attacks | CSO Online

• How LockBit Changed Cyber security Forever (securityintelligence.com)

• Iran-Based Hackers Caught Carrying Out Destructive Attacks Under Ransomware Guise (thehackernews.com)

• Insider Threat And Ransomware: A Growing Issue (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Rorschach ransomware deployed by misusing a security tool - Help Net Security

• Medusa ransomware claims attack on Open University of Cyprus (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyble — New Cylance Ransomware with Power-Packed CommandLine Options

• Taiwanese PC Company MSI Falls Victim to Ransomware Attack (thehackernews.com)

• KFC, Pizza Hut owner discloses data breach after ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 7 Things Your Ransomware Response Playbook Is Likely Missing (darkreading.com)

• Cyber crime group exploits Windows zero-day in ransomware attacks-Security Affairs

• Windows zero-day vulnerability exploited in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware gangs increasingly deploy zero-days to maximize attacks | CyberScoop

• Latitude Financial Refuses to Pay Ransom - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Superyacht-Maker Hit by Easter Ransomware Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Microsoft: Phishing attack targets accountants as Tax Day approaches (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Researchers Uncover Thriving Phishing Kit Market on Telegram Channels (thehackernews.com)

• Phishing Campaign Targeting YouTube Content Creators, Malware Hitting Charging Stations - MSSP Alert

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• 'BEC 3.0' Is Here with Tax-Season QuickBooks Cyber attacks (darkreading.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Simple psychology is the most dangerous form of cyber attack (thetimes.co.uk)

2FA/MFA

• Comparing enabled and enforced MFA in Microsoft 365 | TechTarget

• Rilide browser extension steals MFA codes - Help Net Security

Malware

• New Mirai Variant Employs Uncommon Tactics to Distribute Malware (darkreading.com)

• Typhon Reborn Stealer Malware Resurfaces with Advanced Evasion Techniques (thehackernews.com)

• BlackGuard Stealer Extends its Capabilities in New Variant - MSSP Alert

• Check Point Software Technologies: Qbot Top Malware in March 2023 - MSSP Alert

• Cryptocurrency Stealer Malware Distributed via 13 NuGet Packages (thehackernews.com)

• DEV-0196: QuaDream’s “KingsPawn” malware used to target civil society in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia - Microsoft Security Blog

• Attackers Hide RedLine Stealer Behind ChatGPT, Google Bard Facebook Ads (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft shares guidance to detect BlackLotus UEFI bootkit attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Researchers Uncover 7000 Malicious Open Source Packages - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft, Fortra Gains Legal Rights Against Cobalt Strike Abuse (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Emotet Climbs March 2023's Most Wanted Malware List With OneNote Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Legion Malware Marches onto Web Servers to Steal Credentials, Spam Mobile Users (darkreading.com)

• WhatsApp boosts defence against account takeover via malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Protect your data with a USB condom | ZDNET

• FBI warns about dangers of public USB charging ports | Popular Science (popsci.com)

• Researchers Uncover Thriving Phishing Kit Market on Telegram Channels (thehackernews.com)

• Android phones vulnerable to remote hacking — update right now | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Burglars tunnel through Apple Store’s neighbour, allegedly steal $500K in iPhones | Ars Technica

• 5G connections set to rise past 5.9 billion by 2027 - Help Net Security

• Cyber criminals To Add Android Malware On Google Play Up To $20,000 (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Cyber criminals Turn to Android Loaders on Dark Web to Evade Google Play Security (thehackernews.com)

• Israel-based Spyware Firm QuaDream Targets High-Risk iPhones with Zero-Click Exploit (thehackernews.com)

• WhatsApp boosts defence against account takeover via malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Hackers Flood NPM with Bogus Packages Causing a DoS Attack (thehackernews.com)

• DDoS attacks shifting to VPS infrastructure for increased power (bleepingcomputer.com)

• DDoS threat report for 2023 Q1 (cloudflare.com)

• DDoS alert traffic reaches record-breaking level of 436 petabits in one day - Help Net Security

• DDoS attacks rise as pro-Russia groups attack Finland, Israel (techrepublic.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Printers Pose Persistent Yet Overlooked Threat (darkreading.com)

• There’s a new form of keyless car theft that works in under 2 minutes | Ars Technica

• Special Report: Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars | Reuters

• Default static key in ThingsBoard IoT platform can give attackers admin access | CSO Online

• 5G connections set to rise past 5.9 billion by 2027 - Help Net Security

• New Ultrasonic Acoustic Attack Targeting Microphones and Voice Assistants Gives Remote Access to Most Smart Devices - The Debrief

• Zigbee PRO 2023 introduces new security mechanisms, feature enhancements - Help Net Security

• Critical Vulnerability in Hikvision Storage Solutions Exposes Video Security Data - SecurityWeek

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Samsung employees unwittingly leaked company secret data by using ChatGPT-Security Affairs

• Cloud accounting firm in a pickle after researchers find admin login data | TechRadar

• Service NSW breach exposes personal data affecting thousands of customers | 7NEWS

• Leaked n documents provide rare window into depth of US intelligence on allies and foes | CNN Politics

• Military Intel Leak Investigated By US Officials (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Hyundai data breach exposes owner details in France and Italy (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Over 20,000 Iowa Medicaid Members Affected By Data Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Criminal businesses adopt corporate behaviour as they grow - Help Net Security

• Seized Genesis malware market's infostealers infected 1.5 million computers | CSO Online

• Breached shutdown sparks migration to ARES data leak forums (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FBI: Crooks posing as PRC agents prey on Chinese in the US • The Register

• 5 Types of Cyber Crime Groups (trendmicro.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Sentiment DeFi Hacker Makes Amends by Returning 90% of Funds (beincrypto.com)

• Cryptocurrency Stealer Malware Distributed via 13 NuGet Packages (thehackernews.com)

• EU-Funded Report Calls for Crypto ID Checks, Police Training to Combat Darknet Markets (coindesk.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Employees are as likely as cyber-criminals to cause cyber-incidents | The Independent

• Cyber criminals use simple trick to obtain personal data - Help Net Security

• Nearly Half of Workers Pilfer Former Employers’ Passwords to Access Accounts, Study Says - MSSP Alert

• Insider Threat And Ransomware: A Growing Issue (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Building a human firewall to block cyber attacks | McKinsey

• How to Combat Insider Threats-Security Affairs

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• FBI warns of companies exploiting sextortion victims for profit (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cambodia deports 19 Japanese cyber crime scam suspects | News | Al Jazeera

• ‘Overemployed’ Hustlers Exploit ChatGPT To Take On Even More Full-Time Jobs (vice.com)

• When Banking Laws Don't Protect Consumers From Cybertheft (darkreading.com)

• AI clones child’s voice in fake kidnapping scam | The Independent

• Five arrested after 33,000 victims lose $98M to online investment fraud (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Stolen Card Numbers Plummet 94% Globally - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• 3CX confirms North Korean hackers behind supply chain attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Capita: IT outsourcer reels from being locked out of its own IT (thetimes.co.uk)

Cloud/SaaS

• Western Digital struggles to fix massive My Cloud outage, offers workaround (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Nation-state actors are taking advantage of weak passwords to go after cloud customers, Google says | CyberScoop

• Microsoft Azure Users Warned of Potential Shared Key Authorization Abuse - SecurityWeek

• How and Why to Put Multicloud to Work (darkreading.com)

• Iranian APT group launches destructive attacks in hybrid Azure AD environments | CSO Online

• Cloud accounting firm in a pickle after researchers find admin login data | TechRadar

• Securing the Chaos – Harnessing Dispersed Multi-Cloud, Hybrid Environments - SecurityWeek

Hybrid/Remote Working

• 4 ways to secure your remote work setup | ZDNET

• Hybrid work environments are stressing CISOs - Help Net Security

• ‘Overemployed’ Hustlers Exploit ChatGPT To Take On Even More Full-Time Jobs (vice.com)

Attack Surface Management

• How to Secure Web Applications in a Growing Digital Attack Surface (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The new weakest link in the cyber security chain - Help Net Security

Shadow IT

• How to use a CASB to manage shadow IT | TechTarget

Identity and Access Management

• Identity Management Day: 3 Things MSSPs Need to Know - MSSP Alert

• Centralized vs. decentralized identity management explained | TechTarget

• The Service Accounts Challenge: Can't See or Secure Them Until It's Too Late (thehackernews.com)

Encryption

• The UK government has sparked an encryption row over powers it might never use | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Why the US Needs Quantum-Safe Cryptography Deployed Now (darkreading.com)

API

• How to fix the top 5 API vulnerabilities | TechTarget

• Google launches dependency API and curated package repository with security metadata | CSO Online

• Why Shadow APIs are More Dangerous than You Think (thehackernews.com)

Open Source

• Researchers Uncover 7000 Malicious Open Source Packages - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Almost Half of Former Employees Say Their Passwords Still Work (darkreading.com)

• LastPass Breach Reveals Important Lessons (darkreading.com)

• Why it's time to move towards a passwordless future - Help Net Security

• AI can crack most password in less than a minute | TechRadar

• How an AI tool could crack your passwords in seconds | ZDNET

• Meet PassGAN, the supposedly “terrifying” AI password cracker that’s mostly hype | Ars Technica

Social Media

• Tech layoffs raise new alarms about how platforms protect users | CNN Business

Malvertising

• Attackers Hide RedLine Stealer Behind ChatGPT, Google Bard Facebook Ads (darkreading.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• How to transform cyber security learning and make content more engaging - Help Net Security

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Lagging regulations frustrate protecting data from cyber attacks (themandarin.com.au)

• The UK government has sparked an encryption row over powers it might never use | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Battle could be brewing over new FCC data breach reporting rules | CSO Online

• When Banking Laws Don't Protect Consumers From Cyber Theft (darkreading.com)

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Employees are as likely as cyber-criminals to cause cyber-incidents | The Independent

• Skyhigh Security Report: 75% of Organizations Have Suffered a Cyber security Breach - MSSP Alert

• Strategising cyber security: Why a risk-based approach is key | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• Who should I inform after a data hack? (thetimes.co.uk)

• Two-Fifths of IT Pros Told to Keep Breaches Quiet - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Outcome-based cyber security paves way for organizational goals - Help Net Security

• Why reporting an incident only makes the cyber security community stronger | CSO Online

• 6 common challenges facing cyber security teams and how to overcome them | TechCrunch

• Top 10 Cyber security Trends for 2023: From Zero Trust to Cyber Insurance (thehackernews.com)

• Most Security Exposures Do Not Put Organizations' Critical Assets At Risk, Study Shows - MSSP Alert

• Threat hunting programs can save organizations from costly security breaches - Help Net Security

• LastPass Breach Reveals Important Lessons (darkreading.com)

• Gartner: Human-Centric Design Is Top Cyber Security Trend for 2023 (darkreading.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Seized Genesis malware market's infostealers infected 1.5 million computers | CSO Online

• Spanish cops arrest teenage 'Robin Hood hacker' • The Register

• Australia Is Scouring the Earth for Cyber criminals — the US Should Too (darkreading.com)

• Cambodia deports 19 Japanese cyber crime scam suspects | News | Al Jazeera

• Dutch Police mails RaidForums members to warn they’re being watched (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Five arrested after 33,000 victims lose $98M to online investment fraud (bleepingcomputer.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Tesla Sued Over Workers' Alleged Access to Car Video Imagery - SecurityWeek

• Consumers take data control into their own hands amid rising privacy concerns - Help Net Security

Artificial Intelligence

• 5 ChatGPT security risks in the enterprise | TechTarget

• Samsung employees unwittingly leaked company secret data by using ChatGPT - Security Affairs

• Cyber crime: be careful what you tell your chatbot helper… | Chatbots | The Guardian

• US cyber chiefs warn of threats from China and AI • The Register

• When you're talking to a chatbot, who's listening? | CNN Business

• Bad Actors Will Use Large Language Models — but Defenders Can, Too (darkreading.com)

• Fight AI With AI (darkreading.com)

• American investors shouldn’t be ‘arming the enemy’ by helping China create its own version of OpenAI, warns top VC Keith Rabois (yahoo.com)

• GPT-4 tried to escape into the internet today and it ‘almost worked’ | by Cezary Gesikowski | Mar, 2023 | Bootcamp (uxdesign.cc)

• It sounds like science fiction but it’s not: AI can financially destroy your business | Gene Marks | The Guardian

• AI can crack most password in less than a minute | TechRadar

• ‘Overemployed’ Hustlers Exploit ChatGPT To Take On Even More Full-Time Jobs (vice.com)

• AI clones child’s voice in fake kidnapping scam | The Independent

• European privacy watchdog creates ChatGPT task force | Reuters

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Russian hackers linked to widespread attacks targeting NATO and EU (bleepingcomputer.com)

• NTC Vulkan leak shows evolving Russian cyberwar capabilities | CSO Online

• What we know about Russian hackers — and how to stop them — after a year of cyberwar in Ukraine | CyberScoop

• The Discord servers at the center of a massive US intelligence leak | CyberScoop

• Cisco trashed offices and destroyed spares as it quit Russia • The Register

• Another zero-click Apple spyware biz shows up in town again • The Register

• Ukrainian hackers spend $25,000 of pro-Russian blogger's money on sex toys (bitdefender.com)

• DDoS attacks rise as pro-Russia groups attack Finland, Israel (techrepublic.com)

• Russian Hacker Group Zarya Hit Canadian Pipeline—Leaked Docs (gizmodo.com)

• Experts warn of new spyware threat targeting journalists and political figures | Hacking | The Guardian

• Russia's Joker DPR Claims Access to Ukraine Troop Movement Data (darkreading.com)

• Spyware Offered to Cyber attackers via PyPI Python Repository (darkreading.com)

• Russian hackers ‘target security cameras inside Ukraine coffee shops’ | Ukraine | The Guardian

• Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure cause internet outages, cutting off a valuable wartime tool | CyberScoop

• Israel-based Spyware Firm QuaDream Targets High-Risk iPhones with Zero-Click Exploit (thehackernews.com)

Nation State Actors

• Russia-linked APT29 is behind recent attacks targeting NATO and EU-Security Affairs

• North Korean Hackers Uncovered as Mastermind in 3CX Supply Chain Attack (thehackernews.com)

• Nation-state actors are taking advantage of weak passwords to go after cloud customers, Google says | CyberScoop

• Iran-Based Hackers Caught Carrying Out Destructive Attacks Under Ransomware Guise (thehackernews.com)

• US cyber chiefs warn of threats from China and AI • The Register

• Ukrainian hackers spend $25,000 of pro-Russian blogger's money on sex toys (bitdefender.com)

• American investors shouldn’t be ‘arming the enemy’ by helping China create its own version of OpenAI, warns top VC Keith Rabois (yahoo.com)

• Google is on a crusade against cyber security threats from North Korea | TechRadar

• Russian Hacker Group Zarya Hit Canadian Pipeline—Leaked Docs (gizmodo.com)

• Iranian APT group launches destructive attacks in hybrid Azure AD environments | CSO Online

• Leaked US. assessment includes warning about Russian hackers accessing sensitive infrastructure (nbcnews.com)

• FBI: Crooks posing as PRC agents prey on Chinese in the US • The Register

• Lazarus Group's DeathNote Campaign Reveals Shift in Targets - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Eliminating 2% of Exposures Could Protect 90% of Critical Assets - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Most Security Exposures Do Not Put Organizations' Critical Assets At Risk, Study Shows - MSSP Alert

• Ransomware gangs increasingly deploy zero-days to maximize attacks | CyberScoop

• Google Launches New Cyber security Initiatives to Strengthen Vulnerability Management (thehackernews.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft Issues Patches for 97 Flaws, Including Active Ransomware Exploit (thehackernews.com)

• Windows admins warned to patch critical MSMQ QueueJumper bug (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Nokoyawa ransomware attacks with Windows zero-day | Securelist

• Thousands at risk from critical RCE bug in legacy MS service | Computer Weekly

• Apple issues emergency patches for spyware-style 0-day exploits – update now! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• 1M+ WordPress Sites Hacked via Zero-Day Plug-in Bugs (darkreading.com)

• Sophos Patches Critical Code Execution Vulnerability in Web Security Appliance - SecurityWeek

• Cisco Patches Code and Command Execution Vulnerabilities in Several Products - SecurityWeek

• CISA orders agencies to patch Backup Exec bugs used by ransomware gang (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA Adds Two Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog | CISA

• Data-leak flaw in Qualcomm, HiSilicon-based Wi-Fi AP chips • The Register

• Twitter 'Shadow Ban' Bug Gets Official CVE (darkreading.com)

• Exploit available for critical bug in VM2 JavaScript sandbox library (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft finally gets around to fixing half-decade-old Firefox CPU bug | TechRadar

• SAP releases security updates for two critical-severity flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Adobe Plugs Gaping Security Holes in Reader, Acrobat - SecurityWeek

• Limit Login Attempts Plugin Patches Severe Unauthenticated Stored XSS Vulnerability – WP Tavern

• Fortinet Patches Critical Vulnerability in Data Analytics Solution - SecurityWeek

• How Microsoft’s Shared Key authorization can be abused and how to fix it | CSO Online

• Microsoft shares fix for Outlook issue blocking access to emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Critical Vulnerability in Hikvision Storage Solutions Exposes Video Security Data - SecurityWeek

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Tools and Controls

• Threat hunting programs can save organizations from costly security breaches - Help Net Security

• Stopping criminals from abusing security tools - Microsoft On the Issues

• Most Security Exposures Do Not Put Organizations' Critical Assets At Risk, Study Shows - MSSP Alert

• LastPass Breach Reveals Important Lessons (darkreading.com)

• The Pope's Security Gets a Boost With Vatican's MDM Move (darkreading.com)

• Bad Actors Will Use Large Language Models — but Defenders Can, Too (darkreading.com)

• Fight AI With AI (darkreading.com)

• Cyber crime: be careful what you tell your chatbot helper… | Chatbots | The Guardian

• Detailed Analysis Of The Best Password Managers In 2023 (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How CIEM Can Improve Identity, Permissions Management for Multicloud Deployments (darkreading.com)

• SD-WAN vs. VPN: How do they compare? | TechTarget

• Centralized vs. decentralized identity management explained | TechTarget

• The Service Accounts Challenge: Can't See or Secure Them Until It's Too Late (thehackernews.com)

• What is an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)? (techtarget.com)

• Securing the Chaos – Harnessing Dispersed Multi-Cloud, Hybrid Environments - SecurityWeek

• How to Secure Web Applications in a Growing Digital Attack Surface (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 4 strategies to help reduce the risk of DNS tunnelling | CSO Online

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• DDoS threat report for 2023 Q1 (cloudflare.com)

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Other News

• MSI Confirms Cyber Attack, Issues Firmware Download Guidance - SecurityWeek

• Guidance for investigating attacks using CVE-2022-21894: The BlackLotus campaign - Microsoft Security Blog

• 1M+ WordPress Sites Hacked via Zero-Day Plug-in Bugs (darkreading.com)

• Western Digital restores service; attack details remain unclear | TechTarget

• 5 tips for tackling technical debt | CIO

• The Internet Reform Trilemma (darkreading.com)

• Rapid7 Has Good News for UK Security Posture - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

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Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 17 March 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Almost Half of IT Leaders Consider Security as an Afterthought

A recent industry report found that security is an afterthought for almost half of UK IT leaders, despite 92% of respondents agreeing that security risks had risen in the last five years. Additionally, 48% of respondents felt that the rapid development of new tools had caused challenges around security. The concept of security as an afterthought is worrying when considering that 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber attack within the past 12 months.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/14/almost-half-of-it-leaders-consider-security-as-an-afterthought-research-reveals

• Over $10bn Lost to Online Frauds, with Pig Butchering and Investment Scams Accounting for $3B, Overtaking BEC – FBI Report Says

According to the latest FBI crime report pig butchering now accounts for $3 billion of the $10 billion total lost to online fraud. Pig butchering is a rising investment scam that uses the promise of romance and the lure of making easy cryptocurrency profit against its unsuspecting targets. The concept of pig butchering is to “fatten up” the victim, with small returns on cryptocurrency and personal interactions, often with an element of romance; eventually, the victim is lured into making a larger investment with the scammer. In addition to pig butchering, other investment scams are growing in provenance and are set to overtake Business Email Compromise (BEC) as a major earner for cyber criminals.

https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/pig-butchering-investment-scams-3b-cybercrime-threat-overtaking-bec

• Over 721 Million Passwords were Leaked in 2022

A report published this week discovered 721.5 million exposed credentials online in 2022. Additionally, the report identified 72% of users reusing previously compromised passwords. The study also uncovered 8.6 billion personally identifiable information assets, including 67 million credit card numbers which were publicly available.

https://www.neowin.net/news/study-over-721-million-passwords-were-leaked-in-2022/

• How Much of a Cyber Security Risk are Suppliers?

When your business is digitally connected to a service provider, you need to understand how a cyber security attack on their business can affect yours. You can have all the right measures in place to manage your own cyber risks, but this doesn’t matter if there are undiscovered vulnerabilities in your supply chain. Organisations need to audit the cyber security of suppliers at several stages of their relationship; you may benefit from specialist cyber security support if you can’t do this in-house. Ask hard questions and consider advising your suppliers that if their cyber security is not enough then you may take your business elsewhere. Many businesses now require suppliers to be certified to schemes such as ISO 27001; demonstrating your security posture to your customers is an important ticket to trade.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-much-of-a-cybersecurity-risk-are-my-suppliers-mqbwcf7p2

• 90% of £5m+ Businesses Hit by Cyber Attacks

A study from Forbes found that 57% of small and medium-sized enterprises had suffered an online attack. Businesses with an annual turnover in excess of £5 million were even more likely to experience a cyber crime with the figure rising to nearly 90% of firms of this size suffering a cyber attack. To make matters worse, the study found that a significant proportion of British businesses are without any form of protection against online attacks.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/13/nine-in-10-5m-businesses-hit-by-cyber-attacks/

• Rushed Cloud Migrations Result in Escalating Technical Debt

A cloud service provider found 83% of CIO’s are feeling pressured to stretch their budgets even further than before. 72% of CIOs admitted that they are behind in their digital transformation because of technical debt and 38% believed the accumulation of this debt is largely because of rushed cloud migrations. Respondents believed these rushed migrations caused for miscalculations in the cloud budget, which resulted in significant overspend.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/16/managing-cloud-costs/

• Microsoft: 17 European Nations Targeted by Russia in 2023 as Espionage Ramping Up

According to an intelligence report from Microsoft, Russia has been ramping up its cyber espionage operations and this now includes 17 European nations. Of all 74 countries targeted, the UK ranked third, after the US and Poland.

https://www.securityweek.com/microsoft-17-european-nations-targeted-by-russia-in-2023-as-espionage-ramping-up/

• Microsoft Warns of Large-Scale Use of Phishing Kits

Microsoft have found that phishing kits are being purchased and used to perform millions of phishing emails every day. In their report, Microsoft found the availability of purchasing such phishing kits was part of the industrialisation of the cyber criminal economy and lowered the barrier of entry for cyber crime. Microsoft identified phishing kits which had the capability to bypass multi factor authentication selling for as little as $300. The emergence of AI is only going to compound this.

https://thehackernews.com/2023/03/microsoft-warns-of-large-scale-use-of.html

• BEC Volumes Double on Phishing Surge

The number of Business Email Compromise (BEC) incidents doubled last year according to security provider Secureworks. In their report, they found that the main initial access vectors for BEC were phishing and systems with known vulnerabilities, with each accounting for a third of initial accesses.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/bec-volumes-double-on-phishing/

• The Risk of Pasting Confidential Company Data in ChatGPT

Researchers analysed the use of artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT and found that 4.9% of employees have provided company data to the tool; ChatGPT builds its knowledge on this and in turn, this knowledge is shared publicly. The risk is serious, with employees putting their organisation at risk of leaking sensitive and confidential information. The research found that 0.9% of employees are responsible for 80% of leaks caused by pasting company data into ChatGPT and this number is expected to rise.

https://securityaffairs.com/143394/security/company-data-chatgpt-risks.html

• Ransomware Attacks have Entered a Heinous New Phase

With an increasing amount of victims refusing to pay, cyber criminal gangs are now resorting to new techniques; this includes the recent release of stolen naked photos of cancer patients and sensitive student records. Where encryption and a demand for payment were previously the de facto method for cyber criminals, this has now shifted to pure exfiltration. In a report, the FBI highlighted evolving and increasingly aggressive extortion behaviour, with actors increasingly threatening to release stolen data.

https://www.wired.com/story/ransomware-tactics-cancer-photos-student-records/

• MI5 Launches New Agency to Tackle State-Backed Attacks

British intelligence agency MI5 have announced the creation of the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), created as part of a major review of government defences. The NPSA is to operate out of MI5 and absorb and extend the responsibilities for the protection of national infrastructure. The NPSA will work with existing agencies such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Counter Terrorism Security Office (CTSO) to provide defensive advice to UK organisations.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/mi5-new-agency-tackle-statebacked/

• Why Cyber Awareness Training is an Ongoing Process

A survey conducted by Hornetsecurity found that 80% of respondents believed remote working introduced extra cyber security risks and 75% were aware that personal devices are used to access sensitive data, fuelling the need for employees to be cyber aware. Where IT security training is only undertaken once, for example in block training, it is likely that participants will have forgotten a lot of the content after as little as a week; this means that for organisations to get the most out of training, they need to conduct frequent awareness training. By conducting frequent training there is more chance of trainees retaining the training content and allowing the organisation to shape a culture of cyber security.

https://www.hornetsecurity.com/en/security-information/why-cyber-awareness-training-is-an-ongoing-process/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• BianLian Ransomware Pivots From Encryption to Pure Data-Theft Extortion (darkreading.com)

• The changing face of ransomware attacks (pandasecurity.com)

• Rise of Ransomware Attacks Main Focus for SOCs, research finds - IT Security Guru

• 'Vile' Gang Duo Breaches Police Database, Impersonates Officers in Extortion Gambit (darkreading.com)

• FBI: Ransomware hit 860 critical infrastructure orgs in 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft fixes Windows zero-day exploited in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Clop ransomware gang begins extorting GoAnywhere zero-day victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Staples-owned Essendant facing multi-day "outage," orders frozen (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA now warns critical infrastructure of ransomware-vulnerable devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• LockBit Ransomware gang claims to have stolen SpaceX confidential data from Maximum Industries- - Security Affairs

• Dissecting the malicious arsenal of the Makop ransomware gang- - Security Affairs

• The Prolificacy of LockBit Ransomware (thehackernews.com)

• Blackbaud agrees to pay $3m to settle SEC ransomware probe • The Register

• CatB Ransomware | File Locker Sharpens Its Claws to Steal Data with MSDTC Service DLL Hijacking - SentinelOne

• Ransomware Gang Claims It Hacked Amazon's Ring (gizmodo.com)

• 5 Reasons MSSP Clients Need Strong AppSec Strategies to Thwart Ransomware - MSSP Alert

• Dish customers kept in the dark as ransomware fallout continues | TechCrunch

• Cancer patient sues hospital over stolen naked photos • The Register

• ChipMixer platform seized for laundering ransomware payments, drug sales (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lawyers suspect Arnold Clark hackers have now leaked 45GB of personal data on dark web – Car Dealer Magazine

• Kaspersky Updates Decryption Tool for Conti Ransomware - MSSP Alert

• Conti-based ransomware ‘MeowCorp’ gets free decryptor (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Universities and colleges cope silently with ransomware attacks | CSO Online

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Top 50 most impersonated brands in phishing attacks and new tools you can use to protect your employees from them (cloudflare.com)

• Microsoft Warns of Large-Scale Use of Phishing Kits to Send Millions of Emails Daily (thehackernews.com)

• Software for sale is fueling a torrent of phishing attacks that bypass MFA | Ars Technica

• Cyber criminals Devising More Tactics For Phishing Attacks (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• 6 reasons why your anti-phishing strategy isn’t working | CSO Online

• Cyberthreat On New Email By Exotic Lily (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Botnet that knows your name and quotes your email is back with new tricks | Ars Technica

• Analysts Spot a Wave of SVB-Related Cyber Fraud Striking the Business Sector (darkreading.com)

• How two-step phishing attacks evade detection and what you can do about it - Help Net Security

• Humans Still More Effective Than ChatGPT at Phishing - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Pig Butchering & Investment Scams: The $3B Cyber crime Threat Overtaking BEC (darkreading.com)

• Organizations need to re-examine their approach to BEC protection - Help Net Security

• BEC Volumes Double on Phishing Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

2FA/MFA

• When Partial Protection is Zero Protection: The MFA Blind Spots No One Talks About (thehackernews.com)

• Outlook app to get built-in Microsoft 365 MFA on Android, iOS (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Software for sale is fuelling a torrent of phishing attacks that bypass MFA | Ars Technica

Malware

• SpyCloud Report: Malware Infections the Most Prolific & Persistent Threat to Businesses | Business Wire

• Microsoft OneNote to get enhanced security after recent malware abuse (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Version of Prometei Botnet Infects Over 10,000 Systems Worldwide (thehackernews.com)

• Malware Targets People Looking to Pirate Oscar-Nominated Films (darkreading.com)

• Law enforcement seized the website selling the NetWire RAT- - Security Affairs

• BATLOADER Malware Uses Google Ads to Deliver Vidar Stealer and Ursnif Payloads (thehackernews.com)

• KamiKakaBot Malware Used in Latest Dark Pink APT Attacks on Southeast Asian Targets (thehackernews.com)

• Warning: AI-generated YouTube Video Tutorials Spreading Infostealer Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Emotet attempts to sell access after infiltrating high-value networks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• What is Zeus Trojan Malware? - CrowdStrike

• Emotet, QSnatch Malware Dominate Malicious DNS Traffic (darkreading.com)

• Winter Vivern APT hackers use fake antivirus scans to install malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chinese and Russian Hackers Using SILKLOADER Malware to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• New malware sample of defunct TeamTNT threat group raises concerns | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Adobe Acrobat Sign abused to push Redline info-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Tracking the global spread of malware - Help Net Security

Mobile

• Xenomorph Android malware now steals data from 400 banks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GoatRAT Android Banking Trojan Targets Mobile Automated Payment System (darkreading.com)

• WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt

• Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google Warns Samsung and Pixel Phone Owners About 18 Dire Exploits - CNET

• FakeCalls Android malware returns with new ways to hide on phones (bleepingcomputer.com)

Botnets

• New Version of Prometei Botnet Infects Over 10,000 Systems Worldwide (thehackernews.com)

• Botnet that knows your name and quotes your email is back with new tricks | Ars Technica

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Record Breaking DDoS Attack - 158.2 Million Packets Per Second (gbhackers.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Researchers Uncover Over a Dozen Security Flaws in Akuvox E11 Smart Intercom (thehackernews.com)

• Tesla App Lets Man Accidentally Steal Model 3 That Wasn't His (gizmodo.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Negative Impacts of Data Loss and How to Avoid Them - MSSP Alert

• Mental health provider Cerebral alerts 3.1M people of data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BMW exposes data of clients in Italy, experts warn- - Security Affairs

• Acronis states that only one customer's account was compromised- - Security Affairs

• Security giant Rubrik says hackers used Fortra zero-day to steal internal data | TechCrunch

• Key aerospace player leaks sensitive data | Cybernews

• Hundreds of thousands of customer records stolen from lender Latitude in cyber-attack | Business | The Guardian

• 'Vile' Gang Duo Breaches Police Database, Impersonates Officers in Extortion Gambit (darkreading.com)

• LA Housing Authority Suffers Year-Long Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hacker selling data allegedly stolen in US Marshals Service hack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cryptojacking Group TeamTNT Suspected of Using Decoy Miner to Conceal Data Exfiltration (thehackernews.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Cyber crime Losses Exceeded $10 Billion in 2022: FBI - SecurityWeek

• Nine In 10 £5m+ Businesses Hit By Cyber Attacks - IT Security Guru

• CISA: Federal civilian agency hacked by nation-state and criminal hacking groups | CyberScoop

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• FBI Warns of Crypto-Stealing Play-to-Earn Games - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Massive vulnerabilities revealed at Dogecoin, Litecoin, Zcash | Fortune Crypto

• UK Crypto Firm Loses $200m in Cyber-Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

• UK Bank Limits Crypto Payments to Smother Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Phishing Campaigns Use SVB Collapse to Harvest Crypto - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cryptojacking Group TeamTNT Suspected of Using Decoy Miner to Conceal Data Exfiltration (thehackernews.com)

• CrowdStrike discovered the first-ever Dero crypto mining campaign- - Security Affairs

• Claim: FTX leaders helped themselves to $3.2B in cash • The Register

• Feds charge exiled Chinese billionaire over crypto fraud • The Register

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Future-Proofing Your Business Against Insider Threats (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams Are Now a $3 Billion Threat | WIRED

• Cyber crime Losses Exceeded $10 Billion in 2022: FBI - SecurityWeek

• Investment Fraud is Now Biggest Cyber crime Earner - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Nine In 10 £5m+ Businesses Hit By Cyber Attacks - IT Security Guru

• ChatGPT fraud is on the rise: Here's what to watch out for | ZDNET

• Analysts Spot a Wave of SVB-Related Cyber Fraud Striking the Business Sector (darkreading.com)

• The SVB demise is a fraudster's paradise, so take precautions - Help Net Security

• Fighting financial fraud through fusion centers - Help Net Security

• UK Crypto Firm Loses $200m in Cyber-Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK Bank Limits Crypto Payments to Smother Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Claim: FTX leaders helped themselves to $3.2B in cash • The Register

• Feds charge exiled Chinese billionaire over crypto fraud • The Register

Impersonation Attacks

• 'Vile' Gang Duo Breaches Police Database, Impersonates Officers in Extortion Gambit (darkreading.com)

Deepfakes

• Deepfakes, Synthetic Media: How Digital Propaganda Undermines Trust (darkreading.com)

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

• Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA

Dark Web

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Top 10 operational risks: focus on third-party risk - Risk.net

• How much of a cyber security risk are my suppliers? (thetimes.co.uk)

Software Supply Chain

• We can't wait for SBOMs to be demanded by regulation - Help Net Security

• Best practices for securing the software application supply chain - Help Net Security

• Addressing Software Supply Chain Security - DevOps.com

Cloud/SaaS

• Rushed cloud migrations result in escalating technical debt - Help Net Security

• CrowdStrike report shows identities under siege, cloud data theft up | VentureBeat

• How to Apply NIST Principles to SaaS in 2023 (thehackernews.com)

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Orgs Have a Long Way to Go in Securing Remote Workforce (darkreading.com)

Attack Surface Management

• Access Control Gap in Microsoft Active Directory Widens Enterprise Attack Surface (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• Access Control Gap in Microsoft Active Directory Widens Enterprise Attack Surface (darkreading.com)

• Navigating the future of digital identity - Help Net Security

Encryption

• Google Proposes Reducing TLS Cert Life Span to 90 Days (darkreading.com)

• WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Poor Passwords Still Weakest Link Hackers Seek, Report Reveals - MSSP Alert

• Study: Over 721 million passwords were leaked in 2022 - Neowin

• Understanding password behavior key to developing stronger cyber security protocols - Help Net Security

Social Media

• UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian

• Spies, lies and influenced children: What TikTok must overcome to show us it can be trusted (telegraph.co.uk)

• Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malvertising

• BATLOADER Malware Uses Google Ads to Deliver Vidar Stealer and Ursnif Payloads (thehackernews.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Forgetting Curve according to Dr Ebbinghaus: Why cyber awareness training is an ongoing process - Hornetsecurity

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• UK's New Privacy Bill Could Mean More Work for Firms - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• SEC Charges Software Company Blackbaud Inc. for Misleading Disclosures About Ransomware Attack That Impacted Charitable Donors (databreaches.net)

• When and how to report a breach to the SEC | CSO Online

• WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt

• The US cyber security strategy won’t address today’s threats with regulation alone | CyberScoop

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Make Sure Your Cyber security Budget Stays Flexible (darkreading.com)

• Getting cyber security right requires a change of mindset | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)

• UK's New Privacy Bill Could Mean More Work for Firms - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 6 principles for building engaged security governance | TechTarget

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• How to Apply NIST Principles to SaaS in 2023 (thehackernews.com)

• Meet Data Privacy Mandates With Cyber security Frameworks (darkreading.com)

Data Protection

• Consumers Believe Vendors Don't Adequately Protect Their Personal Data, Report Finds - MSSP Alert

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• International authorities bring NetWire's malware infrastructure to a standstill | TechSpot

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• German states rethink reliance on Palantir technology | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Consumers Believe Vendors Don't Adequately Protect Their Personal Data, Report Finds - MSSP Alert

• Meet Data Privacy Mandates With Cyber security Frameworks (darkreading.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• Warning: AI-generated YouTube Video Tutorials Spreading Infostealer Malware (thehackernews.com)

• How to stop AI waging war on humans (thetimes.co.uk)

• ChatGPT and the Growing Threat of Bring Your Own AI to the SOC - SecurityWeek

• How Businesses Can Get Ready for AI-Powered Security Threats (darkreading.com)

• Humans Still More Effective Than ChatGPT at Phishing - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK spy agency warns of security threat from ChatGPT and rival chatbots | Metro News

• Why red team exercises for AI should be on a CISO's radar | CSO Online

• GPT-4 Can’t Stop Helping Hackers Make Cyber criminal Tools (forbes.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Deepfakes, Synthetic Media: How Digital Propaganda Undermines Trust (darkreading.com)

• Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Microsoft: Russian hackers may be readying new wave of destructive attacks | CyberScoop

• UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian

• Microsoft: 17 European Nations Targeted by Russia in 2023 as Espionage Ramping Up - SecurityWeek

• UK’s Royal Navy, Ukraine Jointly Repel Simulated, Russian Cyber attack on National Infrastructure - MSSP Alert

• Russians told to rush to nuclear bomb shelters after hackers take over state media (telegraph.co.uk)

• Remcos Trojan Linked to Cyber Espionage Operations Against Ukrainian Government - MSSP Alert

• YoroTrooper cyber spies target CIS energy orgs, EU embassies (bleepingcomputer.com)

• China sought control of telecoms to spy on Micronesia • The Register

• Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian

• This Is the New Leader of Russia's Infamous Sandworm Hacking Unit | WIRED

• Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA

• Polish intelligence dismantled a network of Russian spies- Security Affairs

• Microsoft sheds light on a year of Russian hybrid warfare in Ukraine- Security Affairs

• Wave of Stealthy China Cyber attacks Hits US., Private Networks, Google Says - WSJ

• Russian hackers plotting another cyber attack against Ukraine - Microsoft (ukrinform.net)

• Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register

Nation State Actors

• MI5 Launches New Agency to Tackle State-Backed Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian

• North Korean hackers used polished LinkedIn profiles to target security researchers | CyberScoop

• A new Chinese era: security and control | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Russians told to rush to nuclear bomb shelters after hackers take over state media (telegraph.co.uk)

• Attacks on SonicWall appliances linked to Chinese campaign: Mandiant | CSO Online

• Remcos Trojan Linked to Cyber Espionage Operations Against Ukrainian Government - MSSP Alert

• The slow Tick‑ing time bomb: Tick APT group compromise of a DLP software developer in East Asia | WeLiveSecurity

• Microsoft fixes Outlook zero-day used by Russian hackers since April 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• China sought control of telecoms to spy on Micronesia • The Register

• CISA: Federal civilian agency hacked by nation-state and criminal hacking groups | CyberScoop

• APT29 abuses EU information exchange systems in recent attacks- Security Affairs

• Chinese and Russian Hackers Using SILKLOADER Malware to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian

• This Is the New Leader of Russia's Infamous Sandworm Hacking Unit | WIRED

• Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA

• Microsoft sheds light on a year of Russian hybrid warfare in Ukraine- Security Affairs

• Wave of Stealthy China Cyber attacks Hits US., Private Networks, Google Says - WSJ

• Russian hackers plotting another cyber attack against Ukraine - Microsoft (ukrinform.net)

• Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register

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Vulnerabilities

• Critical Microsoft Outlook/365 bug CVE-2023-23397 under attack (thestack.technology)

• Critical Microsoft Outlook bug PoC shows how easy it is to exploit (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft fixes Outlook zero-day used by Russian hackers since April 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft and Fortinet fix bugs under active exploit • The Register

• CISA warns of actively exploited Plex bug after LastPass breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco fixed CVE-2023-20049 DoS flaw affecting enterprise routers- Security Affairs

• Massive vulnerabilities revealed at Dogecoin, Litecoin, Zcash | Fortune Crypto

• SAP releases security updates fixing five critical vulnerabilities (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Adobe Warns of ‘Very Limited Attacks’ Exploiting ColdFusion Zero-Day - SecurityWeek

• Microsoft fixes Windows zero-day exploited in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft March 2023 Patch Tuesday fixes 2 zero-days, 83 flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Firefox 111 patches 11 holes, but not 1 zero-day among them… – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Microsoft Pins Outlook Zero-Day Attacks on Russian Actor, Offers Detection Script - SecurityWeek

• Cyber attackers Continue Assault Against Fortinet Devices (darkreading.com)

• Security firm Rubrik is latest to be felled by GoAnywhere vulnerability | Ars Technica

• Google Warns Samsung and Pixel Phone Owners About 18 Dire Exploits - CNET

• Microsoft shares script to fix WinRE BitLocker bypass flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register

• Bitwarden's password manager browser extension has a known exploit it hasn't addressed in five years | TechSpot

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Tools and Controls

• Make Sure Your Cyber security Budget Stays Flexible (darkreading.com)

• What Is a Stateful Inspection Firewall? Ultimate Guide (enterprisestorageforum.com)

• When Partial Protection is Zero Protection: The MFA Blind Spots No One Talks About (thehackernews.com)

• Set up PowerShell script block logging for added security | TechTarget

• Brazil seizing Flipper Zero shipments to prevent use in crime (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Outlook app to get built-in Microsoft 365 MFA on Android, iOS (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 5 Reasons MSSP Clients Need Strong AppSec Strategies to Thwart Ransomware - MSSP Alert

• 5 Steps to Effective Cloud Detection and Response  - The New Stack

• Virtual patching: Cut time to patch from 250 days to (helpnetsecurity.com)

• ChatGPT may be a bigger cyber security risk than an actual benefit (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Change Is Coming to the Network Detection and Response (NDR) Market (darkreading.com)

• Rise of Ransomware Attacks Main Focus for SOCs, research finds - IT Security Guru

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Other News

• CASPER attack steals data using air-gapped computer's internal speaker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US govt web server attacked by 'multiple' criminal gangs • The Register

• Security firm Rubrik is latest to be felled by GoAnywhere vulnerability | Ars Technica

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 03 February 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Business Leaders Need a Hands-on Approach to Stop Cyber Crime, Says Spy Chief

Business leaders must not see cyber crime as “just a technical issue” that can be left up to IT departments, said Lindy Cameron, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).  Ms Cameron later commented that “In the world of cyber security, the new year has brought with it some sadly familiar themes - a continuation of cyber incidents affecting organisations large and small as well as the British public”.

Along with this, came the urge for business leaders to step up their efforts in combating cyber crime by taking an active interest and educating themselves on the subject.  When commenting upon board members’ level of understanding, Ms Cameron said “I’d also encourage board members to develop a basic understanding of cyber security, which can help when seeking assurances from IT teams about the resilience of an organisation - in a similar way that leaders have a certain level of understanding of finance to assess financial health”.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/28/business-leaders-need-hands-on-approach-stop-cyber-crime-says/

• Rising ‘Firebrick Ostrich’ BEC Group Launches Industrial Scale Cyber Attacks

Business email compromise (BEC) has become one of the most popular methods of financially motivated hacking. And over the past year, one group in particular has demonstrated just how quick, easy, and lucrative it really is.

"Firebrick Ostrich" is a threat actor that's been performing BEC at a near-industrial scale. Since April 2021, the group has carried out more than 350 BEC campaigns, impersonating 151 organisations and utilising 212 malicious domains in the process. This volume of attacks is made possible by the group's wholesale gunslinging approach. Firebrick Ostrich doesn't discriminate much when it comes to targets, or gather exceptional intelligence in order to craft the perfect phishing bait. It throws darts at a wall because, evidently, when it comes to BEC at scale, that's enough.

BEC is attractive to bad actors due to the lower barriers to entry than malware, less risk, faster scaling opportunities, and way more profit potential to higher echelons than other methods of attack. These factors may explain why such attacks are absolutely the emerging trend, potentially even leaving even ransomware in the dust. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of these groups out there.

https://www.darkreading.com/remote-workforce/rising-firebrick-ostrich-bec-group-launches-industrial-scale-cyberattacks

• The Corporate World is Losing its Grip on Cyber Risk

Lloyd's of London’s insurance market prides itself on being able to put a price on anything, from Tina Turner’s legs or Bruce Springsteen’s vocal cords, to the risk that a bounty hunter might claim the reward from Cutty Sark Whisky in the 1970s for capturing the Loch Ness monster.

But from the end of March, there will be something it won’t price: systemic cyber risk, or the type of major, catastrophic disruption caused by state-backed cyber warfare. In one sense, this isn’t surprising. Insurance policies typically exclude acts of war. Russia’s NotPetya attack on Ukraine in 2017 showed how state-backed cyber assaults can surpass traditional definitions of armed conflict and overspill their sovereign target to hit global businesses. It caused an estimated $10bn in damages and years of wrangling between companies like pharma group Merck and snack maker Mondelez and their insurers.

But the move is prompting broader questions about the growing pains in this corner of the insurance world. “Cyber insurance isn’t working anywhere at the moment as a public good for society,” says Ciaran Martin, former head of the UK National Cyber Security Centre. “It has a huge role to play in improving defences in a market-based economy and it has been a huge disappointment in that sense so far.”

The Lloyd’s move is designed, say insurers, to clarify rather than restrict coverage. Whether it succeeds is another matter: this is a murky world, where cyber crime groups operate with impunity in certain jurisdictions.

https://www.ft.com/content/78bfdf29-1e20-4c12-a348-06e98d5ae906

• Microsoft Reveals Over 100 Threat Actors are Deploying Ransomware in Attacks

Microsoft revealed this week that its security teams are tracking over 100 threat actors deploying ransomware during attacks. In all, the company says it monitors over 50 unique ransomware families, with some of the most prominent ransomware payloads in recent campaigns including Lockbit, BlackCat (aka ALPHV), Play, Vice Society, Black Basta, and Royal.

Microsoft said that defence strategies should focus less on payloads themselves but more on the chain of activities that lead to their deployment, since ransomware gangs are still targeting servers and devices not yet patched against common or recently addressed vulnerabilities.

Furthermore, while new ransomware families launch all the time, most threat actors utilise the same tactics when breaching and spreading through networks, making the effort of detecting such behaviour even more helpful in thwarting their attacks.

Attackers are increasingly relying on tactics beyond phishing to conduct their attacks, with threat actors for example capitalising on recently patched Exchange Server vulnerabilities to hack vulnerable servers and deploy Cuba and Play ransomware.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-over-100-threat-actors-deploy-ransomware-in-attacks/

• Ransomware Conversations: Why the CFO is Pivotal to Discussing and Preparing for Risk

With the amount of cyber attacks in all industries, organisations are beginning to grasp the significance of cyber risk and how it is integral to protecting and maintaining an efficient business. In fact, the first half of 2022 alone saw 236.1 million cases of ransomware.

Whilst the expectation for responsibility has typically fallen on Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are just as vital in managing cyber risk, which is now inherently also business risk.  The CFO plays an important part in determining whether cyber security incidents will become material and affect the business more seriously. Their insight is critical across many areas which include ransomware, cyber insurance, regulatory compliance and budget management.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/02/02/ransomware-conversations-why-the-cfo-is-pivotal-to-discussing-and-preparing-for-risk

• Greater Incident Complexity, a Shift in How Threat Actors Use Stolen Data Will Drive the Cyber Threat Landscape in 2023

Insurance provider Beazley released their Cyber Services Snapshot Report which claims the cyber security landscape will be influenced by greater complexity and the way threat actors use stolen data. The report also found that as a category, fraudulent instruction experienced a growth as a cause of loss in 2022, up 13% year-over year. 

In response to vulnerabilities such as fraudulent instructions, the report suggests organisations must get smarter about educating users to spot things such as spoofed emails or domain names. The report also cautions organisations to watch for social engineering, spear phishing, bypassing of multi-factor authentication (MFA), targeting of managed service providers (MSP) and the compromise of cloud environments as areas of vulnerability.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/greater-incident-complexity-a-shift-in-the-way-threat-actors-use-stolen-data-and-a-rise-in-us-class-actions-will-drive-the-cyber-threat-landscape-in-2023-according-to-beazley-report

• The Threat from Within: 71% of Business Leaders Surveyed Think Next Cyber Security Breach Will Come from the Inside

A survey conducted by IT provider EisnerAmper found that 71% of business executives worry about accidental internal staff error as one of the top threats facing their organisation and 23% of these worried about malicious intent by an employee. In comparison, 75% of business executives had concerns about external hackers. The survey also asked about current safety measures, with 51% responding that they were “somewhat prepared”. Despite this, only 50% of respondents reported conducting regular cyber security training. 

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/the-threat-from-within-71-of-business-leaders-surveyed-think-next-cybersecurity-breach-will-come-from-the-inside

• 98% of Organisations Have a Supply Chain Relationship That Has Been Breached

A report from SecurityScorecard found that 98% of organisations have a relationship with at least one third party that has experienced a breach in the last two years, while more than 50% have an indirect relationship with more than 200 fourth parties that have been breached. Of course, this is keeping in mind that not all organisations disclose or even know they have been breached.

https://www.securityweek.com/98-of-firms-have-a-supply-chain-relationship-that-has-been-breached-analysis/

• New Survey Reveals 40% of Companies Experienced a Data Leak in the Past Year

Software provider SysKit has published a report on the effects of digital transformation on IT administrators and the current governance landscape. The report found that 40% of organisations experienced a data leak in the previous year. A data leak can have severe consequences on an organisation's efficiency and the impact can lead to large fines, downtime, and loss of business-critical certifications and customers.

In addition, the Survey found that the biggest challenge for IT administrators was a lack of understanding from superiors, huge workloads and misalignment of IT and business strategies.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/new-survey-reveals-40-of-companies-experienced-a-data-leak-in-the-past-year

• Russian Hackers Launch Cyber Attack on Germany in Leopard Tank Retaliation

The websites of key German administrations, including companies and airports, have been targeted by cyber attacks, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) stated.

The BSI commented they had been informed of DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks “currently in progress against targets in Germany". This was followed by the statement that “Individual targets in the financial sector” and federal government sites were also attacked, with some websites becoming temporarily unavailable.  It is believed that this is due to the approved deployment of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, with Russian hacker site Killnet taking credit.

https://www.euronews.com/2023/01/26/russian-hackers-launch-cyberattack-on-germany-in-leopard-retaliation

• Financial Services Targeted in 28% of UK Cyber Attacks Last Year

Based on data from security provider Imperva, security researchers have identified that over a quarter (28%) of all cyber attacks in the UK hit the financial services and insurance (FSI) industry in the last 12 months. The data also found that Application Programme Interface (API) attacks, malicious automated software and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks were the most challenging for the industry. In addition, the data found that roughly 40% of all account takeover attempts were targeted at the FSI industry.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/quarter-cyber-attacks-uk-financial/

• Phishing Attacks are Getting Scarily Sophisticated. Here’s What to Watch Out For

Hackers are going to great lengths, including mimicking real people and creating and updating fake social media profiles, to trick victims into clicking phishing links and handing over usernames and passwords. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns that these phishing attacks are targeting a range of sectors.

The NCSC has also released mitigation advice to help organisations and individuals protect themselves online. The mitigation advice included the use of strong passwords, separate to other accounts; enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA); and applying the latest security updates.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/phishing-attacks-are-getting-scarily-sophisticated-heres-what-to-watch-out-for/

• City of London on High Alert After Ransomware Attack

A suspected ransomware attack on a key supplier of trading software to the City of London this week appears to have disrupted activity in the derivatives market. The company impacted, Ion Cleared Derivatives, is investigating. It is reported that 42 clients were impacted by the attack.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/city-of-london-high-alert/

• JD Sports Warns of 10 Million Customers Put at Risk in Cyber Attack

Sportswear retailer JD Sports said it was the victim of a cyber attack that exposed the data of 10 million customers, in the latest spate of hacks on UK companies.

JD Sports explained that the attack involved unauthorised access to a system that contained “the name, billing address, delivery address, phone number, order details and the final four digits of payment cards”. The data related to customers’ orders made between November 2018 and October 2020, with outdoor gear companies Millets and Blacks also impacted. A full review with cyber security and external specialists is underway.

https://www.ft.com/content/afe00f2f-afcd-478f-9e4d-1cf9c943fa79

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• City Of London Traders Hit By Russia-Linked Cyber Attack (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• New Nevada Ransomware targets Windows and VMware ESXi systems (bleepingcomputer.com)

• City of London on High Alert After Ransomware Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware conversations: Why the CFO is pivotal to discussing and preparing for risk - IT Security Guru

• US puts a $10m bounty on Hive while Russia shuts down access • The Register

• Copycat Criminals mimicking Lockbit gang in northern Europe security affairs

• Ransom-what? Learning from Hacked Hackers (secureworld.io)

• Most criminal cryptocurrency is funneled through just 5 exchanges | Ars Technica

• Council leader 'put her foot down' and refused to pay multi-million pound ransom demand from hackers - Teesside Live (gazettelive.co.uk)

• 6 Ransomware Trends & Evolutions For 2023 (trendmicro.com)

• Cyber Attack Hits Derivatives Unit of Trading Software Firm ION - Bloomberg

• Regulators weigh in on ION attack as LockBit takes credit • The Register

• New Mimic Ransomware Abuses Windows Search Engine (cyber securitynews.com)

• Stratford University discloses ransomware attack — but which ransomware attack? (databreaches.net)

• Schools don't pay, but ransomware attacks still increasing | TechTarget

• Poser Hackers Impersonate LockBit in SMB Cyber attacks (darkreading.com)

• Risk & Repeat: The FBI's Hive ransomware takedown | TechTarget

• Nevada Ransomware Has Released Upgraded Locker security affairs

• LockBit Green ransomware variant borrows code from Conti one security affairs

• Arnold Clark customer data stolen in attack claimed by Play ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware attacks on public sector persist in January | TechTarget

• Ransomware attack on data firm ION could take days to fix -sources | Reuters

• APT groups use ransomware TTPs as cover for intelligence gathering and sabotage | CSO Online

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Phishing attacks are getting scarily sophisticated. Here's what to watch out for | ZDNET

• BEC Group Uses Open Source Tactics in Hundreds of Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Rising ‘Firebrick Ostrich’ BEC Group Launches Industrial-Scale Cyber attacks (darkreading.com)

• Porsche halts NFT launch, phishing sites fill the void (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Phishers Trick Microsoft Into Granting Them 'Verified' Cloud Partner Status (darkreading.com)

• DocuSign Brand Impersonation Attack Bypasses Security Measures, Targets Over 10,000 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• BEC Group Uses Open Source Tactics in Hundreds of Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Rising ‘Firebrick Ostrich’ BEC Group Launches Industrial-Scale Cyber attacks (darkreading.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• New 'Pig Butchering' Scam in West Africa Impersonates US Financial Advisors - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Long Con Impersonates Financial Advisers to Target Victims (darkreading.com)

2FA/MFA

• Facebook Bug Allows 2FA Bypass Via Instagram (darkreading.com)

Malware

• How Can Disrupting DNS Communications Thwart a Malware Attack? (darkreading.com)

• Hackers use new IceBreaker malware to breach gaming companies (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Threat: Stealthy HeadCrab Malware Compromised Over 1,200 Redis Servers (thehackernews.com)

• PoS malware can block contactless payments to steal credit cards (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Experts Uncover the Identity of Mastermind Behind Golden Chickens Malware Service (thehackernews.com)

• New APT34 Malware Targets The Middle East (trendmicro.com)

• HeadCrab malware targets Redis to mine cryptocurrency | TechTarget

• Malvertising attacks are distributing .NET malware loaders • The Register

• Hackers weaponize Microsoft Visual Studio add-ins to push malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Google Fi data breach let hackers carry out SIM swap attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Over 1,800 Android phishing forms for sale on cyber crime market (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mobile phone fraud: 'They stole £22,500 using my banking app' - BBC News

Botnets

• New Threat: Stealthy HeadCrab Malware Compromised Over 1,200 Redis Servers (thehackernews.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Killnet Attackers DDoS US and Dutch Hospitals - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New DDoS-as-a-Service platform used in recent attacks on hospitals (bleepingcomputer.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• IoT, connected devices biggest contributors to expanding application attack surface | CSO Online

• European IoT Manufacturers Lag in Vulnerability Disclosure (databreachtoday.co.uk)

• Realtek Vulnerability Under Attack: Over 134 Million Attempts to Hack IoT Devices (thehackernews.com)

• Anker finally comes clean about its Eufy security cameras - The Verge

Data Breaches/Leaks

• JD Sports warns data of 10mn customers put at risk in cyber attack | Financial Times (ft.com)

• New Survey Reveals 40% of Companies Experienced a Data Leak in the Past Year (darkreading.com)

• Planet Ice hacked! 240,000 skating fans' details stolen (bitdefender.com)

• If a locked filing cabinet is stolen along with its key, can you still say it’s locked? GoTo thinks you can • Graham Cluley

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Cyber crime job ads on the dark web pay up to $20k per month (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Most criminal cryptocurrency is funneled through just 5 exchanges | Ars Technica

• How $6 Can Buy Hacked Social Media & Streaming Accounts From the Dark Web, Whizcase Study Reveals (darkreading.com)

• Cyber crime Ecosystem Spawns Lucrative Underground Gig Economy (darkreading.com)

• Cyber crime job ads on the dark web pay up to $20k per month (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Developers, Attackers Top List of Most In Demand Dark Web Jobs, Kaspersky Reports - MSSP Alert

• Report on hackers' salaries shows poor wages for developers • The Register

• 6 Examples of the Evolution of a Scam Site (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Insights 2023: Criminal Gangs - SecurityWeek

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• ‘Everything is fake’: how global crime gangs are using UK shell companies in multi-million pound crypto scams | Organised crime | The Guardian

• Most criminal cryptocurrency is funneled through just 5 exchanges | Ars Technica

• FBI: North Korea’s Lazarus Group behind $100m crypto attack • The Register

• Oxford student jailed for £2m crypto theft after PhD blunder | News | The Times

• Porsche halts NFT launch, phishing sites fill the void (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crypto theft: North Korea-linked hackers stole $1.7b in 2022 - BBC News

• HeadCrab malware targets Redis to mine cryptocurrency | TechTarget

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Insider attacks becoming more frequent, more difficult to detect - Help Net Security

• The Threat from Within: 71% of Business Leaders Surveyed Think Next Cyber security Breach Will Come from the Inside (darkreading.com)

• Are Your Employees Thinking Critically About Their Online Behaviours? (darkreading.com)

• The next cyber threat may come from within - Help Net Security

• Insider threats: The cyber risks lurking in the dark (betanews.com)

• Executives Worry Equally About Insider Cyber Errors, Outsider Threats: How MSSPs Can Help - MSSP Alert

• Former Ubiquiti dev pleads guilty to data theft, extortion • The Register

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• ‘Everything is fake’: how global crime gangs are using UK shell companies in multi-million pound crypto scams | Organised crime | The Guardian

• New 'Pig Butchering' Scam in West Africa Impersonates US Financial Advisors - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• FBI: North Korea’s Lazarus Group behind $100m crypto attack • The Register

• Oxford student jailed for £2m crypto theft after PhD blunder | News | The Times

• Porsche halts NFT launch, phishing sites fill the void (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russian Millionaire on Trial in Hack, Insider Trade Scheme - SecurityWeek

• 6 Examples of the Evolution of a Scam Site (darkreading.com)

• Mobile phone fraud: 'They stole £22,500 using my banking app' - BBC News

• Crypto theft: North Korea-linked hackers stole $1.7b in 2022 - BBC News

• Romance fraud losses rose 91% during the pandemic, claims UK's TSB bank | Tripwire

• Romance Fraudsters Have Stolen £65m From Brits Since 2020 (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Impersonation Attacks

• DocuSign Brand Impersonation Attack Bypasses Security Measures, Targets Over 10,000 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Why CISOs Should Care About Brand Impersonation Scam Sites (darkreading.com)

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• As the anti-money laundering perimeter expands, who needs to be compliant, and how? - Help Net Security

Insurance

• 4 Cyber Insurance Requirement Predictions for 2023 (trendmicro.com)

Dark Web

• There’s a Wild Scramble for Control of the Dark Web Taking Place in Russia (vice.com)

• How $6 Can Buy Hacked Social Media & Streaming Accounts From the Dark Web, Whizcase Study Reveals (darkreading.com)

• Cyber crime job ads on the dark web pay up to $20k per month (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Developers, Attackers Top List of Most In Demand Dark Web Jobs, Kaspersky Reports - MSSP Alert

• Report on hackers' salaries shows poor wages for developers • The Register

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• 98% of Firms Have a Supply Chain Relationship That Has Been Breached: Analysis - SecurityWeek

• Almost all Organisations are Working with Recently Breached Vendors - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 50% of organisations have indirect relationships with 200+ breached fourth-party vendors - Help Net Security

• Cyber attack Impact “Catastrophic” for Third Parties, New Study Finds MSSPs at Risk? - MSSP Alert

• New “MITRE ATT&CK-like” framework outlines software supply chain attack TTPs | CSO Online

• CISA to Open Supply Chain Risk Management Office (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Insights 2023 | Supply Chain Security - SecurityWeek

Cloud/SaaS

• Misconfiguration and vulnerabilities biggest risks in cloud security: Report | CSO Online

• Hybrid cloud storage security challenges - Help Net Security

• Short-staffed SOCs struggle to gain visibility into cloud activities - Help Net Security

Containers

• Researchers Claim High-Risk Vulnerabilities Found in 87% of All Container Images - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Encryption

• Serious Security: The Samba logon bug caused by outdated crypto – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Encryption Explained: At Rest, In Transit & End-To-End Encryption | Splunk

• Cyber Insights 2023 | Quantum Computing and the Coming Cryptopocalypse - SecurityWeek

API

• The emergence of trinity attacks on APIs - Help Net Security

• API management (APIM): What It Is and Where It’s Going security affairs

Open Source

• Microsoft upgrades Defender to lock down Linux devices • The Register

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Bitwarden Password Manager users are being targeted by phishing ads on Google- gHacks Tech News

• KeePass disputes vulnerability allowing stealthy password theft (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• Inside TikTok’s proposal to address US national security concerns | CyberScoop

• Facebook Bug Allows 2FA Bypass Via Instagram (darkreading.com)

Malvertising

• Malvertising attacks are distributing .NET malware loaders • The Register

Training, Education and Awareness

• Are Your Employees Thinking Critically About Their Online Behaviours? (darkreading.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Regulators weigh in on ION attack as LockBit takes credit • The Register

• New UN cyber crime convention has a long way to go in a tight timeframe | CSO Online

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Business leaders need hands-on approach to stop cyber crime, says spy chief (telegraph.co.uk)

• New Survey Reveals 40% of Companies Experienced a Data Leak in the Past Year (darkreading.com)

• Financial Services Targeted in 28% of UK Cyber-Attacks Last Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 70% of CIOs anticipate their involvement in cyber security to increase - Help Net Security

• Cyber security Budgets Are Going Up. So Why Aren't Breaches Going Down? (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware conversations: Why the CFO is pivotal to discussing and preparing for risk - IT Security Guru

• You Don't Know Where Your Secrets Are (thehackernews.com)

• Inability to prevent bad things from happening seen as the worst part of a security job - Help Net Security

• The corporate world is losing its grip on cyber risk | Financial Times (ft.com)

• IT and Security Professionals Spend an Average of 4,300 Hours Annually Achieving or Maintaining Compliance (darkreading.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Inability to prevent bad things from happening seen as the worst part of a security job - Help Net Security

• Thriving Dark Web Trade in Fake Security Certifications - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Effect of Cyber security Layoffs on Cyber security Recruitment - SecurityWeek

• Economic headwinds could deepen the cyber security skills shortage | CSO Online

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• 7 Ways Hive Ransomware Gang Caused Chaos Before FBI Hacked It (gizmodo.com)

• US puts a $10m bounty on Hive while Russia shuts down access • The Register

• Hacker accused of having stolen personal data of all Austrians security affairs

• Alleged ShinyHunters gang member in US court • The Register

• Risk & Repeat: The FBI's Hive ransomware takedown | TechTarget

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• On Data Privacy Day, Organisations Fail Data Privacy Expectations (darkreading.com)

• Hacker accused of having stolen personal data of all Austrians security affairs

• Enterprises Need to Do More to Assure Consumers About Privacy (darkreading.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• Foreign states already using ChatGPT maliciously, UK IT leaders believe | CSO Online

• OpenAI releases tool to detect AI-written text (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Reality check: Is ChatGPT really the next big cyber security threat? | CyberScoop

• Cyber Insights 2023: Artificial Intelligence - SecurityWeek

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Google deletes 50,000 pro-China fake-news vids and blogs • The Register

• Google: Influence Operator Dragonbridge Floods Social Media in Sprawling Cyber Campaign (darkreading.com)

Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Iranian APT Leaks Data From Saudi Arabia Government Under New Persona - SecurityWeek

• Ukraine Links Media Centre Attack to Russian Intelligence (govinfosecurity.com)

• Latvia confirms phishing attack on Ministry of Defence, linking it to Russian hacking group - The Record from Recorded Future News

• British Cyber Agency Warns of Russian and Iranian Hackers Targeting Key Industries (thehackernews.com)

• Russia-Linked APT29 Uses New Malware in Embassy Attacks - SecurityWeek

• Russia's Sandworm APT Launches Swarm of Wiper Attacks in Ukraine (darkreading.com)

• Russia-linked Hackers Launch DDoS Attacks on Germany and US. Hospitals, Threaten Canada - MSSP Alert

• Latvia says Russian hackers tried to phish its Ministry of Defence (bitdefender.com)

• Inside Killnet: Pro-Russia Hacktivist Group's Support and Influence Grows (darkreading.com)

• New APT34 Malware Targets The Middle East (trendmicro.com)

• Lazarus Group Attack Identified After Operational Security Fail - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Crypto theft: North Korea-linked hackers stole $1.7b in 2022 - BBC News

• North Korean hackers stole research data in two-month-long breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• APT groups use ransomware TTPs as cover for intelligence gathering and sabotage | CSO Online

• Cyber Insights 2023: The Geopolitical Effect - SecurityWeek

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Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Russian Nuisance Hacking Group KillNet Targets Germany (govinfosecurity.com)

• Russian hackers launch cyber attack on Germany in Leopard retaliation | Euronews

• Ukraine Links Media Centre Attack to Russian Intelligence (govinfosecurity.com)

• Latvia confirms phishing attack on Ministry of Defence, linking it to Russian hacking group - The Record from Recorded Future News

• A Link to News Site Meduza Can (Technically) Land You in Russian Prison | WIRED

• British Cyber Agency Warns of Russian and Iranian Hackers Targeting Key Industries (thehackernews.com)

• Russia-Linked APT29 Uses New Malware in Embassy Attacks - SecurityWeek

• Russia's Sandworm APT Launches Swarm of Wiper Attacks in Ukraine (darkreading.com)

• Russia-linked Hackers Launch DDoS Attacks on Germany and US. Hospitals, Threaten Canada - MSSP Alert

• Latvia says Russian hackers tried to phish its Ministry of Defence (bitdefender.com)

• Killnet Attackers DDoS US and Dutch Hospitals - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• IT Army of Ukraine gained access to 1.5GB archive from Gazprom security affairs

• There’s a Wild Scramble for Control of the Dark Web Taking Place in Russia (vice.com)

• Inside Killnet: Pro-Russia Hacktivist Group's Support and Influence Grows (darkreading.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• Google deletes 50,000 pro-China fake-news vids and blogs • The Register

• Google: Influence Operator Dragonbridge Floods Social Media in Sprawling Cyber Campaign (darkreading.com)

• TikTok CEO to testify before US. Congress over security concerns | Reuters

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• FBI: North Korea’s Lazarus Group behind $100m crypto attack • The Register

• Lazarus Group Attack Identified After Operational Security Fail - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Crypto theft: North Korea-linked hackers stole $1.7b in 2022 - BBC News

• North Korean hackers stole research data in two-month-long breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

Nation State Actors – Iran

• Iranian APT Leaks Data From Saudi Arabia Government Under New Persona - SecurityWeek

• British Cyber Agency Warns of Russian and Iranian Hackers Targeting Key Industries (thehackernews.com)

Nation State Actors – Misc

• Foreign states already using ChatGPT maliciously, UK IT leaders believe | CSO Online

• New APT34 Malware Targets The Middle East (trendmicro.com)

• APT groups use ransomware TTPs as cover for intelligence gathering and sabotage | CSO Online

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Vulnerability Management

• The future of vulnerability management and patch compliance - Help Net Security

• What is the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System)? (techtarget.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Researchers to release VMware vRealize Log RCE exploit, patch now (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Patch management is crucial to protect Exchange servers, Microsoft warns security affairs

• Realtek Vulnerability Under Attack: Over 134 Million Attempts to Hack IoT Devices (thehackernews.com)

• QNAP Fixes Critical Vulnerability in NAS Devices with Latest Security Updates (thehackernews.com)

• Over 29,000 QNAP devices unpatched against new critical flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Firmware Flaws Could Spell 'Lights Out' for Servers (darkreading.com)

• Why you might not be done with your January Microsoft security patches | CSO Online

• Researcher drops Lexmark RCE zero-day rather than sell vuln ‘for peanuts’ | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• HPE, NetApp warn of critical open-source bug | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• High-severity bug in F5 BIG-IP can lead to code execution and DoS security affairs

• Cisco fixes bug allowing backdoor persistence between reboots (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Atlassian's Jira Software Found Vulnerable to Critical Authentication Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• CISA Alert: Oracle E-Business Suite and SugarCRM Vulnerabilities Under Attack (thehackernews.com)

• Threat activity increasing around Fortinet VPN vulnerability | TechTarget

• Remote code execution exploit chain available for VMware vRealize Log Insight | CSO Online

Tools and Controls

• Gartner report shows zero trust isn’t a silver bullet | VentureBeat

Other News

• We can't rely on goodwill to protect our critical infrastructure - Help Net Security

• Playing Military Sim War Thunder May Get You Classed as a National Security Risk

• Cyber attacks in space: How safe are our satellites? | Metro News

• Threat Actors Use ClickFunnels to Bypass Security Services - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Massive Microsoft 365 outage caused by WAN router IP change (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 19 August 2022

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Businesses Found to Neglect Cyber Security Until it is Too Late

Businesses only take cyber security seriously after falling victim to an attack, according to a report published by the UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) this week.

For the research, the UK government surveyed IT professionals and end users in 10 UK organisations of varying sizes that have experienced cyber security breaches in the past three years. This analysed their existing level of security prior to a breach, the business impacts of the attack and how cyber security arrangements changed in the wake of the incident.

Nearly all respondents said their organisation took cyber security much more seriously after experiencing a breach, including reviewing existing practices and significantly increased investment in technology solutions.

While there was a consensus among participants that there is a greater need for vigilance and investment in cyber security, there was significant variation between organisations’ practices in this area. Medium and large organisations tended to have formal plans in place and budget allocated for further cyber security investment, but smaller businesses mostly did not due to resource constraints.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybersecurity-seriously-breach/

• Cyber Tops Staff Retention as Biggest Business Risk

Cyber security concerns represent the most serious risk facing organisations, beating inflation, talent acquisition/retention and rising production costs, according to a new PwC study.

The PwC Pulse: Managing business risks in 2022 report was compiled from interviews with 722 US C-suite executives.

Two-fifths (40%) ranked cyber-attacks as a serious risk, rising to 51% of board members. PwC said boardrooms may be getting more attuned to cyber risk after new SEC proposals were published in March that would require directors to oversee cyber security risk and be more transparent about their cyber expertise.

In fact, executives appear to be getting more proactive with cyber security on a number of fronts.

Some 84% said they are taking action or monitoring closely policy areas related to cyber security, privacy and data protection. A further 79% said they’re revising or enhancing their cyber risk management approaches, and half (49%) pointed to increased investments in cyber security and privacy.

By way of comparison, 53% said they’re increasing investment in digital transformation and 52% in IT.

Cyber security is a strategic business enabler – technology is the central nervous system of many companies – and confirming its data is secure and protected can be brand defining.

There’s now heightened attention from a wider range of business leaders and corporate directors as they recognise that cyber security and data privacy should be part of not only a risk management strategy, but also a broader corporate strategy. C-suite and boards are actively taking steps to better understand the global threat landscape, confirm a foundational cyber security program is in place, and manage these risks to create opportunities.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyber-tops-staff-retention-biggest/

• Cyber Criminals Weaponising Ransomware Data for BEC Attacks

Cyber criminals and other threat actors are increasingly using data dumped from ransomware attacks in secondary business email compromise (BEC) attacks, according to new analysis by Accenture Cyber Threat Intelligence.

The ACTI team analysed data from the 20 most active ransomware leak sites, measured by number of featured victims, between July 2021 and July 2022. Of the 4,026 victims (corporate, non-governmental organisations, and governmental entities) uncovered on various ransomware groups’ dedicated leak sites, an estimated 91% incurred subsequent data disclosures, ACTI found.

Dedicated leak sites most commonly provide financial data, followed by employee and client personally identifiable information and communication documentation. The rise of double extortion attempts – where attack groups use ransomware to exfiltrate data and then publicise the data on dedicated leak sites – has made large amounts of sensitive corporate data available to any threat actor. The most valuable types of data most useful for conducting BEC attacks are financial, employee, and communication data, as well as operational documents. There is a significant overlap between the types of data most useful for conducting BEC attacks and the types of data most commonly posted on these ransomware leak sites, ACTI said.

The data is a “rich source for information for criminals who can easily weaponise it for secondary BEC attacks,” ACTI said. “The primary factor driving an increased threat of BEC and VEC attacks stemming from double-extortion leaks is the availability of [corporate and communication data].”

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-threat-monitor/cybercriminals-weaponizing-ransomware-data-for-bec-attacks

• Callback Phishing Attacks See Massive 625% Growth Since Q1 2021

Hackers are increasingly moving towards hybrid forms of phishing attacks that combine email and voice social engineering calls as a way to breach corporate networks for ransomware and data extortion attacks.

According to Agari's Q2 2022 cyber-intelligence report, phishing volumes have only increased by 6% compared to Q1 2022. However, the use of 'hybrid vishing' is seeing a massive 625% growth.

Vishing, "voice phishing," involves some form of a phone call to perform social engineering on the victim. Its hybrid form, called "callback phishing," also includes an email before the call, typically presenting the victim with a fake subscription/invoice notice.

The recipient is advised to call on the provided phone number to resolve any issues with the charge, but instead of a real customer support agent, the call is answered by phishing actors.

The scammers then offer to resolve the presented problem by tricking the victim into disclosing sensitive information or installing remote desktop tools on their system. The threat actors then connect to the victim's device remotely to install further backdoors or spread to other machines.

These callback phishing attacks were first introduced by the 'BazarCall/BazaCall' campaigns that appeared in March 2021 to gain initial access to corporate networks for ransomware attacks.

The attacks work so well that multiple ransomware and extortion gangs, such as Quantum, Zeon, and Silent Ransom Group, have adopted the same technique today to gain initial network access through an unsuspecting employee.

"Hybrid Vishing attacks reached a six-quarter high in Q2, increasing 625% from Q1 2021. This threat type also contributed to 24.6% of the overall share of Response-Based threats," details the Agari report.

"While this is the second quarter hybrid vishing attacks have declined in share due to the overall increase of response-based threats, vishing volume has steadily increased in count over the course of the year."

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/callback-phishing-attacks-see-massive-625-percent-growth-since-q1-2021/

• Credential Phishing Attacks Skyrocketing, 265 Brands Impersonated in H1 2022

Abnormal Security released a report which explores the current email threat landscape and provides insight into the latest advanced email attack trends, including increases in business email compromise, the evolution of financial supply chain compromise, and the rise of brand impersonation in credential phishing attacks.

The research found a 48% increase in email attacks over the previous six months, and 68.5% of those attacks included a credential phishing link. In addition to posing as internal employees and executives, cyber criminals impersonated well-known brands in 15% of phishing emails, relying on the brands’ familiarity and reputation to convince employees to provide their login credentials. Most common among the 265 brands impersonated in these attacks were social networks and Microsoft products.

“The vast majority of cyber crime today is successful because it exploits the people behind the keyboard,” said Crane Hassold, director of threat intelligence at Abnormal Security.

“By compromising people rather than networks, it’s easier for attackers to circumvent conventional security measures. This is especially true with brand impersonation, where attackers use urgency and fear to encourage their targets to provide usernames and passwords.”

LinkedIn took the top spot for brand impersonation, but Outlook, OneDrive and Microsoft 365 appeared in 20% of all attacks. What makes these attacks particularly dangerous is that phishing emails are often the first step to compromising employee email accounts. Acquiring Microsoft credentials enables cyber criminals to access the full suite of connected products, allowing them to view sensitive data and use the account to send business email compromise attacks.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/08/15/landscape-email-threat/

• Are Cloud Environments Secure Enough for Today’s Threats?

Cyber security is a major problem right now. Not only is it the highest priority of any given business to keep their own data and their customers’ and clients’ data secure, but changes in the workplace have had a knock-on effect on cyber security. The concept of working from home has forced businesses all around the world to address old and new cyber security threats. People taking their laptops, and therefore their data, home to public networks that can be hacked or leaving access details like passwords scribbled on notebooks has meant that access to a business and therefore their customers’ data is a lot more accessible.

The saving grace was said to be the cloud. Beyond retraining cyber security in staff workforces, the practical solution was to move data into the cloud. But we’re now a few years from the point when the cloud really gained popularity. Is it still the answer to all our cyber security problems? Is there a chance of risk to using the cloud?

Cloud data breaches do happen and misconfiguration is a leading cause of them, mainly due to businesses inadequate cyber security strategies. This is due to several factors, such as the fundamental nature of the cloud designed to be easy for anyone to access, and businesses unable to completely see or control the cloud’s infrastructure and therefore relying on the cyber security controls that are provided by the cloud service provider (or CSP).

Unauthorised access is also a risk. The internet, which is a readily available public resource to most of the world, makes it easy for hackers to access data if they have the credentials to get past the cyber security set up by the individual business. This is where the ugliness of internal cloud breaches happens. If security is not configured well or credentials like passwords and secret questions are compromised, an attacker can easily access the cloud.

However, it’s not only through an employee that hackers access credentials. Phishing is a very common means of gaining information that would allow access to a customer or business data.

Plus, the simple nature of sharing data can easily backfire on a company. A lot of data access is granted with a link to someone external, which can then be forwarded, either sold or stolen, to an attacker to access the cloud’s data.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2022/08/16/are-cloud-environments-secure-enough-for-todays-threats/

• Most Q2 Attacks Targeted Old Microsoft Vulnerabilities

Attacks targeting a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft's MSHTML browser engine — which was patched last September — soared during the second quarter of this year, according to a Kaspersky analysis.

Researchers from Kaspersky counted at least 4,886 attacks targeting the flaw (CVE-2021-40444) last quarter, an eightfold increase over the first quarter of 2022. The security vendor attributed the continued adversary interest in the vulnerability to the ease with which it can be exploited.

Kaspersky said it has observed threat actors exploiting the flaw in attacks on organisations across multiple sectors including the energy and industrial sectors, research and development, IT companies, and financial and medical technology firms. In many of these attacks, the adversaries have used social engineering tricks to try and get victims to open specially crafted Office documents that would then download and execute a malicious script. The flaw was under active attack at the time Microsoft first disclosed it in September 2021.

Attacks targeting a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft's MSHTML browser engine — which was patched last September — soared during the second quarter of this year, according to a Kaspersky analysis. Researchers from Kaspersky counted at least 4,886 attacks targeting the flaw last quarter, an eightfold increase over the first quarter of 2022. The security vendor attributed the continued adversary interest in the vulnerability to the ease with which it can be exploited. According to Kaspersky, exploits for Windows vulnerabilities accounted for 82% of all exploits across all platforms during the second quarter of 2022. While attacks on the MSHTML vulnerability increased the most dramatically, it was by no means the most exploited flaw, which was a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Office that was disclosed and patched four years ago that was attacked some 345,827 times last quarter.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/most-attacks-in-q2-targeted-old-microsoft-vulnerabilities

• Cyber Resiliency Isn't Just About Technology, It's About People

Cyber attacks are on the rise — but if we're being honest, that statement has been true for quite a while, given the acceleration of cyber incidents over the past several years. Recent research indicates that organisations experienced 50% more attack attempts per week on corporate networks in 2021 than they did in 2020, and tactics such as phishing are becoming increasingly popular as attackers refine their tried-and-true methods to more successfully entice unsuspecting targets.

It's no surprise, then, that cyber resiliency has been a hot topic in the cyber security world. But although cyber resiliency refers broadly to the ability of an organisation to anticipate, withstand, and recover from cyber security incidents, many experts make the mistake of applying the term specifically to technology. And while it's true that detection and remediation tools, backup systems, and other resources play an important role in cyber resiliency, organisations that focus exclusively on technology risk are overlooking an equally important element: people.

People are often thought of as the weak link in cyber security. It's easy to understand why. People fall for phishing scams. They use weak passwords and procrastinate on installing security updates. They misconfigure hardware and software, leave cloud assets unsecured, and send confidential files to the wrong recipient. There's a reason so much cyber security technology is moving toward automation: removing people from the equation is seen as one of the most obvious ways to improve security. To many security experts, that's just common sense.

Except — is it, really? It's true that people make mistakes — it's called "human error" for a reason, after all — but many of those mistakes come when employees aren't put in a position to succeed. Phishing is a great example. Most people are familiar with the concept of phishing, but many may not be aware of the nefarious techniques that today's attackers deploy. If employees have not been properly trained, they may not be aware that attackers often impersonate real people within the organisation, or that the CEO asking them to buy gift cards "for a company happy hour" probably isn't legit. Organisations that want to build strong cyber-resiliency cannot pretend that people don't exist. Instead, they need to prioritise the resiliency of their people just as highly as the resiliency of their technology.

Training the organisation to recognise the signs of common attack tactics, practice better password and cyber hygiene, and report signs of suspicious activity can help ease the burden on IT and security personnel by providing them better information in a more timely manner. It also avoids some of the pitfalls that create a drain on their time and resources. By ensuring that people at every level of the business are more resilient, today's organisations will discover that their overall cyber-resiliency will improve significantly.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/cyber-resiliency-isn-t-just-about-technology-it-s-about-people

• The “Cyber Insurance Gap” Is Threatening Most Companies

A new study by BlackBerry and Corvus Insurance confirms a “cyber insurance gap” is growing, with a majority of businesses either uninsured or under insured against a rising tide of ransomware attacks and other cyber threats.

• Only 19% of all businesses surveyed have ransomware coverage limits above the median ransomware demand amount ($600,000)

• Among SMBs with fewer than 1,500 employees, only 14% have a coverage limit in excess of $600,000

• 37% of respondents with cyber insurance do not have any coverage for ransomware payment demands

• 43% of those with a policy are not covered for auxiliary costs such as court fees or employee downtime

• 60% say they would reconsider entering into a partnership or agreement with another business or supplier if the organisation did not have comprehensive cyber insurance

• Endpoint detection and response (EDR) software is frequently a key component to obtaining a policy

• 34% of respondents have been previously denied cyber coverage by insurance providers due to not meeting EDR eligibility requirements

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/expert-comments/the-cyber-insurance-gap-is-threatening-most-companies/

• Easing the Cyber-Skills Crisis with Staff Augmentation

Filling cyber security roles can be costly, slow, and chancy. More firms are working with third-party service providers to quickly procure needed expertise.

There are many possible solutions to the cyber security skills shortage, but most of them take time. Cyber security education, career development tracks, training programs, employer-sponsored academies, and internships are great ways to build a talent pipeline and develop skill sets to meet organisational needs in years to come.

But sometimes the need to fill a gap in capability is more immediate.

An organisation in the entertainment industry recently found itself in such a position. Its primary cyber security staff member quit suddenly without notice, taking along critical institutional knowledge and leaving various projects incomplete. With its key defender gone, the organisation's environment was left vulnerable. In a scarce talent market, the organisation faced a long hiring process to find a replacement — too long to leave its digital estate unattended. It needed expertise, and quickly.

According to a 2021 ESG report, 57% of organisations have been impacted by the global cyber security skills crisis. Seventy-six percent say it's difficult to recruit and hire security professionals. The biggest effects of this shortage are increasing workloads, positions open for weeks or months, and high cyber security staff burnout and attrition.

In this climate, more companies are turning to third parties for cyber security staff reinforcement. According to a NewtonX study, 56% of organisations are now subcontracting up to a quarter of their cyber security staff. Sixty-nine percent of companies rely on third-party expertise to assist in mitigating the risk of ransomware — up from 58% in 2017 — per a study by Ponemon and CBI, a Converge Company.

One way that companies gain this additional support is via third-party staff augmentation and consulting services. Cyber security staff augmentation, or strategic staffing, entails trained external consultants acting as an extension of an organisation's security team in a residency. Engagements can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, and roles can range from analysts and engineers to architects, compliance specialists, and virtual CISOs.

https://www.darkreading.com/operations/easing-the-cyber-skills-crisis-with-staff-augmentation

• Mailchimp Suffers Second Breach In 4 Months

Mailchimp suffered another data breach earlier this month, and this one cost it a client.

In a statement Friday, Mailchimp disclosed that a security incident involving phishing and social engineering tactics had targeted cryptocurrency and blockchain companies using the email marketing platform. It was the second Mailchimp breach to target cryptocurrency customers in a four-month span.

Though Mailchimp said it has suspended accounts where suspicious activity was detected while an investigation is ongoing, it did not reveal the source of the breach or scope of the attack.

More details were provided Sunday by one of the affected customers, DigitalOcean, which cut ties with Mailchimp on Aug. 9.

The cloud hosting provider observed suspicious activity beginning Aug. 8, when threat actors used its Mailchimp account for "a small number of attempted compromises" of DigitalOcean customer accounts -- specifically cryptocurrency platforms.

While it is not clear whether any DigitalOcean accounts were compromised, the company did confirm that some email addresses were exposed. More importantly, the statement attributed a potential source of the most recent Mailchimp breach.

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/252523911/Mailchimp-suffers-second-breach-in-4-months

• Firm Told It Can't Claim Full Cyber Crime Insurance After Social Engineering Attack

A Minnesota computer store suing its cyber insurance provider has had its case dismissed, with the courts saying it was a clear instance of social engineering, a crime for which the insurer was only liable to cover a fraction of total losses.

SJ Computers alleged in a November lawsuit that Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. owed it far more than paid on a claim for nearly $600,000 in losses due to a successful business email compromise (BEC) attack.

According to its website, SJ Computers is a Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher, reselling Dell, HP, Lenovo and Acer products, as well as providing tech services including software installs and upgrades.

Travelers, which filed a motion to dismiss, said SJ's policy clearly delineated between computer fraud and social engineering fraud. The motion was granted with prejudice last Friday.

In the dismissal order, the US District Court for Minnesota found that the two policy agreements are mutually exclusive, as well as finding SJ's claim fell squarely into its social engineering fraud agreement with Travelers, which has a cap of $100,000.

When SJ filed its claim with Travelers, the court noted, it did so only under the social engineering fraud agreement. After realising the policy limit on computer fraud was 10 times higher, "SJ Computers then made a series of arguments – ranging from creative to desperate – to try to persuade Travelers that its loss was not the result of social-engineering-fraud (as SJ Computers itself had initially said) but instead the result of computer fraud," the district judge wrote in the order.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/16/social_engineering_cyber_crime_insurance/

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Threats

Ransomware

• Ransomware Group Threatens to Leak Data Stolen From Security Firm Entrust | SecurityWeek.Com

• Cisco Confirms Hack: Yanluowang Ransom Gang Claims 2.8GB Of Data (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Ransomware is still on the rise. Here's what you need to do to stay safe from hackers | ZDNET

• Russian Man Extradited to US for Laundering Ryuk Ransomware Money | SecurityWeek.Com

• ‘Coopetition’ a growing trend among ransomware gangs (computerweekly.com)

• Hackers Attack UK Water Supplier, Sends Ransom Demand to the Wrong Company (gizmodo.com)

• SOVA malware adds ransomware feature to encrypt Android devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BlackByte ransomware v2 is out with new extortion novelties - Security Affairs

• Ransomware is back, healthcare sector most targeted - Help Net Security

• Why Hackers Are Now Targeting Electric Car Charging Stations (nocamels.com)

• BlackByte Ransomware Gang Returns With Twitter Presence, Tiered Pricing (darkreading.com)

• Ski-Doo maker BRP resumes operations following cyber attack; shares fluctuate - MarketWatch

• Argentina's Judiciary of Córdoba hit by PLAY ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Three Extradited from UK to US on $5m BEC Charges - Infosecurity Magazine

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Response-based attacks make up 41% of all email-based scams - Help Net Security

• PayPal Phishing Scam Uses Invoices Sent Via PayPal – Krebs on Security

• Microsoft admits it can't stop scammers fooling you with their latest tricks | ZDNET

Other Social Engineering; SMishing, Vishing, etc

• This is the lamest Microsoft Office security threat we've ever seen - but people will still fall for it | TechRadar

Malware

• Hackers Deploy Bumblebee Loader to Breach Target Networks - Infosecurity Magazine

• 'DarkTortilla' Malware Wraps in Sophistication for High-Volume RAT Infections (darkreading.com)

• Malicious browser extensions targeted almost 7 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• DoNot Team Hackers Updated its Malware Toolkit with Improved Capabilities (thehackernews.com)

• Whack-a-Mole: More Malicious PyPI Packages Spring Up Targeting Discord, Roblox (darkreading.com)

• This String of Emojis Is Actually Malware (vice.com)

Mobile

• SOVA Android malware now also encrypts victims' files - Security Affairs

• Malware devs already bypassed Android 13's new security feature (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google releases Android 13 with improved privacy and security features - Help Net Security

• Android malware apps with 2 million installs found on Google Play (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Researchers Find 35 Adware Apps on Google Play - Infosecurity Magazine

• Nearly 1,900 Signal Messenger Accounts Potentially Compromised in Twilio Hack (thehackernews.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• How attackers are exploiting corporate IoT - Help Net Security

• ‘Ask all the time: why do I need this?’ How to stop your vacuum from spying on you | Smart homes | The Guardian

• Amazon fixes Ring Android app flaw exposing camera recordings (bleepingcomputer.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Digital Ocean dumps Mailchimp after security breach • The Register

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• How Do Hackers Steal Credit Card Information? | TechTarget

• IT security worker who hacked businesses caught out by neighbour's Wi-Fi - Manchester Evening News

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• With Plunge in Value, Cryptocurrency Crimes Decline in 2022 (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft: Cryptojackers Continue to Evolve to Be Stealthier and Spread Faster - Infosecurity Magazine

• Hardware-based threat defence against increasingly complex cryptojackers - Microsoft Security Blog

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Ex-HP manager jailed for $5m company card shopping spree • The Register

• Microsoft Employees Exposed Own Company’s Internal Logins (vice.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• SEC claims $1.3m pump-and-dump scam used hacked accounts • The Register

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• Alleged Russian Money Launderer Extradited from the Netherlands to U.S. | OPA | Department of Justice

Insurance

• Organisations are losing cyber insurance as an important risk management tool - Help Net Security

• For cyber insurance, some technology leads to higher premiums (techtarget.com)

• New Study Reveals Serious Cyber-Insurance Shortfalls - Infosecurity Magazine

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Expert On Report Showing 297% Increase in US Breaches Tied To Supply Chain (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Transitioning From VPNs to Zero-Trust Access Requires Shoring Up Third-Party Risk Management (darkreading.com)

• How a Third-Party SMS Service Was Used to Take Over Signal Accounts

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• Google blocked the largest Layer 7 DDoS reported to date - Security Affairs

Cloud/SaaS

• Organisations Struggle to Fend Off Cloud and Web Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine

• Incident response in the cloud can be simple if you are prepared - Help Net Security

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Credential Theft Is (Still) A Top Attack Method (thehackernews.com)

• FBI Warns of Proxies and Configurations Used in Credential Stuffing Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Over 9,000 VNC servers exposed online without a password (bleepingcomputer.com)

Privacy

• Google fined $60 million over Android location data collection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Amazon Ring Vulnerability Could Have Exposed All Your Camera Recordings (thehackernews.com)

• ‘Ask all the time: why do I need this?’ How to stop your vacuum from spying on you | Smart homes | The Guardian

• Period and pregnancy tracking apps have bad privacy protections, report finds - The Verge

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Financial Services & Cyber Security Regulations: New York Making Changes? - MSSP Alert

Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• 5 Russia-Linked Groups Target Ukraine in Cyberwar (darkreading.com)

• Russia-linked Gamaredon APT continues to target Ukraine - Security Affairs

• Microsoft shuts down accounts linked to Russian spies • The Register

• State-Sponsored APTs Dangle Job Opps to Lure In Spy Victims (darkreading.com)

• Estonia Repels Biggest Cyber-Attack Since 2007 - Infosecurity Magazine

• Spyware Scandals Are Ripping Through Europe | WIRED

• US Cyber Command deploys defensive operators to Croatia to hunt for malicious cyber activity - Help Net Security

• NHS cyber attacks hit record levels in four in five trusts after Russian invasion (telegraph.co.uk)

• Spyware Hunters Are Expanding Their Tool Set | WIRED

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Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Microsoft disrupts Russian hackers' operation on NATO targets (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russian APT29 hackers abuse Azure services to hack Microsoft 365 users (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Disrupts Russian Group's Multiyear Cyber-Espionage Campaign (darkreading.com)

• Russian hackers target Ukraine with default Word template hijacker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Estonia says it repelled major cyber attack after removing Soviet monuments | Reuters

Nation State Actors – China

• Western companies wake up to China risk | Financial Times (ft.com)

• China-backed APT41 Hackers Targeted 13 Organisations Worldwide Last Year (thehackernews.com)

• China-linked RedAlpha behind multi-year credential theft campaign - Security Affairs

• Chinese Cyberspy Group 'RedAlpha' Targeting Governments, Humanitarian Entities | SecurityWeek.Com

• China's APT41 Embraces Baffling Approach for Dropping Cobalt Strike Payload (darkreading.com)

• Chinese takeover of tech company blocked over security fears (telegraph.co.uk)

• 3 ways China's access to TikTok data is a security risk | CSO Online

• Montana flagged bugs in cow app exploited in alleged China hack | Business and Economy | Al Jazeera

• APT41 group: 4 malicious campaigns, 13 victims, new tools and techniques - Help Net Security

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• North Korean hackers use signed macOS malware to target IT job seekers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mac Attack: North Korea's Lazarus APT Targets Apple's M1 Chip (darkreading.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Zero Day Initiative seeing an increase in failed patches (techtarget.com)

• Vulnerability Broker Applies Pressure on Software Vendors Shipping Faulty, Incomplete Patches | SecurityWeek.Com

• Which Security Bugs Will Be Exploited? Researchers Create an ML Model to Find Out (darkreading.com)

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Vulnerabilities

• CISA adds 7 vulnerabilities to list of bugs exploited by hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google patches yet another Chrome zero-day vulnerability (techtarget.com)

• Chrome browser gets 11 security fixes with 1 zero-day – update now! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Cisco fixes High-Severity bug in Secure Web Appliance - Security Affairs

• Exploit out for critical Realtek flaw affecting many networking devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Software Patches Flaw on macOS Could Let Hackers Bypass All Security Levels - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Safari 15.6.1 fixes a zero-day flaw actively exploited in the wild - Security Affairs

• Rapid7: Cisco ASA and ASDM flaws went unpatched for months (techtarget.com)

• Windows Vulnerability Could Crack DC Server Credentials Open (darkreading.com)

• ÆPIC and SQUIP Vulnerabilities Found in Intel and AMD Processors (thehackernews.com)

• PoC exploit code for the critical Realtek RCE flaw released online - Security Affairs

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Other News

• Exploiting stolen session cookies to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) - Help Net Security

• The Future of Endpoint Management | SecurityWeek.Com

• Janet Jackson music video given CVE for crashing laptops • The Register

• More Evil Markets | How It's Never Been Easier To Buy Initial Access To Compromised Networks - SentinelOne

• How aware are organisations of the importance of endpoint management security? - Help Net Security

• The Future of Cyber Security is Prevention | SecurityWeek.Com

• Signal/Twilio Incident - How Secure Are SMS Verifications? Experts Weigh (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• DigitalOcean Discloses Impact From Recent Mailchimp Cyber Attack | SecurityWeek.Com

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 05 May 2022

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Cyber Scams Cost Victims $6.9b-Plus Worldwide in 2021

Cyber-scams cost victims around the globe at least $6.9 billion last year, according to the FBI's latest Internet Crime Report.

Since 2017, the bureau's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received an average of 552,000 complaints per year. This includes reports of extortion, identity theft, phishing, fraud, and a slew of other nefarious schemes that cost victims no less than $18.7 billion in losses over the five-year period.

Unsurprisingly, the volume of these crimes — and related costs — have grown every year; 2021 set records for the total number of complaints (847,376) as well as losses exceeding $6.9 billion, a jump from the $4.2 billion reported a year earlier.

As with earlier years, phishing attacks were by far the most commonly reported crimes, with 323,972 last year. A subset of this category, business email compromise (BEC), is proving very lucrative and cost victims almost $2.4 billion from 19,954 victims, according to the Feds.

BEC involves a cyber criminal compromising a legitimate email account, and then tricking a business or individual into transferring funds, sending employees' personal data, or unlocking cryptocurrency wallets. The fraudster then steals the cash, drains the crypto wallet and/or sells employees' identities and credentials on the dark web.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/05/fbi_cyber_scams/

• Bad Actors Are Maximising Remote Everything

The rise of remote work and learning opened new opportunities for many people – as we’ve seen by the number of people who have moved to new places or adapted to “workcations.” Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the same opportunities – just in a different way. Evaluating the prevalence of malware variants by region reveals a sustained interest by cyber adversaries in maximising the remote work and learning attack vector.

As hybrid work and learning become embedded paradigms in our culture, there are fewer layers of protection between malware and would-be victims. And bad actors are gaining access to more tools to help them pull off their nefarious deeds – like exploit kits. At the same time, the attack surface has rapidly expanded and continues to do so.

That means enterprises must take a work-from-anywhere approach to their security. They need to deploy solutions capable of following, enabling and protecting users no matter where they are located. They need security on the endpoint (EDR) combined with zero trust network access (ZTNA) approaches.

https://threatpost.com/bad-actors-remote-everything/179458/

• This Sneaky Hacking Group Hid Inside Networks For 18 Months Without Being Detected

A previously undisclosed cyber-espionage group is using clever techniques to breach corporate networks and steal information related to mergers, acquisitions and other large financial transactions – and they've been able to remain undetected by victims for periods of more than 18 months.

Detailed by cyber security researchers at Mandiant, who've named it UNC3524, the hacking operation has been active since at least December 2019 and uses a range of advanced methods to infiltrate and maintain persistence on compromised networks that set it apart from most other hacking groups. These methods include the ability to immediately re-infect environments after access is removed. It's currently unknown how initial access is achieved. 

One of the reasons UNC3524 is so successful at maintaining persistence on networks for such a long time is because it installs backdoors on applications and services that don't support security tools, such as anti-virus or endpoint protection.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-sneaky-hacking-group-hid-inside-networks-for-18-months-without-being-detected/

• FBI: Business Email Compromise: The $43 Billion Scam

According to the FBI, business email compromise (BEC) and email account compromise (EAC) losses have surpassed $43 billion globally. BEC/EAC is a sophisticated scam that targets both businesses and individuals who perform legitimate transfer-of-funds requests.

The BEC/EAC scam continues to grow and evolve, targeting small local businesses to larger corporations, and personal transactions. Between July 2019 and December 2021, there was a 65% increase in identified global exposed losses, meaning the dollar loss that includes both actual and attempted loss in United States dollars.

The following information was derived from filings with financial institutions between June 2016 and December 2021:

• Domestic and international incidents: 241,206

• Domestic and international exposed dollar loss: $43,312,749,946

The following BEC/EAC statistics were reported in victim complaints to the IC3 between October 2013 and December 2021:

• Total US victims: 116,401

• Total US exposed dollar loss: $14,762,978,290

• Total non-US victims: 5,260

• Total non-US exposed dollar loss: $1,277,131,099

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/expert-comments/fbi-business-email-compromise-the-43-billion-scam/

• Disgruntled Employees Cashing in On Confidential Information Over Dark Web

Disgruntled employees are making hundreds of thousands of dollars by leaking confidential information over a new platform on the so-called dark web, cyber researchers have said.

Hidden in a part of the internet that is only accessible using special software, the Industrial Spy platform promises huge payouts to staff willing to hand over "dirty secrets" to competitors, according to experts at intelligence business Cyberint.

Industrial Spy currently has data on twelve companies from a range of industries available to people who sign up, Cyberint said.

The platform recently managed to sell two tranches of company data for $400,000 (£318,236) and $750,000 each.

An individual has advertised the platform to potential purchasers of the data on the dark web.

The post said: "With our information you could refuse partnership with an unscrupulous partner, reveal dirty secrets of your competitors and earn millions of dollars using insider information."

Cyber criminals have long approached employees individually and offered a bribe to release sensitive information such as internal data and passwords to access computer systems.

But this new platform allows employees to act on their own initiative to steal data and sell it online.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/05/02/disgruntled-employees-cashing-confidential-information-dark/

• Google Sees More APTs Using Ukraine War-Related Themes

Researchers at Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) say the number of advanced threat actors using Ukraine war-related themes in cyber attacks went up in April with a surge in malware attacks targeting critical infrastructure.

According to Google, known state-backed APT groups from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, along with various unattributed groups have been using war-related themes in phishing and malware distribution campaigns.

Looking at the cyber attacks that target Eastern Europe, however, a new Google report notes there hasn't been a significant change from the normal levels of activity, despite the increased adoption of lures related to the Ukraine war.

https://www.securityweek.com/google-sees-more-apts-using-ukraine-war-related-themes

• Cryptocurrency Regulators Are Scrambling to Catch Up with Hackers Who Are Swiping Billions

Just four months in, 2022 has been a banner year for hackers, and fraudsters targeting the industry have swindled more than $1 billion from cryptocurrency investors, according to separate estimates by cryptocurrency analysis firm Immunefi.

The rise in fraud has put US regulators on the offensive. The US Securities and Exchange Commission, which has positioned itself as the industry’s main regulator and enforcer, announced on Tuesday that it was going to double its staff working to resources to combat the rise in fraud.

“Crypto markets have exploded in recent years, with retail investors bearing the brunt of abuses in this space. Meanwhile, cyber-related threats continue to pose existential risks to our financial markets and participants,” Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement said in a statement. “The bolstered Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit will be at the forefront of protecting investors and ensuring fair and orderly markets in the face of these critical challenges.”

https://www.cyberscoop.com/cryptocurrency-sec-cybersecurity-bitcoin-regulation-enforcement/

• Tackling the Threats Posed by Shadow IT

While remote technologies have allowed businesses to shift their workforces online, this flexibility has created a swathe of challenges for IT teams who must provide a robust security framework for their organisation – encompassing all the personnel and devices within their remit. In addition to the ever-increasing number of personal devices, corporate devices and programs, more and more applications are moving to the cloud as workloads become increasingly distributed across public clouds and software-as-a-service (SaaS).

This means IT teams are even harder pressed to secure and manage the complex environments they operate in. The unsanctioned use of corporate IT systems, devices, and software – known as shadow IT – has increased significantly during the shift to remote work, and recent research found almost one in seven (68%) are concerned about information security because of employees following shadow IT practices.

Shadow IT can allow hackers to steal employee and customer identities, company intellectual property, and cause companies to fail compliance audits. It can also open the door to enterprises accidentally breaking laws and exposes organisations to data exfiltration, malware, and phishing.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/05/05/shadow-it-risk/

• Hackers Used the Log4j Flaw to Gain Access Before Moving Across a Company's Network, Say Security Researchers

State-backed hacking groups are some of the most advanced cyber attack operations in the world - but criminals don't need to rely on them if they can exploit unpatched cyber security flaws.

A North Korean hacking and cyber espionage operation breached the network of an engineering firm linked to military and energy organisations by exploiting a cyber security vulnerability in Log4j.

First detailed in December, the vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228) allows attackers to remotely execute code and gain access to systems that use Log4j, a widely used Java logging library.

The ubiquitous nature of Log4j meant cyber security agencies urged organisations globally to apply security updates as quickly as possible, but months on from disclosure, many are still vulnerable to the flaw.

According to cyber security researchers at Symantec, one of those companies that was still vulnerable was an undisclosed engineering firm that works in the energy and military sectors. That vulnerability resulted in the company being breached when attackers exploited the gap on a public-facing VMware View server in February this year. From there, attackers were able to move around the network and compromise at least 18 computers.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-hackers-used-the-log4j-flaw-to-gain-access-before-moving-across-a-companys-network/

• New Hacker Group Pursuing Corporate Employees Focused on Mergers and Acquisitions

[Explanatory note from Black Arrow: When a group of cyber attackers is identified by the cyber security community, it is given a code name usually composed of letters and digits. These groups are also sometimes referred to as APTs., or Advanced Persistent Threats, because the groups are highly skilled and are persistent in their attacks; they are often supported by their state government].

A newly discovered suspected espionage threat actor has been targeting employees focusing on mergers and acquisitions as well as large corporate transactions to facilitate bulk email collection from victim environments.

Mandiant is tracking the activity cluster under the uncategorised moniker UNC3524, citing a lack of evidence linking it to an existing group. However, some of the intrusions are said to mirror techniques used by different Russia-based hacking crews like APT28 and APT29.

"The high level of operational security, low malware footprint, adept evasive skills, and a large Internet of Things (IoT) device botnet set this group apart and emphasise the 'advanced' in Advanced Persistent Threat," the threat intelligence firm said in a report.

The initial access route is unknown but upon gaining a foothold, attack chains involving UNC3524 culminate in the deployment of a novel backdoor called QUIETEXIT for persistent remote access for as long as 18 months without getting detected in some cases.

https://thehackernews.com/2022/05/new-hacker-group-pursuing-corporate.html

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Threats

Ransomware

• Lockbit 2.0, Conti Dominate Ransomware Attack Activity - MSSP Alert: Cyber Security News for MSSPs & MDR Service Providers

• Twitter May Have Given User's Private Data to A Ransomware Hacker, Who Then Ran a Researcher Offline - CyberScoop

• US DoS Offers a Reward of Up To $15M For Info on Conti Ransomware Gang - Security Affairs

• Trend Micro Discovers AvosLocker Can Disable Antivirus Software (techtarget.com)

• Experts Analyse Conti and Hive Ransomware Gangs' Chats with Their Victims (thehackernews.com)

• New Ransomware Strains Linked to North Korean Govt Hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware Attacks: Why Case Studies Provide Rare Learning Opportunities - MSSP Alert: Cybersecurity News for MSSPs & MDR Service Providers

• REvil Revival: Are Ransomware Gangs Ever Really Gone? (darkreading.com)

• What We've Learned in the 12 Months Since the Colonial Pipeline Attack (darkreading.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• MSPs Need a Layered Defence Against Phishing - MSSP Alert: Cyber Security News for MSSPs & MDR Service Providers

• Google SMTP Relay Service Abused for Sending Phishing Emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US DoD Scammed Out of $23M in Phishing Attack on Jet-Fuel Vendors (darkreading.com)

• 1000s of Phishing Emails Sent from NHS Inboxes - IT Security Guru

Malware

• This New Fileless Malware Hides Shellcode in Windows Event Logs (thehackernews.com)

• Raspberry Robin Spreads Via Removable USB Devices - Security Affairs

• Hackers Using PrivateLoader PPI Service to Distribute New NetDooka Malware (thehackernews.com)

Mobile

• Android Monthly Updates Are Out – Critical Bugs Found in Critical Places! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

IoT

• Unpatched DNS Bug Affects Millions of Routers and IoT Devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• What Should I Know About Defending IoT Attack Surfaces? (darkreading.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Scammer Infects His Own Machine with Spyware, Reveals True Identity (darkreading.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs

• Crypto Hackers Stole More Than $370 Million In April Alone (vice.com)

• Ferrari Subdomain Hijacked to Push Fake Ferrari NFT Collection (bleepingcomputer.com)

Supply Chain

• NIST Issues Guidance for Addressing Software Supply-Chain Risk (darkreading.com)

Open Source

• Open-Source Security: It's Too Easy to Upload 'Devastating' Malicious Packages, Warns Google | ZDNet

• How Linux Became the New Bullseye for Bad Guys | SecurityWeek.Com

Passwords & Credential Stuffing

• Good End User Passwords Begin with A Well-Enforced Password Policy - Help Net Security

• 55% of People Rely on Their Memory To Manage Passwords - Help Net Security

• A Security Researcher Easily Found My Passwords and More: How My Digital Footprints Left Me Surprisingly Over-Exposed | ZDNet

• A Third of Americans Use Easy-to-Guess Pet Passwords (darkreading.com)

Spyware, Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Mandiant CEO: False-flag Ops a Red Line For Nation-States • The Register

• Anonymous and Ukraine IT Army Continue to Target Russian Entities - Security Affairs

• Pro-Ukraine Hackers Use Docker Images to DDoS Russian Sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chinese Hackers Caught Stealing Intellectual Property from Multinational Companies (thehackernews.com)

• Russia Hammered by Pro-Ukrainian Hackers Following Invasion | Ars Technica

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Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Russia-Linked APT29 Targets Diplomatic and Government Organisations - Security Affairs

• Russian Ransomware Group Claims Attack on Bulgarian Refugee Agency - CyberScoop

• Russia Cyber Attacks Raise Questions About Hacking Red Lines - Bloomberg

• Putin Threatens Supply Chains with Counter-Sanction Order • The Register

• Russian Hackers Targeting Diplomatic Entities in Europe, Americas, and Asia (thehackernews.com)

• China-linked APT Curious Gorge Targeted Russian Govt Agencies - Security Affairs

• Russia-Ukraine War Prompts Security Best Practices Refresher (techtarget.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• China-Linked Winnti APT Group Silently Stole Trade Secrets for Years: Report | SecurityWeek.Com

• State-Backed Chinese Hackers Target Russia - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Chinese "Override Panda" Hackers Resurface With New Espionage Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Experts Uncover New Espionage Attacks by Chinese 'Mustang Panda' Hackers (thehackernews.com)

• China Not Happy With South Korea Joining NATO Cyber Defense Center | SecurityWeek.Com

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• Security Researchers: Here's How the Lazarus Hackers Start Their Attacks | ZDNet

• US Sanctions Cryptocurrency Mixer Blender for Helping North Korea Launder Millions (thehackernews.com)

• VHD Ransomware Variant Linked to North Korean Cyber Army (darkreading.com)

Nation State Actors – Misc

• Stealthy APT Group Plunders Very Specific Corporate Email Accounts - Help Net Security

• UNC3524 APT Uses IP Cameras to Deploy Backdoors and Target Exchange - Security Affairs

• 1,000+ Attacks in 2 Years: How the SideWinder APT Sheds Its Skin (darkreading.com)

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Vulnerabilities

• CISA Adds Five Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalogue | CISA

• Aruba and Avaya Network Switches Are Vulnerable to RCE Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco Issues Patches for 3 New Flaws Affecting Enterprise NFVIS Software (thehackernews.com)

• F5 Warns of a New Critical BIG-IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• May 2022 Patch Tuesday Forecast: Look Beyond Just Application and OS Updates - Help Net Security

• Critical Cisco VM-Escape Bug Threatens Host Takeover (darkreading.com)

• Researchers Disclose Years-Old Vulnerabilities in Avast and AVG Antivirus (thehackernews.com)

• QNAP Releases Firmware Patches for 9 New Flaws Affecting NAS Devices (thehackernews.com)

• Multiple Vulnerabilities in Firefox Products Could Allow for Arbitrary Code Execution (cisecurity.org)

• Critical RCE Bug Reported in dotCMS Content Management Software (thehackernews.com)

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Sector Specific

Financial Services Sector

• German Finance Watchdog Sees 'Very Big' Risk of Cyber Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

Telecoms

• Top Ransomware Attack Targets: Telecom Leapfrogs Healthcare - MSSP Alert: Cybersecurity News for MSSPs & MDR Service Providers

• Chinese Hackers Caught Exploiting Popular Antivirus Products to Target Telecom Sector (thehackernews.com)

Health/Medical/Pharma Sector

• Healthcare and Education Sectors Most Susceptible to Cyber Incidents - Infosecurity Magazine

• Phishing Operation Hits NHS Email Accounts • The Register

Education and Academia

• April Ransomware Attacks Slam US Universities (techtarget.com)

• Healthcare and Education Sectors Most Susceptible to Cyber Incidents - Infosecurity Magazine

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Other News

• WordPress Sites Getting Hacked ‘Within Seconds’ of TLS Certificates Being Issued | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• Heroku: Cyber Attacker Used Stolen OAuth Tokens to Steal Customer Account Credentials (darkreading.com)

• Car Rental Company Sixt Hit by a Cyber Attack that Caused Disruptions - Security Affairs

• White House Says To Prepare For Cryptography-Cracking Quantum Computers - Information Security Buzz

• CMS-Based Sites Under Attack: The Latest Threats and Trends - Help Net Security

• Mozilla Finds Mental Health Apps Fail 'Spectacularly' at User Security, Data Policies | ZDNet

• Renew Focus on Web Application Security - MSSP Alert: Cybersecurity News for MSSPs & MDR Service Providers

• UK to Place Security Requirements on App Developers and Store Operators - Infosecurity Magazine

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 28 January 2022

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

UK Warned To Bolster Defences Against Cyber Attacks As Russia Threatens Ukraine - BBC News

UK organisations are being urged to bolster their defences amid fears cyber attacks linked to the conflict in Ukraine could move beyond its borders.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued new guidance, saying it is vital companies stay ahead of a potential threat.

The centre said it was unaware of any specific threats to UK organisations.

It follows a series of cyber attacks in Ukraine which are suspected to have involved Russia, which Moscow denies.

In December 2015, engineers in Ukrainian power stations saw cursors on their computer screens moving by themselves. They had been hacked. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power for hours.

It was the first time a power station had been taken offline, a sign that cyber intrusions were moving beyond stealing information into disrupting the infrastructure on which everyday life depends. Russia was blamed.

"It was a complex operation," says John Hultquist, an expert on Russian cyber operations at the US security firm Mandiant. "They even disrupted the telephone lines so that the engineers couldn't make calls."

Ukraine has been on the front line of a cyber conflict for years. But if Russia does invade the country soon, tanks and troops will still be at the forefront.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60158874

Cyber Attacks And Ransomware Hit A New Record In 2021, Says Report

Ransomware attacks have doubled for the past two years, says a new report—but a lot of people aren’t bothering to change their passwords.

Hackers made up for some lost time last year.

After seeing the number of data breaches decline in 2020, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s 16th Annual Data Breach Report says the number of security compromises was up more than 68% in 2021. That tops the all-time high by a shocking 23%.

All told, there were 1,862 breaches last year, says the ITRC, 356 more than in 2017, the previous busiest year on record.

“Many of the cyber attacks committed were highly sophisticated and complex, requiring aggressive defences to prevent them,” Eva Velasquez, ITRC president and CEO, said in a statement. “If those defences failed, too often we saw an inadequate level of transparency for consumers to protect themselves from identity fraud.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/90715622/cyberattacks-ransomware-data-breach-new-record-2021

Ransomware Families Becoming More Sophisticated With Newer Attack Methods

Ivanti, Cyber Security Works and Cyware announced a report which identified 32 new ransomware families in 2021, bringing the total to 157 and representing a 26% increase over the previous year.

The report also found that these ransomware groups are continuing to target unpatched vulnerabilities and weaponize zero-day vulnerabilities in record time to instigate crippling attacks. At the same time, they are broadening their attack spheres and finding newer ways to compromise organisational networks and fearlessly trigger high-impact assaults.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/01/28/new-ransomware-families/

More Than 90% Of Enterprises Surveyed Have Been Hit By Successful Cyber Attacks

Cyber attacks can impact any organisation, big or small. But large enterprises are often more tempting targets due to the vast amount of lucrative data they hold. A new report from cyber security firm Anomali reveals an increase in successful cyber attacks and offers ideas on how organisations can better protect themselves.

Published on Thursday, the "2022 Anomali Cyber security Insights Report" is based on a survey of 800 cyber security decision makers commissioned by Anomali and conducted by Harris between September 9 and October 13 of 2021. The survey elicited responses from professionals in the US, UK, Canada and other countries who work full time in such industries as manufacturing, telecommunications and financial services.

Among the respondents, 87% said that their organisations were victims of successful cyber attacks sometime over the past three years. In this case, a successful attack is one that caused damage, disruption or a data breach. Since the pandemic started almost two years ago, 83% of those polled have experienced an increase in attempted cyber attacks, while 87% have been hit with a rise in phishing emails, many of them exploiting coronavirus-related themes.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/more-than-90-of-enterprises-surveyed-have-been-hit-by-successful-cyberattacks/

Ransomware Gangs Increase Efforts To Enlist Insiders For Attacks

A recent survey of 100 large (over 5,000 employees) North American IT firms shows that ransomware actors are making greater effort to recruit insiders in targeted firms to aid in attacks.

The survey was conducted by Hitachi ID, which performed a similar study in November 2021. Compared to the previous survey, there has been a 17% rise in the number of employees offered money to aid in ransomware attacks against their employer.

Most specifically, 65% of the survey respondents say that they or their employees were approached between December 7, 2021, and January 4, 2022, to help hackers establish initial access.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gangs-increase-efforts-to-enlist-insiders-for-attacks/

Shipment-Delivery Scams Become the Favoured Way to Spread Malware

Attackers increasingly are spoofing the courier DHL and using socially engineered messages related to packages to trick users into downloading Trickbot and other malicious payloads.

Threat actors are increasingly using scams that spoof package couriers like DHL or the U.S. Postal Service in authentic-looking phishing emails that attempt to dupe victims into downloading credential-stealing or other malicious payloads, researchers have found.

Researchers from Avanan, a Check Point company, and Cofense have discovered recent phishing campaigns that include malicious links or attachments aimed at infecting devices with Trickbot and other dangerous malware, they reported separately on Thursday.

The campaigns separately relied on trust in widely used methods for shipping and employees’ comfort with receiving emailed documents related to shipments to try to elicit further action to compromise corporate systems, researchers said.

https://threatpost.com/shipment-delivery-scams-a-fav-way-to-spread-malware/178050/

Most Ransomware Infections Are Self-Installed

New research from managed detection and response (MDR) provider Expel found that most ransomware attacks in 2021 were self-installed.

The finding was included in the company’s inaugural annual report on cyber security trends and predictions, Great eXpeltations, published on Thursday.

Researchers found eight out of ten ransomware infections occurred after victims unwittingly opened a zipped file containing malicious code. Abuse of third-party access accounted for 3% of all ransomware incidents, and 4% were caused by exploiting a software vulnerability on the perimeter.

The report was based on the analysis of data aggregated from Expel’s security operations center (SOC) concerning incidents spanning January 1 2021 to December 31 2021.

Other key findings were that 50% of incidents were BEC (business email compromise) attempts, with SaaS apps a top target.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/most-ransomware-infections-self/

Staff Negligence Is Now A Major Reason For Insider Security Incidents

Insider threats cost organisations approximately $15.4 million every year, with negligence a common reason for security incidents, new research suggests.

Enterprise players today are facing cyber security challenges from every angle. Weak endpoint security, unsecured cloud systems, vulnerabilities -- whether unpatched or zero-days -- the introduction of unregulated internet of things (IoT) devices to corporate networks and remote work systems can all become conduits for a cyber attack to take place.

When it comes to the human element of security, a lack of training or cyber security awareness, mistakes, or deliberate, malicious actions also needs to be acknowledged in managing threat detection and response.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/employee-contractor-negligence-is-now-a-major-reason-for-insider-security-incidents/

22 Cyber Security Myths Organisations Need To Stop Believing In 2022

Security teams trying to defend their organisations need to adapt quickly to new challenges. Yesterday’s buzzwords and best practices have become today’s myths.

The past few years have seen a dramatic shift in how organisations protect themselves against attackers. The hybrid working model, fast-paced digitalization, and increased number of ransomware incidents have changed the security landscape, making CISOs' jobs more complex than ever.

This convoluted environment requires a new mindset to defend, and things that might have held true in the past might no longer be useful. Can digital certificates' expiration dates still be managed in a spreadsheet? Is encryption 'magic dust'? And are humans actually the weakest link?

Security experts weigh in the 22 cyber security myths that we finally need to retire in 2022.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3648048/22-cybersecurity-myths-organisations-need-to-stop-believing-in-2022.html

Android Malware Can Factory-Reset Phones After Draining Bank Accounts

A banking-fraud trojan that has been targeting Android users for three years has been updated to create even more grief. Besides draining bank accounts, the trojan can now activate a kill switch that performs a factory reset and wipes infected devices clean.

Brata was first documented in a post from security firm Kaspersky, which reported that the Android malware had been circulating since at least January 2019. The malware spread primarily through Google Play but also through third-party marketplaces, push notifications on compromised websites, sponsored links on Google, and messages delivered by WhatsApp or SMS. At the time, Brata targeted people with accounts from Brazil-based banks.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/android-malware-can-factory-reset-phones-after-draining-bank-accounts/

GDPR Fines Surged Sevenfold to $1.25 Billion in 2021: Study

Fines issued for GDPR non-compliance increased sevenfold from 2020 to 2021, analysis shows

In its latest annual GDPR summary, international law firm DLA Piper focuses attention in two areas: fines imposed and the evolving effect of the Schrems II ruling of 2020. Fines are increasing and Schrems II issues are becoming more complex.

Fines issued for GDPR non-compliance increased significantly (sevenfold) in 2021, from €158.5 million (approximately $180 million) in 2020 to just under €1.1 billion (approximately $1.25 billion) in 2021. The largest fines came from Luxembourg against Amazon (€746 million / $846 million), and Ireland against WhatsApp (€225 million / $255 million). Both are currently being appealed.

The WhatsApp fine is interesting. The original fine proposed by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) was for €30 million to €50 million. However, other European regulators objected, and the European Data Processing Board (EDPB) adjudicated – instructing Ireland to increase the fine by 350%.

https://www.securityweek.com/gdpr-fines-surged-sevenfold-125-billion-2021-study

Cyber Security In 2022 – A Fresh Look At Some Very Alarming Stats

Last year Forbes wrote a couple of articles  that highlighted some of the more significant cyber statistics associated with our expanding digital ecosystem.  In retrospect, 2021 was a very trying year for cyber security in so many areas. There were high profile breaches such as Solar Winds, Colonial Pipeline and dozens of others that had major economic and security related impact.  Ransomware came on with a vengeance targeting many small and medium businesses.  

Perhaps most worrisome was how critical infrastructure and supply chains security weaknesses were targeted and exploited by adversaries at higher rates than in the past.  Since it is only January, we are just starting to learn of some of the statistics that certainly will trend in 2022.  By reviewing the topics below, we can learn what we need to fortify and bolster in terms of cyber security throughout the coming year.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2022/01/21/cybersecurity-in-2022--a-fresh-look-at-some-very-alarming-stats/

Buy now, pay later fraud, romance and cryptocurrency schemes top the list of threats this year

Experian released its annual forecast, which reveals five fraud threats for the new year. With consumers continuing to take a digital-first approach to everything from shopping, dating and investing, fraudsters are finding new and innovative ways to commit fraud.

The main areas they are predicting seeing rises in fraud are:

-Buy now, pay never

-Cryptocurrency scams

-Doubling ransomware attacks

-More increases in romance fraud

-Digital elder abuse will rise

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/01/26/fraud-threats-this-year/

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Threats

Ransomware

• Ransomware: More Families, More Vulnerabilities, More Weaponry Dominate 2021 - MSSP Alert

• Linux Version Of LockBit Ransomware Targets VMware ESXi Servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BlackCat Ransomware Targeting US, European Retail, Construction And Transportation Orgs | ZDNet

• Conti Ransomware Hits Apple, Tesla Supplier - The Record by Recorded Future

Phishing

• There's Been A Big Rise In Phishing Attacks Using Microsoft Excel XLL Add-Ins | ZDNet

• Microsoft warns of multi-stage phishing campaign leveraging Azure AD (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Evolved phishing: Device Registration Trick Adds To Phishers’ Toolbox For Victims Without MFA - Microsoft Security Blog

Other Social Engineering

• Coronavirus SMS Scam Offers Home PCR Testing Devices – Don’t Fall For It! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

Malware

• Trickbot Injections Get Harder to Detect & Analyze (darkreading.com)

• Log4j: Mirai Botnet Found Targeting ZyXEL Networking Devices | ZDNet

• Hackers Infect macOS with New DazzleSpy Backdoor in Watering-Hole Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• TrickBot Malware Using New Techniques to Evade Web Injection Attacks (thehackernews.com)

Mobile

• 105 Million Android Users Targeted By Subscription Fraud Campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 2FA App With 10,000 Google Play Downloads Loaded Well-Known Banking Trojan | Ars Technica

• New FluBot And TeaBot Campaigns Target Android Devices Worldwide (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Latest Version Of Android RAT BRATA Wipes Devices After Stealing Data - Security Affairs

• Is Google Tracking Your Location Even When You Think You’ve Turned It Off? US States Sue Over “Deception” • Graham Cluley

IoT

• As IoT Attacks Increase, Experts Fear More Serious Threats (darkreading.com)

• Mirai Splinter Botnets Dominate IoT Attack Scene | ZDNet

• Millions of Routers, IoT Devices at Risk as Malware Source Code Surfaces on GitHub (darkreading.com)

• 19-Year-Old Describes How He Remotely Hacked 25+ Teslas (businessinsider.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• 'We're Losing Control Of Our Data' As Breaches Reach An All-Time High | ZDNet

• Personal Identifying Information For 1.5 Billion Users Was Stolen In 2021, But From Where? - TechRepublic

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Russia Makes More Arrests, But Cyber Crime-Harbouring Reputation Hard To Shake (scmagazine.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking

• People Are Still Getting Pwned a Week After a Crypto Hack Was ‘Contained’ (vice.com)

Supply Chain

• Aqua Security Reports Large Increase in Supply Chain Attacks (infoq.com)

DoS/DDoS

• Microsoft Mitigates Largest DDoS Attack 'Ever Reported In History' (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Nobel Foundation Site Hit By DDoS Attack On Award Day (bleepingcomputer.com)

CNI, OT, ICS, IIoT and SCADA

• Over 20,000 Data Center Management Systems Exposed To Hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Energy Sector Still Needs to Shut the Barn Door (darkreading.com)

Nation State Actors

• North Korean Hackers Using Windows Update Service to Infect PCs with Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Russian APT29 Hackers' Stealthy Malware Undetected For Years (bleepingcomputer.com)

• North Korean Hackers Return with Stealthier Variant of KONNI RAT Malware (thehackernews.com)

• German Intel Warns Of APT27 Targeting Commercial Organisations - Security Affairs

• Threat Actors Use Microsoft OneDrive for Command-and-Control in Attack Campaign (darkreading.com)

• APTs Quiet Ahead Of Beijing Games, But Financially Motivated Hackers Are Still Lurking, Research Says - CyberScoop

Cloud

• Top 5 Cloud Security Data Breaches in Recent Years (makeuseof.com)

• Molerats Group Uses Public Cloud Services As Attack Infrastructure - Security Affairs

Privacy

• UK’s Privacy Tsar Mounts Fierce Defence of End-to-End Encryption - Infosecurity Magazine

Passwords & Credential Stuffing

• 65% Of Organisations Continue To Rely On Shared Logins - Help Net Security

• Strong Security Starts With The Strengthening Of The Weakest Link: Passwords - Help Net Security

• Has That Password Been Compromised? - IT Security Guru

Spyware, Espionage & Cyber Warfare

• DazzleSpy: Pro-Democracy Org Hijacked To Become macOS Spyware Distributor | ZDNet

Vulnerabilities

• Ubiquitous Linux Bug: ‘An Attacker’s Dream Come True’ | Threatpost

• Outlook Security Feature Bypass Allowed Sending Malicious Links | SecurityWeek.Com

• Attackers Now Actively Targeting Critical SonicWall RCE Bug (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Patching the CentOS 8 Encryption Bug is Urgent – What Are Your Plans? (thehackernews.com)

• Apple Fixes New Zero-Day Exploited To Hack macOS, iOS Devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• F5 Fixes 25 Flaws In BIG-IP, BIG-IQ, and NGINX Products - Security Affairs

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Sector Specific

Health/Medical/Pharma Sector

• Healthcare Industry Most Common Victim Of Third-Party Breaches Last Year - Help Net Security

Education and Academia

• Education Sector Hounded By Cyber Attacks In 2021 | CSO Online

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• Reports Published in the Last Week

• Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2021 Annual Data Breach Report Sets New Record for Number of Compromises - ITRC (idtheftcenter.org)

• Experian plc - Experian’s Annual Future of Fraud Forecast Predicts Five Key Threats for Businesses and Consumers in 2022

• Aqua Security Reports Large Increase in Supply Chain Attacks (infoq.com)

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Other News

• Cyber Security: 11 Steps To Take As Threat Levels Increase | ZDNet

• Right of Boom: Can Your MSP Really Survive A Cyber Attack? - MSSP Alert

• Are You Prepared to Defend Against a USB Attack? (darkreading.com)

• Prioritizing And Remediating Vulnerabilities In The Wake Of Log4J and Microsoft's Patch Tuesday Blunder | CSO Online

• VW Fired Senior Employee After They Raised Cyber Security Concerns | Financial Times

• Microsoft Outlook RCE Zero-Day Exploits Now Selling For $400,000 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers Are Taking Over CEO Accounts With Rogue OAuth Apps (bleepingcomputer.com)

As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 01 October 2021

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Cyber Second Only To Climate Change As Biggest Global Risk

Cyber security has been ranked as the second largest threat to our way of life in a major new survey of 23,000 people, comprised of both experts and members of the public. Cyber came second only to climate change on the world stage, but was ranked as the number one risk in the Americas and second in Asia, Africa, and Europe. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyber-second-biggest-global-risk/

Businesses Unsure Which Tech Is Essential Against Ransomware

As ransomware attacks grow in number, a new report finds that many organisations are under the impression they have things in hand but most are unsure what protections they should have in place. The report, based on a survey of 455 business leaders and cyber security professionals, claims businesses are on top of employee training, risk assessments and cyber insurance. Where firms fall flat however is their “clear gap” in thinking, in what many respondents see as “essential tech” in the fight against ransomware – nearly half of respondents (49%) thought paying up was their best option. https://www.techradar.com/news/businesses-unsure-which-tech-is-essential-against-ransomware

Cyber Crime Awareness Heightened, Yet People Still Engage In Risky Online Behaviours

A survey of over 2,000 adults suggests that 76% of respondents recognise the severity of data breaches. This heightened awareness may be driven by constant news of major consumer, enterprise and infrastructural breaches over the last year alone. https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/10/01/risky-online-behaviors/

Attacks Against Remote Desktop Protocol Endpoints Have Exploded This Year

A recent report warns of a huge increase in attacks on the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), an almost universal protocol used by nearly every business in operation today. The figures show attacks on RDP have jumped 103.9% since its T1 report in June and represents around 55 billion devices. The RDP protocol is leveraged by threat actors to deploy ransomware and has become a popular target due to both heavy use by IT service providers and common misconfigurations.  https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/30/eset_threat_report/

Ransomware Attacks Up 1,070% Year Over Year

The prevalence of ransomware is growing rapidly, according to the 2021 Ransomware Survey Report. The report shockingly found many of the ransom demands are paid, and comes as a result in the rise of “ransomware as-a-service”. The report found 94% of businesses are concerned about ransomware, with 49% stating they would simply pay the ransom outright. Respondents in Europe were more concerned than those in North America, and around 67% felt they had already been the target of ransomware.  https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/fortinet-report-ransomware-attacks-up-1070-year-over-year/

Baby’s Death Alleged To Be Linked To Ransomware

A US hospital paralyzed by ransomware in 2019 will be defending itself in court this November over the death of a newborn. The baby was born amid the hospital’s eighth day of fending off the attack. Court filings show the hospital – Springhill Medical Center in Alabama – believes wireless tracking systems and heartbeat monitoring equipment were compromised by the ransomware, leading to the death.

https://threatpost.com/babys-death-linked-ransomware/175232/

Ransomware Shame: More Than Half Of Business Owners Conceal Cyber-Breach

Around a third (32%) of enterprises experienced a six-figure breach last year, but well over half (61%) admitted to concealing it. The findings come as a global survey of 1,400 decision makers in cyber is released. https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/ransomware-cyber-breach-concealed

More Than 90% Of Q2 Malware Was Hidden In Encrypted Traffic

Around 91.5% of malware detections in Q1 2021 were concealed in HTTPS-encrypted connections. A ubiquitous protocol – used to secure traffic any time you open a web page – only 20% of organisations have mechanisms in place to scan the arriving HTTPS traffic. The terrifying result found that most firms are missing over nine-tenths of malware hitting their networks every day. https://www.darkreading.com/perimeter/more-than-90-of-q2-malware-was-hidden-in-encrypted-traffic

Cyber Attack Floors British Payroll Firm

A "sophisticated" cyber attack has forced a British payroll company to shut down its entire network, leaving some contractors without pay.  Giant Group confirmed on September 24 that it had taken its network, fully integrated IT infrastructure, phone, and email systems offline last Wednesday after detecting suspicious activity. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyberattack-floors-british-payroll/#.YVQiuXlCjOA.twitter

GriftHorse Malware Infected More Than 10 Million Android Phones From 70 Countries

A malicious trojan has been making its way through the Google Play Store since at least November of 2020. The app, purportedly harmless on the surface, hijacks payments on the victim device, resulting in a series of hidden charges and a nasty surprise at the end of the month. Researchers who discovered the malware estimate its impact to be over 10 million victims in 70 countries, and several hundreds of millions of Euros in losses. https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/122730/malware/grifthorse-malware-campaign.html

50% Of Servers Have Weak Security Long After Patches Are Released

Over 50% of servers scanned still have weak security, a new study suggests, even after patches have been issued. Researchers found that servers were still vulnerable weeks and even months after critical updates, leaving many businesses wide open to attack. https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/50-of-servers-have-weak-security-long-after-patches-are-released

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Threats

Ransomware

• United Health Centres Reportedly Compromised By Ransomware Attack

• JVCKenwood Hit By Conti Ransomware Claiming Theft Of 1.5TB Data

• Ransomware Gangs Are Complaining That Other Crooks Are Stealing Their Ransoms

• Ransomware Gangs Are Starting More Drama On Cyber Crime Forums, Upending 'Honor Among Thieves' Conventions

• Conti Ransomware Expands Ability To Blow Up Backups

• United Health Centers Reportedly Compromised By Ransomware Attack

• REvil Customers Complain Ransomware Gang Uses Backdoors To Filch Ransoms

• The Biggest Problem With Ransomware Is Not Encryption, But Credentials

Phishing

• 75K Email Inboxes Hit in New Credential Phishing Campaign

• Credential Spear-Phishing Uses Spoofed Zix Encrypted Email

• LinkedIn URLs are being hijacked For phishing

Other Social Engineering

• Scammers Capitalize on Release of New Bond Movie

Malware

• FinSpy Surveillance Kit Re-Emerges Stronger Than Ever

• Thousands Of Online Gaming Accounts Hit In Major Cyber Attack

• Microsoft Warns of FoggyWeb Malware Targeting Active Directory FS Servers

• New Malware Steals Steam, Epic Games Store, And EA Origin Accounts

Vulnerabilities

• Google Emergency Update Fixes Two Chrome Zero Days

• Threat Actors Use Recently Discovered CVE-2021-26084 Atlassian Confluence

• Apple AirTag Zero-Day Weaponizes Trackers

• New Azure AD Bug Lets Hackers Brute-Force Passwords Without Getting Caught

• Thousands of University Wi-Fi Networks Expose Log-In Credentials

• Exploit Released For VMware Vulnerability After CISA Warning

• Apple Pay Users ‘Vulnerable To Security Hack’

• Outsourced Software Poses Greater Risks to Enterprise Application Security

• Working Exploit Is Out for VMware vCenter CVE-2021-22005 Flaw

• Apple Responds To Security Researcher Who Found Multiple iOS 15 Zero-Day Flaws

• Windows 10 Emergency Update Resolves KB5005565 App Freezes, Crashes

• Cyber Security Vulnerability Could Affect Millions Of Hikvision Cameras

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Mental Healthcare Providers Report Data Breaches

• Anonymous: We've Leaked Disk Images Stolen From Far-Right-Friendly Web Host Epik

• 3.8 Billion Users’ Combined Clubhouse, Facebook Data Up for Sale

• Emails, Chat Logs, More Leaked Online From Far-Right Militia Linked To US Capitol Riot

Cryptocurrency/Cryptojacking

• Ethereum Dev Admits Helping North Korea Mine Crypto-Bucks, Faces 20 Years Jail

• China Says All Crypto Currency-Related Transactions Are Illegal And Must Be Banned

Insider Threats

• 10 Recent Examples of How Insider Threats Can Cause Big Breaches and Damage

Dark Web

• Computer Scientist Jailed Over Dark Web Conspiracy

DoS/DDoS

• Bandwidth.com Is Latest Victim Of DDoS Attacks Against VoIP Providers

Nation State Actors

• APT Focus: ‘Noisy’ Russian Hacking Crews Are Among The World’s Most Sophisticated

• APT29 Targets Active Directory Federation Services With Stealthy Backdoor

• GhostEmperor Hackers Use New Windows 10 Rootkit In Attacks

• Nation-State Attacks Fears Grow, Execs Don’t Trust Governments To Protect Them From Cyber Threats

• APT focus: ‘Noisy’ Russian hacking crews are among the world’s most sophisticated

Cloud

• Huawei Cloud Services: U.S. Lawmakers Express Security Concerns

• Cloud Security is the Weak Link

• Why CEOs Should Absolutely Concern Themselves With Cloud Security

• Cloud Security: Report Finds 68% of Malware Delivered From Cloud Apps

Privacy

• Which? Survey Finds People Would Actually Pay The Online Giants Not To Take Their Data

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Reports Published in the Last Week

ESET Threat Report T2 2021

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Other News

• Revealed: How To Steal Money From Victims' Contactless Apple Pay Wallets

• Threat Actors Weaponize Telegram Bots to Compromise PayPal Accounts

• Cyber Security Experts Have Discovered A New Hacker Group

• The Return Of The Hacktivists

• Report Highlights Cyber Security Dangers Of Elastic Stack Implementation Mistakes

• Russian Authorities Arrest Cyber Security Giant Group-IB’s CEO On Treason Charges

• US Deports Convicted Cyber Criminal to Russia

• OWASP Toasts 20th Anniversary With Revised Top 10 For 2021

• New Emergency Fraud Hotline Launched in UK

• Corporate Attack Surface Exploding As A Result Of Remote Work 

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our weekly ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.