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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 03 May 2024
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 03 May 2024:
-Most Attacks Impacting SMB’s Target Older, Unpatched Vulnerabilities
-91% of Ransomware Victims Paid At least One Ransom in the Past Year, as 1 in 5 Ransomware Attacks Triggers Lawsuit
-BEC and Fund Transfer Fraud Top Insurance Claims
-Correlating Cyber Investments with Business Outcomes
-Vulnerability Exploitation up 180%, 68% of Breaches involved Humans and Supply Chain Weak Link
-MOVEit & Change Healthcare Attacks Designated as Cyber Catastrophe Loss Events by Insurer
-Securing Your Organisation’s Supply Chain: Reducing the Risks of Third Parties
-Why Remote Desktop Tools are Facing an Onslaught of Cyber Threats
-95% of Organisations Revamped Cyber Security Strategies in the Last Year: Make Sure Yours is Right
-Human Factor a Significant Risk for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.
-Microsoft CEO Says it is Putting Security Above All Else in Major Refocus
-Ending the Culture of Silence in Cyber Security; Three Ways to Empower Teams
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
Most Attacks Impacting SMB’s Target Older, Unpatched Vulnerabilities
Attackers continue to aggressively target small and mid-size businesses using specific high-profile vulnerabilities dating back a decade or more, network telemetry shows. Findings have shown that this is due to these vulnerabilities featuring in a wide range of products. Due to their prevalence, they can often become missed by organisations conducting patch management and therefore leave the organisation open.
For this reason it is critical that all organisations, including smaller organisations, have internal as well as external vulnerability scanning. You might believe your systems are patched up to date but there is no way to confirm without scanning , or to know which patches might have been missed.
Sources: [Infosecurity Magazine]
91% of Ransomware Victims Paid At least One Ransom in the Past Year, as 1 in 5 Ransomware Attacks Triggers Lawsuit
Ransomware attacks saw a significant surge in 2023, following a dip in 2022. The number of victims increased by 66% from 2022 to 2023, with 91% of those affected paying at least one ransom. 58% of organisations have been targeted six times or more.
The Sophos State of Ransomware 2023 report highlighted ransom payments rose by 500%; nearly two-thirds exceeded $1m or more, with an average payment of $2m. Furthermore, 30% of the demands were for over $5m.
In the US, 18% of incidents led to litigation, with 123 lawsuits filed in 2023 and 355 over five years. Data breaches, affecting 283.3 million records, primarily triggered these lawsuits, especially in healthcare and finance sectors. The resolution rate is 59%, with the highest settlement at $8.7m. Regulatory fines added nearly $10m to the financial impact. These figures underscore the significant financial implications of ransomware attacks and the urgent need for robust cyber security measures.
Sources: [ZD Net] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Security Magazine] [PrNewsWire] [Infosecurity Magazine]
BEC and Fund Transfer Fraud Top Insurance Claims
Cyber Insurer Coalition's 2024 Cyber Claims Report highlights a significant trend in cyber security threats, identifying email-based fraud as the predominant cause of insurance claims in 2023, accounting for 53% of all claims. Business email compromise (BEC) and funds transfer fraud (FTF) topped the list, contributing to 28% of claims and increasing claim amounts by 24% to an average loss exceeding $278,000. In contrast, ransomware, while less frequent at 19% of claims, also saw a rise in both frequency and severity, with average losses climbing to over $263,000. The report also notes a 13% year-on-year surge in overall claims, with substantial losses tied to compromised network security devices and a notable vulnerability in organisations using exposed remote desktop protocols.
Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]
Correlating Cyber Investments with Business Outcomes
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has implemented stringent new rules compelling organisations to report significant cyber incidents within four days and to annually disclose details concerning their cyber security risk management, strategy, and governance. These mandates are seen as giving “more teeth to the idea that cyber security is a business problem” and “bringing an element of cyber security to the boardroom” according to cyber security solutions provider SecurityGate. Highlighted in the "Cybersecurity Insights" podcast, experts argue for simplifying cyber security strategies, advocating sustained resource allocation over reactive measures, and emphasising the importance of training over expensive solutions. These steps are deemed crucial for enhancing organisational resilience and security in a landscape where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated and pervasive.
Source: [InfoRisk Today]
Verizon: Vulnerability Exploitation up 180%, 68% of Breaches involved Humans and Supply Chain Weak Link
Verizon has released the findings of its 17th Annual Data Breach Investigations Report, which showed security incidents doubled year over year in 2023 to a record high 30,458 security events and 10,626 confirmed breaches. Some of the key takeaways from the 100-page report include zero-day attacks on unpatched systems and devices rising 180% in 2023, most breaches (68%) involving a non-malicious human element and the median time for users to fall for phishing emails falling just south of 60 seconds. In its first inclusion as a separate metric, supply chain attacks were found to contribute to 15% of all attacks.
Sources: [MSSP Alert] [Verizon]
MOVEit & Change Healthcare Attacks Designated as Cyber Catastrophe Loss Events by Insurer
Verisk’s Property Claim Services (PCS) has recently identified the MOVEit and Change Healthcare cyber attacks as significant Cyber Catastrophe Loss Events. These designations are part of PCS’s Global Cyber solution, which tracks cyber incidents and their potential impact on the insurance market. The designation indicates that each attack is anticipated to result in insurance industry losses exceeding USD 250 million.
The MOVEit attack, linked to the Russian-affiliated group Cl0p, compromised over 2,700 organisations globally, affecting up to 90 million individuals. The Change Healthcare attack, attributed to the ALPHV/Blackcat gang, notably disrupted UnitedHealth Group’s operations, with projected costs and lost revenue totalling up to USD 1.6 billion. These designations highlight the escalating scale and financial impact of cyber incidents on global markets.
Source: [Reinsurance News]
Securing Your Organisation’s Supply Chain: Reducing the Risks of Third Parties
Nearly every organisation is part of a supply chain, where a significant amount of data is transferred. When data leaves your infrastructure, its security depends on the third party. The risks of a cyber incident increases as the supply chain increases.
Organisations need to mitigate the risks that their third party brings. This requires an understanding of the supply chain actors, and performing cyber security assessments of the most critical ones. The objective is to ensure that your organisation is satisfied with the third party’s security controls, or to work together to remediate any gaps.
Source: [Help Net Security]
Why Remote Desktop Tools are Facing an Onslaught of Cyber Threats
In the era of hybrid work, remote desktop tools have become crucial yet vulnerable points within corporate networks, attracting significant cyber criminal attention. A study by Barracuda Networks underscores the challenges of securing these tools. Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is particularly susceptible; it is targeted in 98% of these types of attacks due to its use of multiple, sometimes unsecured ports. VNC attacks predominantly exploit weak password practices, notably through brute force methods. Conversely, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) accounts for about 1.6% of these attacks but is favoured for more extensive network breaches, often involving ransomware or crypto mining. The study highlights a pressing need for robust endpoint management and heightened security measures to mitigate these threats.
Source: [ITPro]
95% of Organisations Revamped Cyber Security Strategies in the Last Year: Make Sure Yours is Right
A recent report found that 95% of companies have altered their cyber security strategies in the last twelve months. This was driven by keeping pace with the shifting regulatory landscape (98%), the need to meet customer expectations for data protection and privacy (89%), and the rise of AI-driven threats and solutions (65%). Almost half (44%) of non-security executives do not understand the regulatory requirements their organisation must adhere to.
When it came to reporting, the study found that security teams aren’t reporting on key operational metrics that define whether their security investments and strategy changes have a measurable impact. It is evident that there is a disconnect between security and non-security professionals when it comes to the business strategy.
Sources: [Business Wire] [Security Magazine]
Human Factor a Significant Risk for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.
A survey of business and IT security in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) conducted by LastPass found that roughly one in five business leaders admits to circumventing security policies, as do one in 10 IT security leaders. The survey found that password management is critically important to cyber security, with nearly half (47%) reporting recent breaches due to compromised passwords.
Sources: [Beta News] [Business Wire]
Microsoft CEO Says it is Putting Security Above All Else in Major Refocus
Following a series of high-profile attacks in recent months and a report by the US Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), Microsoft’s CEO has revealed it will now focus its efforts on an increase in the commitment to security. Investigating a summer 2023 attack, Microsoft was deemed to have made a series of “avoidable errors”, including the failure to detect several compromises, the CSRB said.
Sources: [TechRadar]
Ending the Culture of Silence in Cyber Security; Three Ways to Empower Teams
A recent discussion on workplace errors highlights the significant repercussions of cyber breaches compared to typical office mistakes. In the UK, nearly a third of businesses face cyber attacks weekly, with each breach costing approximately £4,000. However, a concerning trend is that 41% of these breaches are not reported to internal leadership, often due to fears among staff about the consequences of admitting faults. A three-pronged approach has been suggested to foster a blame-free culture: providing tailored and evolving cyber training, establishing safe zones for admitting mistakes, and implementing robust recovery plans. This approach not only prepares employees to handle potential breaches more effectively but also encourages them to report incidents promptly, reducing the overall impact and aiding quicker recovery. Such strategies are essential for maintaining resilience against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Source: [Minute Hack]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report: 5 Takeaways | MSSP Alert
Verizon DBIR: Vulnerability exploitation in breaches up 180% | TechTarget
Verizon DBIR: Basic Security Gaffes Cause Breach Surge (darkreading.com)
95% of Organisations Revamped Their Cyber Security Strategies in the Last Year | Business Wire
95% of organisations adjusted cyber security strategies this past year | Security Magazine
1 in 5 US Ransomware Attacks Triggers Lawsuit - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Are Enterprises Overconfident About Cyber Security Readiness? (govinfosecurity.com)
How CISOs Can Contend with Increasing Scrutiny from Regulators (informationweek.com)
Correlating Cyber Investments with Business Outcomes (inforisktoday.com)
Ending The Culture of Silence In Cyber Security – 3 Ways To Empower Teams - Minutehack
97% of security leaders have increased SaaS security budgets - Help Net Security
The rise in CISO job dissatisfaction – what’s wrong and how can it be fixed? | CSO Online
Should Cyber Security Leadership Finally be Professionalized? - SecurityWeek
What needs to change to overcome nonchalant security approaches | TechRadar
Agile by Design: Cyber Security at the Heart of Transformation (noeticcyber.com)
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Q1 2024 Ransomware Report: 21% Increase in Q1 2023 Ransomware Activity (corvusinsurance.com)
91% of ransomware victims paid at least one ransom in the past year, survey finds | ZDNET
1 in 5 US Ransomware Attacks Triggers Lawsuit - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
There was an 81% year-over-year increase in ransomware attacks | Security Magazine
Ransom recovery costs reach $2.73 million - Help Net Security
Cactus Ransomware Group Targets Qlik Sense Servers | Decipher (duo.com)
How AI and data protection intersect in today's threat era - SiliconANGLE
Better hygiene may mitigate the need to ban ransomware payments | Computer Weekly
Ukrainian REvil Hacker Sentenced to 13 Years and Ordered to Pay $16 Million (thehackernews.com)
How Businesses Should Grapple With Ransomware Threats (eetimes.eu)
Cyber security consultant arrested after allegedly extorting IT firm (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ransomware Victims
Change Healthcare breached via Citrix portal with no MFA | TechTarget
Almost all US hospitals took financial hit from Change hack, AHA says | Reuters
Another major pharmacy chain shuts following possible cyber attack | TechRadar
Hack That Paralyzed US Health Care Turns Up Scrutiny on Insurer (claimsjournal.com)
Cyber attack to cost Western Isles Council half a million pounds (holyrood.com)
LockBit publishes confidential data stolen from Cannes hospital in France (therecord.media)
French hospital CHC-SV refuses to pay LockBit extortion demand (bleepingcomputer.com)
'Cybersecurity incident' closes London Drugs' pharmacies • The Register
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
AI-driven phishing attacks deceive even the most aware users - Help Net Security
US Post Office phishing sites get as much traffic as the real one (bleepingcomputer.com)
If you receive a Shein mystery box, do not open it | TechRadar
Why the automotive sector is a target for email-based cyber attacks - Help Net Security
BEC
BEC and Fund Transfer Fraud Top Insurance Claims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Other Social Engineering
FBI warns of fake verification schemes targeting dating app users (bleepingcomputer.com)
A Lot of People Are Falling for Those 'Your Package Cannot Be Delivered' Texts | PCMag
Artificial Intelligence
AI-driven phishing attacks deceive even the most aware users - Help Net Security
AI is creating a new generation of cyber attacks - Help Net Security
Combating the Rising Tide of AI-Driven Cyber Crime (cryptopolitan.com)
Businesses turn to generative AI but many don't have policies on it (betanews.com)
How AI and data protection intersect in today's threat era - SiliconANGLE
Understanding emerging AI and data privacy regulations - Help Net Security
To understand the risks posed by AI, follow the money – O’Reilly (oreilly.com)
From Risk to Resilience: Managing Data Security in AI-Driven Enterprises | Inc.com
Cyber security experts face AI risks, deepfakes, burnout | Fortune
US Government Releases New AI Security Guidelines for Critical Infrastructure (thehackernews.com)
Why Using Microsoft Copilot Could Amplify Existing Data Quality and Privacy Issues - SecurityWeek
2FA/MFA
Malware
New "Goldoon" Botnet Targets D-Link Routers With Decade-Old Flaw (thehackernews.com)
New SOHO router malware aims for cloud accounts, internal company resources - Help Net Security
Guarding the Gates: The Growing Abundance of Linux Malware - VMRay
Bogus npm Packages Used to Trick Software Developers into Installing Malware (thehackernews.com)
Millions of Malicious 'Imageless' Containers Planted on Docker Hub Over 5 Years (thehackernews.com)
ZLoader Malware Evolves with Anti-Analysis Trick from Zeus Banking Trojan (thehackernews.com)
New Cuttlefish malware infects routers to monitor traffic for credentials (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mobile
Powerful 'Brokewell' Android Trojan Allows Attackers to Takeover Devices - SecurityWeek
Google Prevented 2.28 Million Malicious Apps from Reaching Play Store in 2023 (thehackernews.com)
New Wpeeper Android malware hides behind hacked WordPress sites (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft warns of "Dirty Stream" attack impacting Android apps (bleepingcomputer.com)
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Internet of Things – IoT
NCSC: New UK law bans default passwords on smart devices (securityaffairs.com)
A glaring Android TV security flaw might put your Gmail at risk | Android Central
Data Breaches/Leaks
PSNI data breach: Almost 5,000 officers and staff in legal action - BBC News
Kaiser Permanente data breach may have impacted 13.4 million patients (securityaffairs.com)
FBCS data breach impacted 2M individuals (securityaffairs.com)
States shares health debt data of 5,000 in an email | Guernsey Press
Qantas app exposed sensitive traveller details to random users (bleepingcomputer.com)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Data of over 25,000 people stolen in 2023 breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Australian pubgoers' personal info posted to leak site • The Register
Monash Health data breach exposes sexual assault and family violence claims (smh.com.au)
Panda Restaurant Group disclosed a data breach (securityaffairs.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
AI is creating a new generation of cyber attacks - Help Net Security
Combating the Rising Tide of AI-Driven Cyber Crime (cryptopolitan.com)
Router Roulette: Cyber Criminals and Nation-States Sharing Compromised Networks | Trend Micro (US)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
How insider threats can cause serious security breaches - Help Net Security
Ex-NSA Employee Sentenced to 22 Years for Trying to Sell U.S. Secrets to Russia (thehackernews.com)
Insurance
Cyber facility in capacity raise as risk severity grows (emergingrisks.co.uk)
Hack That Paralyzed US Health Care Turns Up Scrutiny on Insurer (claimsjournal.com)
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Cloud/SaaS
New SOHO router malware aims for cloud accounts, internal company resources - Help Net Security
97% of security leaders have increased SaaS security budgets - Help Net Security
Encryption
UK's Investigatory Powers Bill approved to become law • The Register
Ten years of Heartbleed: Lessons learned | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Linux and Open Source
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Change Healthcare breached via Citrix portal with no MFA | TechTarget
Okta warns of "unprecedented" credential stuffing attacks on customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
NCSC: New UK law bans default passwords on smart devices (securityaffairs.com)
New Cuttlefish malware infects routers to monitor traffic for credentials (bleepingcomputer.com)
How to use a YubiKey to log into Windows and macOS (xda-developers.com)
Social Media
How TikTok Grew From a Fun App for Teens Into a Potential National Security Threat - SecurityWeek
Facebook at 20: Contemplating the Cost of Privacy (darkreading.com)
Training, Education and Awareness
Ending The Culture Of Silence In Cyber Security – 3 Ways To Empower Teams - Minutehack
Everyone's an Expert: How to Empower Your Employees for Cyber Security Success (thehackernews.com)
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
UK's Investigatory Powers Bill approved to become law • The Register
UK rolls out new consumer safeguards for smart devices (betanews.com)
FCC fines major wireless carriers over illegal location data sharing - Help Net Security
Understanding emerging AI and data privacy regulations - Help Net Security
CISA's incident reporting requirements go too far, trade groups and lawmakers say | CyberScoop
Data Protection
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
Cyber security experts face AI risks, deepfakes, burnout | Fortune
The rise in CISO job dissatisfaction – what’s wrong and how can it be fixed? | CSO Online
Agencies to turn toward ‘skill-based hiring’ for cyber and tech jobs, ONCD says | CyberScoop
Cyber Security Degrees, Are They Really Worth It? | HackerNoon
Beyond the Buzz: Rethinking Alcohol as a Cyber Security Bonding Ritual - SecurityWeek
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Ukrainian REvil Hacker Sentenced to 13 Years and Ordered to Pay $16 Million (thehackernews.com)
Police shuts down 12 fraud call centres, arrests 21 suspects (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cyber security consultant arrested after allegedly extorting IT firm (bleepingcomputer.com)
CEO who sold fake Cisco devices to US military gets 6 years in prison (bleepingcomputer.com)
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity
Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Nation State Actors
China
‘Honeypots’ and influence operations: China’s spies turn to Europe (ft.com)
Philippines Pummelled by Cyber Attacks & Misinformation Tied to China (darkreading.com)
Germany grapples with wave of spying threats from Russia and China - BBC News
How TikTok Grew From a Fun App for Teens Into a Potential National Security Threat - SecurityWeek
Think tank: Tech companies spread China's propaganda • The Register
China's attacks on critical infrastructure ‘tip of the iceberg' | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Chinese Hackers Have Been Probing DNS Networks Globally for Years: Report - SecurityWeek
Muddling Meerkat hackers manipulate DNS using China’s Great Firewall (bleepingcomputer.com)
Chinese government website security has big problems • The Register
Espionage breaches account for 25% in APAC, report reveals (securitybrief.co.nz)
Russia
Router Roulette: Cyber Criminals and Nation-States Sharing Compromised Networks | Trend Micro (US)
Russian Hackers Target Industrial Systems in North America, Europe - SecurityWeek
Pro-Russia hacktivists attacking vital tech in water and other sectors, agencies say | CyberScoop
Germany grapples with wave of spying threats from Russia and China - BBC News
Ukraine Targeted in Cyber Attack Exploiting 7-Year-Old Microsoft Office Flaw (thehackernews.com)
Germany Warns Of Consequences For Alleged Russian Cyber Attack (rferl.org)
Hackers Claim to Have Infiltrated Belarus’ Main Security Service - SecurityWeek
Military Tank Manual, 2017 Zero-Day Anchor Latest Ukraine Cyber Attack (darkreading.com)
Sweden prepares for Eurovision amidst fears of protests, cyber attacks and unrest | Euronews
Ex-NSA Employee Sentenced to 22 Years for Trying to Sell U.S. Secrets to Russia (thehackernews.com)
Two British men charged with helping Russian intelligence - BBC News
Two hackers in Ukraine accused of spreading Russian propaganda (therecord.media)
Iran
North Korea
Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence
Vulnerability Management
When is One Vulnerability Scanner Not Enough? (thehackernews.com)
Vulnerability exploitation nearly tripled in 2023 (telecoms.com)
Vulnerabilities
Cisco devices again targeted by state-linked threat campaign - TechCentral.ie
Okta warns of "unprecedented" credential stuffing attacks on customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
1,200+ Vulnerabilities Detected In Microsoft Products In 2023 (gbhackers.com)
Most attacks affecting SMBs target five older vulnerabilities | CSO Online
Severe Flaws Disclosed in Brocade SANnav SAN Management Software (thehackernews.com)
UnitedHealth hackers took advantage of Citrix vulnerability to break in, CEO says (yahoo.com)
Palo Alto Updates Remediation for Max-Critical Firewall Bug (darkreading.com)
WordPress plugin vulnerability poses severe security risk, allows for site takeovers | TechSpot
Ukraine Targeted in Cyber Attack Exploiting 7-Year-Old Microsoft Office Flaw (thehackernews.com)
New R Programming Vulnerability Exposes Projects to Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)
Grafana Tool Vulnerability Let Attackers Inject SQL Queries (gbhackers.com)
Microsoft says April Windows updates break VPN connections (bleepingcomputer.com)
NTLM auth traffic spikes after Windows Server patch • The Register
New "Goldoon" Botnet Targets D-Link Routers With Decade-Old Flaw (thehackernews.com)
Four Critical Vulnerabilities Expose HPE Aruba Devices to RCE Attacks (thehackernews.com)
Ten years of Heartbleed: Lessons learned | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
1,400 GitLab Servers Impacted by Exploited Vulnerability - SecurityWeek
Tools and Controls
Why remote desktop tools are facing an onslaught of cyber threats | ITPro
Correlating Cyber Investments With Business Outcomes (inforisktoday.com)
When is One Vulnerability Scanner Not Enough? (thehackernews.com)
Microsoft CEO says it is "putting security above all else" in major refocus | TechRadar
Can automating security relieve CISO pressure? (techinformed.com)
10 Critical Endpoint Security Tips You Should Know (thehackernews.com)
Businesses turn to generative AI but many don't have policies on it (betanews.com)
Ending The Culture Of Silence In Cyber Security – 3 Ways To Empower Teams - Minutehack
Organisations Struggle with Zero Trust: Gartner | MSSP Alert
Tech Tip: Why Haven't You Set Up DMARC Yet? (darkreading.com)
97% of security leaders have increased SaaS security budgets - Help Net Security
DPRK's Kimsuky APT Abuses Weak DMARC Policies, Feds Warn (darkreading.com)
How to Red Team GenAI: Challenges, Best Practices, and Learnings (darkreading.com)
Chinese Hackers Have Been Probing DNS Networks Globally for Years: Report - SecurityWeek
Muddling Meerkat hackers manipulate DNS using China’s Great Firewall (bleepingcomputer.com)
Why LLMs are predicting the future of compliance and risk management | VentureBeat
Other News
Microsoft CEO says it is "putting security above all else" in major refocus | TechRadar
A Season Of Health Breaches, A Season Of Changes (forbes.com)
Bank of England tells payment firms to step up disruption mitigation plans (yahoo.com)
NCSC updates warning over hacktivist threat to CNI | Computer Weekly
The EU's Strategy for a Cyber Secure Digital Single Market | UpGuard
To Damage OT Systems, Hackers Tap USBs, Old Bugs & Malware (darkreading.com)
During National Small Business Week, Take Steps to Secure Your Business | CISA
At Microsoft, years of security debt come crashing down | Cybersecurity Dive
Sweden prepares for Eurovision amidst fears of protests, cyber attacks and unrest | Euronews
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.
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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 26 April 2024
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 26 April 2024:
-Coalition Finds More Than Half of Cyber Insurance Claims Originate in the Email Inbox
-Unmasking the True Cost of Cyber Attacks: Beyond Ransom and Recovery
-Why Cyber Security Should Be Driving Your Enterprise Risk Management Strategy
-Ransomware Double-Dip - Re-Victimisation in Cyber Extortion
-AI is a Major Threat and Many Financial Organisations Are Not Doing Enough to Fight the Threat
-6 out of 10 Businesses Struggle to Manage Cyber Risk
-'Junk Gun' Ransomware: New Low-Cost Cyber Threat Targets SMBs
-Penetration Testing Infrequency Leaves Security Gaps
-Bank Prohibited from Opening New Accounts After Regulators Lose Patience With Poor Cyber Security Governance
-The Psychological Impact of Phishing Attacks on Your Employees
-Where Hackers Find Your Weak Spots
-The Role of Threat Intelligence in Financial Data Protection
-Government Cannot Protect Business and Services from Cyber Attack, Decision Makers Say
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]
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]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Ransomware triggers cyber insurance claims increase | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
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
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Ransomware triggers cyber insurance claims increase | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Report finds a near 20% increase in ransomware victims year-over-year | Security Magazine
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)
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
Cyber Hygiene Helps Organisations Mitigate Ransomware-Related Vulnerabilities | CISA
Ransomware attacks rise in global food & agriculture sector (securitybrief.co.nz)
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
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
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)
LA County Health Services: Patients' data exposed in phishing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
BEC
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
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)
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
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)
Give Your iPhone a Security Boost With This iOS 17.4 Feature - CNET
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)
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
CesiumAstro claims former exec spilled trade secrets to upstart competitor AnySignal | TechCrunch
Insurance
Ransomware triggers cyber insurance claims increase | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Email inbox cyber crime leaps as claims soar (emergingrisks.co.uk)
Coalition: Insurance claims for Cisco ASA users spiked in 2023 | TechTarget
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
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
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Most people still rely on memory or pen and paper for password management - Help Net Security
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
Training, Education and Awareness
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
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
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)
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
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)
Man arrested for 'framing colleague' with AI-generated voice • The Register
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
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
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)
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)
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
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
Hackers hijack antivirus updates to drop GuptiMiner malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft Warns: North Korean Hackers Turn to AI-Fuelled Cyber Espionage (thehackernews.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
Vulnerability Management
Third-Party Software Patching: Your Cyber Armor in 2024 | MSSP Alert
Automated patch management: 9 best practices for success | TechTarget
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)
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)
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)
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
CISA ransomware warning program set to fully launch by end of 2024 | CyberScoop
Reports Published in the Last Week
Mandiant's M-Trends Report Reveals New Insights from Frontline Cyber Investigations (prnewswire.com)
Boost your data protection with insights from Dell's report - SiliconANGLE
Rising Cyber Threats Pose Serious Concerns for Financial Stability (imf.org)
Cyber Security in the UK - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)
Other News
Why Educating HR Professionals on Cyber Risk Is Crucial (thehrdirector.com)
Network Threats: A Step-by-Step Attack Demonstration (thehackernews.com)
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
EU Statement – UN General Assembly 1st Committee: Cyber Security | EEAS (europa.eu)
Why Tourists Are Particularly Vulnerable To Cyber Attacks (maltatoday.com.mt)
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)
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)
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.
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· Construction
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· FinTech
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· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
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· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
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· 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.
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