Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 24 May 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

Human Error and AI Tops Cyber Threats as 70% of CISOs Worry About Risk

According to a survey of 1,600 CISOs, 70% worry about the risk of a material cyber attack over the next 12 months. Additionally, nearly 31% believe an attack is very likely, compared to 25% in 2023.  Amongst the largest concerns were human error, with 75% of CISOs identifying it as their most significant cyber vulnerability, up from 60% in 2023. Furthermore, 80% anticipate that human risk and employee negligence in particular will be major cyber security issues in the next two years.  Additionally, artificial intelligence was identified as an emerging concern for 54% of CISOs.

Sources: [The Register] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Cryptopolitan]

The State of Cyber Security: AI and Geopolitics Mean a Bigger Threat Than Ever

A recent report by Check Point reveals that global organisations faced an average of 1,158 weekly cyber attacks in 2023, an increase from 2022. In the UK, 50% of businesses experienced cyber attacks in the past year, with medium and large-sized businesses more affected at 70% and 74%, respectively. A ClubCISO survey found 62% of CISOs believe organisations are ill-equipped for AI-driven attacks, yet 77% haven't increased cyber security spending.

Additionally, a British Foreign Policy Group (BFPG) article highlights cyber threats from geopolitical tensions, with a recent attack on the Ministry of Defence exposing HR and payroll data. The National Cyber Security Centre attributes such attacks to state-affiliated actors like China and Russia. Despite efforts to establish international cyber norms, enforcement remains challenging. Businesses must recognise that cyber security is now deeply intertwined with geopolitics, affecting strategic partnerships and procurement.

Sources: [Verdict] [BFPG]

Threat Research Highlights Growing Mobile Security Risks

A recent report by a cloud security vendor focusing on the mobile threat landscape found that in the first quarter of 2024, the number of phishing, malicious, denylisted and offensive links delivered to their customers’ mobile devices tripled compared to Q1 2023. The report, which bases its data on 220 million devices, 325 million apps and billions of web items, found that the most common misconfiguration in mobiles was out of date operating systems (37%). When it came to the prevalence of attacks, 75% of organisations reported experiencing mobile phishing attempts targeting their employees.

This comes as a representative from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency told the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year that there had been “numerous incidents of successful, unauthorised attempts” to steal location data, monitor voice and text messages, and deliver spyware.

Sources: [Economist] [Business Wire]

Family Offices Become Prime Targets for Cyber Hacks and Ransomware

A recent Dentons survey reveals that nearly 80% of family offices perceive a dramatic increase in cyber attack threats, with a quarter experiencing an attack in 2023, up from 17% in 2020. Despite their wealth, family offices often lack the staff and technology to manage these risks effectively. Less than a third report well-developed cyber risk management processes, and only 29% believe their cyber training programs are sufficient. This gap between awareness and action highlights the need for family offices to prioritise comprehensive cyber security measures, including better training, updated policies, and secure communication practices.

Source: [CNBC]

Ransomware Fallout: 94% Experience Downtime, 40% Face Work Stoppage

According to a report by cyber security provider Arctic Wolf, within the last 12 months 48% of organisations identified evidence of a successful breach within their environment and 70% of organisations were the targets of attempted Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, with 29% of these targets becoming victims of one or more successful BEC occurrences.

In its survey, the company says “45% of the organizations we spoke with admitted to being the victim of a ransomware attack within the last 12 months”,  an increase from the prior year. Of those impacted by ransomware, 86% of attacks including successful data exfiltration and 94% of those impacted by a ransom event experienced a significant downtime and delays. 40% of victims stated they experienced a period of total work stoppage due to ransomware.

Source: [Help Net Security]

Employee Discontent: Insider Threat No. 1

Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) must integrate human factors into insider risk management (IRM), not just rely on detection technologies. IRM must consider factors such as those raised by recent research where only half of US workers are very satisfied with their jobs, and 28% feel their employers don't care about them. CISOs themselves are affected by job satisfaction; the 2024 IANS/Artico report shows three out of four CISOs are ready to leave their roles. DTEX Systems found 77% of malicious insiders concealed their activities, emphasising the importance of human engagement and feedback in mitigating risks.

Source: [CSO]

Report Reveals 341% Rise in Advanced Phishing Attacks

A recent report has revealed malicious emails increased by 341% over the past 6 months. This included a 217% increase in credential harvesting phishing attacks and a 29% increase in Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks. The report highlighted the impact of artificial intelligence, noting that since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, there has been a 4,151% surge in malicious phishing messages.

Source: [Security Magazine] [ Infosecurity Magazine]

Ransomware and GenAI Raise Security Challenges, Driving Cyber Investment

A recent study by Infosecurity Europe reveals that nearly 40% of cyber security leaders are increasing investments to combat the growing threats of ransomware and AI-generated attacks. A separate survey found 94% of organisations have or plan to implement generative AI use policies, and a third strictly forbid AI tech in their environment. This data highlights the ongoing effort to balance AI benefits with security risks, indicating that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for formalising AI adoption and usage policies.

Source: [Security Boulevard] [Infosecurity Magazine]

New Rules Prompt 93% of Organisations to Rethink Cyber Security Plans

A recent report reveals that 93% of organisations have re-evaluated their cyber security strategies due to new regulations, with 58% reconsidering their entire approach. The survey, which included 500 cyber security decision-makers from the US and UK, found that 92% reported increased security budgets, with 36% seeing rises of 20-49% and 23% experiencing over 50% increases. Despite this, only 40% feel confident in their resources to comply with regulations, and just one-third believe they can meet all requirements, highlighting significant gaps in preparedness.

Source: [security magazine]

HR and IT Related Phishing Scams Still Most Popular According to KnowBe4’s Latest Phishing Report

A recent KnowBe4 report reveals that HR-related phishing emails account for 42% of top-clicked phishing attempts, followed by IT-related emails at 30%. These phishing tactics exploit employees' trust and evoke immediate responses by mimicking legitimate business communications about dress code changes, tax updates, and training notifications. The report also highlights that nearly a third of users are vulnerable to phishing, emphasising the need for robust security awareness training. A well-trained workforce is essential in defending against increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks that leverage AI and emotional manipulation.

Source: [IT Security Guru]

80% of Exposures from Misconfigurations, as 15 Vendors Account for 62% of Global Attack Surface

A recent XM Cyber report highlights a significant gap in cyber security focus with identity and credential misconfigurations accounting for 80% of security exposures. The study, based on hundreds of thousands of attack path assessments, found that 62% of the global attack surface is concentrated in just 15 vendors. Furthermore, 41% of organisations had at least one compromised device, and 11% experienced ransomware incidents. The report underscores the need for a shift from patching all vulnerabilities to addressing high-impact exposures, especially those around identity management and critical asset protection.

Sources: [Security Magazine] [The Hacker News]

UK to Propose Mandatory Reporting for Ransomware Attacks and Licensing Regime for all Payments

A forthcoming proposal in Britain aims to overhaul the response to ransomware by mandating victims to report incidents and obtain a license before making extortion payments. This initiative, part of a public consultation, includes a ban on ransom payments for critical national infrastructure to deter attacks. The National Cyber Security Centre has highlighted concerns over underreporting, with a 2023 increase in ransomware-related data breaches. The plan’s success hinges on replacing the delayed Action Fraud reporting platform. This proposal marks a significant step in global ransomware policy, with Britain leading international efforts against cyber criminals.

Source: [The Record Media]

UK’s Legal Sector Needs to Improve its Cyber Security, Says Experts

One in ten UK data breaches in 2023 occurred in the legal sector, highlighting that UK law firms are attractive targets for cyber criminals. A recent analysis of the UK’s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) data found that the legal sector is one of the worst performing sectors for data breaches, with nearly 86 per cent of the incidents within the legal sector involving breaches of personal identifiable information, including instances also affecting sensitive economic and financial data.

Sources [CITY AM]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• 70% of CISOs Expect Cyber Attacks in Next Year, Report Finds - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK's legal sector needs to improve its cyber security, say experts (cityam.com)

• How to stay on top of evolving cyber security legislation | RSM UK

• New rules prompt 93% of organisations to rethink cyber security plans | Security Magazine

• Ransomware and AI-Powered Hacks Drive Cyber Investment - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• One CISO Can’t Fill Your Board’s Cyber Security Gaps (mit.edu)

• Security Compliance 101: What It Is and How to Master It - Security Boulevard

• Family offices become prime targets for cyber hacks and ransomware (cnbc.com)

• Worried about job security, cyber teams hide security incidents - Help Net Security

• Law firms warn global risks on the rise (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Financial companies must have data breach incident plans, SEC says | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Businesses must overcome security communication roadblocks – Channel EYE

• Why Culture is the Bedrock of Cyber Security - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 10 Leadership Challenges For An AI World (forbes.com)

• IT Security Leaders Are Failing to Close a Boardroom Credibility Gap (prnewswire.com)

• Effective GRC programs rely on team collaboration - Help Net Security

• Are AI and Cyber Security the New Driving Forces Behind Mergers and Acquisitions in the Coming Years? - The Global Treasurerputty

• Understanding cyber risks beyond data breaches - Help Net Security

• De-risking the business - how to evolve your approach to security | TechRadar

• IT and security data is siloed in most organisations (betanews.com)

• Can Cyber Security Be a Unifying Factor in Digital Trade Negotiations? (darkreading.com)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Family offices become prime targets for cyber hacks and ransomware (cnbc.com)

• Ransomware fallout: 94% experience downtime, 40% face work stoppage - Help Net Security

• Ransomware Attacks Evolve as Average Ransom Demand Tops $1.26 Million - Security Boulevard

• UK to propose mandatory reporting for ransomware attacks and licensing regime for all payments (therecord.media)

• Ransomware gang targets Windows admins via PuTTy, WinSCP malvertising (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber criminals shift tactics to pressure more victims into paying ransoms - Help Net Security

• Unpatched vulnerabilities making bad ransomware outcomes worse: What you need to know | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Cyber Attacks Over Work Email Most Used; Ransomware Hits Victims Hard: Artic Wolf (insurancejournal.com)

• This wiper malware takes data destruction to a whole new level | TechRadar

• A Surge in Ransomware: Insights from Our 2024 Cyber Threat Report | Huntress

• New ransomware group abusing BitLocker | Securelist

• Ransomware, BEC, GenAI Raise Security Challenges - Security Boulevard

• LockBit takedown taking toll as gang plummets down rankings • The Register

• First LockBit, now BreachForums: Are cops winning the war? • The Register

• 2024 sees continued increase in ransomware activity - Help Net Security

• Ransomware Attacks Exploit VMware ESXi Vulnerabilities in Alarming Pattern (thehackernews.com)

• What role does an initial access broker play in the RaaS model? | TechTarget

• Casino cyber attacks put a bullseye on Scattered Spider • The Register

• Ransomware innovation slowdown a product of crims' success • The Register

Ransomware Victims

• National Records of Scotland reveals its data stolen in 'distressing' NHS health board cyber attack (scotsman.com)

• OmniVision Says Personal Information Stolen in Ransomware Attack - Security Week

• Blackbasta group claims to have hacked Atlas, one of the largest US oil distributors (securityaffairs.com)

• LockBit says they stole data in London Drugs ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• HR and IT related phishing scams still most popular according to KnowBe4’s latest Phishing Report - IT Security Guru

• Report Reveals 341% Rise in Advanced Phishing Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Grandoreiro Banking Trojan Resurfaces, Targeting Over 1,500 Banks Worldwide (thehackernews.com)

• Phishing statistics that will make you think twice before clicking - Help Net Security

• Cyber Attacks Over Work Email Most Used; Ransomware Hits Victims Hard: Artic Wolf (insurancejournal.com)

• Q1 2024 Global Phishing Report (knowbe4.com)

• Phishing, BEC, and Beyond: Tackling the Top Cyber Threats to UK Banks (prnewswire.co.uk)

• Two-stage Dropbox spear phishing | Kaspersky official blog

• Latrodectus Malware Loader Emerges as IcedID's Successor in Phishing Campaigns (thehackernews.com)

• Only 60 percent of brands can protect their customers from digital impersonation (betanews.com)

• A phish by any other name should still not be clicked – Computerworld

• Active Chinese Cyber espionage Campaign Rifling Email Servers (inforisktoday.com)

• YouTube has become a significant channel for cyber crime - Help Net Security

BEC

• The last six months shows a 341% increase in malicious emails | Security Magazine

• Phishing, BEC, and Beyond: Tackling the Top Cyber Threats to UK Banks (prnewswire.co.uk)

• Ransomware, BEC, GenAI Raise Security Challenges - Security Boulevard

• 10 Years in Prison for $4.5 million BEC Scammer Who Bought Ferrari to Launder Money | Tripwire

Other Social Engineering

• ‘Unblockable’ HMRC scam message on iPhones sparks warning (yahoo.com)

• Cyber criminals Exploit Cloud Storage For SMS Phishing Scams - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• The state of cyber security: AI and geopolitics mean a bigger threat than ever - Verdict

• Three Questions Every Leader Needs To Ask About AI Cyber Security (forbes.com)

• Ransomware, BEC, GenAI Raise Security Challenges - Security Boulevard

• Beware – Your Customer Chatbot is Almost Certainly Insecure: Report - Security Week

• Human Error and AI Tops Cyber Security Threats in CISO Survey | Cryptopolitan

• Consumers continue to overestimate their ability to spot deepfakes - Help Net Security

• CIO’s 2024 Checklist: Generative AI, Digital Transformation And More (forbes.com)

• Are AI and Cyber Security the New Driving Forces Behind Mergers and Acquisitions in the Coming Years? - The Global Treasurer

• Deepfakes Rank As the Second Most Common Cyber Security Incident for US Businesses (darkreading.com)

• Data regulator looking into Microsoft’s AI Recall feature | The Independent

• New Microsoft Recall feature is a 'security nightmare' and could make Copilot+ PCs a top target for cyber criminals | ITPro

• Why We Need to Get a Handle on AI - Security Week

• CISOs pursuing AI readiness should start by updating the org’s email security policy - Help Net Security

• 10 Leadership Challenges For An AI World (forbes.com)

• US Intelligence Agencies’ Embrace of Generative AI Is at Once Wary and Urgent - Security Week

• User Outcry as Slack Scrapes Customer Data for AI Model Training - Security Week

• Balancing generative AI cyber security risks and rewards | TechTarget

• AI Is The Past, Present And Future Of Cyber Security (forbes.com)

• US AI Experts Targeted in SugarGh0st RAT Campaign (darkreading.com)

• The ‘dead internet theory’ makes eerie claims about an AI-run web. The truth is more sinister (theconversation.com)

• Transparency is sorely lacking amid growing AI interest | ZDNET

• UK Government in £8.5m Bid to Tackle AI Cyber Threats - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

2FA/MFA

• Microsoft to Mandate Multi-Factor Authentication for All Azure Users (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Here's why you should get a YubiKey (xda-developers.com)

• Zero-Day Attacks and Supply Chain Compromises Surge, MFA Remains Underutilized: Rapid7 Report - Security Week

Malware

• Grandoreiro Banking Trojan Resurfaces, Targeting Over 1,500 Banks Worldwide (thehackernews.com)

• Ukraine blackouts caused by malware attacks warn against evolving cyber security threats to the physical world (techxplore.com)

• 400K Linux Servers Recruited by Resurrected Ebury Botnet (darkreading.com)

• Another nasty Mac malware is spoofing legitimate software to target macOS users | TechRadar

• Foxit PDF Reader Flaw Exploited by Hackers to Deliver Diverse Malware Arsenal (thehackernews.com)

• What Does Malware Look Like? Check Out These Real-World Examples (pcmag.com)

• Cyber Criminals Exploit GitHub and FileZilla to Deliver Malware Cocktail (thehackernews.com)

• Dangerous nostalgia: Taking Windows XP online will result in auto-installed viruses in a matter of minutes | TechSpot

• Malware Delivery via Cloud Services Exploits Unicode Trick to Deceive Users (thehackernews.com)

• MS Exchange Server Flaws Exploited to Deploy Keylogger in Targeted Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Keylogger Embedded Microsoft Exchange Server Steals Login Credentials (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Latrodectus Malware Loader Emerges as IcedID's Successor in Phishing Campaigns (thehackernews.com)

• Researchers spot cryptojacking attack that disables endpoint protections | Ars Technica

• US AI Experts Targeted in SugarGh0st RAT Campaign (darkreading.com)

• New BiBi Wiper version also destroys the disk partition table (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Novel EDR-Killing 'GhostEngine' Malware Is Built for Stealth (darkreading.com)

• Malicious actors are cat-phishing targets in order to spread malware | Security Magazine

Mobile

• It is dangerously easy to hack the world’s phones (economist.com)

• How often should you turn off your phone? Here's what the NSA says | PCWorld

• New Android Banking Trojan Mimics Google Play Update App - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• North Korea-linked Kimsuky APT attack targets victims via Messenger (securityaffairs.com)

• US Official Warns a Cell Network Flaw Is Being Exploited for Spying | WIRED

• How to recognise if the security of your work device has been breached (siliconrepublic.com)

• Vultur Malware Mimic As Mobile Antivirus Steals Login Credentials (cybersecuritynews.com)

• ‘Unblockable’ HMRC scam message on iPhones sparks warning (yahoo.com)

• Lookout Threat Research Highlights Growing Mobile Security Risks | Business Wire

Internet of Things – IoT

• Teslas Can Still Be Stolen With a Cheap Radio Hack—Despite New Keyless Tech | WIRED

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Aon reveals cyber attack/data breach as top risk for financial institutions - Reinsurance News

• PSNI Faces £750,000 Data Breach Fine After Spreadsheet Leak - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• NYSE parent fined $10M for breach reporting failure • The Register

• Were The Ashley Madison Hackers Ever Caught? (screenrant.com)

• 2.4 Million Impacted by WebTPA Data Breach - Security Week

• National Records of Scotland reveals its data stolen in 'distressing' NHS health board cyber attack (scotsman.com)

• 49 Million Customers Impacted by API Security Flaw - Security Boulevard

• Army personnel fear for their jobs after huge MoD cyber attack | The Independent

• Criminal record database of millions of Americans dumped online | Malwarebytes

• Optus denies claims of ‘cloaking’ Deloitte cyber attack report findings - Lawyers Weekly

• Record breaking number of data breaches reported | Bailiwick Express

• 400,000 Impacted by CentroMed Data Breach - Security Week

• 55,000 Impacted by Cyber Attack on California School Association  - Security Week

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Were The Ashley Madison Hackers Ever Caught? (screenrant.com)

• HP Catches Cyber Criminals 'Cat-Phishing' Users (darkreading.com)

• Cyber crime on the rise as account takeovers become leading method (investmentnews.com)

• Moroccan cyber crime group impersonates nonprofits and abuses cloud services to rake in gift card cash | CyberScoop

• YouTube has become a significant channel for cyber crime - Help Net Security

• Ransomware innovation slowdown a product of crims' success • The Register

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Kinsing Hacker Group Exploits More Flaws to Expand Botnet for Cryptojacking (thehackernews.com)

• Chinese Nationals Arrested for Laundering $73 Million in Pig Butchering Crypto Scam (thehackernews.com)

• Researchers spot cryptojacking attack that disables endpoint protections | Ars Technica

• Dutch police tracked a crypto theft to one of world’s worst botnets (thenextweb.com)

• He Trained Cops to Fight Crypto Crime—and Allegedly Ran a $100M Dark-Web Drug Market | WIRED

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Human Error and AI Tops Cyber Security Threats in CISO Survey | Cryptopolitan

• Employee discontent: Insider threat No. 1 | CSO Online

• Can we fix the human error problem in cyber security? (siliconrepublic.com)

Insurance

• Cyber insurance Company Offers MDR to MSPs | MSSP Alert

• Should You Buy Cyber Insurance in 2024? Pros & Cons (techopedia.com)

• Cyber insurance trends: reshaping the industry - SiliconANGLE

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Implementing Third-Party Risk Management Workflows | UpGuard

• Managing third-party risk with cyber security | RSM UK

• Zero-Day Attacks and Supply Chain Compromises Surge, MFA Remains Underutilized: Rapid7 Report - Security Week

• JAVS courtroom recording software backdoored in supply chain attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Critical Bug Allows DoS, RCE, Data Leaks in All Major Cloud Platforms (darkreading.com)

• Veeam 2024 Cloud Protection Trends Report Provides New Insight into Cloud‑Powered Data Protection Strategies | Business Wire

• Security concerns impeding cloud migration | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Malware Delivery via Cloud Services Exploits Unicode Trick to Deceive Users (thehackernews.com)

• Are Your SaaS Backups as Secure as Your Production Data? (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber Criminals Exploit Cloud Storage For SMS Phishing Scams - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Identity and Access Management

• Report: Organisations Are Scrambling to Overhaul Their Identity Security Frameworks Amidst Surge in Recent Attacks (globenewswire.com)

• 77 percent of organisations suffer cyber attacks due to identity issues (betanews.com)

Encryption

• Yet more ransomware uses BitLocker to encrypt victims' files • The Register

Linux and Open Source

• The economic model that made the internet, and the hack that almost broke it : Planet Money : NPR

• 400K Linux Servers Recruited by Resurrected Ebury Botnet (darkreading.com)

• Are all Linux vendor kernels insecure? A new study says yes, but there's a fix | ZDNET

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Cyber crime on the rise as account takeovers become leading method (investmentnews.com)

Social Media

• YouTube has become a significant channel for cyber crime - Help Net Security

• How Secure Is The Metaverse? (A Look At Cyber Threats And Defences) (forbes.com)

• Russia’s DoppelGänger Campaign Manipulates Social Media - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malvertising

• Ransomware gang targets Windows admins via PuTTy, WinSCP malvertising (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The mystery of the targeted ad and the library patron • The Register

• Windows admins targeted with clever malvertising scam | TechRadar

Training, Education and Awareness

• Three Psychological Theories to Ensure Cyber Security Training Sticks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• PSNI Faces £750,000 Data Breach Fine After Spreadsheet Leak - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• NYSE parent fined $10M for breach reporting failure • The Register

• Intercontinental Exchange Will Pay $10 Million to Resolve SEC Cyber Probe (wsj.com)

• UK considering mandatory reporting for ransomware attacks (computing.co.uk)

• How to stay on top of evolving cyber security legislation | RSM UK

• SEC requires financial institutions to notify customers of breaches within 30 days - Help Net Security

• Security Compliance 101: What It Is and How to Master It - Security Boulevard

• Singapore updates cyber security law to expand regulatory oversight | ZDNET

• Avoiding Cyber Security Incident Overdisclosure:  Helpful Guidance | Mayer Brown Free Writings + Perspectives - JDSupra

• Counting Down to the EU NIS2 Directive - Security Boulevard

• The Dawn of DORA: Building a Resilient Financial Infrastructure (finextra.com)

• What American Enterprises Can Learn From Europe's GDPR Mistakes (darkreading.com)

• Preparing Your Organisation for Upcoming Cyber Security Deadlines (darkreading.com)

Backup and Recovery

• Are Your SaaS Backups as Secure as Your Production Data? (thehackernews.com)

Data Protection

• 87% of medical practice data is digital | Security Magazine

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• The IT skills shortage situation is not expected to get any better - Help Net Security

• UK Government ramps up efforts to bridge cyber security skills gap (holyrood.com)

• IT Essentials: Sun, stress and security (computing.co.uk)

• Persistent Burnout Is Still a Crisis in Cyber Security (darkreading.com)

• 5 Ways SMBs Can Bridge the Cyber Security Skills Gap | Mimecast

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Dutch police tracked a crypto theft to one of world’s worst botnets (thenextweb.com)

• Chinese Nationals Arrested for Laundering $73 Million in Pig Butchering Crypto Scam (thehackernews.com)

• Police caught circumventing city bans on face recognition • The Register

• 10 Years in Prison for $4.5 million BEC Scammer Who Bought Ferrari to Launder Money | Tripwire

• LockBit takedown taking toll as gang plummets down rankings • The Register

• He Trained Cops to Fight Crypto Crime—and Allegedly Ran a $100M Dark-Web Drug Market | WIRED

• Casino cyber attacks put a bullseye on Scattered Spider • The Register

• First LockBit, now BreachForums: Are cops winning the war? • The Register

• No time to take eye of the ball despite recent cyber success – report (emergingrisks.co.uk)

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

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• World War War III May Already Have Started—in the Shadows (reason.com)

• Britons should have three days' worth of tinned food and water, government says | Politics News | Sky News

• The Balance of Power in Cyber Space – What it Means for UK Business - British Foreign Policy Group (bfpg.co.uk)

• The state of cyber security: AI and geopolitics mean a bigger threat than ever - Verdict

Nation State Actors

China

• The Security Interviews: What is the real cyber threat from China? | Computer Weekly

• UK not heeding warning over China threat, says ex-cyber security chief (yahoo.com)

• Newly Detected Chinese Group Targeting Military, Government Entities - Security Week

• Escalating Chinese cyber threats drive US efforts to secure critical infrastructure | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Inside Operation Diplomatic Specter: Chinese APT Group's Stealthy Tactics Exposed (thehackernews.com)

• Spies, trade and tech: China’s relationship with Britain (economist.com)

• Chinese, Iranian, and Russian gangs are attacking the U.S's drinking water and officials are alarmed | Fortune

• Google, Meta warned that undersea internet cables at risk for Chinese espionage: report (nypost.com)

• UK military in data breach - and other cyber security news | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• Researchers Warn of Chinese-Aligned Hackers Targeting South China Sea Countries (thehackernews.com)

• Active Chinese Cyberespionage Campaign Rifling Email Servers (inforisktoday.com)

• State hackers turn to massive ORB proxy networks to evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Frontiers, Old Tactics: Chinese Espionage Group Targets Africa & Caribbean Govts (thehackernews.com)

• Stronger critical infrastructure defence aimed by Army Cyber Command | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Chinese Nationals Arrested for Laundering $73 Million in Pig Butchering Crypto Scam (thehackernews.com)

• Former Royal Marine charged with spying for China found dead (thetimes.co.uk)

Russia

• Ukraine blackouts caused by malware attacks warn against evolving cyber security threats to the physical world (techxplore.com)

• Chinese, Iranian, and Russian gangs are attacking the U.S's drinking water and officials are alarmed | Fortune

• Russia’s DoppelGänger Campaign Manipulates Social Media - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• US says Russia likely launched space weapon - BBC News

• New Star Wars Plan: Pentagon Rushes to Counter Threats in Orbit - The New York Times

• British man, 64, charged with assisting Russian intelligence service | The Independent

Iran

• Chinese, Iranian, and Russian gangs are attacking the U.S's drinking water and officials are alarmed | Fortune

• Iranian MOIS-Linked Hackers Behind Destructive Attacks on Albania and Israel (thehackernews.com)

North Korea

• North Korea-linked Kimsuky APT attack targets victims via Messenger (securityaffairs.com)

• US Official Warns a Cell Network Flaw Is Being Exploited for Spying | WIRED

• North Korea-linked IT workers infiltrated hundreds of US firms (securityaffairs.com)

• High-ranking military officials' e-mail hacked, possibly by N. Korea (koreaherald.com)

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

• The state of cyber security: AI and geopolitics mean a bigger threat than ever - Verdict

• Government tells Britons to stockpile as part of emergency planning

• Spyware found on US hotel check-in computers | TechCrunch

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Vulnerability Management

• New XM Cyber Research: 80% of Exposures from Misconfigurations, Less Than 1% from CVEs (thehackernews.com)

• Unpatched vulnerabilities making bad ransomware outcomes worse: What you need to know | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Over 60% of Network Security Appliance Flaws Exploited as Zero Days - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 93% of vulnerabilities unanalysed by NVD since February | TechTarget

• Zero-Day Attacks and Supply Chain Compromises Surge, MFA Remains Underutilized: Rapid7 Report - Security Week

• How AI-driven patching could transform cyber security | TechTarget

Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft Edge gets fixes for five more security vulnerabilities - Neowin

• Over 60% of Network Security Appliance Flaws Exploited as Zero Days - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Critical Bug Allows DoS, RCE, Data Leaks in All Major Cloud Platforms (darkreading.com)

• Veeam warns of critical Backup Enterprise Manager auth bypass bug (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Has Yet to Patch 7 Pwn2Own Zero-Days (darkreading.com)

• Critical Flaw in AI Python Package Can Lead to System and Data Compromise - Security Week

• This devious Wi-Fi security flaw could let hackers eavesdrop on your network with ease | TechRadar

• Foxit PDF Reader Flaw Exploited by Hackers to Deliver Diverse Malware Arsenal (thehackernews.com)

• Intel's Max Severity Flaw Affects AI Model Compressor Users (govinfosecurity.com)

• 15 QNAP NAS bugs and one PoC disclosed, update ASAP! (CVE-2024-27130) - Help Net Security

• Keylogger Embedded Microsoft Exchange Server Steals Login Credentials (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Chrome 125 Update Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities - Security Week

• Ivanti Patches Critical Code Execution Vulnerabilities in Endpoint Manager - Security Week

• Unauthenticated RCE Vulnerability in Fortinet FortiSIEM: PoC Published (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Ransomware Attacks Exploit VMware ESXi Vulnerabilities in Alarming Pattern (thehackernews.com)

• VMware Abused in Recent MITRE Hack for Persistence, Evasion - Security Week

• High-severity GitLab flaw lets attackers take over accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA Warns of Actively Exploited Apache Flink Security Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

Tools and Controls

• Network Outages Hit 59% of Multi-Site Businesses Monthly - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New rules prompt 93% of organisations to rethink cyber security plans | Security Magazine

• Ransomware and AI-Powered Hacks Drive Cyber Investment - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft to Mandate Multi-Factor Authentication for All Azure Users (cybersecuritynews.com)

• What is a Third-Party Risk Assessment in Cyber Security? | UpGuard

• Should You Buy Cyber Insurance in 2024? Pros & Cons (techopedia.com)

• The Critical Role Of Web Filtering To Secure A Modern Workplace (forbes.com)

• We put too much faith in our web browsers, here's why we shouldn't (xda-developers.com)

• Windows 11 to Deprecate NTLM, Add AI-Powered App Controls and Security Defences (thehackernews.com)

• Google says Microsoft can’t be trusted after email security blunders | ITPro

• CISOs pursuing AI readiness should start by updating the org’s email security policy - Help Net Security

• Fighting identity fraud? Here's why we need better tech - Help Net Security

• Report: Organisations Are Scrambling to Overhaul Their Identity Security Frameworks Amidst Surge in Recent Attacks (globenewswire.com)

• 77 percent of organisations suffer cyber attacks due to identity issues (betanews.com)

• Researchers spot cryptojacking attack that disables endpoint protections | Ars Technica

• Microsoft's latest Windows 11 security features aim to make it 'more secure out of the box' | ZDNET

• Are Your SaaS Backups as Secure as Your Production Data? (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber insurance trends: reshaping the industry - SiliconANGLE

• The Evolution of Security Operations Centres in the Past Decade | Information Security Buzz

• Incident response: a useful guide - Tech Monitor

• Here's why you should get a YubiKey (xda-developers.com)

• Mastercard Doubles Speed of Fraud Detection with Generative AI - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• When to Automate and When Not to Automate Security - Security Boulevard

• Critical Capabilities of Cyber Security Risk Assessment Tools (cybersaint.io)

• How AI-driven patching could transform cyber security | TechTarget

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• 2024 Cloud Protection Trends (veeam.com)

• Arctic Wolf Labs 2024 Threat Report | Arctic Wolf

• Q1 2024 Global Phishing Report (knowbe4.com)

• 2024 Cyber Threat Report | Huntress

• 2024 Q1 Mobile Landscape Threat Report (lookout.com)

• State of Cyber Security Trends Report 2024 | Ivanti

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Other News

• Aon reveals cyber attack/data breach as top risk for financial institutions - Reinsurance News

• 15 companies account for 62% of global attack surface | Security Magazine

• Google Deletes $125 Billion UniSuper Pension Fund Account; Impacts Over Half a Million Australians - Goodreturns

• Cyber attacks are soaring—treat them as an 'act of war', health care exec warns | Fortune Well

• If the Lights Went Out: Exploring a Power Grid Failure (greydynamics.com)

• Wars in Ukraine and Gaza raise UK infrastructure cyber threat level | New Civil Engineer

• Malware power threat real and growing – researchers (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Microsoft’s President to Testify to House Panel on Cyber Security (bloomberglaw.com)

• Microsoft outage affects Bing, Copilot, DuckDuckGo and ChatGPT internet search (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 5 Ways SMBs Can Bridge the Cyber Security Skills Gap | Mimecast

• Why cyber security is front and centre for rail - Railway Technology (railway-technology.com)

• Mitigating cyber security risks in the technology sector | TechRadar

• New EU tool to counter hybrid threats - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland - Gov.pl website (www.gov.pl)

• Cyber attacks on construction firms jump, new report finds | News | Building

• FUD: How Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt can ruin your security program - Security Boulevard

• Cyber Security in the legal sector | Law Gazette

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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 19 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

94% of Ransomware Victims Have Their Backups Targeted by Attackers

Organisations that have backed up sensitive data may believe they are safe from the effects of ransomware attacks; however a new study by Sophos reported that cyber criminals attempted to compromise the backups of 94% of companies hit by ransomware in the past year. The research found that criminals can demand a higher ransom when they compromise an organisation’s backup data, and those victims are twice as likely to pay. The median ransom demand is $2.3 million when backups are compromised, compared to $1 million otherwise.

Additionally, sectors like state and local governments, along with media and entertainment, are particularly vulnerable with nearly all affected organisations experiencing backup compromises.

Source: [Tech Republic]

Sharing IT Providers Is a Risk for Financial Services, Says IMF, as Rising Cyber Threats Pose Serious Concerns for Financial Stability

The International Monetary Fund has found that with greater digitalisation and heightened geopolitical tensions comes a greater risk of cyber attack with systemic consequences. The IMF noted that losses more than quadrupled since 2017 to $2.5 billion.

The push for technology has led to a number of financial services institutions relying on third-party IT firms, increasing their susceptibility to cyber disruption on a wider scale and a potential ripple effect were a third party to be hit. Whilst such third parties can increase the cyber resilience of a financial services institution, they also expose the industry to systemwide shocks, the IMF reports.

The IMF recommend institutions should identify potential systematic risks in their third-party IT firms. If the organisation is unable to perform such risk assessments, they should seek the expert support of an independent cyber security specialist.

Sources: [The Banker] [IMF]

Hackers are Threatening to Publish a Huge Stolen Sanctions and Financial Crimes Watchlist

A cyber crime group named GhostR has claimed responsibility for stealing 5.3 million records from the World-Check database, which companies use for "know your customer" (KYC) checks to screen potential clients for financial crime risks. The data theft occurred in March and originated from a Singapore-based firm with access to World-Check. The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), which owns World-Check, confirmed that the breach involved a third-party's dataset and not their systems directly. The stolen data includes sensitive information on individuals identified as high-risk, such as government-sanctioned figures and those linked to organised crime. LSEG is coordinating with the affected third party and authorities to protect the compromised data and prevent its dissemination.

Source: [TechCrunch]

Your Annual Cyber Security Is Not Working, But There is a Solution

Most organisations utilise annual security training in an attempt to ensure every department develops their cyber awareness skills and is able to spot and report a threat. However, this training is often out of date. Additionally, often training has limited interactivity, failing to capture and maintain employees’ attention and retention. On top of this, many training courses fail to connect employees to real-world scenarios that could occur in their specific job.

To get the most return on investment, organisations need to have more regular education, with the aim of long-term behavioural shifts in the work place, nudging employees towards greater cyber hygiene.

Source: [TechRadar]

73% of Security Professionals Say They’ve Missed, Ignored or Failed to Act on a High Priority Security Alert

A new survey from Coro, targeting small medium enterprises (SME) cyber security professionals, reveals that 73% have missed or ignored high priority security alerts due to overwhelming workloads and managing multiple security tools. The 2024 SME Security Workload Impact Report highlights that SMEs are inundated with alerts and responsibilities, which dilute their focus from critical security threats. On average, these professionals manage over 11 security tools and spend nearly five hours daily on tasks like monitoring and patching vulnerabilities. Respondents handle an average of over 2,000 endpoint security agents across 656 devices, more than half dealing with frequent vendor updates.

Source: [Business Wire]

Russia and Ukraine Top Inaugural World Cyber Crime Index

The inaugural World Cybercrime Index (WCI) identifies Russia, Ukraine, and China as the top sources of global cyber crime. This index, the first of its kind, was developed over four years by an international team from the University of Oxford and the University of New South Wales, with input from 92 cyber crime experts. These experts ranked countries based on the impact, professionalism, and technical skills of their cyber criminals across five cyber crime categories, including data theft, scams, and money laundering. Russia topped the list, followed by Ukraine and China, highlighting their significant roles in high-tech cyber criminal activities. The index, expected to be updated regularly, aims to provide a clearer understanding of cyber crime's global geography and its correlation with national characteristics like internet penetration and GDP. Of note the UK and US also made the top ten list, so it is not just other countries we need to worry about.

Top ten Countries in full:

1.       Russia

2.       Ukraine

3.       China

4.       United States

5.       Nigeria

6.       Romania

7.       North Korea

8.       United Kingdom

9.       Brazil

10.   India

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

Police Takedown Major Cyber Fraud Superstore: Will the Cyber Crime Industry Become More Fragmented?

The London Metropolitan Police takedown of online fraud service LabHost serves as a reminder of the industrial scale on which cyber crimes are being performed, with the service amassing 480,000 debit or credit card numbers and 64,000 PINs: all for the subscription price of £300 a month. The site even included tutorial videos on how to commit crime and offered customer service.

Such takedowns can lead to fragmentation. The 2,000 individuals subscribed to LabHost may have lost access but where there is demand, supply will be found. The takedown of one service allows other, small services to fill the gap. As the saying goes ‘nature abhors a vacuum’ and it is especially true when it comes to cyber crime; there is too much business for empty spaces not to be filled.

Sources: [ITPro] [The Guardian]

Small Businesses See Stable Business Climate; Cite Cyber Security as Top Threat

Small businesses are experiencing a stable business climate, as reflected by the Small Business Index, indicating an increasing optimism about the economy. However, the recent surge in cyber attacks, including major assaults on UnitedHealth Group and MGM Resorts, has underscored the growing vulnerability of these businesses to cyber crime. Despite 80% of small to medium-sized enterprises feeling well-protected by their IT defences, a Devolutions survey reveals that 69% of them still fell victim to cyber attacks last year. This has led to cyber security being viewed as the greatest threat by 60% of small businesses, even surpassing concerns over supply chain disruptions and the potential for another pandemic.

The average cost of these attacks ranges from $120,000 to $1.24 million, leading to 60% of affected businesses closing within six months. This vulnerability is further compounded by a common underestimation of the ransomware threat. While 71% of businesses feel prepared for future threats, the depth of this preparedness varies, with only 23% feeling very prepared for cyber security challenges.

Sources: [Claims Journal] [Inc.com]

The Threat from Inside: Insider Threats Surge 14% Annually as Cost-of-Living Crisis Bites

Employee fraud grew significantly last year thanks to the opportunities afforded by remote working and the pressures of a cost-of-living crisis in the UK, according to Cifas, an anti-fraud non-profit. The number of individuals recorded in its cross-sector Insider Threat Database (ITD) increased 14% year-on-year (YoY) in 2023, with the most common reason being “dishonest action to obtain benefit by theft or deception” (49%).

Insider threats – both by accident or with malicious intent – by their own employees are overlooked, despite accounting for 58% of cybersecurity breaches in recent years. As a result, a large proportion of businesses may lack any strategy to address insider risks, leaving them vulnerable to financial, operational and reputational harm.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine] [TechRadar]

Dark Web Sales Driving Major Rise in Credential Attacks as Attackers Pummel Networks with Millions of Login Attempts

Dark web sales are driving a major rise in credential attacks, with a surge in infostealer malware attacks over the last three years significantly heightening the cyber crime landscape. Kaspersky reports a sevenfold increase in data theft attacks, leading to the compromise of over 26 million devices since 2022. Cyber criminals stole roughly 400 million login credentials last year alone, often sold on dark web markets for as low as $10 per log file. These stolen credentials have become a lucrative commodity, fostering a complex economy of initial access brokers who facilitate broader corporate network infiltrations. The Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions have been particularly affected, with millions of credentials stolen annually.

Simultaneously, Cisco’s Talos team warns of a current credential compromise campaign targeting networks via mass login attempts to VPN, SSH, and web apps. Attackers use a mix of generic and specific usernames with nearly 100 passwords from about 4,000 IP addresses, likely routed through anonymising services (such as TOR). These attacks pose risks like unauthorised access, account lockouts, and potential denial-of-service. The attack volume has increased since 18 March this year mirroring a previous alert by Cisco about a similar campaign affecting VPNs. Despite method and infrastructure similarities, a direct link between these campaigns is yet to be confirmed.

Sources: [Ars Technica] [Data Breach Today]

Large Enterprises Experience Breaches, Despite Large Security Stacks; Report Finds 93% of Breaches Lead to Downtime and Data Loss

93% of enterprises admitting to having had a breach have suffered significant consequences, ranging from unplanned downtime to data exposure or financial loss, according to a recent report. 73% of organisations made changes to their IT environment at least quarterly, however only 40% tested their security at the same frequency. Unfortunately, this means that many organisations are facing a significant gap in which changes in the IT environment are untested, and therefore their risk unknown.

Security tools can aid this, however as the report finds, despite having a large number of security stacks, 51% still reported a breach in the past 24 months. Organisations must keep in mind that security extends beyond the technical realm, and it needs to include people and operations.

Sources: [Infosecurity Magazine] [Help Net Security]

Charities Doing Worse than Private Sector in Staving off Cyber Attacks

Recent UK Government data reveals a significant cyber security challenge for charities, with about a third experiencing breaches this past year, equating to nearly 924,000 cyber crimes. Notably, 83% of these incidents involved phishing, with other prevalent threats including fraud emails and malware. The data found that 63% of charities said cyber security was a high priority for senior management, however, charities lag behind the private sector in adopting security monitoring tools and conducting risk assessments.

Additionally, while half of the charities implement basic cyber hygiene defences like malware protection and password policies, only about 40% seek external cyber security guidance.

Source: [TFN]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Cyber attack volumes peak in first quarter | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Annual cyber security training isn’t working, so what’s the alternative? | TechRadar

• Russia and Ukraine Top Inaugural World Cyber Crime Index - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Insider Threats Surge 14% Annually as Cost-of-Living Crisis Bites - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Security breaches are causing more damage than ever before | TechRadar

• 73% of Security Professionals Say They’ve Missed, Ignored or Failed to Act on a High Priority Security Alert | Business Wire

• Small Businesses See Stable Business Climate; Cite Cyber Security as Top Threat (claimsjournal.com)

• Where Are You on the Cyber Security Readiness Index? Cisco Thinks You’re Probably Overconfident | Network Computing

• Experts say shocking level of cyber security breaches revealed in new government report “are avoidable” | LawNews.co.uk

• Report Suggests 93% of Breaches Lead to Downtime and Data Loss - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hackers are threatening to publish a huge stolen sanctions and financial crimes watchlist | TechCrunch

• 51% of enterprises experienced a breach despite large security stacks - Help Net Security

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

• Ex-Uber security exec Joe Sullivan is advising CISOs on how to avoid his legal fate (axios.com)

• Cyber Security Tips for Small Businesses Now Considered Big Hacking Targets | Inc.com

• The Five Main Steps In A Compliance Risk Assessment Plan (forbes.com)

• Pentesting accounts for an average of 13% of total IT security budgets | Security Magazine

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Sophos Study: 94% of Ransomware Victims Have Their Backups Targeted (techrepublic.com)

• New LockBit Variant Exploits Self-Spreading Features - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cheap ransomware for sale on dark web marketplaces is changing the way hackers operate - Help Net Security

• FBI: Akira ransomware raked in $42 million from 250+ victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Infiltrating ransomware gangs on the dark web - CBS News

• What if we made ransomware payments illegal? | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Critical Atlassian Flaw Exploited to Deploy Linux Variant of Cerber Ransomware (thehackernews.com)

• Moldovan charged for operating botnet used to push ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Report Reveals Healthcare Industry is Disillusioned in its Preparedness for Cyber Attacks - IT Security Guru

• Ransomware, meet DRaaS: The future of disaster mitigation (betanews.com)

• A whole new generation of ransomware makers are attempting to shake up the market | TechRadar

• Security Think Tank: Approaches to ransomware need a course correction | Computer Weekly

• Ransomware Victims Who Pay a Ransom Drops to Record Low (databreachtoday.co.uk)

Ransomware Victims

• Change Healthcare’s ransomware attack costs reach nearly $1B • The Register

• Ransomware group Dark Angels claims the theft of 1TB of data from chipmaker Nexperia  (securityaffairs.com)

• Ransomware attacks against food, agriculture industry examined | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Ransomware attack compromises UN agency data | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• 840-bed hospital in France postpones procedures after cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US think tank Heritage Foundation hit by cyber attack | TechCrunch

• Daixin ransomware gang claims attack on Omni Hotels (bleepingcomputer.com)

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

• Cyber Attack Takes Frontier Communications Offline (darkreading.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Students turning to cyberfraud as huge phishing site infiltrated, police reveal | Cybercrime | The Guardian

• Microsoft Most Impersonated Brand in Phishing Scams - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• North Korean Group Kimsuky Exploits DMARC and Web Beacons - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• FBI warns of massive wave of road toll SMS phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FIN7 targets American automaker’s IT staff in phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

Other Social Engineering

• Quishing: The New Cyber Threat to the Cleared Workplace - ClearanceJobs

• FBI warns of massive wave of road toll SMS phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Countering Voice Fraud in the Age of AI (darkreading.com)

• Cyber criminals pose as LastPass staff to hack password vaults (bleepingcomputer.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• CISOs not changing priorities in response to AI threats (betanews.com)

• 92% of enterprises unprepared for AI security challenges - Help Net Security

• AI Copilot: Launching Innovation Rockets, But Beware of the Darkness Ahead (thehackernews.com)

• Enterprise Endpoints Aren't Ready for AI (darkreading.com)

• Best Practices & Guidance For AI Security Deployment 2024 (gbhackers.com)

• Countering Voice Fraud in the Age of AI (darkreading.com)

• C-suite weighs in on generative AI and security (securityintelligence.com)

2FA/MFA

• Cisco Duo warns third-party data breach exposed SMS MFA logs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Roku Mandates 2FA for Customers After Credential-Stuffing Compromise (darkreading.com)

Malware

• LockBit 3.0 Variant Generates Custom, Self-Propagating Malware (darkreading.com)

• TA558 Hackers Weaponize Images for Wide-Scale Malware Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• A sneaky new steganography malware is exploiting Microsoft Word — hundreds of firms around the world hit by attack | TechRadar

• Evil XDR: Researcher Turns Palo Alto Software Into Perfect Malware (darkreading.com)

• Firebird RAT creator and seller arrested in the US and Australia (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Destructive ICS Malware 'Fuxnet' Used by Ukraine Against Russian Infrastructure - Security Week

• New SteganoAmor attacks use steganography to target 320 orgs globally (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russian APT Deploys New 'Kapeka' Backdoor in Eastern European Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Malicious Google Ads Pushing Fake IP Scanner Software with Hidden Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

• New Cyber Threat MadMxShell Exploits Typosquatting and Google Ads - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Fake cheat lures gamers into spreading infostealer malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Government spyware is another reason to use an ad blocker | TechCrunch

• iPhone users warned to disable iMessage temporarily to avoid getting hacked - PhoneArena

• Enterprises face significant losses from mobile fraud - Help Net Security

• SoumniBot malware exploits Android bugs to evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• DDoS attacks saw a huge surge in the first part of 2024, with one particular country badly hit | TechRadar

• 68% of Companies are More Vulnerable to DDoS Than They Think - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• DDoS attacks are still growing and there are new threats on the horizon | ITPro

Internet of Things – IoT

• How to protect IP surveillance cameras from Wi-Fi jamming - Help Net Security

• CISA warns of critical vulnerability in Chirp smart locks • The Register

• New rules for security of connected products in the UK and EU - Lexology

Data Breaches/Leaks

• CISA orders agencies impacted by Microsoft hack to mitigate risks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US Government on High Alert as Russian Hackers Steal Critical Correspondence From Microsoft - Security Week

• Report Suggests 93% of Breaches Lead to Downtime and Data Loss - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft's 'cascade of security failures' allowed hackers to access US government employee emails | Windows Central

• Hackers are threatening to publish a huge stolen sanctions and financial crimes watchlist | TechCrunch

• Panama Papers: Money laundering trial of 27 defendants begins

• Over half a million Roku subscribers are the victims of the latest cyber security attack - PhoneArena

• Giant Tiger data breach may have impacted millions of customers (securityaffairs.com)

• Wells Fargo Says It Has Suffered Data Breach, Blames Employee for Exposing Personal Information on Pair of Customers - The Daily Hodl

• 5 Ways Your Personal Information May End Up On The Dark Web (slashgear.com)

• Law Firm to Pay $8M to Settle Health Data Hack Lawsuit (databreachtoday.co.uk)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• After a string of high profile cyber gang takedowns, is the cyber crime industry about to get a lot more fragmented? | ITPro

• Students turning to cyberfraud as huge phishing site infiltrated, police reveal | Cybercrime | The Guardian

• Russia and Ukraine Top Inaugural World Cyber Crime Index - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Chinese fraud victims seek return of £3bn in bitcoin seized in UK (ft.com)

• Ex-Amazon engineer gets 3 years for hacking crypto exchanges (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Security engineer jailed for 3 years for $12M crypto hacks | TechCrunch

• Hackers hijack OpenMetadata apps in Kubernetes cryptomining attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Insider Threats Surge 14% Annually as Cost-of-Living Crisis Bites - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Underestimating the dangers within: mitigating the insider cyber threat | TechRadar

Insurance

• Cyber threats increase as insurance costs fall - report (emergingrisks.co.uk)

Cloud/SaaS

• Exposing the top cloud security threats - Help Net Security

• What Is Microsoft's Role in the Shared Responsibility Model for Data Security? (prweb.com)

• For Service Accounts, Accountability Is Key to Security (darkreading.com)

• The cloud is benefiting IT, but not business | InfoWorld

Identity and Access Management

• Identity in the Shadows: Shedding Light on Cyber Security's Unseen Threats (thehackernews.com)

Linux and Open Source

• Open source groups say more software projects may have been targeted for sabotage (yahoo.com)

• Critical Atlassian Flaw Exploited to Deploy Linux Variant of Cerber Ransomware (thehackernews.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Attackers are pummelling networks around the world with millions of login attempts | Ars Technica

• Roku Mandates 2FA for Customers After Credential-Stuffing Compromise (darkreading.com)

• Threat actors look to stolen credentials | Computer Weekly

• Cisco warns of large-scale brute-force attacks against VPN and SSH services (securityaffairs.com)

• Bad Bots Drive 10% Annual Surge in Account Takeover Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• For Service Accounts, Accountability Is Key to Security (darkreading.com)

• Dark Web Sales Driving Major Rise in Credential Attacks (databreachtoday.co.uk)

Social Media

• Pro-Russian Campaign Exploits Meta’s Failure to Moderate Political Ads - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• EU tells Meta it can't paywall privacy • The Register

• Google to crack down on third-party YouTube apps that block ads (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malvertising

• Government spyware is another reason to use an ad blocker | TechCrunch

• New Cyber Threat MadMxShell Exploits Typosquatting and Google Ads - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Google to crack down on third-party YouTube apps that block ads (bleepingcomputer.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Annual cyber security training isn’t working, so what’s the alternative? | TechRadar

• Cyber security training: How to make it more motivating (hrexecutive.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• US Supreme Court ruling suggests change in cyber security disclosure process | CSO Online

• New rules for security of connected products in the UK and EU - Lexology

• Congress votes to kick Uncle Sam’s data broker habit • The Register

• Cops can force suspect to unlock phone with thumbprint, US court rules | Ars Technica

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Rebalancing NIST: Why 'Recovery' Can't Stand Alone (darkreading.com)

Backup and Recovery

• Sophos Study: 94% of Ransomware Victims Have Their Backups Targeted (techrepublic.com)

Data Protection

• 5 Common Data Protection Challenges That Businesses Face (techtarget.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• IT and security professionals demand more workplace flexibility - Help Net Security

• National Security at Risk as Essential Cyber Security Roles Face Sharp Decline (prnewswire.com)

• Break Security Burnout: Combining Leadership With Neuroscience (darkreading.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• UK Police Lead Disruption of £1m Phishing-as-a-Service Site LabHost - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• After a string of high profile cyber gang takedowns, is the cyber crime industry about to get a lot more fragmented? | ITPro

• Firebird RAT creator and seller arrested in the US and Australia (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Moldovan charged for operating botnet used to push ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Pro-Russian Campaign Exploits Meta’s Failure to Moderate Political Ads - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• US Election Officials Told to Prepare for Nation-State Influence Campa - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• Preparing for Cyber Warfare: 6 Key Lessons From Ukraine (darkreading.com)

• State-sponsored cyber attacks: The new frontier | ITPro

China

• Chinese, Russian Hackers Keep Getting Past Microsoft's Security (businessinsider.com)

• Leaked FBI document shows MPs were kept in dark over China hack for two years (inews.co.uk)

• US Election Officials Told to Prepare for Nation-State Influence Campa - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Risks are higher than ever for US- China cyber war | Responsible Statecraft

• State-Sponsored Hackers Exploit Zero-Day to Backdoor Palo Alto Networks Firewalls - Security Week

• Singapore infosec boss: splinternet hinders interoperability • The Register

• FBI says Chinese hackers preparing to attack US infrastructure | Reuters

• Chinese fraud victims seek return of £3bn in bitcoin seized in UK (ft.com)

Russia

• Chinese, Russian Hackers Keep Getting Past Microsoft's Security (businessinsider.com)

• CISA orders agencies impacted by Microsoft hack to mitigate risks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft's 'cascade of security failures' allowed hackers to access US government employee emails | Windows Central

• US Government on High Alert as Russian Hackers Steal Critical Correspondence From Microsoft - Security Week

• Microsoft breach allowed Russia to steal Feds' emails • The Register

• State-Sponsored Hackers Exploit Zero-Day to Backdoor Palo Alto Networks Firewalls - Security Week

• How Ukraine’s cyber police fights back against Russia’s hackers | TechCrunch

• Russian 'Cyber Sabotage' A Global Threat: Security Firm | IBTimes

• Mandiant upgrades Sandworm to APT44 due to increasing threat | TechTarget

• Russia's Sandworm 'cyber attacked US, EU water utilities' • The Register

• Sandworm Group Shifts to Espionage Attacks, Hacktivist Personas | Decipher (duo.com)

• Russia and Ukraine Top Inaugural World Cyber Crime Index - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Russia is trying to sabotage European railways, Czech minister said (securityaffairs.com)

• Pro-Russian Campaign Exploits Meta’s Failure to Moderate Political Ads - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Singapore infosec boss: splinternet hinders interoperability • The Register

• US Election Officials Told to Prepare for Nation-State Influence Campa - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Russian APT Deploys New 'Kapeka' Backdoor in Eastern European Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Destructive ICS Malware 'Fuxnet' Used by Ukraine Against Russian Infrastructure - Security Week

Iran

• Iranian MuddyWater Hackers Adopt New C2 Tool 'DarkBeatC2' in Latest Campaign (thehackernews.com)

• Middle East Cyber Ops Intensify, With Israel the Main Target (darkreading.com)

• Iran-Backed Hackers Blast Out Threatening Texts to Israelis (darkreading.com)

• Israel Holds Hybrid Cyber & Military Readiness Drills (darkreading.com)

North Korea

• DPRK Exploits 2 MITRE Sub-Techniques: Phantom DLL Hijacking, TCC Abuse (darkreading.com)

• North Korean Group Kimsuky Exploits DMARC and Web Beacons - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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

• Geopolitical tensions escalate OT cyber attacks - Help Net Security

• “There are no borders in cyber space. We have to fight global terrorism together.” | Ctech (calcalistech.com)

• Furry Hackers Target Far-Right Outlet 'Real America's Voice' (dailydot.com)

• Government spyware is another reason to use an ad blocker | TechCrunch

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Vulnerability Management

• Cyber Security Pros Urge US Congress to Help NIST Restore NVD Operation - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How to conduct security patch validation and verification | TechTarget

• Zero-Day Vulnerabilities: A Beginner’s Guide - The New Stack

• The importance of the Vulnerability Operations Centre for cyber security | TechRadar

Vulnerabilities

• State-Sponsored Hackers Exploit Zero-Day to Backdoor Palo Alto Networks Firewalls - Security Week

• “Highly capable” hackers root corporate networks by exploiting firewall 0-day | Ars Technica

• Cisco discloses root escalation flaw with public exploit code (bleepingcomputer.com)

• PuTTY SSH client flaw allows recovery of cryptographic private keys (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Citrix Releases Security Updates for XenServer and Citrix Hypervisor | CISA

• Yubico Issues YubiKey Security Alert For Windows Users (forbes.com)

• Samsung Issues Update Now Warning For Millions Of Galaxy Users (forbes.com)

• Juniper Networks Publishes Dozens of New Security Advisories - Security Week

• Ivanti warns of critical flaws in its Avalanche MDM solution (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Oracle Patches 230 Vulnerabilities With April 2024 CPU - Security Week

• iPhone users warned to disable iMessage temporarily to avoid getting hacked - PhoneArena

• Delinea Fixes Flaw After Analyst Goes Public With Disclosure First (darkreading.com)

• Critical Atlassian Flaw Exploited to Deploy Linux Variant of Cerber Ransomware (thehackernews.com)

• Telegram fixes Windows app zero-day used to launch Python scripts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Critical RCE Vulnerability in 92,000 D-Link NAS Devices - Security Boulevard

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Tools and Controls

• Sophos Study: 94% of Ransomware Victims Have Their Backups Targeted (techrepublic.com)

• Evil XDR: Researcher Turns Palo Alto Software Into Perfect Malware (darkreading.com)

• CISA's Malware Analysis Platform Could Foster Better Threat Intel (darkreading.com)

• Pentesting accounts for an average of 13% of total IT security budgets | Security Magazine

• Annual cyber security training isn’t working, so what’s the alternative? | TechRadar

• 6 Ways Businesses Can Boost Their Cloud Security Resilience - Compare the Cloud

• North Korean Group Kimsuky Exploits DMARC and Web Beacons - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Dark Web Monitoring: What's the Value? (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 5 Steps Toward Military-Grade API Security - The New Stack

• Ransomware, meet DRaaS: The future of disaster mitigation (betanews.com)

• Cyber security training: How to make it more motivating (hrexecutive.com)

• The Five Main Steps In A Compliance Risk Assessment Plan (forbes.com)

• AI set to enhance cyber security roles, not replace them - Help Net Security

• Why You Still Shouldn't Trust Zero Trust (forbes.com)

• Stateful vs. stateless firewalls: Understanding the differences | TechTarget

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Reports Published in the Last Week

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

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Other News

• Why home cyber security is important (xda-developers.com)

• Microsoft remains in the US government's good graces despite its high susceptibility to attacks | Windows Central

• Charities doing worse than private sector in staving off cyber attacks - TFN

• Private companies operating critical infrastructure are not taking cyber security threats seriously enough. | USAPP (lse.ac.uk)

• The US counterintelligence head says the list of threats is long and getting longer (cfpublic.org)

• Critical Infrastructure Security: Observations From the Front Lines (darkreading.com)

• Geopolitical tensions escalate OT cyber attacks - Help Net Security

• Microsoft, Beset by Hacks, Grapples With Problem Years in the Making - BNN Bloomberg

• The invisible seafaring industry that keeps the internet afloat (theverge.com)

• Do we have a plan on how to deal with subsea cables sabotage? | Euronews

• Ex-GCHQ chief: Cyber attacks could target fragile trust in utilities - Utility Week

• Trust in Cyber Takes a Knock as CNI Budgets Flatline - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• University chiefs to get security service Cobra briefing on hostile states | The Argus

• SAP Applications Increasingly in Attacker Crosshairs, Report Shows - Security Week

• Emergency services a likely target for cyber attacks, warns DHS - ABC News (go.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 12 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

UK Cyber Breaches Survey Finds Business Falling Short on Cyber, as Half Suffer Breach and Many Fail to Report

Half of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach last year, according to a survey by the UK Government. The figure could be much higher however, as the survey found only 34% report breaches externally.

It is said that a cyber incident is a matter of when, not if. Nonetheless, 78% of organisations lack a dedicated response plan outlining actions to be taken in the event of a cyber incident and only 11% review their immediate suppliers for risks. To improve cyber resilience, there needs to be a paradigm shift.

Sources: [Computer Weekly] [Computing] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Info Risk Today]

Cyber Attacks Cost Financial Firms $12bn Says IMF

A recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report has highlighted significant financial losses in the financial services sector, totalling $12 billion over the last two decades due to cyber attacks, with losses accelerating post-pandemic. The number of incidents and the scale of extreme losses have sharply increased, prompting the IMF to urge enhanced cross-border cooperation to uphold the stability of the global financial system.

The report underscores the critical threat that cyber attacks pose to financial stability, particularly for banks in advanced economies which are more exposed to such risks. With major institutions like JP Morgan facing up to 45 billion cyber threats daily, the IMF emphasises the need for international collaboration to effectively manage and mitigate these risks.

Source: [Finextra]

The Cyber Attack Stopped by a Microsoft Engineer Was Scarier Than We Realise

A critical security breach was narrowly avoided when a Microsoft developer detected suspicious activity in XZ Utils, an open-source library crucial to internet infrastructure. This discovery revealed that a new developer had implanted a sophisticated backdoor in the software, potentially giving unauthorised access to millions of servers worldwide. This incident has intensified scrutiny on the vulnerabilities of open-source software, which is largely maintained by unpaid or underfunded volunteers and serves as a backbone for the internet economy. The situation has prompted discussions among government officials and cyber security experts about enhancing the protection of open-source environments. This close call, described by some as a moment of "unreasonable luck," underscores the pressing need for sustainable support and rigorous security measures in the open-source community.

Source: [Inc.com]

UK Government Urged to Get on ‘Front Foot’ with Ransomware Instead of ‘Absorbing the Punches’

Amidst a rising tide of ransomware attacks affecting wide range of UK services, officials in Westminster are being pressured to enhance funding for operations aimed at disrupting ransomware gangs. The current strategy focuses on bolstering organisational cyber security and recovery preparedness, a stance under the second pillar of the UK's National Cyber Strategy known as resilience. However, this approach has not curbed the frequency of incidents, which have steadily increased over the past five years, impacting sectors including the NHS and local governments. In contrast to the proactive disruption efforts seen in the US, the UK has yet to allocate new funds for such measures, despite successful disruptions like the recent takedown of the LockBit gang by the US National Crime Agency, which underscored the potential benefits of increased resources for cyber crime disruption.

Source: [The Record Media]

74% of Employees Falling Victim to Phishing Attacks Hit with Disciplinary Actions

The Egress 'Email Threat Landscape 2024' report reveals a surge in phishing attacks, with 94% of companies falling victim to this type of crime in this past year alone, leading to increasingly complex cyber security challenges. According to the report, 96% of these companies suffered significant repercussions, including operational disruption and data breaches, with common attack vectors being malicious URLs, and malware or ransomware attachments.

The human cost is also notable, with 74 per cent of employees involved in attacks having faced disciplinary actions, dismissals, or voluntary departures, underscoring the severity of the issue and the heightened vigilance among companies in addressing the phishing threat. Financial losses primarily stem from customer churn, which accounts for nearly half of the total impact. Amidst rising attacks through compromised third-party accounts, Egress advocates for stronger monitoring and defence strategies to protect critical data and reduce organisational and individual hardships.

Source: [The Fintech Times]

Why Are Many Businesses Turning to Third-Party Security Partners?

In 2023, 71% of organisations reported being impacted by a cyber security skills shortage, leading many to scale back their cyber security initiatives amid escalating threats. To bridge the gap, businesses are increasingly turning to third-party security partnerships, reflecting a shift towards outsourcing crucial cyber security operations to handle complex challenges more efficiently. This approach is driven by the need to fill technical and resource gaps in the face of a severe workforce shortfall, with an estimated 600,000 unfilled security positions in the US alone. Moreover, these strategic partnerships allow organisations to leverage external expertise for scalable and effective security solutions, alleviating the burden of staying updated with the rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Source: [Help Net Security]

74% of Businesses with up to 500 Employees are Concerned About Cyber Security as Attacks Rise

According to a recent poll by the US Chamber of Commerce, 60% of small businesses expressed concerns about threats, with 58% concerned about a supply chain breakdown. The highest concern came from businesses with 20-500 employees (74%). Despite such concern, only 49% had trained staff on cyber security. When it came to the impact of a cyber event, 27% of respondents say they are one disaster or threat away from shutting down their business.

Sources: [Malwcv arebytes][Marketplace] [US Chamber]

LastPass: Hackers Targeted Employee in Failed Deepfake CEO Call

LastPass recently reported a thwarted voice phishing attack targeting one of its employees using deepfake audio technology to impersonate CEO Karim Toubba. The attack, conducted via WhatsApp, was identified by the employee as suspicious due to the unusual communication channel and clear signs of social engineering, such as forced urgency. Despite the failure of this particular attempt, LastPass has shared the incident publicly to highlight the growing use of AI-generated deepfakes in executive impersonation schemes. This incident underscores a broader trend, as indicated by alerts from both the US Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI, pointing to an increase in sophisticated cyber attacks employing deepfake technology for fraud, social engineering, and potential influence operations.

Source: [Bleepingcomputer]

Most Cyber Criminal Threats are Concentrated in Just a Few Countries

Oxford researchers have developed the world's first cyber crime index to identify global hotspots of cyber criminal activity, ranking countries based on the prevalence and sophistication of cyber threats. The index reveals that a significant portion of cyber threats is concentrated in a few countries, with Russia and Ukraine positioned at the top, with the USA and the UK also ranking prominently. The results indicate that countries like China, Russia, Ukraine, the US, Romania, and Nigeria are among the top hubs for activities ranging from technical services to money laundering. This tool aims to refine the focus for cyber crime research and prevention efforts, although the study acknowledges the need for a broader and more representative sample of expert opinions to enhance the accuracy and applicability of the findings. The index underscores that while cyber crime may appear globally fluid, it has pronounced local concentrations.

Sources: [ThisisOxfordshire] [Phys Org]

Why Incident Response is the Best Cyber Security ROI

The Microsoft Incident Response Reference Guide predicts that most organisations will encounter one or more major security incidents where attackers gain administrative control over crucial IT systems and data. While complete prevention of cyber attacks may not be feasible, prompt and effective incident response is essential to mitigate damage and protect reputations. However, many organisations may not be adequately budgeting for incident response, and the recent UK Government report found that 78% of organisations do not have formalised incident response plans, risking prolonged recovery and increased costs. Cyber crime damages hit $23b in 2023, but the true costs of incidents includes non-financial damage such as reputational harm. If a cyber incident is a matter of when, not if, then a prepared incident response plan is the best cyber security ROI.

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: [CSO Online]

Ransomware Attacks are the Canaries in the Cyber Coal Mine

A recent report has found that ransomware attacks were up 110% compared to the prior month, stating that unreported attacks were up to 6 times higher. The report found that tactics are increasingly using data extortion, with 92% of attacks utilising this method.

Sources: [Silicon Republic] [The Hill]

Cyber Security is Crucial, but What is Risk and How do You Assess it?

Cyber security is an increasingly sophisticated game of cat and mouse, where the landscape is constantly shifting. Your cyber risk is the probability of negative impacts stemming from a cyber incident, but how do you assess risk?

One thing to understand is that there are a multitude of risks: risks from phishing, risks from insiders, risks from network attacks, risks of supply chain compromise, and of course, nation states. To understand risk, an organisation must first identify the information that it needs to protect, to avoid only learning of the information asset’s existence from a successful attacker. Once all assets are identified, then organisations should conduct risk assessments to identify threats and an evaluation the potential damage that can be done.

Sources: [Security Boulevard] [International Banker]

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Cyber attacks cost financial firms $12bn says IMF (finextra.com)

• UK business falling short on cybersecurity warns government report (computing.co.uk)

• Half of UK Businesses Hit by Cyber Incident in Past Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 60% of small businesses are concerned about cyber security threats | Malwarebytes

• Cyber attacks on small businesses are on the rise - Marketplace

• What is cyber security risk & how to assess - Security Boulevard

• Cyber Security Regulations Aren’t Static—Your Practices Can’t Be Either (forbes.com)

• Why Cyber Security Is More Crucial Today Than Ever Before (internationalbanker.com)

• Large cyber attack could cause 'cyber run' or market sell-offs, warns IMF - FStech Financial Sector Technology

• Why are many businesses turning to third-party security partners? - Help Net Security

• CISO Perspectives on Complying with Cyber Security Regulations (thehackernews.com)

• Why incident response is the best cyber security ROI | CSO Online

• Why Intelligence Sharing Is Vital to Building a Robust Collective Cyber Defence Program -  Security Week

• Privacy Versus Cyber – What is the Bigger Risk? | Jackson Lewis P.C. - JDSupra

• Large businesses struggle to tackle cyber threats (betanews.com)

• Resilience And Antifragility Are The Best Strategies For 2024 (forbes.com)

• The state of secrets security: 7 action items for better managing risk - Security Boulevard

• Board Oversight and Cyber Breach Response: What Involvement Strikes the Right Balance? | Alston & Bird - JDSupra

• Compliance & Cyber Security – Working and Worrying Together About the Intersection of People and Technology | NAVEX - JDSupra

• Former Uber CSO Joe Sullivan and lessons learned from the infamous 2016 Uber breach | CSO Online

• Why cyberpsychology is such an important part of effective cyber security | CSO Online

• Cyber Security in the Evolving Threat Landscape (securityaffairs.com)

• How CISOs can make themselves ready to serve on the board | CSO Online

• CISOs Need A Data-Driven Approach To Offensive Security (forbes.com)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransomware surged 110pc last month, report claims (siliconrepublic.com)

• UK government urged to get on ‘forward foot’ with ransomware instead of ‘absorbing the punches’ (therecord.media)

• Ransomware attacks are the canaries in the cyber coal mine | The Hill

• Ransomware gang’s new extortion trick? Calling the front desk | TechCrunch

• Frameworks, Guidelines & Bounties Alone Won't Defeat Ransomware (darkreading.com)

• Ransomware group maturity should influence ransom payment decision - Help Net Security

• Proactive and Reactive Ransomware Protection Strategies - Security Boulevard

• How can the energy sector bolster its resilience to ransomware attacks? - Help Net Security

• CL0P's Ransomware Rampage - Security Measures for 2024 (thehackernews.com)

• Should You Pay a Ransomware Attacker? - Security Boulevard

• LockBit struggles to maintain relevance amid rise of impersonators and new ransomware groups - SiliconANGLE

• DragonForce Ransomware - What You Need To Know | Tripwire

• LockBit copycat DarkVault spurs rebranding rumour | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Ransomware payouts hit all-time high, but that’s not the whole story (securityintelligence.com)

Ransomware Victims

• Vet chain CVS hit by cyber attack | Evening Standard

• Second ransomware gang says it’s extorting Change Healthcare • The Register

• Targus says it is facing major cyber attack, global operations hit | TechRadar

• Optics giant Hoya hit with $10 million ransomware demand (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Panera Bread week-long IT outage caused by ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Attackers Using Obfuscation Tools to Deliver Multi-Stage Malware via Invoice Phishing (thehackernews.com)

• 74% of Employees Falling Victim to Phishing Attacks Hit With Disciplinary Actions; Egress Reveals | The Fintech Times

• Honeytrap sext scandal MP William Wragg will keep Tory whip (thetimes.co.uk)

• How malicious email campaigns continue to slip through the cracks - Help Net Security

• TA547 Phishing Attack Hits German Firms with Rhadamanthys Stealer (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber Criminals Invade Inboxes: What Small Businesses Can Do (pymnts.com)

• Phishing Detection and Response: What You Need to Know - Security Boulevard

Other Social Engineering

• Cyber Criminals Target Victims Using Social Engineering Techniques (ic3.gov)

• Honeytrap sext scandal MP William Wragg will keep Tory whip (thetimes.co.uk)

• LastPass: Hackers targeted employee in failed deepfake CEO call (bleepingcomputer.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• UK Warned Of AI Misinformation Targeting 2024 Polls, Nation-State Hackers Raise Stakes - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) - Benzinga

• China is using generative AI to carry out influence operations (securityaffairs.com)

• What Lies Ahead for Cyber Security in the Era of Generative AI? - IT Security Guru

• AI risks under the auditor's lens more than ever - Help Net Security

• Speed of AI development is outpacing risk assessment | Ars Technica

• AI and GDPR: How is AI being regulated? | TechTarget

• Malicious PowerShell script pushing malware looks AI-written (bleepingcomputer.com)

• LastPass: Hackers targeted employee in failed deepfake CEO call (bleepingcomputer.com)

• AI-as-a-Service Providers Vulnerable to PrivEsc and Cross-Tenant Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• How Artificial Intelligence Is Fuelling Incel Communities (yahoo.com)

2FA/MFA

• How Hackers Can Hijack 2FA Calls with Sneaky Call Forwarding (404media.co)

Malware

• Attackers Using Obfuscation Tools to Deliver Multi-Stage Malware via Invoice Phishing (thehackernews.com)

• From PDFs to Payload: Bogus Adobe Acrobat Reader Installers Distribute Byakugan Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Urgent Security Alert! Hackers Hijacked Notepad++ Plugin (gbhackers.com)

• 1.2 million people fooled by fake MidJourney Facebook page used to spread malware — don’t fall for this | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Sophisticated Latrodectus Malware Linked to 2017 Strain (inforisktoday.com)

• Critical Flaws Leave 92,000 D-Link NAS Devices Vulnerable to Malware Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Famous YouTube Channels Hacked to Distribute Infostealers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Bing ad posing as NordVPN aims to spread SecTopRAT malware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• ScrubCrypt used to drop VenomRAT along with many malicious plugins (securityaffairs.com)

• Hackers Use Malware to Hunt Software Vulnerabilities - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Unit 42: Malware-initiated scanning attacks on the rise | TechTarget

• RUBYCARP hackers linked to 10-year-old cryptomining botnet (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Raspberry Robin Returns: New Malware Campaign Spreading Through WSF Files (thehackernews.com)

• Malicious PowerShell script pushing malware looks AI-written (bleepingcomputer.com)

• TA547 Phishing Attack Hits German Firms with Rhadamanthys Stealer (thehackernews.com)

Mobile

• Our phones are under threat more than ever — but many of us still don't have mobile security protection | TechRadar

• Apple Warns of iPhone "Mercenary Attack" Across 92 Countries (cnet.com)

• The next wave of mobile threats - Help Net Security

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• How Nation-State DDoS Attacks Impact Us All (darkreading.com)

• DDoS Protection Needs Detective and Preventive Controls (darkreading.com)

• French cities knocked offline by 'large-scale cyber attack' • The Register

Internet of Things – IoT

• Amazon Removes a Feature From Fire TVs Over Security Concerns | Cord Cutters News

• Over 90,000 LG Smart TVs may be exposed to remote attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• EV Charging Stations Still Riddled With Cyber Security Vulnerabilities (darkreading.com)

• UK town halls given green light to use Chinese CCTV — despite Westminster ban – POLITICO

• Hotel check-in terminal leaks rafts of guests' room codes • The Register

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Many of the world's biggest companies reported data breaches last year | TechRadar

• US Data Breach Reports Surge 90% Annually in Q1 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 37% of publicly shared files expose personal information - Help Net Security

• Acuity confirms hackers stole non-sensitive govt data from GitHub repos (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Home Depot confirms third-party data breach exposed employee info (bleepingcomputer.com)

• AT&T now says data breach impacted 51 million customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• DOJ data on 340,000 individuals stolen in consulting firm hack | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Taxi software vendor exposes personal details of nearly 300K • The Register

• Employee credentials leaked in Microsoft security lapse (techmonitor.ai)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Russia ranked biggest cyber crime threat to rest of the world | Tech News | Metro News

• Oxford research uncovers world cyber crime hotspots | thisisoxfordshire

• Cyber crooks poison GitHub search to fool developers | Computer Weekly

• Zambia Busts 77 People in China-Backed Cyber Crime Op (darkreading.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Google sues crypto investment app makers over alleged massive "pig butchering" scam (bitdefender.com)

• Fugitive CEO at the center of 2022 crypto crash found liable for fraud | Cryptocurrencies | The Guardian

• Hackers deploy crypto drainers on thousands of WordPress sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

• RUBYCARP hackers linked to 10-year-old cryptomining botnet (bleepingcomputer.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• 74% of Employees Falling Victim to Phishing Attacks Hit With Disciplinary Actions; Egress Reveals | The Fintech Times

• Microsoft employees exposed internal passwords in security lapse | TechCrunch

• Insider Threats Surge Amid Growing Foreign Interference - Security Boulevard

Insurance

• US insurers using drones to deny home insurance policies • The Register

• Cyber Insurance: Sexy? No. Important? Critically yes. - Security Boulevard

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Why a near-miss cyber attack put US officials and the tech industry on edge - The Japan Times

• DOJ data on 340,000 individuals stolen in consulting firm hack | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Combatting Supply Chain Cyber Threats: Safeguarding Data and Protecting Digital Supply Chains | Foley & Lardner LLP - JDSupra

Encryption

• How cryptographers finally cracked one of the Zodiac Killer’s hardest codes | Popular Science (popsci.com)

Linux and Open Source

• The Cyber Attack Stopped by a Microsoft Engineer Was Scarier Than We Realize | Inc.com

• Supply chain attack sends shockwaves through open-source community | CyberScoop

• German state ditches Microsoft for Linux and LibreOffice | ZDNET

• Open source foundations unite on common standards for EU’s Cyber Resilience Act | TechCrunch

• Who’s the bigger cyber security risk – Microsoft or open source? (reason.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Reusing passwords: The hidden cost of convenience (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft employees exposed internal passwords in security lapse | TechCrunch

• CISA says Sisense hack impacts critical infrastructure orgs (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• A TikTok Whistleblower Got DC’s Attention. Do His Claims Add Up? | WIRED

• 1.2 million people fooled by fake MidJourney Facebook page used to spread malware — don’t fall for this | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Famous YouTube Channels Hacked to Distribute Infostealers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Cyber Security Regulations Aren’t Static—Your Practices Can’t Be Either (forbes.com)

• Open source foundations unite on common standards for EU’s Cyber Resilience Act | TechCrunch

• Understanding CISA’s New Draft Rules for Cyber Attack Reporting | Morgan Lewis - Tech & Sourcing - JDSupra

• Spy Law Needs Fixing Now to Stop Overreach—Not a Backdoor Boost (bloomberglaw.com)

• AI and GDPR: How is AI being regulated? | TechTarget

• CISA: 300,000+ Small Entities Covered By Proposed Cyber Reporting Regs | MSSP Alert

• CISO Perspectives on Complying with Cyber Security Regulations (thehackernews.com)

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• HIPAA Fundamentals for Providers | Tucker Arensberg, P.C. - JDSupra

• Process and Control Today | NIS2 – cyber security directive from the EU. Get ready! (pandct.com)

• DORA Compliance Checklist | UpGuard

Backup and Recovery

• Seven ways to be sure you can restore from backup | Computer Weekly

Data Protection

• 37% of publicly shared files expose personal information - Help Net Security

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Want to make cyber security much stronger? Become a mentor | CSO Online

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Zambia Busts 77 People in China-Backed Cyber Crime Op (darkreading.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• UK Warned Of AI Misinformation Targeting 2024 Polls, Nation-State Hackers Raise Stakes - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) - Benzinga

• State-backed cyber attacks, AI deepfakes: Top UK election cyber risks (cnbc.com)

• China is using generative AI to carry out influence operations (securityaffairs.com)

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

Nation State Actors

• How Nation-State DDoS Attacks Impact Us All (darkreading.com)

• Foreign Interference Drives Record Surge in IP Theft - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

China

• A TikTok Whistleblower Got DC’s Attention. Do His Claims Add Up? | WIRED

• Chinese Groups Deploy New TTPs to Exploit Ivanti Vulnerabilities - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• China is using generative AI to carry out influence operations (securityaffairs.com)

• Zambia Busts 77 People in China-Backed Cyber Crime Op (darkreading.com)

• Honeytrap sext scandal MP William Wragg will keep Tory whip (thetimes.co.uk)

• How China is Hacking America (newsweek.com)

• UK town halls given green light to use Chinese CCTV — despite Westminster ban – POLITICO

• China flooding Britain with fake stamps in act of 'economic warfare' (telegraph.co.uk)

Russia

• Germany to launch cyber military branch to combat Russian threats (therecord.media)

• US says Russian hackers stole federal government emails during Microsoft cyber attack | TechCrunch

• Macron: Russia will target Paris Olympics (insidethegames.biz)

• Cyber attack on TV channel BabyTV: Toddlers suddenly exposed to Russian propaganda | NL Times

• Czechia explains how Russia is trying to arrange sabotage on European railways | European Pravda (eurointegration.com.ua)

• Cyber security in 2023: Estonia's year of advanced threats (e-estonia.com)

• Oxford research uncovers world cyber crime hotspots | thisisoxfordshire

• Most cyber criminal threats are concentrated in just a few countries, new index shows (phys.org)

• Extensive Russian criminal record leak conducted by hacktivist group | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

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

• Top Israeli spy chief exposes his true identity in online security lapse | Israel | The Guardian

• Extensive Russian criminal record leak conducted by hacktivist group | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Apple Updates Spyware Alert System to Warn Victims of Mercenary Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Apple mercenary spyware attack: Exclusive: Apple warns users of "mercenary spyware" attack; India, 91 other countries impacted - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

• Apple Warns of iPhone "Mercenary Attack" Across 92 Countries (cnet.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Zero-Day Attacks on the Rise: Google Reports 50% Increase in 2023 - Security Boulevard

• How exposure management elevates cyber resilience - Help Net Security

• Company Offering $30 Million for Android, iOS, Browser Zero-Day Exploits -  Security Week

• Hackers Use Malware to Hunt Software Vulnerabilities - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Unit 42: Malware-initiated scanning attacks on the rise | TechTarget

Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft Fixes 149 Flaws in Huge April Patch Release, Zero-Days Included (thehackernews.com)

• Patch Tuesday: Code Execution Flaws in Multiple Adobe Software Products -  Security Week

• Chinese Groups Deploy New TTPs to Exploit Ivanti Vulnerabilities - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• SAP's April 2024 Updates Patch High-Severity Vulnerabilities -  Security Week

• Microsoft Plugs Gaping Hole in Azure Kubernetes Service Confidential Containers -  Security Week

• Two new bugs can bypass detection and steal SharePoint data | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• New SharePoint flaws help hackers evade detection when stealing files (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers Claiming of Working Windows 0-Day LPE Exploit (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Microsoft fixes five security vulnerabilities in Edge 123 - Neowin

• Cisco Warns of Vulnerability in Discontinued Small Business Routers -  Security Week

• Urgent Security Alert! Hackers Hijacked Notepad++ Plugin (gbhackers.com)

• +16K Ivanti VPN gateways still vulnerable to RCE CVE-2024-21894 (securityaffairs.com)

• Over 92,000 exposed D-Link NAS devices have a backdoor account (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Company Offering $30 Million for Android, iOS, Browser Zero-Day Exploits -  Security Week

• Critical 'BatBadBut' Rust Vulnerability Exposes Windows Systems to Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Intel and Lenovo servers impacted by 6-year-old BMC flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Critical Flaws Leave 92,000 D-Link NAS Devices Vulnerable to Malware Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Fortinet Patches Critical RCE Vulnerability in FortiClientLinux -  Security Week

• Researchers Resurrect Spectre v2 Attack Against Intel CPUs -  Security Week

• AI-as-a-Service Providers Vulnerable to PrivEsc and Cross-Tenant Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Severe Vulnerabilities Discovered in Software to Protect Internet Routing (prleap.com)

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Tools and Controls

• Seven ways to be sure you can restore from backup | Computer Weekly

• Why incident response is the best cyber security ROI | CSO Online

• Why Intelligence Sharing Is Vital to Building a Robust Collective Cyber Defence Program -  Security Week

• Improving Dark Web Investigations with Threat Intelligence | Recorded Future

• What Lies Ahead for Cyber Security in the Era of Generative AI? - IT Security Guru

• What is cyber security risk & how to assess - Security Boulevard

• Your Guide to Threat Detection and Response - Security Boulevard

• Report finds 90% of cyber attacks in 2023 exploited RDP (securitybrief.co.nz)

• How exposure management elevates cyber resilience - Help Net Security

• Phishing Detection and Response: What You Need to Know - Security Boulevard

• The state of secrets security: 7 action items for better managing risk - Security Boulevard

• How Red Team Exercises Increases Your Cyber Health | Trend Micro (US)

• How Google’s 90-day TLS certificate validity proposal will affect enterprises - Help Net Security

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Cyber security breaches survey 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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Other News

• Third of charities experienced a cyber breach last year, government reports (civilsociety.co.uk)

• Hackers Exploit Magento Bug to Steal Payment Data from E-commerce Websites (thehackernews.com)

• OODA Loop - The Water Sector Is Being Threatened.  That Should Worry Everyone

• Anticipated Cyber Threats During the 2024 Olympics & How to Proactively Secure Your Business - Security Boulevard

• France Bracing for Cyber Attacks During Summer Olympics - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

• Risk & Repeat: Cyber Safety Review Board takes Microsoft to task | TechTarget

• The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is a Warning | Proceedings - April 2024 Vol. 150/4/1,454 (usni.org)

• Report finds 90% of cyber attacks in 2023 exploited RDP (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Scandal and cyber security in Westminster | Crooked Media

• Financial sector cyber security at the helm of investor protection | Mint (livemint.com)

• US Health Dept warns hospitals of hackers targeting IT help desks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Only 1% Singapore companies are “mature” in cyber threat readiness but 99% plan to increase their cyber security budget in the next 12 months - Singapore News (theindependent.sg)

• Former Uber CSO Joe Sullivan and lessons learned from the infamous 2016 Uber breach | CSO Online

• Software-Defined Vehicle Fleets Face a Twisty Road on Cyber Security (darkreading.com)

• Independent Pharmacies Must Prioritize Cyber Security (drugtopics.com)

• Devious 'man in the middle' hacks on the rise: How to stay safe | PCWorld

• Top 10 Attacker Techniques: What do They Mean for MSSPs? | MSSP Alert

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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 Insight 11 April 2024 – UK Government Report Finds 50% of UK Businesses and 32% of UK Charities Suffer Breach in Last 12 Months, Lacking Effective Cyber Security

Executive Summary

The latest UK Government cyber security breaches survey has found that over half of businesses (50%) and a third of charities (32%) have suffered a cyber breach within the last 12 months. This rises to 70% for medium businesses and 66% for charities with over £500,000 in annual income. Phishing held the crown for the most predominant, impacting a significant 84% of businesses, followed by impersonation of organisations in emails or online (35% of businesses and 37% of charities). Despite the likelihood of an attack occurring, 78% of organisations remained without a formal incident response plan.

What’s the risk?

The largest impacts from being breached included: added staff time, staff prevented from carrying out daily work, repair or recovery costs, complaints from customers and loss of revenue or share value. When it came to reporting such breaches, a concerningly low 5% of businesses had informed clients and customers. Organisations must consider this, as this could mean that their supply chain has been breached without them even knowing.

The survey found that of those who had been impacted by a breach, 59% of businesses and 70% of charities reported taking action to prevent further breaches. The most common action taken to prevent further breaches for both was additional staff training. The findings highlight the importance and crucial role of staff in your organisation’s cyber security efforts.

Worryingly, despite finding that overall findings showing 80% of business run training consistently, 52% of medium businesses and only 18% of charities overall had run training sessions in the last 12 months. This figure rose to 74% for large businesses. Clearly, with the two highest causes of breaches targeting the human factor, effective and regular training to keep up to date with emerging tactics must be a top concern for organisations.

What can I do?

It is one thing to regularly run training, but it is another to make sure that training is engaging and beneficial for staff, including those at a senior level. Our training sessions are run by our cyber experts, who work with firms day in and day out to help businesses protect themselves against the latest threats. We demystify cyber security and help your employees and your leadership team to understand the risks they face in their working lives and how to protect your company.

Cyber is a matter of when, not if, and you need to have a plan. No-one wants to be improvising their security response in the event of a real cyber incident. 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.

The UK Government Cyber Breaches Survey 2024 can be found below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 29 September 2023 – Billions of Usernames and Passwords Leaked Online And Major Charities Hit by Cyber Attack

Executive Summary

The usernames and passwords of billions of users have been exposed online after a company, DarkBeam left an online database unprotected. It’s worth noting that all of the leaked email addresses and passwords in this database actually came from previous data breaches. It appears DarkBeam had been collecting this information to alert its customers in regards to future data breaches.

This comes as a number of major charities have been impacted by a cyber attack on in which the supply chain of About Loyalty, who work with a number of charities, had been breached. As a result, a significant amount of donor information had been exfiltrated.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

The leaked usernames and passwords can be used by threat actors as attempts to perform account compromise or to conduct phishing campaigns. Similarly, the donor information related to the charity attacks can be used to perform phishing attacks. In both cases, the confidentiality and integrity of data can be impacted.

What can I do?

As always, Black Arrow recommend users stay vigilant and scrutinise anything that comes into their inbox.

To find out if your email address or password has featured in a data breach, you can visit:

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

More information on the leaked passwords can be found here:

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/billions-of-usernames-and-passwords-leaked-online-how-to-see-if-youre-affected

More information on the charity breach can be found here:

https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/major-charities-affected-cyber-attack/digital/article/1838552

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 29 January 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 Headlines of the Week

Phishing Attacks Show High-Ranking Execs May Be ‘Most Valuable Asset,’ and ‘Greatest Vulnerability’

Cyber criminals have been using a phishing kit featuring fake Office 365 password alerts as a lure to target the credentials of chief executives, business owners and other high-level corporate leaders. The scheme highlights the role and responsibility upper management plays in ensuring the security of their own company’s assets.

https://www.scmagazine.com/home/security-news/phishing/phishing-scheme-shows-ceos-may-be-most-valuable-asset-and-greatest-vulnerability/

Insurers 'Funding Organised Crime' by Paying Ransomware Claims

Insurers are inadvertently funding organised crime by paying out claims from companies who have paid ransoms to regain access to data and systems after a hacking attack, Britain’s former top cybersecurity official has warned.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/insurers-funding-organised-by-paying-ransomware-claims

Emotet: Police raids take down botnet that hacked 'millions of computers worldwide'

Emotet, one of the world's most dangerous cyber crime services, has been taken down following one of the largest ever internationally-coordinated actions against cyber criminals. Although it began as banking malware designed to steal financial credentials, Emotet had become an infrastructure tool leased out to cyber criminals to break into victim computer networks and install additional malicious software.

https://news.sky.com/story/emotet-police-raids-take-down-botnet-that-hacked-millions-of-computers-worldwide-12200460

After the SolarWinds Hack, We Have No Idea What Cyber Dangers We Face

Months before insurgents breached the Capitol and rampaged through the halls of Congress, a stealthier invader was muscling its way into the computers of government officials, stealing documents, monitoring e-mails, and setting traps for future incursions. Last March, a hacking team, believed to be affiliated with Russian intelligence, planted malware in a routine software upgrade from a Texas-based I.T. company called SolarWinds, which provides network-management systems to more than three hundred thousand clients.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/after-the-solarwinds-hack-we-have-no-idea-what-cyber-dangers-we-face

FSB warns Russian businesses of cyber attacks as retaliation for SolarWinds hack

Russian authorities are alerting Russian organizations of potential cyberattacks launched by the United States in response to SolarWinds attack. The Russian intelligence agency FSB has issued a security alert this week warning Russian organizations of potential cyberattacks launched by the United States in response to the SolarWinds supply chain attack.

https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/113752/cyber-warfare-2/fsb-fears-retaliation-solarwinds-hack.html

Update your iPhone — Apple just disclosed hackers may have 'actively exploited' a vulnerability in its iOS

On Tuesday released a new iOS software update that includes fixes for three security weaknesses in the former version.  Its support website that it is aware of the three security bugs and that they "may have been actively exploited. “Also, it does not disclose details regarding security issues "until an investigation has occurred."

https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ios-14-update-hackers-security-bugs-iphone-software-2021-1?utmSource=twitter&utmContent=referral&utmTerm=topbar&referrer=twitter

Top Cyber Attacks of 2020

"Zoombomb" became the new photobomb—hackers would gain access to a private meeting or online class hosted on Zoom and shout profanities and racial slurs or flash pornographic images. Nation-state hacker groups mounted attacks against organisations involved in the coronavirus pandemic response, including the World Health Organization and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, some in an attempt to politicize the pandemic.

https://thehackernews.com/2021/01/top-cyber-attacks-of-2020.html

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Threats

Ransomware

• Nefilim Ransomware Gang Hits Jackpot with Ghost Account

• Cyber Criminals use deceased staff accounts to spread Nemty ransomware

• US and Bulgarian authorities disrupt NetWalker ransomware operation

• Former UK Cyber Security Chief Says Laws Are Needed to Stop Ransomware Payouts

BEC

• BEC attack techniques exploit Microsoft 365 messages

Phishing

• Targeted Phishing Attacks Strike High-Ranking Company Executives

Other Social Engineering

• Google warns of ‘novel social engineering method’ used to hack security researchers

Malware

• DreamBus botnet targets enterprise apps running on Linux servers

• These are the biggest threats facing WordPress sites today

• Trickbot is back again - with fresh phishing and malware attacks

Mobile

• A New Credential Stealing Android Malware

• Beware — A New Wormable Android Malware Spreading Through WhatsApp

Vulnerabilities

• Heap-based buffer overflow in Linux Sudo allows local users to gain root privileges

• Vulnerability found in top messaging apps let hackers eavesdrop

• Cisco DNA Center Bug Opens Enterprises to Remote Attack

• Experts Detail A Recent Remotely Exploitable Windows Vulnerability

• Former LulzSec Hacker Releases VPN Exploit Used to Hack Hacking Team

• KindleDrip exploit – Hacking a Kindle device with a simple email

Data Breaches

• Australian securities regulator discloses security breach

• Hacker leaks data of 2.28 million dating site users

• Grindr fined £8.6m in Norway over sharing personal information

Charities

• A month after a high-level cyber attack, charity says many IT systems are still offline

Insider Threats

• Man arrested after UK school finds wiped hard drives on devices connected to network

Nation-State Actors

• More Security Vendors Admit to SolarWinds Attacks 

Denial of Service

• DDoS attacks: Big rise in threats to overload business networks

Privacy

• These malicious tracking apps have already been downloaded over a billion times

• Banks rush to spy on traders’ Signal chats amid WhatsApp exodus

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Cyber fraud a national security issue, says RUSI report

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Other News

• Remote Attackers Can Now Reach Protected Network Devices via NAT Slipstreaming

• TikTok Flaw Lay Bare Phone Numbers, User IDs For Phishing Attacks

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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.

Lessons from Charities and Upcoming Charities Workshop this Thursday

Welcome to this week's Black Arrow Cyber Tip Tuesday.

This week, Black Arrow will host a workshop on cyber security for charities. This is part of our pro-bono work with charities and the Guernsey Community Foundation.

As research, we have worked with a few charities to look at their main information and cyber security risks, and the solutions that they can implement either free of charge or at low cost. 

We have seen that a charity is effectively a small business, where the team uses information that needs to be safeguarded. But a charity’s information can be very confidential where it relates to the health or private lives of its members.

The charity’s team, including employees and volunteers, might not be aware of information security or be at ease using technology.

For example, employees and volunteers often receive sensitive information at home using their own computer, and then download it onto that computer and print it out to take with them when visiting the member.

There is sometimes no control over what happens to that sensitive printed document and how it is stored or disposed of. 

Equally, the charity’s employees and volunteers need to be alert to the risks of using online technology and the tactics of criminals who try to get access to their computer and information.

At the workshop, we will be looking at these risks and ways to improve information and cyber security at no cost or low cost.

For more information, visit the Guernsey Community Foundation website (foundation.gg) or our website blackarrowcyber.com. And contact us if you would like to be part of our pro-bono work.

If you are a charity and would like to attend Thursday's free workshop email joni@foundation.gg to book your place

Our first Black Arrow Cyber Tip Tuesday video for 2020 - what's coming up in the next couple of months

Welcome to our first Black Arrow Cyber Tip Tuesday for 2020 a chance for us to have a think about what's coming up over the next couple of months.

Firstly, we know the new GFSC rules on cyber security will be going out to consultation and we know that the GFSC will be putting a lot more focus on cyber security, both in terms of operational and governance risk, and regulated firms need to think about how they are going to demonstrate compliance with these new regulations.

Secondly, we will be holding our first workshop for charities later in Q1, once we have completed a number of case studies with local charities to ensure the workshop hits the right note with the charities we are trying to help. More info on this will follow in the next month or so.

Whether you're a regulated financial services firm, any other kind of business, large or small, or a charity, contact us today to see how we can help make security easier for you to understand and protect yourselves against attacks.

Contact us for more

Black Arrow Cyber Tip Tuesday - Christmas Eve 2019 - Christmas Giving

Welcome to a special Christmas Eve 2019 Black Arrow Cyber Tip Tuesday.

Christmas is a time for giving so we thought it would be an ideal time to mention the services we give free of charge to help protect Guernsey and the local community.

1. Mentoring: if you are looking to start or progress your career in cyber security, you could be eligible for our mentoring program consisting of a rolling series of one to one meetings to see where our experience and guidance can help you.

2. Free 30 minute chats for Startups and Entrepreneurs: a free 30 minute consultation for new startups and entrepreneurs to help ensure they are getting the fundamentals of cyber security in place to protect their growing business.

3. Free pro bono advisory services for charities and non-profits: we are giving one day every month to support those that support our communities in Guernsey, to help them protect themselves, using where possible, or where appropriate, low or no cost solutions.

Black Arrow Cyber Consulting wishes everyone a Happy Christmas and a safe, secure and prosperous 2020

Cyber Tip Tuesday 10 December 2019 - Bruce talks about why charities need to think about cyber risk

This week’s Tip Tuesday focuses on Charities and how cyber security affects them.

Charities can be an attractive target for cyber criminals who want to access charities' information or funds.

Unfortunately, charities often do not have the expertise to establish good cyber hygiene, but they still need to operate in the same connected world as commercial organisations with larger budgets.

If a charity experiences an attack, then ultimately it is the wider community that suffers.

That is why charities need to take appropriate steps to secure themselves against a cyber-attack.

Fortunately, many of the things that charities will benefit from doing can be achieved with little or no cost, and Black Arrow also provides pro bono advisory services to charities in Guernsey to show how this can be done.

Week in review 22 September 2019: traditional user awareness not working, destructive malware returns, Microsoft patched Defender bug, top human hacks, vulnerabilities in IOT devices double in 6 years

Round up of the most significant open source stories of the last week

This week includes tools, tips and resources from around the web.

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.

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Traditional user awareness model is doomed to fail

CISOmag have some hard truths around the ways traditional user awareness is training is failing. If current user awareness is still relevant today, why is every security event full of CISOs complaining about users or passwords? After 20 years of user awareness, discussing passwords, and not clicking on links in emails the security industry is still talking about these as if they are new requirements. Where are the results which prove that the current model has worked, and will continue to work?

The full article can be read here: https://www.cisomag.com/traditional-user-awareness-model-is-doomed-to-fail/

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 World’s most destructive botnet returns with stolen passwords and email in tow

If you've noticed an uptick of spam that addresses you by name or quotes real emails you've sent or received in the past, you can probably blame Emotet. It's one of the world's most costly and destructive botnets—and it just returned from a four-month hiatus.

Emotet started out as a means for spreading a bank-fraud trojan, but over the years it morphed into a platform-for-hire that also spreads the increasingly powerful TrickBot trojan and Ryuk ransomware, both of which burrow deep into infected networks to maximize the damage they do. A post published on Tuesday by researchers from Cisco's Talos security team helps explain how Emotet continues to threaten so many of its targets.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/09/worlds-most-destructive-botnet-returns-with-stolen-passwords-and-email-in-tow/

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Microsoft Patches Severe Windows Defender Bug

Microsoft patched a serious flaw in the Windows Defender security utility today that resulted in certain malware scans failing after just a few minutes.

https://www.tomshardware.co.uk/microsoft-patches-windows-defender-bug,news-61709.html

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The Top 'Human Hacks' to Watch For Now

Social engineering is as old as mankind. But its techniques have evolved with time. DarkReading.com has info on the latest tricks criminals are using to dupe end users, including Social Media ‘Pretexting’, Vishing and SMiShing.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge/theedge/the-top-human-hacks-to-watch-for-now/b/d-id/1335845

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 Akamai speaks out on uptick of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks

Akamai released some findings on Wednesday following checks they had conducted on new Distributed Denial of Service vector leverages a UDP Amplification technique known as WS-Discovery (WSD). Without getting too technical UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is an alternative communications protocol to TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), used for establishing low-latency and loss-tolerating connections between applications on the internet). Since UDP is a stateless protocol, requests to the WSD service can be spoofed.

According to the report from Akamai the situation now is such that "multiple threat actors" are leveraging this DDoS method to ramp up attacks.

More: https://techxplore.com/news/2019-09-akamai-uptick-ddos.html

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Global cryptomining attacks use NSA exploits to earn Monero

Security researchers tracked a very active threat group launching cryptomining attacks around the world against organizations in banking, IT services, healthcare and more, using exploits from the National Security Agency to spread its malware.

The new threat group, dubbed 'Panda,' was revealed this week in a new report from Cisco Talos. The report’s authors wrote that although the group is "far from the most sophisticated" it has been very active and willing to "update their infrastructure and exploits on the fly as security researchers publicize indicators of compromises and proof of concepts."

The NSA exploits include EternalBlue, which attacks a vulnerability in Microsoft's Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. The researchers first became aware of Panda's cryptomining attacks in the summer of 2018 and have reported that over the past year they've seen daily activity in the organisation's honeypots.

https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/252470925/Global-cryptomining-attacks-use-NSA-exploits-to-earn-Monero

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If You Have a Smart TV or IoT Devices, Your Home is Leaking Data.

Researchers at Northeastern University and the Imperial College London have recently conducted a thorough analysis of 81 different IoT products to characterize what services they attempt to connect with, what communications can be inferred from these connections, and the degree of encryption used to protect customers. 72/81 devices have at least one destination that is not a first party (i.e., belonging to the device manufacturer), 56% of the US devices and 83.8% of the UK devices contact destinations outside their region, all devices expose information to eavesdroppers via at least one plaintext flow, and a passive eavesdropper can reliably infer user and device behavior from the traffic (encrypted or otherwise) of 30/81 devices.

More here: https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/298621-if-you-have-a-smart-tv-or-iot-devices-your-home-is-leaking-data?source=opera

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Vulnerabilities in IoT Devices Have Doubled Since 2013

Sticking with IoT devices for a minute, a follow-up study into the security of IoT devices has revealed more than twice the number of vulnerabilities as were detected six years ago.

In the 2013 study, researchers at Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) highlighted 52 vulnerabilities across 13 SOHO wireless routers and network-attached storage (NAS) devices made by vendors including Asus and Belkin.

An examination of routers and NAS products by ISE published yesterday has flagged 125 common vulnerabilities or exposures (CVEs). The vulnerabilities captured by the new research could affect millions of IoT devices.

For their latest study, the researchers tested 13 contemporary IoT devices created by a range of manufacturers. Modern versions of several devices tested in the original 2013 study were also studied to determine whether manufacturers had upped their security game.

The reported results were fairly disappointing, with researchers able to obtain remote root-level access to 12 of the 13 devices tested. Among the weaknesses identified were buffer overflow issues, command injection security flaws, and cross-site scripting (XSS) errors.

Read the original article here: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/vulnerabilities-in-iot-devices/

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Some IT teams move to the cloud without business oversight or direction

27% of IT teams in the financial industry migrated data to the cloud for no specific reason, and none of them received financial support from management for their cloud initiatives, according to Netwrix.

Moreover, every third organization that received no additional cloud security budget in 2019 experienced a data breach.

Other findings revealed by the research include:

·         56% of financial organizations that had at least one security incident in the cloud last year couldn’t determine who was at fault.

·         31% of organizations would consider moving data back on premises due to concerns about security, reliability and performance, and high costs.

·         Interest in broader cloud adoption has faded in the financial sector since last year. The number of organizations ready to adopt a cloud-first approach dropped by 16% and the number eager to move their entire infrastructure to the cloud fell by 12%.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/09/20/financial-industry-cloud/

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Most Small to Medium Sized Business Cyber Attacks Focus on Just Three TCP Ports

Small to mid-sized businesses can keep safe from most cyber attacks by protecting the ports that threat actors target the most. Three of them stand out in a crowd of more than 130,000 targeted in cyber incidents.

A report from threat intelligence and defence company Alert Logic enumerates the top weaknesses observed in attacks against over 4,000 of its customers.

According to the report, the ports most frequently used to carry out an attack are 22, 80, and 443, which correspond to SSH (Secure Shell), the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure).

Alert Logic says that these appear in 65% of the incidents, and it makes sense since they need to be open for communication, be it secured or plain text.

As basic guidance, security across all network ports should include defence-in-depth. Ports that are not in use should be closed and organisations should install a firewall on every host as well as monitor and filter port traffic. Regular port scans and penetration testing are also best practices to help ensure there are no unchecked vulnerabilities.

Standard recommendations to reduce potential risk from these ports is to maintain up-to-date and hardened devices, software or services that rely on these ports in order to close attack avenues.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/most-cyber-attacks-focus-on-just-three-tcp-ports/

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Facebook announced on Friday that it suspended tens of thousands of apps amid privacy investigation in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The tens of thousands of apps Facebook has removed come from just 400 developers, Facebook said in its blogpost, and millions more have been investigated. The review is ongoing and comes from hundreds of contributors, including attorneys, external investigators, data scientists, engineers, policy specialists, and teams within Facebook, the company said.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/20/facebook-app-suspension-privacy-cambridge-analytica

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Why charities can’t afford to ignore the risk from malware

The world of cyber crime can seem murky and mysterious – cyber criminals are, after all, a faceless threat and charities are focused on the here and now, running their day to day operations and making a difference. But weapons such as malware are indiscriminate, and anyone can be stung. A new article from charitydigitalnews.co.uk aims to shed some light on the world of malware, with help from cyber security experts Avast in the form of a useful Q&A. The site has some other useful resources for charities and non-profits.

https://www.charitydigitalnews.co.uk/2019/09/16/cyber-security-faq-why-charities-cant-afford-to-ignore-the-risk-from-malware/

Black Arrow Cyber Consulting have a number of hours of free consulting time that charities and non-profits can apply to use.

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Tools, tips and resources from around the web

How to encrypt and secure a website using HTTPS

The web is moving to HTTPS. SearchSecurity have released a guide to help firms find out how to encrypt websites using HTTPS to stop eavesdroppers from snooping around sensitive and restricted web data.

More info can be found here: https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/tip/How-to-encrypt-and-secure-a-website-using-HTTPS

Ransomware: 11 steps you should take to protect against disaster

Falling victim to ransomware could put your vital business or personal data at risk of being lost forever. ZDNet have put together a list of steps that can help bolster your defences.

Read the article for the full list but the usual rules apply; user education and awareness, good patch management and ensuring you have good online and offline backups such that you can recover your data if the worst was to happen.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-11-steps-you-should-take-to-protect-against-disaster/