Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 28th July 2023

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Half of UK Businesses Struggle to Fill Cyber Security Skills Gap

Half of UK businesses have a cyber security skills gap that they are struggling to fill amid a challenging labour market, according to data published by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which found that there were more than 160,000 cyber security job postings in the last year – a 30% increase on the previous period. In all, the UK requires an additional 11,200 people with suitable cyber skills to meet the demands of the market, the report estimates.

In a separate report, it was found that a lack of executive understanding and an ever-widening talent gap is placing an unsustainable burden on security teams to prevent business-ending breaches. When asked how long it takes to fill a cyber security role, 82% of organisations report it takes three months or longer, with 34% reporting it takes seven months or more. These challenges have led one-third (33%) of organisations to believe they will never have a fully-staffed security team with the proper skills.

With such a gap, some organisations have turned to outsourcing cyber security roles, such as chief information security officers (CISOs), leading to a rise in virtual CISOs (vCISO). With outsourcing, organisations can ensure that they are easily able to pick up and use cyber security experts, greatly reducing the delay were they to hire. Black Arrow supports clients as their vCISO with specialist experience in cyber security risk management in a business context.

https://www.uktech.news/cybersecurity/uk-cybersecurity-skills-gap-20230725

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/26/security-teams-executive-burden/

• Deloitte Joins Fellow Big Four MOVEit victims PWC, EY as Victims Exceed 500

The global auditing and accounting firm Deloitte appeared alongside a further 55 MOVEit victims that were recently named by the Cl0p ransomware gang, making them the third Big Four accounting firm to be affected and amongst over 500 organisations in total with that number expected to continue to increase.

Research by Kroll has also uncovered a new exfiltration method used by Cl0p in their the MOVEit attacks, highlighting constant efforts by the ransomware gang. Worryingly, it has been reported that Cl0p have made between $75-100 million from ransom payments and it is expected this, along with the victim count, will rise.

https://cybernews.com/security/deloitte-big-four-moveit-pwc-ey-clop/

https://www.kroll.com/en/insights/publications/cyber/moveit-vulnerability-investigations-uncover-additional-exfiltration-method

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/clop-could-make-100m-moveit/

• Why Cyber Security Should Be Part of Your ESG Strategy

Organisations need to consider cyber security risks in their overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy amid growing cyber threats and regulatory scrutiny. The ESG programme is, in many ways, a form of risk management to mitigate the risks to businesses, societies and the environment, all of which can be impacted by cyber security. The investment community has been singling out cyber security as one of the major risks that ESG programmes will need to address due to the potential financial losses, reputational damage and business continuity risks posed by a growing number of cyber attacks and data breaches.

Various ESG reporting frameworks have emerged in recent years to provide organisations with guidelines on how they can operate ethically and sustainably, along with metrics that they can use to measure their progress. There are also specific IT security standards and frameworks, including ISO 27001 and government guidelines. Some regulators have gone as far as mandating the adoption of baseline security standards by critical infrastructure operators and firms in industries like financial services, but that does not mean organisations outside of regulated sectors are less pressured to shore up their cyber security posture.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366545432/Why-cyber-security-should-be-part-of-your-ESG-strategy

• Lawyers Take Frontline Role in Business Response to Cyber Attacks

Cyber security risk has shot to the top of general counsels’ agendas as the sophistication and frequency of attacks has grown. According to security company Sophos’s State of Ransomware 2023 report, 44% of UK businesses surveyed said they had been hit with ransomware in the past year. Of those affected, 33% said their data was encrypted and stolen and a further 6% said that their data was not encrypted but they experienced extortion.

In-house lawyers have a key role around the boardroom table when dealing with a breach including war-gaming and discussing cases in which a company will pay a ransom. The advent of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation in Europe, and equivalents elsewhere, demands that businesses hit by a data breach notify a regulator, and the individuals whose data was stolen, or both, depending on certain factors. This has led to far greater exposure of cyber incidents which companies previously could have tried to deal with privately.

https://www.ft.com/content/2af44ae8-78fc-4393-88c3-0d784a850331

• Organisations Face Record $4.5M Per Data Breach Incident

In a recent report conducted by IBM, the average cost per data breach for US business in 2023 jumped to $4.45 million, a 15% increase over three years. In the UK, the average cost was found to be £3.4 million, rising to £5.3 million for financial services. It is likely that the cost per breach will maintain a continual rise, with organisations struggling to crack down on cyber crime, something threat groups like Cl0p are taking advantage of.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/orgs-record-4.5m-data-breach-incident

https://uk.newsroom.ibm.com/24-07-2023-IBM-Security-Report-Cost-of-a-Data-Breach-for-UK-Businesses-Averages-3-4m

• Cryptojacking Soars as Cyber Attacks Diversify

According to a recent report, a variety of attacks have increased globally, including cryptojacking (399%), IoT malware (37%) and encrypted threats (22%). This reflects the increase in actors who are changing their methods of attacks. The report found that we can expect more state-sponsored activity targeting a broader set of victims in 2023, including SMBs, government entities and enterprises.

Cryptojacking, sometimes referred to as malicious cryptomining, is where an attacker will use a victim’s device to mine cryptocurrency, giving the attacker free money at the expense of your device, network health and electricity.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/27/cryptojacking-attacks-rise/

• Ransomware Attacks Skyrocket in 2023

Ransomware attacks surged by 74% in Q2 2023 compared to the first three months of the year, a new report has found. The significant increase in ransomware over April, May and June 2023 suggests that attackers are regrouping. In July 2023, the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis found that in the first half of 2023, ransomware attackers extorted $176m more than the same period in 2022, reversing a brief downward trend in 2022.

The report also observed an uptick in “pure extortion attacks,” with cyber criminals increasingly relying on the threat of data leaks rather than encrypting data to extort victims. Such schemes may not trigger any ransomware detection capability but could potentially be picked up by a robust Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-attacks-skyrocket-q2/

• Blocking Access to ChatGPT is a Short-Term Solution to Mitigate AI Risk

Despite the mass adoption of generative AI, most companies don’t know how to assess its security, exposing them to risks and disadvantages if they don’t change their approach. A report found that for every 10,000 enterprise users, an enterprise organisation is experiencing approximately 183 incidents of sensitive data being posted to ChatGPT per month. Worryingly, despite the security issues, only 45% have an enterprise-wide strategy to ensure a secure, aligned deployment of AI across the entire organisation.

Blocking access to AI related content and AI applications is a short term solution to mitigate risk, but comes at the expense of the potential benefits that AI apps offer to supplement corporate innovation and employee productivity. The data shows that in financial services and healthcare nearly 1 in 5 organisations have implemented a blanket ban on employee use of ChatGPT, while in the technology sector, only 1 in 20 organisations have done likewise.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/28/chatgpt-exposure/

https://www.techradar.com/pro/lots-of-sensitive-data-is-still-being-posted-to-chatgpt

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/25/generative-ai-strategy/

• Protect Your Data Like Your Reputation Depends on It (Because it Does)

Data breaches can be incredibly costly. Be it lawsuits, regulatory fines, or a fall in stock price, the financial consequences of a breach can bring even the largest organisation to its knees. However, in the face of economic damage, it’s too easy to overlook the vast reputational impacts that often do more harm to a business. After all, it’s relatively easy to recoup monetary losses, less so to regain customer trust.

It’s important to remember that reputational damage isn’t limited to consumer perceptions. Stakeholder, shareholder, and potential buyer perception is also something that needs to be considered. By having effective defence in depth controls including robust data loss prevention (DLP) solutions in place, organisations can reduce the risk of a breach from happening.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/protect-your-data-like-your-reputation-depends-on-it-because-it-does/

• Why CISOs Should Get Involved with Cyber Insurance Negotiation

Generally negotiating cyber insurance policies falls to the general counsel, chief financial officer, or chief operations officer. Having the chief information security officer (CISO) at the table when negotiating with insurance brokers or carriers is a best practice for ensuring the insurers understand not only which security controls are in place, but why the controls are configured the way they are and the organisation's strategy. That said, often best practices are ignored for reasons of expediency and lack of acceptance by other C-suite executives.

Sometimes being the CISO can be a no-win position. According to a recent survey more than half of all CISOs report to a technical corporate officer rather than the business side of the organisation. This lack of recognition by the board can diminish the CISO's ability to deliver business-imperative insights and recommendations, leaving operations to have a more commanding influence on the board than cyber security. Too often the CISO gets the responsibility to protect the company without the authority and budget to accomplish their task.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-articles/why-cisos-should-get-involved-with-cyber-insurance-negotiation

• Companies Must Have Corporate Cyber Security Experts, SEC Says

A recent report has found that only five Fortune 100 companies currently list a security professional in the executive leadership pages of their websites. This is largely unchanged from five of the Fortune 100 in 2018. One likely reason why a great many companies still don’t include their security leaders within their highest echelons is that these employees do not report directly to the company’s CEO, board of directors, or chief risk officer.

The chief security officer (CSO) or chief information security officer (CISO) position traditionally has reported to an executive in a technical role, such as the chief technology officer (CTO) or chief information officer (CIO). But workforce experts say placing the CISO/CSO on unequal footing with the organisation’s top leaders makes it more likely that cyber security and risk concerns will take a backseat to initiatives designed to increase productivity and generally grow the business.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently implemented new regulations necessitating publicly traded companies to report cyber attacks within four business days, once they're deemed material incidents. While the SEC is not presently advocating for the need to validate a board cyber security expert's credentials, it continues to insist that cyber security expertise within management be duly reported to them. The increased disclosure should help companies compare practices and may spur improvements in cyber defences, but meeting the new disclosure standards could be a bigger challenge for smaller companies with limited resources.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-articles/companies-must-have-corporate-cybersecurity-experts-sec-says

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sec-now-requires-companies-to-disclose-cyberattacks-in-4-days/

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/07/few-fortune-100-firms-list-security-pros-in-their-executive-ranks/

• Over 400,000 Corporate Credentials Stolen by Info-stealing Malware

Information stealers are malware that steal data stored in applications such as web browsers, email clients, instant messengers, cryptocurrency wallets, file transfer protocol (FTP) clients, and gaming services. The stolen information is packaged into archives called 'logs,' which are then uploaded back to the threat actor for use in attacks or sold on cyber crime marketplaces. Worryingly, employees use personal devices for work or access personal stuff from work computers, and this may result in many info-stealer infections stealing business credentials and authentication cookies. A report has found there are over 400,000 corporate credentials stolen, from applications such as Salesforce, Google Cloud and AWS. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the number containing OpenAI credentials; this is alarming as where AI is used without governance, the credentials may leak things such as internal business strategies and source code.

With such an array of valuable information for an attacker, it is no wonder incidents involving info stealers doubled in Q1 2023. Organisations can best protect themselves by utilising password managers, enforcing multi-factor authentication and having strict usage controls. Additionally, user awareness training can help avoid common infection channels such as malicious websites and adverts.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/over-400-000-corporate-credentials-stolen-by-info-stealing-malware/

https://www.scmagazine.com/news/infostealer-incidents-more-than-doubled-in-q1-2023

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Data Breaches Cost Businesses $4.5M on Average (darkreading.com)

• Deciphering The IBM Cost Of A Data Breach Report: A Statistical Perspective For Business Leaders (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why CISOs Should Get Involved With Cyber Insurance Negotiation (darkreading.com)

• SEC now requires companies to disclose cyber attacks in 4 days (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Companies Must Have Corporate Cyber security Experts, SEC Says (darkreading.com)

• Companies encounter months-long delays in filling critical security positions - Help Net Security

• Why Today's CISOs Must Embrace Change (darkreading.com)

• Enterprises should layer-up security to avoid legal repercussions - Help Net Security

• Aligning Risk Appetite, Tolerance, And Thresholds With Business Planning: A Comprehensive Guide To Enterprise Risk Management (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Explaining risk maturity models and how they work | TechTarget

• Why cyber security should be part of your ESG strategy | Computer Weekly

• The old “trust but verify” adage should be the motto for every CISO | CSO Online

• Companies are rushing into generative AI without a cohesive, secure strategy - Help Net Security

• Few Fortune 100 Firms List Security Pros in Their Executive Ranks – Krebs on Security

• The critical cyber security backup plan too many companies are ignoring (cnbc.com)

• Protect Your Data Like Your Reputation Depends On It (Because It Does) (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why Computer Security Advice Is More Confusing Than It Should Be (darkreading.com)

• Why whistleblowers in cyber security are important and need support | CSO Online

• The challenge of managing unlimited threats in a limited budget: cyber security experts comment | CSO Online

• 4 Cyber security Budget Management Tips (trendmicro.com)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Clop now leaks data stolen in MOVEit attacks on clearweb sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

• MOVEit Vulnerability Investigations Uncover Additional Exfiltration Method (kroll.com)

• Clop Could Make $100m from MOVEit Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The tail of the MOVEit hack may be longer than we realize | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Millions of people's healthcare files accessed by Clop gang • The Register

• Ransomware Attacks Skyrocket in Q2 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Local Governments Targeted for Ransomware – How to Prevent Falling Victim (thehackernews.com)

• New Nitrogen malware pushed via Google Ads for ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Dozens of Organisations Targeted by Akira Ransomware - SecurityWeek

• Ransomware Spotlight: Play - Security News (trendmicro.com)

• The FBI's Cynthia Kaiser on how the bureau fights ransomware | CyberScoop

• Risk & Repeat: Are data extortion attacks ransomware? | TechTarget

• ALPHV ransomware adds data leak API in new extortion strategy (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Education Sector Has Highest Ransomware Victim Count - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware: Sophos says most universities pay | Times Higher Education (THE)

Ransomware Victims

• PwC has data leaked on the clear web - Cyber Security Connect

• Deloitte joins fellow Big Four MOVEit victims PWC, EY | Cybernews

• DHL investigating MOVEit breach as number of victims surpasses 20 million (therecord.media)

• Up to 11 Million People Hit by MOVEit Hack at Government Services Firm Maximus - SecurityWeek

• Millions of people's healthcare files accessed by Clop gang • The Register

• Tampa General Hospital Says Patient Information Stolen in Ransomware Attack - SecurityWeek

• Another Cl0p victim goes public | Cybernews

• Yamaha confirms cyber attack after multiple ransomware gangs claim attacks (therecord.media)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Chinese Hackers Breached Ambassador’s Email - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems | WIRED

• Stolen Microsoft key may have opened up more than inboxes • The Register

• KnowBe4 Phishing Test Results Reveal Half of Top Malicious Email Subjects Are HR Related (darkreading.com)

• The Email Threat Landscape, Q1 2023: Key Takeaways (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How to avoid LinkedIn phishing attacks in the enterprise | TechTarget

• Windows 11 just got a big upgrade to protect you from phishing attacks — here’s how it works | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Critical Infrastructure Workers More Likely to Detect and Report Phishing and Malicious Emails, Study Finds - MSSP Alert

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Repeatable VEC Attacks Target Critical Infrastructure - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• The Dark Side of AI (darkreading.com)

• Blocking access to ChatGPT is a short term solution to mitigate risk - Help Net Security

• UN Security Council to hold first talks on AI risks | Reuters

• Companies are rushing into generative AI without a cohesive, secure strategy - Help Net Security

• ChatGPT, Other Generative AI Apps Prone to Compromise, Manipulation (darkreading.com)

• Lots of sensitive data is still being posted to ChatGPT | TechRadar

• Dark Web Markets Offer New FraudGPT AI Tool - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Top FBI officials warn of 'unparalleled' threat from China and AI | CyberScoop

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Generative AI - SecurityWeek

• OpenAI, Meta and other tech firms sign onto White House AI commitments | FedScoop

• Intel's deepfake detector tested on real and fake videos - BBC News

• Are AI-Engineered Threats FUD or Reality? (darkreading.com)

• How is the Dark Web Reacting to the AI Revolution? (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malware

• Over 400,000 corporate credentials stolen by info-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Infostealer incidents more than doubled in Q1 2023 | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• The Alarming Rise of Infostealers: How to Detect this Silent Threat (thehackernews.com)

• Decoy Dog: New Breed of Malware Posing Serious Threats to Enterprise Networks (thehackernews.com)

• Rust-based malware used to hack both Windows and Linux servers - Neowin

• Rust-based Realst Infostealer Targeting Apple macOS Users' Cryptocurrency Wallets (thehackernews.com)

• Lazarus hackers hijack Microsoft IIS servers to spread malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FIN8 is rewriting its backdoor malware to avoid detection | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• New Nitrogen malware pushed via Google Ads for ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New P2PInfect worm malware targets Linux and Windows Redis servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• HotRat: New Variant of AsyncRAT Malware Spreading Through Pirated Software (thehackernews.com)

• Who and What is Behind the Malware Proxy Service SocksEscort? – Krebs on Security

Mobile

• Chinese-backed Hacking Group Launches Two Bugs Targeting Android Devices - MSSP Alert

• Spyhide stalkerware is spying on tens of thousands of phones | TechCrunch

• 5 steps to approach BYOD compliance policies | TechTarget

Botnets

• Hackers Target Apache Tomcat Servers for Mirai Botnet and Crypto Mining (thehackernews.com)

• Multiple DDoS Botnets Exploiting Recent Zyxel Vulnerability - SecurityWeek

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Critical UK Infrastructures in the crosshairs of DDoS attacks (link11.com)

• Zyxel users still getting hacked by DDoS botnet emerge as public nuisance No. 1 | Ars Technica

• Anonymous Sudan DDoS strikes dominate attacks by KillNet collective | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

BYOD

• 5 steps to approach BYOD compliance policies | TechTarget

Internet of Things – IoT

• Peloton Bugs Expose Enterprise Networks to IoT Attacks (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft previews  Defender for IoT firmware analysis service (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Axis Door Controller Vulnerability Exposes Facilities to Physical, Cyber Threats - SecurityWeek

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Deciphering The IBM Cost Of A Data Breach Report: A Statistical Perspective For Business Leaders (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Capita breach class action nears 1,000 sign-ups • The Register

• VirusTotal: We're sorry for mistake that exposed 5,000 users • The Register

• Deloitte joins fellow Big Four MOVEit victims PWC, EY | Cybernews

• NATO investigating apparent breach of unclassified information sharing platform | CyberScoop

• Tampa General Hospital Data Breach Impacts 1.2 Million Patients - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Australian Home Affairs cyber survey exposed personal data of participating firms | Data and computer security | The Guardian

• Data Breach Costs Hit Record High but Fall For Some - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hacker Claims to Have Stolen Sensitive Medical Records from Egypt's Ministry of Health - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• BreachForums database and private chats for sale in hacker data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Nice Suzuki, sport: shame dealer left your data up for grabs - Security Affairs

• Johns Hopkins hit with class action lawsuit connected to data breach - CBS Baltimore (cbsnews.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• The New Summer Vacation Necessity: Cyber Hygiene (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• BreachForums database and private chats for sale in hacker data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Cryptojacking soars as cyber attacks increase, diversify - Help Net Security

• Hackers Target Apache Tomcat Servers for Mirai Botnet and Crypto Mining (thehackernews.com)

• Cryptojacking: Understanding and defending against cloud compute resource abuse | Microsoft Security Blog

• Lazarus hackers linked to $60 million Alphapo cryptocurrency heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Realst macOS malware steals your cryptocurrency wallets (bleepingcomputer.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Dark Web Markets Offer New FraudGPT AI Tool - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Consumers demand more from businesses when it comes to security - Help Net Security

• CISOs gear up to combat the rising threat of B2B fraud - Help Net Security

• Booz Allen Pays $377m to Settle Government Fraud Case - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• MPs launch inquiry into prosecution of Norton Motorcycles pension fraud | Crime | The Guardian

Insurance

• Why CISOs Should Get Involved With Cyber Insurance Negotiation (darkreading.com)

• Brave New World of Cyber Insurance Meets Old-World Contract Principles | New Jersey Law Journal

Dark Web

• BreachForums database and private chats for sale in hacker data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How is the Dark Web Reacting to the AI Revolution? (bleepingcomputer.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Capita breach class action nears 1,000 sign-ups • The Register

• DHL investigating MOVEit breach as number of victims surpasses 20 million (therecord.media)

• The tail of the MOVEit hack may be longer than we realize | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Up to 11 Million People Hit by MOVEit Hack at Government Services Firm Maximus - SecurityWeek

• Banking Sector Targeted in Open-Source Software Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Strengthening the weakest links in the digital supply chain - Help Net Security

• JumpCloud hack linked to North Korea after OPSEC mistake (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Supply Chain Attack Hits NHS Ambulance Trusts - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Software Supply Chain

• Two ambulance services in UK lost access to patient records after a cyber attack on software provider - Security Affairs

Cloud/SaaS

• China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems | WIRED

• Microsoft 365 Breach Risk Widens to Millions of Azure AD Apps (darkreading.com)

• JumpCloud hack linked to North Korea after OPSEC mistake (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Wiz Says 62% of AWS Environments Exposed to Zenbleed Exploitation - SecurityWeek

• The 4 Keys to Building Cloud Security Programs That Can Actually Shift Left (thehackernews.com)

• Ubuntu Linux Cloud Workloads Face Rampant Root Take Takeovers (darkreading.com)

Shadow IT

• NCSC Publishes New Guidance on Shadow IT - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Encryption

• The UK Government Is Very Close To Eroding Encryption Worldwide  | Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org)

• Apple could opt to stop iMessage and FaceTime services due to the government's surveillance demands - Security Affairs

• Hacking police radios: 30-year-old crypto flaws in the spotlight – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Researchers Find ‘Backdoor’ in Encrypted Police and Military Radios (vice.com)

API

• Reining in API sprawl | TechCrunch

• ALPHV ransomware adds data leak API in new extortion strategy (bleepingcomputer.com)

Open Source

• New OpenSSH Vulnerability Exposes Linux Systems to Remote Command Injection (thehackernews.com)

• Rust-based malware used to hack both Windows and Linux servers - Neowin

• Banking Sector Targeted in Open-Source Software Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• New P2PInfect worm malware targets Linux and Windows Redis servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ubuntu Linux Cloud Workloads Face Rampant Root Take Takeovers (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• CISA: Most cyber attacks on gov’ts, critical infrastructure involve valid credentials (therecord.media)

Social Media

• How to avoid LinkedIn phishing attacks in the enterprise | TechTarget

• Stanford researchers find Mastodon has a massive child abuse material problem - The Verge

Training, Education and Awareness

• Why are computer security guidelines so confusing? - Help Net Security

Travel

• The New Summer Vacation Necessity: Cyber Hygiene (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Amazon agrees to $25 million fine for Alexa children privacy violations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Stanford researchers find Mastodon has a massive child abuse material problem - The Verge

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• SEC now requires companies to disclose cyber attacks in 4 days (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Companies Must Have Corporate Cyber security Experts, SEC Says (darkreading.com)

• Amazon agrees to $25 million fine for Alexa children privacy violations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Apple could opt to stop iMessage and FaceTime services due to the government's surveillance demands - Security Affairs

• OpenAI, Meta and other tech firms sign onto White House AI commitments | FedScoop

• EU Agrees On Common Position For Cyber Resilience Act To Enhance Security Of Digital Products (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Data Protection

• More US States are ramping up data privacy laws in 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Protect Your Data Like Your Reputation Depends On It (Because It Does) (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Companies encounter months-long delays in filling critical security positions - Help Net Security

• UK Government Report Finds Cyber security Skills Gap Stagnant - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Bridging the cyber security skills gap through cyber range training - Help Net Security

• Overcoming the cyber security talent shortage with upskilling initiatives - Help Net Security

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• The FBI's Cynthia Kaiser on how the bureau fights ransomware | CyberScoop

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• More US States are ramping up data privacy laws in 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Amazon agrees to $25 million fine for Alexa children privacy violations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Companies Need to Prove They Can Be Trusted with Technology (hbr.org)

• Ryanair Hit With Lawsuit Over Use of Facial Recognition Technology (darkreading.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• China Propaganda Spreads via US News Sites, Freelancers, Times Square (darkreading.com)

• Russia ‘using disinformation’ to imply Sweden supported Qur’an burnings | Sweden | The Guardian

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

Russia

• Anonymous Sudan DDoS strikes dominate attacks by KillNet collective | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Russian court jails cyber security executive for 14 years in treason case | Reuters

• Russia ‘using disinformation’ to imply Sweden supported Qur’an burnings | Sweden | The Guardian

• 69% of Russian gamers are pirating after Ukraine invasion pushback | Ars Technica

China

• Top FBI officials warn of 'unparalleled' threat from China and AI | CyberScoop

• China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems | WIRED

• Stolen Microsoft key may have opened up more than inboxes • The Register

• Chinese Hackers Breached Ambassador’s Email - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Chinese groups accused of hacking the US and others | Reuters

• Industrial Organisations in Eastern Europe Targeted by Chinese Cyber spies - SecurityWeek

• Chinese-backed Hacking Group Launches Two Bugs Targeting Android Devices - MSSP Alert

• China Propaganda Spreads via US News Sites, Freelancers, Times Square (darkreading.com)

• China-backed hackers suspected in NetScaler RCE attacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• US Senator Wyden Accuses Microsoft of ‘Cyber security Negligence’ - SecurityWeek

• China’s Wuhan Earthquake Center Suffers Cyber Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

North Korea

• North Korean Cyber spies Target GitHub Developers (darkreading.com)

• JumpCloud hack linked to North Korea after OPSEC mistake (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GitHub warns of Lazarus hackers targeting devs with malicious projects (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus hackers hijack Microsoft IIS servers to spread malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus hackers linked to $60 million Alphapo cryptocurrency heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• APT “Mysterious Elephant” Emerges in Q2 2023, Kaspersky Reports - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Misc/Other/Unknown

• Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Detection and Mitigation (blueteamresources.in)

• Part 1: Historic To 2022 – The APT And Logical Threats (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Google: 41 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in 2022 | TechTarget

• CVSS 4.0 Is Here, But Prioritizing Patches Still a Hard Problem (darkreading.com)

• Want to live dangerously? Try running Windows XP in 2023 • The Register

• A step-by-step guide for patching software vulnerabilities - Help Net Security

Vulnerabilities

• Over 20,000 Citrix Appliances Vulnerable to New Exploit - SecurityWeek

• A flaw in OpenSSH forwarded ssh-agent allows remote code execution-Security Affairs

• Apple fixes new zero-day used in attacks against iPhones, Macs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Shadowserver reported that +15K Citrix servers are likely vulnerable to attacks exploiting the flaw CVE-2023-3519 - Security Affairs

• NetScaler RCE bug abused to pilfer critical infrastructure Active Directory data | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Ivanti patches MobileIron zero-day bug exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Zyxel users still getting hacked by DDoS botnet emerge as public nuisance No. 1 | Ars Technica

• Apache OpenMeetings Wide Open to Account Takeover, Code Execution (darkreading.com)

• Super Admin elevation bug puts 900,000 MikroTik devices at risk (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Norwegian government IT systems hacked using zero-day flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• VMware fixes bug exposing CF API admin credentials in audit logs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Major Security Flaw Discovered in Metabase BI Software – Urgent Update Required (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber security Agencies Warn Against IDOR Bugs Exploited for Data Breaches (thehackernews.com)

• Critical Zero-Days in Atera Windows Installers Expose Users to Privilege Escalation Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Atlassian RCE Bugs Plague Confluence, Bamboo (darkreading.com)

• Zenbleed attack leaks sensitive data from AMD Zen2 processors (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft shares fix for some Outlook hyperlinks not opening (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Critical Flaws Found in Microsoft Message Queuing Service - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• China-backed hackers suspected in NetScaler RCE attacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Study reveals silent Python package security fixes • The Register

• Windows 10 KB5028244 update released with 19 fixes, improved security (bleepingcomputer.com)

• VMware Patches Vulnerability Exposing Admin Credentials - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Wiz Says 62% of AWS Environments Exposed to Zenbleed Exploitation - SecurityWeek

• Multiple DDoS Botnets Exploiting Recent Zyxel Vulnerability - SecurityWeek

• Zimbra patches zero-day vulnerability exploited in XSS attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• WordPress Ninja Forms plugin flaw lets hackers steal submitted data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Two flaws in Linux Ubuntu affect 40% of Ubuntu users - Security Affairs

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Tools and Controls

• Aligning Risk Appetite, Tolerance, And Thresholds With Business Planning: A Comprehensive Guide To Enterprise Risk Management (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why cyber security should be part of your ESG strategy | Computer Weekly

• Lawyers take frontline role in business response to cyber attacks | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Explaining risk maturity models and how they work | TechTarget

• Microsoft enhances Windows 11 Phishing Protection with new features (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Shadow Coding Is An Intoxicating Shortcut—And A Security Landmine (forbes.com)

• Zero trust rated as highly effective by businesses worldwide - Help Net Security

• 50% of Zero Trust Programs Risk Failure According to PlainID Survey (darkreading.com)

• Google Chrome to offer 'Link Previews' when hovering over links (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Why are computer security guidelines so confusing? - Help Net Security

• Threat Intelligence Is Growing — Here's How SOCs Can Keep Up (darkreading.com)

• The challenge of managing unlimited threats in a limited budget: cyber security experts comment | CSO Online

• Shaping the future of digital identity - Help Net Security

• How to Put the Sec in DevSecOps (darkreading.com)

• Designing a Security Strategy for Defending Multicloud Architectures (darkreading.com)

• How Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR helps triage, investigate, and respond to cyberthreats | Microsoft Security Blog

• Converging networking and security with SASE - Help Net Security

• 5 steps to approach BYOD compliance policies | TechTarget

• KnowBe4 Phishing Test Results Reveal Half of Top Malicious Email Subjects Are HR Related (darkreading.com)

• Windows 11 just got a big upgrade to protect you from phishing attacks — here’s how it works | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Artificial Intelligence Continues To Revolutionize Cyber security (forbes.com)

• Key factors for effective security automation - Help Net Security

• Microsoft previews Defender for IoT firmware analysis service (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The 4 Keys to Building Cloud Security Programs That Can Actually Shift Left (thehackernews.com)

• CISOs consider zero trust a hot security ticket - Help Net Security

• How a Cyber Security Platform Addresses the 3 “S” (trendmicro.com)

• 4 Cyber security Budget Management Tips (trendmicro.com)

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• The Email Threat Landscape, Q1 2023: Key Takeaways (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Cost of a data breach 2023 | IBM

• Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) | Europol (europa.eu)

• Q1 Report: Email Threat Trends Discover Q1 trends and stay ahead of email based threats. - VIPRE

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Other News

• Maritime Cyber attack Database Launched by Dutch University - SecurityWeek

• Google’s new security pilot program will ban employee Internet access | Ars Technica

• Inspiring secure coding: Strategies to encourage developers' continuous improvement - Help Net Security

• macOS Under Attack: Examining the Growing Threat and User Perspectives (thehackernews.com)

• Why whistleblowers in cyber security are important and need support | CSO Online

• Cyber crime as a Public Health Crisis (darkreading.com)

• 7 in 10 MSPs Name Data Security and Network Security As Their Top IT Priorities for 2023 (darkreading.com)

• TETRA Radio Code Encryption Has a Flaw: A Backdoor | WIRED

• World's most internetty firm tries life off the net • The Register

• Exam board cyber attack investigation: Teenager arrested (schoolsweek.co.uk)

• Companies Need to Prove They Can Be Trusted with Technology (hbr.org)

• Heart monitor manufacturer hit by cyber attack, takes systems offline (bitdefender.com)

• How do companies protect customer data? | TechTarget

• Cyber security Agencies Warn Against IDOR Bugs Exploited for Data Breaches (thehackernews.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

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

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

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

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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

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

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

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

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 05 May 2023

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Boards Need Better Conversations About Cyber Security

In a survey by Harvard Business Review, 65% of directors believed their organisations were at risk of a cyber attack within the next 12 months, and almost half believed they were unprepared to cope with such an attack. Boards that struggle with their role in providing oversight for cyber security create a security problem for their organisations. By not focusing on resilience, boards fail their companies and their stakeholders.

Regarding board interactions with CISOs, just 69% of responding board members see eye-to-eye with their chief information security officers (CISOs). Fewer than half (47%) of members serve on boards that interact with their CISOs regularly, and almost a third of them only see their CISOs at board presentations. This is worrying, as this leaves little time for leaders to have a meaningful dialogue about cyber security.

As a result, boards need to discuss their organisations’ cyber security-induced risks and evaluate plans to manage those risks frequently; the CISO should be involved in this. With the right conversations about keeping the organisation resilient, they can take the next step to provide adequate cyber security oversight. To bring more cyber security into the board room, board members may need to gain expertise, whether through frequent training or development programmes.

https://hbr.org/2023/05/boards-are-having-the-wrong-conversations-about-cybersecurity

• Uber’s Ex-Security Chief Sentenced for Security Breach

Earlier this week, Uber’s former head of cyber security, Joseph Sullivan, faced several years of prison time for covering up a massive security breach at the ride-hailing company seven years ago. When it actually came to sentencing he managed to avoid jail but received three years of probation and 200 hours of community service, despite pleas from the prosecution to throw him in jail.

The case highlights the seriousness of covering up a security breach, as at one point the ex-security chief was looking at 24-30 months of jail time. With increasing regulations and focus on cyber security, it is unlikely that this is a one-off incident.

https://gizmodo.com/uber-security-joe-sullivan-sentenced-prison-data-breach-1850403347

• Global Cyber Attacks Rise by 7% in Q1 2023

Weekly cyber attacks have increased worldwide by 7% in Q1 2023 compared to the same period last year, with each firm facing an average of 1,248 attacks per week according to Check Point’s latest research. The report highlights a number of sophisticated campaigns including using ChatGPT for code generation to help less-skilled threat actors effortlessly launch cyber attacks.

The Check Point report also shows that 1 in 31 organisations worldwide experienced a ransomware attack weekly over the first quarter of 2023. To defend against such threats, the security researchers recommended a series of cyber safety tips, such as keeping computers and servers up-to-date, conducting regular cyber awareness training and utilising better threat prevention tools, among others.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/global-cyber-attacks-rise-7-q1-2023/

• Three-Quarters of Firms Predict a Breach in the Coming Year

Most global organisations anticipate suffering a data breach or cyber attack in the next 12 months. Trend Micro’s six-monthly Cyber Risk Index (CRI) was compiled from interviews with 3,729 global organisations.

While results of the index score move in a positive direction showing organisations are taking steps to improve cyber preparedness, most responding organisations are pessimistic about the year ahead.

Respondents pointed to both negligent insiders and mobile users, and a lack of trained staff, as a key cause of concern going forward. Alongside cloud infrastructure and virtual computing environments, these comprised the top five infrastructure risks.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/threequarters-firms-predict-breach/

• The Costly Threat That Many Businesses Fail to Address

Insider attacks such as fraud, sabotage, and data theft plague 71% of businesses, according to a recent report. The report found companies that allow excessive data access are much more likely to suffer insider attacks. However, only 57% of companies limit data appropriately while 31% allow employees access to more data than necessary and 12% allow employees access to all company data.

Alarmingly, of the companies that have experienced insider attacks, one in three (34%) report that the attack involved an employee with privileged access. Data theft was the most common type of insider attack, reported by 38% of businesses.

Insider attacks can damage businesses’ reputations, finances, and competitiveness, and therefore companies should take a proactive approach in preventing these incidents.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/05/02/insider-attacks-damage/

• European Data at Risk with Tick-box GDPR Compliance and High Cyber Attack Volumes

Recent research revealed that European IT and security leaders may be dangerously over-confident in their ability to avoid cyber attacks and mitigate the risk of serious data compromise. The findings reveal that most organisations have suffered a serious cyber attack in the last two years, with over half of respondents saying their company suffered an attack 1 to 3 times in this time period. Worryingly, 20% of respondents claim to have been attacked 4 to 6 times. Only 18% managed to avoid an attack altogether.

Worryingly, three-quarters (76%) of those interviewed admit they’re taking a tick-box approach to GDPR compliance, which involves doing the bare minimum on data privacy and security. Although most (97%) have a contingency plan in place should they get breached, a quarter (26%) have not tested it.

Around two-thirds of respondents say their organisation considers customer (66%) and financial data (63%) to be “risky.” But the figure drops to 60% for employee data, and even further for intellectual property (45%) and health data (28%). Alarmingly, health-related data is classified as a special category data by GDPR, meaning it requires more protection.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/05/03/european-data-at-risk-with-tick-box-gdpr-compliance-and-high-cyberattack-volumes

• Understanding Cyber Threat Intelligence for Business Security

Cyber threat intelligence is not a solution itself, but a crucial component of any mature security programme, enabling organisations to gain insights into the motives, targets and behaviours of threat actors. As such, it is crucial for businesses looking to protect themselves from the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.

Some of the benefits of effective cyber threat intelligence to a business include early threat detection, improved response, regulation compliance, competitive advantage and cost savings. It is important to highlight that an organisation does not need to come up with their own cyber threat intelligence initiative, it can instead be purchased as a service.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/05/04/understanding-cyber-threat-intelligence-for-business-security

• Hackers Are Finding Ways to Evade Latest Cyber Security Tools

As hacking has gotten more destructive and pervasive, new defensive tools continue to be developed. One such tool is called endpoint detection and response (EDR) software, it’s designed to spot early signs of malicious activity on laptops, servers and other devices known as “endpoints” on a computer network — and block them before intruders can steal data or lock the machines.

Experts however, claim hackers have developed workarounds for some forms of the technology, allowing them to slip past products that have become the gold standard for protecting critical systems. Security software is not enough on its own, it is just one of the layers of defence that organisations should employ as part of their cyber resilience; there is no silver bullet.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hackers-finding-ways-evade-latest-131600565.html

• Study Shows a 27% Spike in Publicly Known Ransomware Victims

A report released this week highlights a 27% increase in publicly known ransomware victims in the first quarter of the year. Some of the report’s key findings include the fact that manufacturing, technology, education, banking, finance, and healthcare organisations are the largest to be exposed to ransomware.

The report identified an increase in the use of “double extortion” as an attack model. This method is where ransomware groups not only encrypt files but also exfiltrate data. The top five most active ransomware threat actors are LockBit, Clop, AlphV, Royal and BianLian.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-news/guidepoint-study-shows-a-27-spike-in-public-ransomware-victims/

• Data Loss Costs Are Going Up – and Not Just for Those Who Choose to Pay Thieves

A recent report found while the number of ransomware incidents that firms responded to dipped in early 2022, it came roaring back toward the end of the year and into early 2023. With this came higher ransom demands and, eventually, payments. The largest ransom demand last year was more than $90 million, with the largest payment exceeding $8 million. Both were larger than in 2021 (more than $60 million and $5.5 million respectively).

Ransomware groups are upping their attacks all the time and you don’t want to be an easy target.

https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/02/data_breach_costs_rise/

• Give NotPetya-hit Merck that $1.4B, Appeals Court Tells Insurers

In a significant ruling this week a court in the US found that pharmaceutical company Merck's insurers can't use an "act of war" clause to deny the pharmaceutical giant an enormous payout to clean up its NotPetya infection from 2017. The ruling will also undoubtedly affect the language used in underwriting policies, especially when it comes to risks such as ransomware and cyber warfare.

https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/03/merck_14bn_insurance_payout_upheld/

• 4 Ways Leaders Should Re-evaluate Their Cyber Security's Focus

The technology industry has long been building walls around structured data and communications—with little consideration of how employees use that information. Outlined below are four 4 ways leaders can better protect raw data.

• Recognise that priorities have evolved.

• Understand that security burdens have changed.

• Understand why, despite best efforts, criminals are still successful.

• Evaluate the ways in which you are protecting your most vulnerable data.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2023/05/02/4-ways-leaders-should-reevaluate-their-cybersecuritys-focus/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Data loss costs go up, and not just from ransom shakedowns • The Register

• Pension watchdog probes Capita data hack (thetimes.co.uk)

• To Fight Ransomware, Move Beyond Detection to Real-Time Response, Fortinet Study Says - MSSP Alert

• Using Threat Intelligence to Get Smarter About Ransomware – Security Week

• Merck's $1.4B NotPetya insurance payout upheld by court • The Register

• GuidePoint Study Shows a 27% Spike in Public Ransomware Victims - MSSP Alert

• Rapture, a Ransomware Family With Similarities to Paradise (trendmicro.com)

• The Tragic Fallout From a School District’s Ransomware Breach | WIRED

• Hackers leak images to taunt Western Digital's cyber attack response (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ‘Big game hunting’ hackers ALPHV claim major breach of law firm HWL Ebsworth (afr.com)

• FBI Uncovers 9 Crypto Exchanges In Ransomware Laundering (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Legitimate Software Abuse: A Disturbing Trend in Ransomware Attacks (darkreading.com)

• US, Ukraine Shut Down Cryptocurrency Exchanges Used by Cyber criminals – Security Week

• BlackCat group releases screenshots of stolen Western Digital data | CSO Online

• Ransomware Attack Affects Dallas Police, Court Websites – Security Week

• Studies show ransomware has already caused patient deaths | TechTarget

• Cold storage giant Americold outage caused by network breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Brightline Hack Exposes Data of Over 780,000 Child Mental Health Patients - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Payment software giant AvidXchange suffers its second ransomware attack of 2023 | TechCrunch

• Ransomware Attack Disrupts IT Network at Hardenhuish School - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• City of Dallas hit by Royal ransomware attack impacting IT services (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware gang hijacks university alert system to issue threats (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber attack cost conveyancing giant £7m - but the insurers paid up | News | Law Gazette

• Bitmarck Halts Operations Due to Cyber security Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Teiss - News - Lockbit 3.0 targets Fullerton India, demands a £2.3 million ransom

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Malicious HTML Attachment Volumes Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• A Comprehensive Look At Email-Based Threats In 2023 (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How to Spot a ChatGPT Phishing Website (darkreading.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Crooks show they don't need ChatGPT to scam victims • The Register

Malware

• ViperSoftX info-stealing malware now targets password managers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google Ads Abused to Lure Corporate Workers to LOBSHOT Backdoor (darkreading.com)

• Mac malware-for-hire steals passwords and cryptocoins, sends “crime logs” via Telegram – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Security experts are using malware's own code to protect potential victims | TechSpot

• New Decoy Dog Malware Toolkit Uncovered: Targeting Enterprise Networks (thehackernews.com)

• How to Detect and Remove a Keylogger From Your Computer (howtogeek.com)

• Hackers start using double DLL sideloading to evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Anatomy of a Malicious Package Attack (darkreading.com)

Mobile

• Android Apps Fail to Protect User Data During Device Transfer - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Apple pushes first-ever 'rapid' patch, rapidly screws up • The Register

• Google fought a mountain of malware in 2022 | Android Central

• Google Bans Thousands of Play Store Developer Accounts to Block Malware (darkreading.com)

• Digital Intruders – Top Ways Hackers Can Breach Your Smartphone’s Security (freecodecamp.org)

• Smartphone owners warned about ‘shoulder-surfing’ thieves (thetimes.co.uk)

Botnets

• Cyber criminals use proxies to legitimise fraudulent requests - Help Net Security

• Bot Attacks Are Easy to Launch, Human Security Reports - MSSP Alert

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• What’s the Difference Between a DOS and DDoS Attack? (howtogeek.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Top 5 IoT Security Risks In 2023 - The Cyber Express

• Hackers exploit 5-year-old unpatched flaw in TBK DVR devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA warns of Mirai botnet exploiting TP-Link routers • The Register

• Drone goggles maker claims firmware sabotaged to ‘brick’ devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Three-Quarters of Firms Predict Breach in Coming Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber attack sparks fears that criminals could target UK gun owners for firearms | Cyber crime | The Guardian

• UK Gun Owners May Be Targeted After Rifle Association Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Kodi Forum Data Breach - Lessons Learned, Actions Taken | News | Kodi

• T-Mobile suffered the second data breach in 2023 - Security Affairs

• Sensitive data is being leaked from servers running Salesforce software | Ars Technica

• ChatGPT Confirms Data Breach, Raising Security Concerns (securityintelligence.com)

• Sensitive files about Royal Navy submarine reportedly found in pub toilet | Royal Navy | The Guardian

• Millions of patients’ data confirmed stolen after Fortra mass-hack | TechCrunch

• TikTok security breach allowed attackers to leak personal information (ynetnews.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• SpecTor operation: 288 individuals arrested in the seizure of marketplace Monopoly Market-Security Affairs

• US, Ukraine Shut Down Cryptocurrency Exchanges Used by Cyber criminals – Security Week

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Man Gets Four Years for Stealing Bitcoin Seized by Feds - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Mac malware-for-hire steals passwords and cryptocoins, sends “crime logs” via Telegram – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Crooks broke into AT&T email accounts to empty their crypto wallets - Security Affairs

• Level Finance crypto exchange hacked after two security audits (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers stole $93M from crypto projects in April (cryptoslate.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• The costly threat that many businesses fail to address - Help Net Security

• The hidden security risks in tech layoffs and how to mitigate them | CSO Online

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Hackers swap stealth for realistic checkout forms to steal credit cards (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Advanced Fee Fraud Surges by Over 600% - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber criminals use proxies to legitimize fraudulent requests - Help Net Security

• UK to ban all cold calls selling financial products - BBC News

• Smartphone owners warned about ‘shoulder-surfing’ thieves (thetimes.co.uk)

• UK intelligence agencies to step up anti-fraud efforts | Financial Times (ft.com)

• National Crime Agency urged to crush rogue US candy stores (thetimes.co.uk)

• Clampdown on cold calls and mass texting technology announced in UK | Scams | The Guardian

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• FBI Uncovers 9 Crypto Exchanges In Ransomware Laundering (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Dark Web

• Why the Things You Don't Know about the Dark Web May Be Your Biggest Cyber security Threat (thehackernews.com)

• SpecTor operation: 288 individuals arrested in the seizure of marketplace Monopoly Market - Security Affairs

• FBI Uncovers 9 Crypto Exchanges In Ransomware Laundering (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• US, Ukraine Shut Down Cryptocurrency Exchanges Used by Cyber criminals – Security Week

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• How to keep calm and carry on in a supply chain attack • The Register

• Pension watchdog probes Capita data hack (thetimes.co.uk)

• SolarWinds: The Untold Story of the Boldest Supply-Chain Hack | WIRED

• DOJ Detected SolarWinds Breach Months Before Public Disclosure | WIRED

• Aviva says it thinks customer data secure after Capita cyber attack (proactiveinvestors.co.uk)

Cloud/SaaS

• Using just-in-time access to reduce cloud security risk - Help Net Security

• Cloud security threats are growing faster than ever | TechRadar

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Employees Using ‘Productivity Theater’ To Protect Against Surveillance, Study Finds (forbes.com)

• White House seeks information on tools used for automated employee surveillance | Computerworld

Attack Surface Management

• Reigning in ‘Out-of-Control’ Devices – Security Week

Encryption

• The UK’s online safety bill will not keep us safe | Financial Times (ft.com)

API

• Report shows 92% of orgs experienced an API security incident last year | VentureBeat

• Researchers Discover 3 Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Azure API Management Service (thehackernews.com)

• OpenAI Threatens Popular GitHub Project With Lawsuit Over API Use | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

• 5 API security best practices you must implement - Help Net Security

• Enterprise Strategy Group Research Reveals 75% of Organisations Change or Update APIs on a Daily or Weekly Basis (darkreading.com)

• Top API vulnerabilities organisations can't afford to ignore - Help Net Security

Open Source

• Unpaid open source maintainers struggle with increased security demands - Help Net Security

• Anatomy of a Malicious Package Attack (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• ViperSoftX info-stealing malware now targets password managers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Your passwords could be cracked using thermal cameras powered by AI | TechRadar

• Your Google Account is getting rid of its password (androidpolice.com)

• PSA. Don’t share your password in your app’s release notes • Graham Cluley

Social Media

• TikTok security breach allowed attackers to leak personal information (ynetnews.com)

• Twitter outage logs you out and won’t let you back in (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Meta kills over 1,000 ChatGPT-related malicious spoofs • The Register

• Strike 3: FTC says Meta still failing to protect privacy • The Register

Malvertising

• Google Ads Abused to Lure Corporate Workers to LOBSHOT Backdoor (darkreading.com)

• LOBSHOT: A Stealthy, Financial Trojan and Info Stealer Delivered through Google Ads (thehackernews.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• European Data at Risk With Tick-box GDPR Compliance and High Cyber attack Volumes- IT Security Guru

• UK readers may lose access to Wikipedia amid online safety bill requirements | UK news | The Guardian

• White House unveils AI rules to address safety and privacy | Computerworld

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Hackers Are Finding Ways to Evade Latest Cyber security Tools (yahoo.com)

• Global Cyber Attacks Rise by 7% in Q1 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• There’s No Silver Bullet for Cyber security (hbr.org)

• European Data at Risk With Tick-box GDPR Compliance and High Cyber attack Volumes- IT Security Guru

• Data loss costs go up, and not just from ransom shakedowns • The Register

• Boards Are Having the Wrong Conversations About Cyber security (hbr.org)

• Three-Quarters of Firms Predict Breach in Coming Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Uber Ex-Security Chief Joe Sullivan to Be Sentenced for Breach (gizmodo.com)

• Trends and Insights from the New Global Threat Intelligence Report - MSSP Alert

• Why Your Detection-First Security Approach Isn't Working (thehackernews.com)

• How Strategic Threat Intelligence Elevates a Cyber security Program (accelerationeconomy.com)

• Benefits and Challenges of Data Analytics in Cyber security (analyticsinsight.net)

• Reducing Your Attack Surface: A Practical Approach To Vulnerability Remediation And Management (forbes.com)

• What the Cyber security Industry Can Learn From the SVB Crisis (darkreading.com)

• 4 Ways Leaders Should Reevaluate Their Cyber security's Focus (forbes.com)

• Optimising Cyber Security Costs In A Recession (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Malicious content lurks all over the web - Help Net Security

• Microsoft Digital Defence Report: Key Cyber crime Trends (darkreading.com)

• Closing up holes: Infoseccers on being less reactive • The Register

• Organisations brace for cyber attacks despite improved preparedness - Help Net Security

• Global Cyber Risk Lowers to Moderate Level in 2H' 2022 (trendmicro.com)

• Japan’s ‘myth of security’ raises cyber attack risk | Financial Times (ft.com)

Secure Disposal

• Your decommissioned routers could be a security disaster | Network World

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• The importance of being certified • The Register

• UK Cyber Security Council launches certification mapping tool - Help Net Security

• DHS’ cyber talent management system slowly gaining traction | Federal News Network

• The warning signs for security analyst burnout and ways to prevent - Help Net Security

• Google Launches Cyber security Career Certificate Program (darkreading.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• SpecTor operation: 288 individuals arrested in the seizure of marketplace Monopoly Market - Security Affairs

• FBI Uncovers 9 Crypto Exchanges In Ransomware Laundering (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• US, Ukraine Shut Down Cryptocurrency Exchanges Used by Cyber criminals - SecurityWeek

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Open Banking: A Perfect Storm for Security and Privacy? - SecurityWeek

• Employees Using ‘Productivity Theater’ To Protect Against Surveillance, Study Finds (forbes.com)

• Apple and Google Team Up to Stop Unwanted Tracking by AirTags, Other Devices - CNET

• White House seeks information on tools used for automated employee surveillance | Computerworld

• Strike 3: FTC says Meta still failing to protect privacy • The Register

Artificial Intelligence

• 5 ways threat actors can use ChatGPT to enhance attacks | CSO Online

• Workers are secretly using ChatGPT, AI, with big risks for companies (cnbc.com)

• AI will do 'real damage', warns Microsoft chief (telegraph.co.uk)

• Microsoft’s chief economist says A.I. can be dangerous | Fortune

• It's time to harden AI and ML for cyber security | TechTarget

• Stop using generative-AI tools, Samsung orders staff | Digital Trends

• ChatGPT Confirms Data Breach, Raising Security Concerns (securityintelligence.com)

• How To Secure Web Applications Against AI-assisted Cyber Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• PrivateGPT Tackles Sensitive Info in ChatGPT Prompts (darkreading.com)

• Meta kills over 1,000 ChatGPT-related malicious spoofs • The Register

• How AI is reshaping the cyber security landscape - Help Net Security

• White House unveils AI rules to address safety and privacy | Computerworld

• How to Spot a ChatGPT Phishing Website (darkreading.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Is misinformation the newest malware? | CSO Online

Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Hackers use fake ‘Windows Update’ guides to target Ukrainian govt (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russian APT Hacked Tajikistani Carrier to Spy on Government, Public Services - SecurityWeek

• Cat and mouse game: Russian satellite appears to chase US military satellite in space (firstpost.com)

• Russian APT Nomadic Octopus hacked Tajikistani carrier - Security Affairs

• Russia’s APT28 targets Ukraine with bogus Windows updates • The Register

• Russian spy network smuggles sensitive EU tech despite sanctions | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Finnish newspaper hides Ukraine news reports for Russians in online game | Censorship | The Guardian

• Meta Unravels Social Media Cyber Espionage Operations In South Asia (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

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Nation State Actors

• APT groups muddying the waters for MSPs | WeLiveSecurity

• China’s Hackers Vastly Outnumber US. Cyber Agents by 50 to 1, FBI Director Testifies - MSSP Alert

• Chinese APT Uses New 'Stack Rumbling' Technique to Disable Security Software - SecurityWeek

• China 'Innovated' Its Cyber attack Tradecraft, Mandia Says (darkreading.com)

• 'BellaCiao' Showcases How Iran's Threat Groups Are Modernizing Their Malware (darkreading.com)

• APT41 Subgroup Plows Through Asia-Pacific, Utilizing Layered Stealth Tactics (darkreading.com)

• APT41’s PowerShell Backdoor Download Files From Windows (cyber securitynews.com)

• US Chamber of Commerce warns of major increase in risks for businesses in China | CNN Business

• China’s ‘men in black’ step up scrutiny of foreign corporate sleuths | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Microsoft says Iranian hackers combine influence ops with hacking for maximum impact | CyberScoop

• BouldSpy Android Spyware: Iranian Government's Alleged Tool for Spying on Minority Groups (thehackernews.com)

• Attack on Security Titans: Earth Longzhi Returns With New Tricks (trendmicro.com)

• North Korean APT Gets Around Macro-Blocking With LNK Switch-Up (darkreading.com)

• ‘We have survived!’: China’s Huawei goes local in response to US sanctions | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Apple is a Chinese company | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Meta Unravels Social Media Cyber Espionage Operations In South Asia (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• China labels USA ‘Empire of hacking’ citing old WikiLeaks • The Register

• Kimsuky hackers use new recon tool to find security gaps (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Reducing Your Attack Surface: A Practical Approach To Vulnerability Remediation And Management (forbes.com)

Vulnerabilities

• WordPress Vulnerability Hits +1 Million Using Header & Footer Plugin (searchenginejournal.com)

• Cisco discloses a bug in Prime Collaboration Deployment solution - Security Affairs

• Cisco Warns of Critical Vulnerability in EoL Phone Adapters - SecurityWeek

• Apple pushes first-ever 'rapid' patch, rapidly screws up • The Register

• Zyxel Firewall Devices Vulnerable to Remote Code Execution Attacks — Patch Now (thehackernews.com)

• Researchers Uncover New BGP Flaws in Popular Internet Routing Protocol Software (thehackernews.com)

• AMD TPM Exploit: faulTPM Attack Defeats BitLocker and TPM-Based Security (Updated) (msn.com)

• Chrome 113 Released With 15 Security Patches - SecurityWeek

• Netgear Vulnerabilities Lead to Credentials Leak, Privilege Escalation - SecurityWeek

• Researchers Discover 3 Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Azure API Management Service (thehackernews.com)

• Apple Releases First-Ever Security Updates for Beats, AirPods Headphones - SecurityWeek

• Some of the top AMD chips are suffering a serious security flaw | TechRadar

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Tools and Controls

• How Strategic Threat Intelligence Elevates a Cyber security Program (accelerationeconomy.com)

• 86 percent of developers knowingly deploy vulnerable code (betanews.com)

• The hidden security risks in tech layoffs and how to mitigate them | CSO Online

• Benefits and Challenges of Data Analytics in Cyber security (analyticsinsight.net)

• Reigning in ‘Out-of-Control’ Devices – Security Week

• ViperSoftX info-stealing malware now targets password managers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The pros and cons of VPNs for enterprises | TechTarget

• It's time to harden AI and ML for cyber security | TechTarget

• Using just-in-time access to reduce cloud security risk - Help Net Security

• Using multiple solutions adds complexity to your zero trust strategy - Help Net Security

• Your decommissioned routers could be a security disaster | Network World

• Wanted Dead or Alive: Real-Time Protection Against Lateral Movement (thehackernews.com)

• 5 API security best practices you must implement - Help Net Security

• 3 questions CISOs expect you to answer during a security pitch | TechCrunch

• Level Finance crypto exchange hacked after two security audits (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 4 Principles for Creating a New Blueprint for Secure Software Development (darkreading.com)

• How To Secure Web Applications Against AI-assisted Cyber Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• AppSec Making Progress or Spinning Its Wheels? (darkreading.com)

• Windows admins can now sign up for ‘known issue’ email alerts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Top API vulnerabilities organisations can't afford to ignore - Help Net Security

• How AI is reshaping the cyber security landscape - Help Net Security

• Getting cyber-resilience right in a zero-trust world starts at the endpoint | VentureBeat

• Practical Protection: Limiting the Damage from Local Admin Accounts (practical365.com)

• To Fight Cyber Extortion and Ransomware, Shift Left (trendmicro.com)

• Using Threat Intelligence to Get Smarter About Ransomware – Security Week

• New Generative AI Tools Aim to Improve Security (darkreading.com)

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Other News

• Firmware Looms as the Next Frontier for Cyber security (darkreading.com)

• Open Banking: A Perfect Storm for Security and Privacy? – Security Week

• Malicious content lurks all over the web - Help Net Security

• How Public-Private Information Sharing Can Level the Cyber security Playing Field (darkreading.com)

• Eric Idle tells RSAC to look in the bright side of life • The Register

• Your decommissioned routers could be a security disaster | Network World

• FBI Focuses on Cyber security With $90M Budget Request (darkreading.com)

• Google will remove secure website indicators in Chrome 117 (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

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

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

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

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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

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

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

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

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 28 April 2023

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Navigating the Future of Cyber: Business Strategy, Cyber Security Training, and Digital Transformation are Key

Cyber investments have become table stakes for businesses around the world. Cyber crime is increasing, with 91% of organisations reporting at least one cyber incident in the past year. Not only are they growing in numbers, but they are becoming more sophisticated and diverse, with new threats constantly emerging. According to the 2023 Deloitte Global Future of Cyber survey, business leaders are changing how they think of cyber, and it’s emerging as a larger strategic discussion tied to an organisation’s long-term success.

Cyber is about more than protecting information—risk management, incident response planning, threat intelligence and training can often be directly correlated to increasing trust within businesses.

Cyber security training is essential for employees to ensure the safety and security of a business. Employees are often the first line of defence against cyber-attacks and frequently the weakest link in an organisation's security posture. Cyber security training can help employees recognise and avoid common cyber threats, such as phishing attacks, malware, and social engineering. 89% of organisations cited as high-performing cyber organisations have implemented annual cyber awareness training among all employees. With increased digital dependency year over year—effective employee training can raise awareness, reduce risk, improve security posture, and support compliance.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/deloitte/2023/04/20/navigating-the-future-of-cyber-business-strategy-cybersecurity-training-and-digital-transformation-are-key/?sh=1ab15c2c29c1

• Shadow IT, SaaS Pose Security Liability for Enterprises

There's no denying that software-as-a-service (SaaS) has entered its golden age. Software tools have now become essential to modern business operations and continuity. However, not enough organisations have implemented the proper procurement processes to ensure they're protecting themselves from potential data breaches and reputational harm.

A critical component contributing to concerns around SaaS management is the rising trend of shadow IT, which is when employees download and use software tools without notifying their internal IT teams. A recent study shows that 77% of IT professionals believe that shadow IT is becoming a major concern in 2023, with more than 65% saying their SaaS tools aren't being approved. Organisations are beginning to struggle with maintaining security as their SaaS usage continues to sprawl.

To combat shadow IT and the high risks that come along with it, organisations must gain greater visibility over their SaaS stacks and institute an effective procurement process when bringing on new software solutions.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-articles/shadow-it-saas-pose-security-liability-for-enterprises

• The Strong Link Between Cyber Threat Intelligence and Digital Risk Protection

While indicators of compromise and attackers’ tactics, techniques, and processes (TTPs) remain central to threat intelligence, cyber threat intelligence needs have grown over the past few years, driven by things like digital transformation, cloud computing and remote working. In fact, these changes have led to a cyber threat intelligence (CTI) subcategory focused on digital risk protection (DRP). DRP is broadly defined as, “telemetry, analysis, processes, and technologies used to identify and mitigate risks associated with digital assets”.

According to research provider ESG, the most important functions of DRP as part of a mature CTI programme are: vulnerability exploit intelligence, takedown services, leaked data monitoring, malicious mobile application monitoring, brand protection and attack surface management. It should be noted that a mature CTI programme can utilise service providers to help carry out threat intelligence, it doesn’t have to be spun up by the organisation from nothing. Regardless, an organisation employing these DRP functions as part of a CTI programme will be increasing its cyber resilience and reducing the chance of a cyber incident.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3693754/the-strong-link-between-cyber-threat-intelligence-and-digital-risk-protection.html

• Weak Credentials, Unpatched Vulnerabilities, Malicious Open Source Packages Causing Cloud Security Risks

Threat actors are getting more adept at exploiting common everyday issues in the cloud, including misconfigurations, weak credentials, lack of authentication, unpatched vulnerabilities, and malicious open-source software (OSS) packages. Meanwhile, security teams take an average of 145 hours to solve alerts, with 80% of cloud alerts triggered by just 5% of security rules in most environments according to a recent report. The report, conducted by UNIT 42 analysed the workload of 210,000 cloud accounts across 1,300 organisations.

The report’s findings echoed similarities from the previous year, finding almost all cloud users, roles, services and resources grant excessive permissions. Some of the other key findings include as many as 83% of organisations having hard-coded credentials in their source control management systems, 53% of cloud accounts allowing weak password usage and 44% allowing password reuse and 71% of high or critical vulnerabilities exposed were at least two years old.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3693260/weak-credentials-unpatched-vulnerabilities-malicious-oss-packages-causing-cloud-security-risks.html

• Over 70 Billion Unprotected Files Available on Unsecured Web Servers

A recent report found that more than 70 billion files, including intellectual property and financial information, are freely available and unprotected on unsecured web servers. Other key findings of the report included almost 1 in 10 of all detected internet-facing assets having an unpatched vulnerability, with the top 10 vulnerabilities found unpatched at least 12 million times each.

The report predicted that there will be a significant rise in information stealing malware; the report had found that 50% of emails associated with customers were plaintext and unencrypted. Additionally, there will be more incidents due to an increase in assets which are not known to IT, known as shadow IT.

Organisations should look to employ efficient patch management, have an up to date asset register, and use encryption to better increase their cyber defences.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/04/24/critical-cybersecurity-exposures/

• Cyber Thieves Are Getting More Creative

Cyber criminals are constantly changing their tactics and finding new ways to steal money from organisations. An example of this can be seen where criminals are breaking into systems to learn who is authorised to send payments and what the procedures are. Eventually, this leads to the criminal instructing payment to their own account.

Unfortunately, it is only after such events that some organisations are taking actions, such as verifying payments through phone calls. Whilst it is important for organisations to learn from attacks, it is beneficial to take a pro-active approach and employ procedures such as call back procedures before an incident has occurred.

https://hbr.org/2023/04/cyber-thieves-are-getting-more-creative

• Modernising Vulnerability Management: The Move Toward Exposure Management

Managing vulnerabilities in the constantly evolving technological landscape is a difficult task. Although vulnerabilities emerge regularly, not all vulnerabilities present the same level of risk. Traditional metrics such as CVSS score or the number of vulnerabilities are insufficient for effective vulnerability management as they lack business context, prioritisation, and understanding of attackers' motivations, opportunities and means. Vulnerabilities only represent a small part of the attack surface that attackers can leverage.

Exposures are broader and can encompass more than just vulnerabilities. Exposures can result from various factors, such as human error, improperly defined security controls, and poorly designed and unsecured architecture. Organisations should consider that an attacker doesn’t just look at one exposure; attackers will often use a combination of vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, permissions and other exposures to move across systems and reach valuable assets.

As such, organisations looking to improve their cyber resiliency should consider their vulnerability management system and assess both whether it is taking into account exposures and the context in relation to the organisation.

https://thehackernews.com/2023/04/modernizing-vulnerability-management.html

• Two-thirds of Cyber Attacks Involve Ransomware

A report from Sophos focusing on recent incident response cases, found that 68.4% of incidents resulted from ransomware. This was followed by network breaches, accounting for 18.4%. Regarding threat actor access, the report found that unpatched vulnerabilities were the single most common access method, followed by compromised credentials.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/365535467/Almost-three-quarters-of-cyber-attacks-involve-ransomware

• Corporate Boards Pressure CISOs to Step Up Risk Mitigation Efforts

A recent report found that the top challenges when implementing an effective cyber/IT risk management programme include an increase in the quantity (49%) and severity (49%) of cyber threats, a lack of funding (37%) and a lack of staffing/cyber risk talent (36%).

Cyber attacks have been increasing for several years now and resulting data breaches cost businesses an average of $4.35 million in 2022, according to the annual IBM ‘Cost of a Data Breach’ report. Given the financial and reputational consequences of cyber attacks, corporate board rooms are putting pressure on CISOs to identify and mitigate cyber/IT risk.

When it came to reporting to the board, 30% of CIO and CISO respondents say they do not communicate risk around specific business initiatives to other company leaders, indicating they may not know how to share that information in a constructive way.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/04/26/effective-it-risk-management/

• NSA Sees ‘Significant’ Russian Intel Gathering on European, US Supply Chain Entities

According to the US National Security Agency (NSA), Russian hackers could be looking to attack logistics targets more broadly. The NSA have noted a significant amount of intelligence gathering into western countries, including the UK and the US.

Although there is no indication yet regarding attacks from Russia in connection with the logistics related to Ukraine, organisations should be aware and look to improve their cyber security practices to be best prepared.

https://cyberscoop.com/nsa-russian-ukraine-supply-chain-ransomware/

• Email Threat Report 2023: Key Takeaways

According to a recent report, email phishing made up 24% of all spam types in 2022, a significant increase in proportion from 11% in 2021. The finance industry was the most targeted by far, accounting for 48% of phishing incidents. It is followed by the construction sector at 17%, overtaking 2021’s second-place industry, e-commerce. Both the finance and construction industries saw an increase in phishing since last year. Of all the emails analysed in 2022, an enormous 90% were spam emails.

With phishing as prevalent as ever, organisations should look to implement training for their staff to not only be able to spot phishing emails, but to be able to report these and aid in improving the cyber security culture of their organisation.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/04/27/email-threat-report-2023-key-takeaways/

• 5 Most Dangerous New Attack Techniques

Experts from security training provider SANS Institute have revealed the 5 most dangerous new attack techniques: adversarial AI, ChatGPT-powered social engineering, third-party developer attacks (also known as software supply chain attacks), SEO, and paid advertising attacks.

The new techniques highlight the ever changing environment of the attack environment. SEO and paid advertising attacks are leveraging fundamental marketing strategies to gain initial access, heightening the importance for organisations to incorporate scalable user awareness training programmes, tailored to new threats.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3694892/5-most-dangerous-new-attack-techniques.html  

• Many Public Salesforce Sites are Leaking Private Data

A shocking number of organisations — including banks and healthcare providers — are leaking private and sensitive information from their public Salesforce Community websites. The data exposures all stem from a misconfiguration in Salesforce Community that allows an unauthenticated user to access records that should only be available after logging in.

This included the US State of Vermont who had at least five separate Salesforce Community sites that allowed guest access to sensitive data, including a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programme that exposed the applicant’s full name, social security number, address, phone number, email, and bank account number. Similar information was leaked by TCF Bank on their Salesforce Community Website.

It's not just Salesforce though; misconfigurations in general are responsible for a number of leaked documents and or exposures relating to an organisation.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/04/many-public-salesforce-sites-are-leaking-private-data/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• New coercive tactics used to extort ransomware payments - Help Net Security

• Capita Admits That Its ‘Cyber Incident’ Was Ransomware and That Customer Data Was Breached - IT Governance UK Blog

• Russian hackers exfiltrated data from from Capita over a week before outage | by Kevin Beaumont | Apr, 2023 | DoublePulsar

• Almost three-quarters of cyber attacks involve ransomware | Computer Weekly

• #RSAC: Ransomware Poses Growing Threat to Five Eyes Nations - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware attacks, human error main cause of cloud data breaches: Report (business-standard.com)

• Effects of the Hive Ransomware Group Takedown (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft Confirms PaperCut Servers Used to Deliver LockBit and Cl0p Ransomware (thehackernews.com)

• Trojanized Installers Used to Distribute Bumblebee Malware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• MIT and Stanford researchers develop operating system with one major promise: Resisting ransomware | CyberScoop

• Tank storage company Vopak hacked, Ransomware groups report | NL Times

• Health insurer Point32Health suffered a ransomware attack-Security Affairs

• Hacker demands ransom after 'taking control' of Wiltshire school's IT | Swindon Advertiser

• US Navy Contractor Fincantieri Marine Group Hit by Cyber-attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Arnold Clark braced for cyber payout (thetimes.co.uk)

• RSAC speaker offers ransomware victims unconventional advice | TechTarget

• How ransomware victims can make the best of a bad situation | TechTarget

• Hackers Leaked Minneapolis Students' Psychological Reports, Allegations of Abuse (gizmodo.com)

• Linux version of RTM Locker ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CommScope employees left in the dark after ransomware attack | TechCrunch

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Email Threat Report 2023: Key Takeaways - IT Security Guru

• How Dangerous Is Phishing in 2023? - Duo Blog | Duo Security

• The New Frontier in Email Security: Goodbye, Gateways; Hello, Behavioural AI (darkreading.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• WhatsApp used in BEC scam to pilfer $6.4M | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

2FA/MFA

• CrowdStrike details new MFA bypass, credential theft attack | TechTarget

• Phishing-resistant MFA shapes the future of authentication forms - Help Net Security

Malware

• Malware-Free Cyber attacks Are On the Rise; Here's How to Detect Them (darkreading.com)

• Trojanized Installers Used to Distribute Bumblebee Malware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ex-Conti and FIN7 Actors Collaborate with New Backdoor (securityintelligence.com)

• EvilExtractor malware activity spikes in Europe and the US (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Zaraza Malware Exploits Web Browsers To Steal Stored Passwords (latesthackingnews.com)

• This evil malware disables your security software, then goes in for the kill | TechRadar

• Decoy Dog malware toolkit found after analysing 70 billion DNS queries (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus Subgroup Targeting Apple Devices with New RustBucket macOS Malware (thehackernews.com)

• A Security Team Is Turning This Malware Gang’s Tricks Against It | WIRED

• Evasive Panda APT group delivers malware via updates for popular Chinese software | WeLiveSecurity

• Google banned 173K developer accounts to block malware, fraud rings (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chinese Cyber spies Delivered Malware via Legitimate Software Updates - SecurityWeek

• Chinese hackers launch Linux variant of PingPull malware | CSO Online

Mobile

• WhatsApp used in BEC scam to pilfer $6.4M | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• 35M Downloads Of Android Minecraft Clones Spreads Adware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Botnets

• Google Gets Court Order to Take Down CryptBot That Infected Over 670,000 Computers (thehackernews.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• New SLP bug can lead to massive 2,200x DDoS amplification attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Top 15 DDoS Protection Best Practices - Security Boulevard

• 'Anonymous Sudan' Claims Responsibility for DDoS Attacks Against Israel (darkreading.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Government Agencies Release Blueprint for Secure Smart Cities - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• TP-Link Archer WiFi router flaw exploited by Mirai malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Over 70 billion unprotected files available on unsecured web servers - Help Net Security

• Many Public Salesforce Sites are Leaking Private Data – Krebs on Security

• American Bar Association data breach hits 1.4 million members (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CFPB Employee Sends 256,000 Consumers' Data to Personal Email - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• American Bar Association (ABA) suffered a data breach-Security Affairs

• Shields Health Breach Exposes 2.3M Users' Data (darkreading.com)

• Serving UK Armed Forces member charged under Official Secrets Act (telegraph.co.uk)

• Yellow Pages Canada confirms cyber attack as Black Basta leaks data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Vantage Travel Experiences Data Security Incident (darkreading.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• The IRS is sending four investigators across the world to fight cyber crime | TechCrunch

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Kubernetes RBAC abused to create persistent cluster backdoors (bleepingcomputer.com)

• North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Representative Charged in Crypto Laundering Conspiracies (darkreading.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Ransomware attacks, human error main cause of cloud data breaches: Report (business-standard.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• The IRS is sending four investigators across the world to fight cyber crime | TechCrunch

• How Startups Can Take Steps To Prevent Syphoning & Fraud

• US deploys more cyber forces abroad to help fight hackers | Reuters

• The ‘Your computer was locked’ scam is gaining traction (consumeraffairs.com)

• The true numbers behind deepfake fraud - Help Net Security

• Google banned 173K developer accounts to block malware, fraud rings (bleepingcomputer.com)

Deepfakes

• The true numbers behind deepfake fraud - Help Net Security

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Representative Charged in Crypto Laundering Conspiracies (darkreading.com)

Insurance

• The Complexities of Cyber Insurance | Cyber Risk Management (telos.com)

Dark Web

• Metaverse Version of the Dark Web Could be Nearly Impenetrable (darkreading.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Capita Admits That Its ‘Cyber Incident’ Was Ransomware and That Customer Data Was Breached - IT Governance UK Blog

• Russian hackers exfiltrated data from from Capita over a week before outage | by Kevin Beaumont | Apr, 2023 | DoublePulsar

• At least 2 critical infrastructure orgs breached by North Korea-linked hackers behind 3CX attack - -Security Affairs-Security Affairs

• The Huge 3CX Breach Was Actually 2 Linked Supply Chain Attacks | WIRED

• That 3CX supply chain attack keeps getting worse • The Register

• NSA sees 'significant' Russian intel gathering on European, US supply chain entities | CyberScoop

• North Korean hackers breach software firm in significant cyber attack | CNN Politics

• SD Worx hack: Payroll firm for M&S hit by cyber attack (thetimes.co.uk)

• A third-party’s perspective on third-party InfoSec risk management - Help Net Security

Software Supply Chain

• Securing Software Supply Chains Requires Outside-the-Box Thinking - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Shadow IT, SaaS Pose Security Liability for Enterprises (darkreading.com)

• Weak credentials, unpatched vulnerabilities, malicious OSS packages causing cloud security risks | CSO Online

• 14 Kubernetes and Cloud Security Challenges and How to Solve Them (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware attacks, human error main cause of cloud data breaches: Report (business-standard.com)

• GhostToken Flaw Could Let Attackers Hide Malicious Apps in Google Cloud Platform (thehackernews.com)

• Saas Security: The Need For Continuous Sustenance (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How CISOs navigate security and compliance in a multi-cloud world - Help Net Security

• Cloud Complexity Means Bugs Are Missed in Testing - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Study: 84% of Companies Use Breached SaaS Applications - Here's How to Fix it for Free! (thehackernews.com)

• Security experts found a major bug in Google Cloud | TechRadar

• Most SaaS adopters exposed to browser-borne attacks - Help Net Security

• Cloud-native security metrics for CISOs | TechTarget

• Exposed Artifacts Seen In Misconfigured Cloud Software Registries (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Google accounts attacked and hijacked by this devious security flaw | TechRadar

Containers

• Kubernetes RBAC abused to create persistent cluster backdoors (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Experts spotted first-ever crypto mining campaign leveraging Kubernetes RBAC-Security Affairs

• Combating Kubernetes — the Newest IAM Challenge (darkreading.com)

Attack Surface Management

• Over 70 billion unprotected files available on unsecured web servers - Help Net Security

• Study of past cyber attacks can improve organisations' defence strategies - Help Net Security

Shadow IT

• Shadow IT, SaaS Pose Security Liability for Enterprises (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• Rethinking the effectiveness of current authentication initiatives - Help Net Security

• Combating Kubernetes — the Newest IAM Challenge (darkreading.com)

Open Source

• The double-edged sword of open-source software - Help Net Security

• Linux Shift: Chinese APT Alloy Taurus Is Back With Retooling (darkreading.com)

• Chinese hackers launch Linux variant of PingPull malware | CSO Online

• Linux version of RTM Locker ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Weak credentials, unpatched vulnerabilities, malicious OSS packages causing cloud security risks | CSO Online

• Password reset woes could cost FTSE 100 companies $156 million each month - Help Net Security

• The War on Passwords Enters a Chaotic New Phase | WIRED

• A '!password20231#' password may not be as complex as you think (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• Thousands of Social Media Takedowns Hit People Smugglers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Metaverse Version of the Dark Web Could be Nearly Impenetrable (darkreading.com)

• Vietnamese Hackers Linked to 'Malverposting' Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malvertising

• Trojanized Installers Used to Distribute Bumblebee Malware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Google ads push BumbleBee malware used by ransomware gangs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 35M Downloads Of Android Minecraft Clones Spreads Adware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Navigating The Future Of Cyber: Business Strategy, Cyber security Training, And Digital Transformation Are Key (forbes.com)

Digital Transformation

• Navigating The Future Of Cyber: Business Strategy, Cyber security Training, And Digital Transformation Are Key (forbes.com)

• Cyber security in Finance: Protecting Your Digital Transformation | CSO Online

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Tech giants and government have failed to stop child sex abuse online, says Sajid Javid (telegraph.co.uk)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• (ISC)2 Urges Countries to Strengthen Collaboration on Cyber security Regulation - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Navigating The Future Of Cyber: Business Strategy, Cyber security Training, And Digital Transformation Are Key (forbes.com)

• Corporate boards pressure CISOs to step up risk mitigation efforts - Help Net Security

• How the Talent Shortage Impacts Cyber security Leadership (securityintelligence.com)

• Is your bank account safe? Mass layoffs weaken cyber security across finance sector | Fox Business

• The Tangled Web of IR Strategies (darkreading.com)

• The strong link between cyber threat intelligence and digital risk protection | CSO Online

• Cyber Thieves Are Getting More Creative (hbr.org)

• Organisations are stepping up their game against cyber threats - Help Net Security

• CISOs: unsupported, unheard, and invisible - Help Net Security

• The Relationship Between Security Maturity and Business Enablement | CSO Online

• CISOs Rethink Data Security with Info-Centric Framework (darkreading.com)

• UK Cyber Pros Burnt Out and Overwhelmed - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Good, Better And Best Security (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• #RSAC: Organisations Warned About the Latest Attack Techniques - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• SANS Reveals Top 5 Most Dangerous Cyber attacks for 2023 (darkreading.com)

• Cloud-native security metrics for CISOs | TechTarget

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Small Business is a Big Priority: NIST Expands Outreach to the Small Business Community | NIST

• Are you ready for PCI DSS 4.0? - Help Net Security

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• UK Cyber Pros Burnt Out and Overwhelmed - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How to Begin a Career in Ethical Hacking in the Year 2023? (analyticsinsight.net)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• To combat cyber crime, US law enforcement increasingly prioritizes disruption | CyberScoop

• US to focus on stifling cyber attacks, not convictions • The Register

• US deploys more cyber forces abroad to help fight hackers | Reuters

• Effects of the Hive Ransomware Group Takedown (darkreading.com)

• Google Gets Court Order to Take Down CryptBot That Infected Over 670,000 Computers (thehackernews.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Hackers can find your home on Strava even if you use privacy settings, researchers find | Cycling Weekly

• Major US CFPB Data Breach Caused by Employee (darkreading.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• The Growing Need for Cyber Security in an Age of AI Disruption (analyticsinsight.net)

• From pope’s jacket to napalm recipes: how worrying is AI’s rapid growth? | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• Cyber security Survival: Hide From Adversarial AI (darkreading.com)

• AI Experts: Account for AI/ML Resilience & Risk While There's Still Time (darkreading.com)

• 5 most dangerous new attack techniques | CSO Online

• NSA Cyber security Director Says ‘Buckle Up’ for Generative AI | WIRED

• The New Risks ChatGPT Poses to Cyber security (hbr.org)

• From ChatGPT to HackGPT: Meeting the Cyber security Threat of Generative AI (mit.edu)

• ChatGPT fans need 'defensive mindset' to avoid scammers • The Register

• DHS announces AI task force, security sprint on China-related threats | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• The New Frontier in Email Security: Goodbye, Gateways; Hello, Behavioral AI (darkreading.com)

• Nvidia releases a toolkit to make text-generating AI ‘safer’ | TechCrunch

• Artificial intelligence takes RSA Conference by storm | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• The good, the bad and the generative AI • The Register

• Secureworks CEO weighs in on XDR landscape, AI concerns | TechTarget

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• BCS Policy Jam : Cyberwar and Ukraine one year on | BCS

• FBI aiding Ukraine in collection of digital and physical war crime evidence | CyberScoop

• NSA sees 'significant' Russian intel gathering on European, US supply chain entities | CyberScoop

• #RSAC: Cyber-Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure Should Be War Crimes, says Ukraine Official - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK undersea cables worth £7.4 trillion a day under ‘real threat’ from Russia | The Independent

• Eurocontrol says website 'under attack' by pro-Russia crew • The Register

• Iran cyberespionage group taps SimpleHelp for persistence on victim devices | CSO Online

• Russian Hackers Tomiris Targeting Central Asia for Intelligence Gathering (thehackernews.com)

• CISA, Cyber Command Collaboration Blocks Attempted Attacks on US Interests - MSSP Alert

Nation State Actors

• APT Groups Expand Reach to New Industries and Geographies - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Chinese Cyber spies Delivered Malware via Legitimate Software Updates - SecurityWeek

• North Korean hackers breach software firm in significant cyber attack | CNN Politics

• Western cyber security must advance to counter China's cyber space progress, says NCSC director (computing.co.uk)

• China building cyber weapons to hijack enemy satellites, says US leak | Financial Times (ft.com)

• NCSC raises alert on cyber threat to infrastructure | UKAuthority

• Iran cyberespionage group taps SimpleHelp for persistence on victim devices | CSO Online

• DHS announces AI task force, security sprint on China-related threats | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• At least 2 critical infrastructure orgs breached by North Korea-linked hackers behind 3CX attack - -Security Affairs-Security Affairs

• North Korea's Kimsuky APT Keeps Growing, Despite Public Outing (darkreading.com)

• APT 'Mint Sandstorm' quickly exploits new PoC hacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Russian Hackers Suspected in Ongoing Exploitation of Unpatched PaperCut Servers (thehackernews.com)

• North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Representative Charged in Crypto Laundering Conspiracies (darkreading.com)

• Iranian Hackers Launch Sophisticated Attacks Targeting Israel with PowerLess Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

• Lazarus Subgroup Targeting Apple Devices with New RustBucket macOS Malware (thehackernews.com)

• US Cyberwarriors Thwarted 2020 Iran Election Hacking Attempt - SecurityWeek

• Evasive Panda APT group delivers malware via updates for popular Chinese software | WeLiveSecurity

• Linux Shift: Chinese APT Alloy Taurus Is Back With Retooling (darkreading.com)

• Pro-Russia hacking group executed a disruptive attack against a Canadian gas pipeline-Security Affairs

• Charming Kitten's New BellaCiao Malware Discovered in Multi-Country Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Iranian cyber spies deploy new malware implant on Microsoft Exchange Servers | CSO Online

• A component in Huawei network appliances could be used to take down Germany’s telecoms networks-Security Affairs

• Ukrainian arrested for selling data of 300M people to Russians (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FIN7 Hackers Caught Exploiting Recent Veeam Vulnerability - SecurityWeek

• Chinese hackers launch Linux variant of PingPull malware | CSO Online

• CISA, Cyber Command Collaboration Blocks Attempted Attacks on US Interests - MSSP Alert

• Lazarus, Scarcruft North Korean APTs Shift Tactics, Thrive (darkreading.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Weak credentials, unpatched vulnerabilities, malicious OSS packages causing cloud security risks | CSO Online

• Modernizing Vulnerability Management: The Move Toward Exposure Management (thehackernews.com)

• GitLab’s new security feature uses AI to explain vulnerabilities to developers | TechCrunch

• Microsoft: Windows 10 22H2 is the final version of Windows 10 (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Vulnerabilities

• New Google Chrome Zero-Day Bug Actively Exploited in Wide (gbhackers.com)

• Flaw in Microsoft Process Explorer under active attack • The Register

• Hackers Exploit Outdated WordPress Plugin to Backdoor Thousands of WordPress Sites (thehackernews.com)

• APC warns of critical unauthenticated RCE flaws in UPS software (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Double zero-day in Chrome and Edge – check your versions now! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Security experts found a major bug in Google Cloud | TechRadar

• TP-Link Archer WiFi router flaw exploited by Mirai malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mozilla confirms memory leak in Firefox - gHacks Tech News

• SolarWinds Platform Update Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

• VMware Releases Critical Patches for Workstation and Fusion Software (thehackernews.com)

• Apache Superset Vulnerability: Insecure Default Configuration Exposes Servers to RCE Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Cisco discloses XSS zero-day flaw in server management tool (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft removes LSA Protection from Windows settings to fix bug (bleepingcomputer.com)

• PaperCut says hackers are exploiting ‘critical’ security flaws in unpatched servers | TechCrunch

• FIN7 Hackers Caught Exploiting Recent Veeam Vulnerability - SecurityWeek

• New high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2023-29552) discovered in the Service Location Protocol (SLP) | Bitsight

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Tools and Controls

• Navigating The Future Of Cyber: Business Strategy, Cyber security Training, And Digital Transformation Are Key (forbes.com)

• Corporate boards pressure CISOs to step up risk mitigation efforts - Help Net Security

• The Tangled Web of IR Strategies (darkreading.com)

• 14 Kubernetes and Cloud Security Challenges and How to Solve Them (thehackernews.com)

• Six Key Considerations When Choosing a Web Application Firewall  - Security Boulevard

• The Complexities of Cyber Insurance | Cyber Risk Management (telos.com)

• Unified Endpoint Management: A Powerful Tool for Your Cyber security Arsenal | CSO Online

• GitLab’s new security feature uses AI to explain vulnerabilities to developers | TechCrunch

• Google Authenticator finally, mercifully adds account syncing for two-factor codes - The Verge

• The Needs of a Modernized SOC for Hybrid Cloud (securityintelligence.com)

• Rethinking the effectiveness of current authentication initiatives - Help Net Security

• Attack Surface Management Strategies (trendmicro.com)

• Google will add End-to-End encryption to Google Authenticator (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google 2FA Syncing Feature Could Put Your Privacy at Risk (darkreading.com)

• Embracing zero-trust: a look at the NSA’s recommended IAM best practices for administrators | CSO Online

• CISOs struggle to manage risk due to DevSecOps inefficiencies - Help Net Security

• Generative AI and security: Balancing performance and risk - Help Net Security

• #RSAC: GPT-4 Empowers Cyber security Leaders to Make Smarter Risk Decisions - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• SSL vs TLS: Which Should You Be Using? (trendmicro.com)

• CISA aims to reduce email threats with serial CDR prototype | TechTarget

• Top 15 DDoS Protection Best Practices - Security Boulevard

• Threat Actor Names Proliferate, Adding Confusion (darkreading.com)

• AI Dominates RSA as Excitement and Questions Surround its Potential in Cyber security Tooling - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Email Threats - Discover the latest trends and stay one step ahead - VIPRE

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Other News

• Falling Dwell Time May Be Down to Faster Threat Activity - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The threat from commercial cyber proliferation - NCSC.GOV.UK

• Hackers could learn how to send fake terror threats on YouTube, warn experts (telegraph.co.uk)

• Government launches new cyber security measures to tackle ever growing threats - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• Attackers are logging in instead of breaking in - Help Net Security

• NCSC unveils data driven cyber security model | UKAuthority

• Hacker Group Names Are Now Absurdly Out of Control | WIRED

• 38 Countries Take Part in NATO's 2023 Locked Shields Cyber Exercise - SecurityWeek

• Quad Countries Prepare For Info Sharing on Critical Infrastructure - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The White House National Cyber security Strategy Has a Fatal Flaw (darkreading.com)

• Threat Actor Names Proliferate, Adding Confusion (darkreading.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

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

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

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

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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

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