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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 27 October 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 27 October 2023:
-More Companies Adopt Board-Level Cyber Security Committees
-Ransomware Attacks Rise by More Than 95% Over 2022, to All Time High
-Security Still Not a Priority for a Third of SMBs Despite 73% Suffering Cyber Attack Last Year
-More Than 46 Million Potential Cyber Attacks Logged Every Day
-Fighting Cyber Attacks Requires Top-Down Approach
-Email Security Threats are More Dangerous This Year as Over 200 Million Malicious Emails Detected in Q3 2023
-98% of Security Leaders Worry About Risks of Generative AI as Fears Drive Spending
-48% of Organisations Predict Cyber Attack Recovery Could Take Weeks
-Cyber Security Awareness Doesn't Cut It; It's Time to Focus on Behaviour
-How Cyber Security Has Evolved in The Past 20 Years
-Rising Global Tensions Could Portend Destructive Hacks
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
More Companies Adopt Board-Level Cyber Security Committees
In a recent CISO Report by Splunk, 78% of CISOs and other security leaders reported a dedicated board-level cyber security committee at their organisations. These committees may be made up of qualified individuals or potentially even third parties - not necessarily company employees - that give guidance to the board around matters like risk assessment and cyber security strategy. These board-level cyber security committees can potentially bridge communication barriers between IT, security teams and boards. Black Arrow supports business leaders in organisations of all sizes to demonstrate governance of their cyber risks, by participating in board meetings to upskill and guide the board in requesting and challenging the appropriate information from their internal and external sources.
Source: [Decipher]
Ransomware Attacks Rise by More Than 95% Over 2022, to All Time High
A recent report by Corvus has found that ransomware attacks continued at a record-breaking pace, with Q3 frequency up 11% over Q2 and 95% year-over-year. Even if there were no more ransomware attacks this year, the victim account has already surpassed what was observed for 2021 and 2022. In a separate report, analysis conducted by Sophos has found that dwell times, which is the length of time an attacker is in a victim’s system before they are discovered, has fallen, leaving less time for organisations to detect attacks.
Sources: [Dark Reading] [SC Magazine] [Reinsurance News]
Security Still Not a Priority for a Third of SMBs Despite 73% Suffering Cyber Attack Last Year
Multiple reports highlighting different aspects of small and medium businesses (SMBs) all have one thing in common: the lack of priority that is given to cyber security. One example is a survey conducted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) which found that cyber security is not even a strategic priority for 35% of SMBs when considering moving to the cloud. This comes as a report by Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) found that 73% of US SMBs reported a cyber attack last year, with employee and customer data being the target in data breaches. Despite the rise in SMB attacks, relatively few organisations are following cyber security best practices to help prevent a breach in the first place. Every business, regardless of size, should do everything it reasonably can to protect its data and ensure connectivity, and smaller organisations may be more likely to be a victim of a cyber attack. Security is an enabler for the wider IT and business strategy to help users build the organisation in greater security. It should be hard-baked from the outset; seeking expert advice can help ensure the right proportionate security decisions are being made.
Sources: [Insider Media] [Infosecurity Magazine] [IT Reseller Magazine] [Infosecurity Magazine]
More Than 46 Million Potential Cyber Attacks Logged Every Day
New data released by the UK’s BT Group has found that more than 500 potential cyber attacks are logged every second. The BT data showed that over the last 12 months the most targeted sectors by cyber criminals were IT, defence, banking and insurance sectors; this was followed by the retail, hospitality and education industries. According to the figures 785,000 charities fell victim to cyber attacks. The data found that hackers are relentlessly scanning devices for vulnerabilities by using automation, and artificial intelligence is now being included by attackers to identify weaknesses in an organisation’s cyber defences.
Sources: [Evening Standard] [Proactive] [The Independent]
Fighting Cyber Attacks Requires Top-Down Approach
Organisations must move away from the posture that their IT division owns responsibility for safeguarding against cyber attacks. Instead, what we really need is for cyber security to come down from the top of the organisation, into the departments so that we have an enterprise-wide culture of security. It is the board’s responsibility to work with the executive team to ensure it is not just an IT-centric issue. By aligning cyber risk management with business needs, creating a cyber security strategy as a business enabler, and incorporating cyber security expertise into board and governance, the organisation will create a solid foundation for this top-down approach.
Source: [Chief Investment Officer]
Email Security Threats are More Dangerous This Year as Over 200 million Malicious Emails Detected in Q3 2023
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT has made spam and phishing emails infinitely more dangerous, with over 200 million sent in Q3 2023. A recent report found that link-based malware delivery made up 58% of all malicious emails for the quarter, while attachments made up the remaining 42%. Worryingly, 33% of these were delivered through legitimate but compromised websites.
Phishing does not come through emails alone however, there is also phishing via SMS, QR codes, calls and genuine, but compromised accounts. Black Arrow supports organisations of all sizes in designing and delivering proportionate user education and awareness programmes, including in-person and online training as well as simulated phishing campaigns. Our programmes help secure employee engagement and build a cyber security culture to protect the organisation.
Sources: [Security Magazine] [MSSP Alert] [TechRadar]
98% of Security Leaders Worry About Risks of Generative AI as Fears Drive Spending
Generative AI is playing a significant role in reshaping the phishing email threat landscape, according to a recent report from Abnormal Security. The report found that 98% of security leaders are highly concerned about generative AI's potential to create more sophisticated email attacks, with four-fifths (80.3%) of respondents confirming that their organisation had already received AI-generated email attacks or strongly suspecting that this was the case. A separate report by IBM found that attackers only needed five simple prompts to get the AI to develop a highly convincing phishing email. In a separate report, Gartner stated that AI has created a new scare, which contributed to 80% of CIO’s reporting that they plan to increase spending on cyber security, including AI.
Sources: [Infosecurity Magazine] [CSO Online] [Business Wire] [Help Net Security]
48% of Organisations Predict Cyber Attack Recovery Could Take Weeks
A recent report has found that 48% of respondents predicted that it would take days or weeks for their company to recover from cyber attacks, representing a potentially devastating risk to their business. Attacks are a matter of when, not if. Organisations should have plans and procedures in place to be able to recover from an attack; this includes having an incident response plan and regularly testing the organisation’s ability to backup and recover.
Black Arrow works with organisations of all sizes and sectors to design and prepare for managing a cyber security incident; this can include an incident response plan and an educational tabletop exercise for the leadership team that highlights the proportionate controls to help the organisation prevent and mitigate an incident.
Sources: [Security Magazine]
Cyber Security Awareness Doesn't Cut It; It's Time to Focus on Behaviour
The human element remains a significant vulnerability in cyber security, as reinforced by recent analysis. Repeated studies show that knowledge alone does not change behaviour, and that simply giving people more training is unlikely to change outcomes. The study underscores that even with heightened cyber security awareness, there has not been a notable decline in successful cyber attacks that exploit human errors.
We need to draw parallels to real-world skills. The report suggests that cyber security education should be as continuous and context-driven as learning to drive: no one learnt to drive by having a single lesson once a year. For instance, rather than educating employees on using multifactor authentication (MFA) in isolation, it's more impactful to provide an explanation of the additional security that that control provides and the reasons why it is being used to protect the organisation. This contextual approach, accentuated with insights on the advantages of these controls, is poised to foster the right behaviours and bolster security outcomes. However, the challenges persist, with many employees still bypassing recommended security protocols, underscoring the need for a more hands-on, real-time approach to cyber security education.
Source: [Dark Reading]
How Cyber Security Has Evolved in The Past 20 Years
Twenty years ago, the cloud as we know it didn’t exist. There were no Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, not even Gmail was around. Cyber threats have evolved significantly since then, but so too have the solutions. We’ve transitioned from manual, on-site vulnerability scanning and lengthy breach investigations, to automated tools and remote work capabilities that have reduced investigation times from months to weeks. Alongside technological advancements, laws and regulations surrounding cyber security have also tightened, imposing stricter rules on organisations to protect customer data and penalties for attackers.
The bigger picture is staying a step ahead of threat actors in the automation race. Whether that’s accomplished with AI or some other yet-to-be-discovered technology remains to be seen. In the meantime, as is always the case in this industry, regardless of the latest innovation, everyone needs to stay vigilant for threat actors’ attacks and remember that what was adequate to protect technology 20 years ago will not be sufficient to defend against the threat landscape today, and certainly not against the threats of tomorrow.
Source: [Forbes]
Rising Global Tensions Could Portend Destructive Hacks
Governments in the West are warning public and private sector organisations to "remain on heightened alert" for disruptive cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure and key sectors amid a series of escalating global conflicts.
Source: [Info Risk Today]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Cyber security Awareness Doesn't Cut It; It's Time to Focus on Behaviour (darkreading.com)
How Cyber Security Training Lowers Risk Among Employees (forbes.com)
How to establish a great security awareness culture (att.com)
More Companies Adopt Board-Level Cyber Security Committees | Decipher (duo.com)
Fighting Cyber Attacks Requires Top-Down Approach | Chief Investment Officer (ai-cio.com)
SMBs Need to Balance Cyber Security Needs and Resources (darkreading.com)
48% of organisations predict cyber attack recovery to take weeks | Security Magazine
Cyber Security Litigation: Five Trends Unpacked | Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - JDSupra
Cyber attacks now biggest cause of downtime and data loss – report - CIR Magazine
The Need for a Cyber Security-Centric Business Culture (darkreading.com)
From Snooze to Enthuse: Making Security Awareness Training 'Sticky' (darkreading.com)
Awaken From Cyber Slumber: 3 Steps To Stronger Cyber security (forbes.com)
AI-related security fears drive 2024 IT spending - Help Net Security
Cyber Resilience And Risk Management: Forces Against Cyber Threats (forbes.com)
The Cyber Security Resilience Quotient: Measuring Security Effectiveness - Security Week
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
SonicWall Data Confirms That Ransomware Is Still the Enterprise's Biggest Fear (darkreading.com)
Ransomware is threatening more businesses than ever before | TechRadar
Ransomware isn’t going away – the problem is only getting worse (bleepingcomputer.com)
Known Ransomware Attack Volume Breaks Monthly Record, Again (govinfosecurity.com)
Microsoft Warns as Scattered Spider Expands from SIM Swaps to Ransomware (thehackernews.com)
Concerns grow as LockBit knockoffs increasingly target popular vulnerabilities (therecord.media)
The Rise of S3 Ransomware: How to Identify and Combat It (thehackernews.com)
Meet Rhysida, a New Ransomware Strain That Deletes Itself (darkreading.com)
Kaspersky crimeware report: GoPIX, Lumar, and Rhysida. | Securelist
Five things organisations don’t consider before a ransomware attack | TechRadar
Ransomware incidents are on the rise as latest data reveals alarming trend | TechSpot
MGM Resorts hackers 'one of the most dangerous financial criminal groups’ (therecord.media)
Ransomware attacks against hospitals put patients' lives at risk, researchers say : NPR
Ragnar Locker Ransomware Boss Arrested in Paris (darkreading.com)
BlackCat Climbs the Summit With a New Tactic (paloaltonetworks.com)
Ransomware Soars as Myriad Efforts to Stop It Fall Short - Bloomberg
Hackers Using Remote Admin Tools AvosLocker Ransomware (gbhackers.com)
Resilience notes uptick in data exfiltration as cyber criminals change tactics - Reinsurance News
Healthcare Ransomware Attacks Cost US $78bn - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Bracing for AI-enabled ransomware and cyber extortion attacks - Help Net Security
Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defence (trendmicro.com)
Ransomware Victims
MGM Resorts hackers 'one of the most dangerous financial criminal groups’ (therecord.media)
Ambulances diverted as 3 New York hospitals grapple with cyber attacks | Fox News
Operations of Healthcare Solutions Giant Henry Schein Disrupted by Cyber attack - Security Week
US energy firm shares how Akira ransomware hacked its systems (bleepingcomputer.com)
Seiko says ransomware attack exposed sensitive customer data (bleepingcomputer.com)
American Family Insurance confirms cyber attack is behind IT outages (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cyber Attack Causing Service Interruptions At Ontario Hospitals (databreaches.net)
Cyber crims leak patient pics in low blow bid to win ransom • The Register
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Over 200 million malicious emails were detected in Q3 2023 | Security Magazine
Watch out - that QR code could just be a phishing scam | TechRadar
Booking.com customers targeted by scam ‘confirmation’ emails | Scams | The Guardian
New Hotel Phishing Scam — Be Careful If You're Offered a Discounted Rate | GOBankingRates
Email security threats are more dangerous than ever - here's what you need to know | TechRadar
What is Phishing? 5 Types of Phishing Attacks You Need to Know | MSSP Alert
The US released popular phishing techniques | Inquirer Technology
Akamai research finds more sophisticated phishing threats in hospitality industry - SiliconANGLE
Don’t Get Spooked Into Falling For These Phishing Scams - IT Security Guru
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Artificial Intelligence
AI-related security fears drive 2024 IT spending - Help Net Security
Boardrooms losing control in generative AI takeover, says Kaspersky | Computer Weekly
Governments, firms should spend more on AI safety, top researchers say | Reuters
Cyber-defence systems seek to outduel criminals in AI race (techxplore.com)
Report warns AI could worsen cyber threat, but government will not ‘rush to regulate’ - CIR Magazine
Businesses fear generative AI will cause ‘catastrophic’ cyber attacks (siliconrepublic.com)
Don't use AI-based apps, Philippine defence ordered its personnel (securityaffairs.com)
Businesses ignorant to gen AI security threats suggests research (ship-technology.com)
Deepfakes: Navigating Data Privacy and Cyber Security Risks | DRI - JDSupra
Artificial Intelligence Bad News For Cyber Threats, Report Warns - TechRound
Bracing for AI-enabled ransomware and cyber extortion attacks - Help Net Security
Oops! When tech innovations create new security threats | CSO Online
2FA/MFA
Malware
Hackers are using an incredibly sneaky trick to hide malware | Digital Trends
Vietnamese Hackers Target UK, US, and India with DarkGate Malware (thehackernews.com)
Quasar RAT Leverages DLL Side-Loading to Fly Under the Radar (thehackernews.com)
Dangerous new malware can crack encrypted USB drives | TechRadar
'Grandoreiro' Trojan Targets Global Banking Customers (darkreading.com)
Powerful Malware Disguised as Crypto Miner Infects 1M+ Windows, Linux PCs (pcmag.com)
The Changing Threat Landscape: Infostealers and the MacOS goldmine - F-Secure Blog
Mobile
Android trojan spotted in the wild can record audio and phone calls | ZDNET
Samsung Galaxy S23 hacked twice in one day at Pwn2Own contest (androidauthority.com)
iLeakage attack exploits Safari to steal data from Apple devices (securityaffairs.com)
Intellexa: Irish-linked spyware used in 'brazen attacks' - report - BBC News
Longer Support Periods Raise the Bar for Mobile Security (darkreading.com)
Android adware apps on Google Play amass two million installs (bleepingcomputer.com)
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
This DDoS attack is the biggest in internet history. | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
Disinformation and its often overlooked potential for denial-of-services. (thecyberwire.com)
Record-Breaking 100 Million RPS DDoS Attack Exploits HTTP/2 Rapid Reset Flaw (thehackernews.com)
Internet of Things – IoT
Data Breaches/Leaks
Okta says hackers breached its support system and viewed customer files | Ars Technica
Okta support system breach highlights need for strong MFA policies | CSO Online
1Password suffers cyber security incident after latest Okta breach - Tech Monitor
Okta stock falls after company says client files accessed by hackers via support system (cnbc.com)
Hacker accused of breaching Finnish psychotherapy centre facing 30,000 counts (therecord.media)
City of Philadelphia discloses data breach after five months (bleepingcomputer.com)
500k Irish National Police records exposed by third party • The Register
The 23andMe data breach reveals the vulnerabilities of our interconnected data (theconversation.com)
iLeakage attack exploits Safari to steal data from Apple devices (securityaffairs.com)
DC Board of Elections: Hackers may have breached entire voter roll (bleepingcomputer.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
More than 500 potential cyber attacks logged every second, BT says | The Independent
Spain arrests 34 cyber criminals who stole data of 4 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)
Nigerian Police dismantle cyber crime recruitment, mentoring hub (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Cryptojacking campaign Qubitstrike targets exposed Jupyter Notebook instances | CSO Online
Powerful Malware Disguised as Crypto Miner Infects 1M+ Windows, Linux PCs (pcmag.com)
70% of Crypto Companies Report Deepfake Fraud Rise (darkreading.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Forget the outside hacker, the bigger threat is inside • The Register
Human-centric Security Design Reduces Threats by Changing User Behavior (prweb.com)
How to establish a great security awareness culture (att.com)
How Cyber Security Training Lowers Risk Among Employees (forbes.com)
The Need for a Cyber Security-Centric Business Culture (darkreading.com)
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
New Hotel Phishing Scam — Be Careful If You're Offered a Discounted Rate | GOBankingRates
Booking.com customers targeted by scam ‘confirmation’ emails | Scams | The Guardian
Purchase Scams Surge as Fraud Losses Hit £580m - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Online scammers target desperate loan seekers using online fraud | TechRadar
Christmas scams to watch out for this festive season (nationalworld.com)
Cyber criminals exploit the Israeli-Hamas conflict through scam emails and websites (iol.co.za)
70% of Crypto Companies Report Deepfake Fraud Rise (darkreading.com)
Deepfakes
Deepfakes: Navigating Data Privacy and Cyber Security Risks | DRI - JDSupra
70% of Crypto Companies Report Deepfake Fraud Rise (darkreading.com)
Insurance
Telling Small Businesses to Buy Cyber Insurance Isn't Enough (darkreading.com)
Stemming Losses That Go Uncovered by Cyber Insurance | Esquire Deposition Solutions, LLC - JDSupra
Aviva: SMEs ‘woefully underserved’ for cyber cover - Insurance Post (postonline.co.uk)
Dark Web
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Software Supply Chain
Cloud/SaaS
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Okta Reveals Breach Via Stolen Credential - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
'Log in With...' Feature Allows Full Online Account Takeover for Millions (darkreading.com)
Social Media
Malvertising
Training, Education and Awareness
Cyber Security Awareness Doesn't Cut It; It's Time to Focus on Behaviour (darkreading.com)
This Cyber Security Awareness Month, Don't Lose Sight of Human Risk (darkreading.com)
How to establish a great security awareness culture (att.com)
How Cyber Security Training Lowers Risk Among Employees (forbes.com)
The Need for a Cyber Security-Centric Business Culture (darkreading.com)
Cyber Security Awareness Month: What's Still Needed After Twenty Years (forbes.com)
From Snooze to Enthuse: Making Security Awareness Training 'Sticky' (darkreading.com)
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
Managed security services [EU Legislation in Progress] | Epthinktank | European Parliament
Report warns AI could worsen cyber threat, but government will not ‘rush to regulate’ - CIR Magazine
UK government finalises IoT cyber security requirements - Lexology
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Backup and Recovery
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Hacker accused of breaching Finnish psychotherapy center facing 30,000 counts (therecord.media)
Alleged developer of the Ragnar Locker ransomware was arrested (securityaffairs.com)
Spain arrests 34 cyber criminals who stole data of 4 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)
Nigerian Police dismantle cyber crime recruitment, mentoring hub (bleepingcomputer.com)
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
‘I’m looking for fewer ways to be traceable, not more’ | Financial Times
Google Chrome's new "IP Protection" will hide users' IP addresses (bleepingcomputer.com)
ShadowDragon: Australian spies monitor PornHub, Tinder, Fortnite (crikey.com.au)
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity
Misc Nation State/Cyber Warfare/Cyber Espionage
ICC: September Breach Was Espionage Raid - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
International Criminal Court attack was targeted and sophisticated (securityaffairs.com)
Governments and hackers agree: the laws of war must apply in cyber space (theconversation.com)
It's Time to Establish the NATO of Cyber Security (darkreading.com)
War Crimes Court Flags Cyber Attack That Targeted Its Work - Law360
International Criminal Court systems breached for cyber espionage (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cyber attack a ‘serious attempt to undermine’ International Criminal Court - Lawyers Weekly
Rising Global Tensions Could Portend Destructive Hacks (inforisktoday.com)
Geopolitical Threats/Activity
Cyber criminals exploit the Israeli-Hamas conflict through scam emails and websites (iol.co.za)
Cyber operations linked to Israel-Hamas fighting gain momentum | CyberScoop
Rising Global Tensions Could Portend Destructive Hacks (inforisktoday.com)
China
MI5 chief warns of Chinese cyber espionage reached an unprecedented scale (securityaffairs.com)
Glasgow universities on red alert over Chinese spies as they join security scheme - Glasgow Live
Navy ends tradition of Chinese laundrymen on warships over spying fears (telegraph.co.uk)
Russia
Russia Cyber attacks Becoming More Sophisticated, Ukraine Official Says - Bloomberg
European govt email servers hacked using Roundcube zero-day (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ministry, police and Crimea summit websites victims of cyber attack | Radio Prague International
Major Russian bank reportedly hacked by Ukraine | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Hackers backdoor Russian state, industrial orgs for data theft (bleepingcomputer.com)
Who is sabotaging underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea? (economist.com)
Pro-Russia hackers target inboxes with 0-day in webmail app used by millions | Ars Technica
Russia-Ukraine War: Cyber Attack and Kinetic Warfare Timeline - | MSSP Alert
France says Russian state hackers breached numerous critical networks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cyber attack a ‘serious attempt to undermine’ International Criminal Court - Lawyers Weekly
Ex-NSA techie admits to selling state secrets to Russia • The Register
Iran
North Korea
Vulnerability Management
Concerns grow as LockBit knockoffs increasingly target popular vulnerabilities (therecord.media)
Why Do We Need Real-World Context to Prioritise CVEs? (darkreading.com)
Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defence (trendmicro.com)
Vulnerabilities
Citrix Bleed exploit lets hackers hijack NetScaler accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)
Exploitation of Citrix NetScaler vulns reaching dangerous levels | Computer Weekly
Critical SolarWinds RCE Bugs Enable Unauthorised Network Takeover (darkreading.com)
CISA adds second Cisco IOS XE flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog - Security Affairs
Cisco hackers likely taking steps to avoid identification | Computer Weekly
F5 Issues Warning: BIG-IP Vulnerability Allows Remote Code Execution (thehackernews.com)
European govt email servers hacked using Roundcube zero-day (bleepingcomputer.com)
VMware vCenter Flaw So Critical, Patches Released for End-of-Life Products - Security Week
Critical OAuth Flaws Uncovered in Grammarly, Vidio, and Bukalapak Platforms (thehackernews.com)
Firefox, Chrome Updates Patch High-Severity Vulnerabilities - Security Week
The Forbidden Fruit Of Cyber Security: Hackers Take A Bite Out Of Apple (forbes.com)
Pro-Russia hackers target inboxes with 0-day in webmail app used by millions | Ars Technica
Apple Ships Major iOS, macOS Security Updates - Security Week
Hackers can force iOS and macOS browsers to divulge passwords and much more | Ars Technica
ServiceNow quietly fixes 8-year-old data exposure flaw • The Register
Tools and Controls
48% of organisations predict cyber attack recovery to take weeks | Security Magazine
Cyber attack response plans need to be in place to avoid chaos - FreightWaves
NIST provides solid guidance on software supply chain security in DevSecOps | CSO Online
What is Network Segmentation? Virtual & Physical Segmentation | UpGuard
AI-related security fears drive 2024 IT spending - Help Net Security
Businesses fear generative AI will cause ‘catastrophic’ cyber attacks (siliconrepublic.com)
Is it wise to put all your security solutions in one cyber basket? (securitybrief.co.nz)
Cyber attacks are inevitable, so a focus on resilience is vital - James McGachie (scotsman.com)
Cyber Resilience And Risk Management: Forces Against Cyber Threats (forbes.com)
Are Backup Files the Missing Link in Your Cyber Security? (finextra.com)
Unveiling the power of emerging technologies to empower cyber resilience (techuk.org)
Cyber security concerns grow among physical security professionals | Security Magazine
The Cyber Security Resilience Quotient: Measuring Security Effectiveness - Security Week
Other News
MPs to examine cyber resilience of UK’s critical national infrastructure | CSO Online
Strategies to overcome cyber security misconceptions - Help Net Security
UK NCSC, NPSA launch Secure Innovation campaign to protect tech startups | CSO Online
5 important cyber security takeaways for law firms - Lawyers Weekly
How Cyber Security Has Evolved In The Past 20 Years (forbes.com)
Oops! When tech innovations create new security threats | CSO Online
Spooky Cyber Statistics And Trends You Need To Know (forbes.com)
The Changing Threat Landscape: Infostealers and the MacOS goldmine - F-Secure Blog
Proactively preventing your company from becoming the next cyber attack headline (betanews.com)
Demystifying Cyber Security: Shakespeare To The Rescue | HackerNoon
Cyber Threat: Aviation’s Clear and Present Danger? | Aerospace Tech Review
OT cyber attacks proliferating despite growing cyber security spend - Help Net Security
Cost of a Data Breach: Retail Costs, Risks and Prevention Strategies (securityintelligence.com)
What Would a US Government Shutdown Mean for Cyber Security? (darkreading.com)
Weapons Systems Provide Valuable Lessons for ICS/OT Security - Security Week
Cyber attacks now biggest cause of downtime and data loss – report - CIR Magazine
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
· Automotive
· Construction
· Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
· Defence & Space
· Education & Academia
· Energy & Utilities
· Estate Agencies
· Financial Services
· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 13 October 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 13 October 2023:
-Small Businesses Hit by Frequent Cyber Attacks as 90% of CISOs Faced at least One Attack Last Year
-The Most Effective Cyber Attacks Never Touch Your Organisation's Firewall, HR’s Role in Defending the Organisation
-Ransomware Infection Times Fall from 5 Days to 5 Hours
-80% of Security Leaders See AI as the Biggest Threat to Business
-Is Your Board Cyber-Ready?
-Cyber Security Should Be a Business Priority for CEOs
-The Looming Threat of a Single Phishing Click to Your Business
-40% of Organisations Leave Ransomware to IT
-Auditors Growing Concern About Cyber Security
-The Cyber Villains Are Getting Bolder: Businesses Need to Up Their Game
-Preparing for the Unexpected: A Proactive Approach to Operational Resilience
-Staggering Losses to Social Media and Social Engineering Since 21, as Victims Take $2.7 Billion Hit in US Alone
-Organisations Grapple with Detection and Response Despite Rising Security Budgets
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
Small Businesses Hit by Frequent Cyber Attacks, as 90% of CISOs of Larger Firms Faced at least One Attack Last Year
A survey by Payroll provider Sage found that nearly 48% of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have experienced at least one cyber incident in the past year; of note, this is only based on SMEs self-reporting, and requires SMEs to have both the ability to detect an incident and to have actually identified an incident and then self-report it. The survey found that cyber security was a priority with 68% of respondents reporting that they would use a more expensive security control if it demonstrated better security.
In a separate report by Splunk, it was found that 90% of CISOs reported experiencing at least one disruptive attack in the past year. The difference in numbers could be because organisations who have a CISO are more likely to have tools in place to detect an incident.
Regardless, cyber criminals are showing that any size of organisation can be a victim of a cyber incident and in some cases, smaller organisations may not have the necessary budget and controls to prevent an attack.
Sources: [Security Magazine] [Insurance Times] [Infosecurity Magazine]
The Most Effective Cyber Attacks Never Touch Your Organisation’s Firewall, and HR’s Role in Defending the Organisation
In 2022, total spending on cyber security technologies increased to 71.1 billion USD, illustrating just how much effort goes into protecting companies, their data, and their customers. Regardless of all this spending, there remains a popular attack which can bypass this all: social engineering. Attackers know how much technology protection is placed in organisations, so they often try to bypass this and go straight through the employees.
Cyber security will never work if organisations do not go beyond IT; it is a business-wide issue and requires the engagement and input from across the business, including functions like Human Resources. Having effectively trained employees is a crucial part of creating a culture of security within an organisation, and this starts with HR. Employees will often have training as part of their onboarding and then regular training to ensure competencies; as part of HR’s role, this should include commissioning training on cyber security that is delivered by cyber security experts that understand what attackers are doing.
Source: [News Week] [Beta News]
Ransomware Infection Times Fall from 5 Days to 5 Hours
The amount of time it takes an attacker to infect a system with ransomware has fallen drastically over the last 12 months according to a recent report. The median dwell time (the time that an attacker spends in a victim’s network before being detected) was 5.5 days in 2021, reducing to 4.5 days in 2022, and this year it fell to less than 24 hours with, in 10% of cases, the time taken to deploy ransomware being within 5 hours. As threat actors continue to leverage Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) to execute attacks, dwell times will continue to decrease and the number of attacks will increase.
This coincides with a recent survey by Hornetsecurity that revealed that almost 60% of businesses are concerned about ransomware attacks. 92% of businesses are reported to be aware of ransomware’s potential negative impact, but just 54% of respondents say their leadership is actively involved in conversations and decision making to help prevent attacks.
The report highlights that ransomware is still at large, with the first half of 2023 seeing more ransomware victims than in the whole of 2022. Having good cyber security protection and hygiene is the key to ongoing success. Organisations cannot afford to become victims. Ongoing security awareness training and multi-layered ransomware protection are critical to help avoid insurmountable losses.
Sources: [Cision] [PC Mag] [Security Magazine]
80% of Security Leaders See AI as the Biggest Threat to Business
A report has found that a large majority of security leaders (80%) believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the biggest cyber threat to their business, and that the risks of AI outweigh the many advantages.
In a separate report, 58% agreed that AI is increasing the number of cyber attacks. The benefits of AI were also recognised however, with 73% reporting AI to be an increasingly important tool for security operations.
With AI finding itself both sides of the coin, it is important for organisations to effectively implement their AI solutions, so that they can improve their security whilst reducing the risk that AI presents to their organisation.
Sources: [Diginomica] [Infosecurity Magazine]
Is Your Board Cyber-Ready?
With the recent US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements entering effect, and the impending Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) requirements for Europe, there is yet another layer added to the complicated issues of managing cyber security risks. However, it is clear that strong corporate governance equips companies to address them efficiently and accurately.
Governance starts with the board, as it is responsible for the oversight of the organisation’s cyber security programs. For a board to do this effectively, the leadership team must be able to understand cyber security; yet despite this, a study found that only 12% of boards had a cyber expert. Black Arrow supports business leaders in organisations of all sizes to gain a strong practical understanding of the fundamentals of cyber security risk management, and to demonstrate governance in implementing their cyber security strategy by leveraging their existing internal and external resources.
Sources: [Harvard.edu] [JDSupra]
Cyber Security Should Be a Business Priority for CEOs
A recent report found that despite 96% of CEOs saying that cyber security is critical to organisational growth and stability, 74% of CEOs are concerned about their organisation’s ability to avert or minimise damage arising from a cyber attack. The report also highlighted that 60% of CEOs don’t incorporate cyber security into their business strategies, products or services from the beginning. 44% believe that cyber security requires episodic intervention rather than ongoing attention.
Adding to this reactive stance is the incorrect assumption by 54% of CEOs that the cost of implementing cyber security is higher than the cost of suffering a cyber attack, despite history showing otherwise. For instance, the report notes that a global shipping and logistics company breach resulted in a 20% drop in business volume, with losses hitting $300 million. In addition, despite 90% of CEOs saying cyber security is a differentiating factor for their products or services to help them build customer trust, only 15% have dedicated board meetings to discuss cyber security issues. This disconnect might be explained by the fact that 91% of CEOs said cyber security is a technical function that is the responsibility of the CIO or CISO.
Source: [HelpNet Security]
The Looming Threat of a Single Phishing Click to Your Business
A single click could be all it takes to get the ball rolling and allow an attacker entry into your organisation. From there, the possibilities are endless. Phishing impacts any employee within the organisation with an email account, phone number or access to the web.
Organisations can mitigate this risk however, by conducting training and awareness programmes, aimed at improving employees’ abilities to identify, report and avoid falling victim to phishing incidents. Such training should be held regularly to maintain their knowledge as well as adapting to the ever-changing landscape of cyber crime. Black Arrow supports organisations of all sizes in designing and delivering proportionate user education and awareness programmes, including in-person and online training as well as simulated phishing campaigns. Our programmes help secure employee engagement and build a cyber security culture to protect the organisation.
Source: [CMS-lawnow]
40% of Organisations Leave Ransomware to IT
A report found that 93% of respondents said they believe ransomware protection is “very” to “extremely” important in terms of IT priorities for their organisation, yet only 54% reported that the leadership were actively involved in conversations and decision-making around ransomware attacks, and 40% of total respondents were happy to leave the IT team to deal with ransomware attacks.
By only involving the IT team and excluding the leadership, organisations are at risk of not addressing regulatory requirements, or failing to manage such cyber incidents within a business context. This would also suggest a lack of an effective Incident Response Plan to ensure that considerations such as legal, communications, customers, employees and other stakeholders are not forgotten. Black Arrow works with organisations of all sizes and sectors to design and prepare for managing a cyber security incident; this can include an Incident Response Plan and an educational tabletop exercise for the leadership team that highlights the proportionate controls to help the organisation prevent and mitigate an incident.
Source: [MSSP Alert]
Auditors’ Growing Concern About Cyber Security
The majority of chief audit executives and information technology audit leaders consider cyber security to be a top risk over the next year. The survey found that found that nearly 75% of respondents, and an even higher percentage (82%) of technology audit leaders, consider cyber security to be a high-risk area over the next 12 months.
Source: [Accounting Today]
Preparing for the Unexpected: A Proactive Approach to Operational Resilience
Recent insights highlight a pressing need: ensuring operational resilience in financial firms. As the financial sector remains a prime target for cyber threats, the increasing interconnectedness presents evolving challenges. While cyber security aims to defend against attacks, operational resilience ensures the continuity of operations even when incidents occur.
Notably, the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) stresses preparedness, providing a framework for the industry. Although business continuity practices exist, operational resilience offers a more proactive stance, ensuring system reliability that is crucial for global financial trust. Achieving this requires a comprehensive risk assessment, laying the groundwork for a resilient strategy tailored to a firm’s unique position in the financial landscape.
Source: [Dark Reading]
Staggering Losses to Social Media and Social Engineering Since 2021, as Victims Take $2.7 Billion Hit in US Alone
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that Americans alone, have lost $2.7 billion to social media and social engineering scams since 2021. The losses were incurred through websites, phone calls and email.
It is important for organisations to consider that such scams could very well find themselves in the corporate environment. Already, there has been a significant rise in attacks on employees through LinkedIn. As such, it is important for organisations to provide education and awareness training to users.
Sources: [Bleeping Computer] [Infosecurity Magazine]
Organisations Grapple with Detection and Response Despite Rising Security Budgets
A study by EY found that only a fifth of cyber security leaders today are confident about their organisation’s cyber security approach, with only half trusting the training they provide in-house. CISO respondents reported an average annual spend of $35 million on cyber security, with the median cost of a breach jumping 12% to $2.5 million. The leaders said they anticipate the cost per breach to reach $4 million by the end of the year.
The report found that the biggest internal challenges to the organisation's cyber security approach were "too many potential attack surfaces" at 52%, and "difficulty balancing security and innovation speed" at 50%. The study also noted big discrepancies between the CISOs and other C-suite leaders when it came to their organisation's cyber security preparedness. While 60% of CISOs were confident about the C-suite integration of cyber security into key business decisions, only over half of other C-suite officers believed they were effective. There was also a significant gap (12%) between their satisfaction with the overall cyber security preparedness.
Source: [CSO Online]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Auditors more worried about cyber security than AI risks | Accounting Today
Cyber Security Survey: 40% of Orgs “Leave” Ransomware to IT | MSSP Alert
Cyber attacks are only getting worse for business, so what are CISOs doing about it? | TechRadar
Warning as more businesses fall victim to cyber attacks | Insurance Times
PwC survey reveals rising concerns over cyber security and generative AI in 2024 - Reinsurance News
The Role of HR in Engaging the Workforce for Holistic Cyber Security (newsweek.com)
90% firms experienced cyber attacks; 83% opted to pay attackers: Report (business-standard.com)
The world was already horrifying — technology is making it more so - The Hustle
Cyber security is a mindset, not just a set of tools and technologies. (techuk.org)
Cyber security should be a business priority for CEOs - Help Net Security
Organisations grapple with detection and response despite rising security budgets | CSO Online
The undeniable benefits of making cyber resiliency the new standard | CSO Online
Preparing for the Unexpected: A Proactive Approach to Operational Resilience (darkreading.com)
Cyber insurance costs pressure business budgets - Help Net Security
C-suite weighs in on generative AI and security (securityintelligence.com)
Cyber security overtakes cloud as top area of investment - The Recycler - 10/10/2023
New Wave of Cyber Threats Challenges In-House Legal Departments (bloomberglaw.com)
Should businesses follow Google’s footsteps in cyber security? | TechRadar
Cyber security is booming but it comes at a human cost (betanews.com)
A Primer on Cyber Risk Acceptance and What it Means to Your Business (bleepingcomputer.com)
A Cyber security Risk Assessment Guide for Leaders (trendmicro.com)
Addressing a Breach Starts With Getting Everyone on the Same Page (darkreading.com)
Uber's Ex-CISO Appeals Conviction Over 2016 Data Breach (darkreading.com)
6 steps to getting the board on board with your cyber security program (welivesecurity.com)
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
First half of 2023 sees more ransomware victims than all of 2022 | Security Magazine
Cyber security Survey: 40% of Orgs “Leave” Ransomware to IT | MSSP Alert
Cyber criminals can go from click to compromise in less than a day - Help Net Security
Ransomware Infection Times Fall From 5 Days to 5 Hours (pcmag.com)
Ransomwared health insurer wasn't using anti-virus software • The Register
Everest searching for corporate insiders amid rare pivot • The Register
HelloKitty ransomware source code leaked on hacking forum (bleepingcomputer.com)
How to Prevent Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) Attacks (trendmicro.com)
SEC Investigating Progress Software Over MOVEit Hack - Security Week
Ransomware attacks now target unpatched WS_FTP servers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ransomware Attack on Hospitals Highlights Need to Ensure Continuity of Patient Care (fdd.org)
Ransomware Victims
Cyber attack victim Estes making ‘steady progress’ - FreightWaves
Caesars Offers Two Years of IDX Services to Compromised Data Victims - GamblingNews
Ransomwared health insurer wasn't using anti-virus software • The Register
BianLian extortion group claims recent Air Canada breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
The looming threat of a single phishing click to your business (cms-lawnow.com)
What to do if you’ve clicked on a phishing link or talked to scammers | Kaspersky official blog
LinkedIn Smart Links attacks return to target Microsoft accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)
Phishing, the campaigns that are affecting Italy (securityaffairs.com)
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Artificial Intelligence
PwC survey reveals rising concerns over cyber security and generative AI in 2024 - Reinsurance News
'Really frightening': IT leaders on cyber security in the age of AI (computing.co.uk)
Cyber security pros predict rise of malicious AI - Help Net Security
Why 80% of CISOs see AI as the biggest threat to their business (diginomica.com)
C-suite weighs in on generative AI and security (securityintelligence.com)
68 percent of IT decision makers are worried about the rise of deepfakes (betanews.com)
US Space Force Pauses Generative AI Based on Security Concerns (bloomberglaw.com)
Generative AI Security: Preventing Microsoft Copilot Data Exposure (bleepingcomputer.com)
How to Guard Your Data from Exposure in ChatGPT (thehackernews.com)
2FA/MFA
Malware
Mirai DDoS malware variant expands targets with 13 router exploits (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft to kill off VBScript in Windows to block malware delivery (bleepingcomputer.com)
How Keyloggers Have Evolved From the Cold War to Today (darkreading.com)
Endpoint malware attacks decline as campaigns spread wider - Help Net Security
Mobile
Beware - GoldDigger malware will drain your bank accounts without you even realizing | TechRadar
China-based Supply Chain Cyber Attacks Hit Thousands of Android Devices | MSSP Alert
Android devices shipped with backdoored firmware as part of the BADBOX network (securityaffairs.com)
Operation Behind Predator Mobile Spyware Is 'Industrial Scale' (darkreading.com)
Hacktivists send fake nuclear attack warning via Israeli Red Alert app (bitdefender.com)
5 quick tips to strengthen your Android phone security today | ZDNET
Botnets
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
HTTP/2 Zero-Day Vulnerability Results in Record-Breaking DDoS Attacks (cloudflare.com)
Google, Amazon Face Massive Denial-of-Service Attack | MSSP Alert
Internet of Things – IoT
Automotive cyber security: A decade of progress and challenges - Help Net Security
Android TV malware case worsens: Tens of millions of devices infected - FlatpanelsHD
Have You Changed the Default Passwords on Your IoT Devices? (makeuseof.com)
Android devices shipped with backdoored firmware as part of the BADBOX network (securityaffairs.com)
Mirai Variant IZ1H9 Adds 13 Exploits to Arsenal - Security Week
Exposed security cameras in Israel and Palestine pose significant risks (securityaffairs.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
3.81 billion records compromised by cyber security incidents in September 2023 (itsecuritywire.com)
23andMe Cyberbreach Exposes DNA Data, Potential Family Ties (darkreading.com)
DC Board of Elections confirms voter data stolen in site hack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Lyca Mobile says customer data was stolen during cyber attack | TechCrunch
Third Flagstar Bank data breach since 2021 affects 800,000 customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Caesars Offers Two Years of IDX Services to Compromised Data Victims - GamblingNews
Air Europa customers urged to cancel cards following hack on payment system (therecord.media)
Dymocks breach happened while changing providers | Information Age | ACS
Shadow PC warns of data breach as hacker tries to sell gamers' info (bleepingcomputer.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
The cyber villains are getting bolder. Businesses need to up their game - Raconteur
Protecting your business against the cyber criminal enterprise (techuk.org)
Cyber attackers are combining attacks to bypass detection (siliconrepublic.com)
Hackers 'don't break in anymore, they log in,' expert explains (yahoo.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
‘I felt powerless’: how a crypto scam cost a finance boss £300,000 | Scams | The Guardian
Inside FTX’s All-Night Race to Stop a $1 Billion Crypto Heist | WIRED
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Everest searching for corporate insiders amid rare pivot • The Register
Former US soldier accused of trying to pass secrets to China • The Register
Understanding the human factor of digital safety | TechRadar
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Fooled by cyber criminals: The humanitarian CEO scammed by hackers - GZERO Media
Global job scam to cause $100 mn in losses for over 1,000 companies: Report (odishatv.in)
FTC warns of ‘staggering’ losses to social media scams since 2021 (bleepingcomputer.com)
The dark side of solar panels – how crooks are exploiting net zero (telegraph.co.uk)
Chinese Criminals Backdoor Android Devices for Ad Fraud (govinfosecurity.com)
‘I felt powerless’: how a crypto scam cost a finance boss £300,000 | Scams | The Guardian
Inside FTX’s All-Night Race to Stop a $1 Billion Crypto Heist | WIRED
What to do if you’ve clicked on a phishing link or talked to scammers | Kaspersky official blog
Never click on bank-draining words if message pops up, expert warns (ladbible.com)
Boss of world’s largest cinema chain victim of catfish blackmail plot | Business | The Guardian
Deepfakes
AML/CFT/Sanctions
Insurance
Cyber insurance costs pressure business budgets - Help Net Security
Insurance industry faces growing concerns over cyber cat risk: Gallagher Re - Reinsurance News
Cyber Insurance Lessens the Sting of Corporate Cyber Attacks (bloomberglaw.com)
Keeping up with the demands of the cyber insurance market - Help Net Security
Insurance cover ‘sufficient’ for $100mn cyber attack hit: MGM (insuranceinsider.com)
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Software Supply Chain
Why open-source software supply chain attacks have tripled in a year | CSO Online
New One-Click Exploit Is a Supply Chain Risk for Linux OSes (darkreading.com)
Cloud/SaaS
The Need for Speed: When Cloud Attacks Take Only 10 Minutes (darkreading.com)
Microsoft and Cabinet Office issue government-wide security guidelines for M365 – PublicTechnology
Securely Moving Financial Services to the Cloud (darkreading.com)
Identity and Access Management
Encryption
New cryptographic protocol aims to bolster open-source software security | ZDNET
Linux Foundation Announces OpenPubkey Open Source Cryptographic Protocol - Security Week
API
Open Source and Linux
New cryptographic protocol aims to bolster open-source software security | ZDNET
Why open-source software supply chain attacks have tripled in a year | CSO Online
Linux Foundation Announces OpenPubkey Open Source Cryptographic Protocol - Security Week
Security Patch for Two New Flaws in Curl Library Arriving on October 11 (thehackernews.com)
Maintainers warn of vulnerability affecting foundational open-source tool (therecord.media)
New One-Click Exploit Is a Supply Chain Risk for Linux OSes (darkreading.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
CISA publishes top 10 most common security misconfigurations • The Register
Have You Changed the Default Passwords on Your IoT Devices? (makeuseof.com)
Social Media
FTC warns of ‘staggering’ losses to social media scams since 2021 (bleepingcomputer.com)
LinkedIn Smart Links attacks return to target Microsoft accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)
Brands Beware: X's New Badge System Is a Ripe Cyber-Target (darkreading.com)
What should you do if your Facebook is hacked? (pocket-lint.com)
Parental Controls and Child Safety
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Data Protection
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
Work-related stress “keeps cyber professionals up at night” | ITPro
Cyber security is booming but it comes at a human cost (betanews.com)
eBook: Cyber security career hacks for newcomers - Help Net Security
Turning military veterans into cyber security experts - Help Net Security
CISO Pay Increases Are Slowing – a Look Behind the Figures - Security Week
Skills-based Hiring Can Address Cyber Workforce Shortfalls (fdd.org)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
European Police Hackathon Hunts Down Traffickers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Misc Nation State/Cyber Warfare
Hacking Groups, Including Some Tied to Russia, Are Attacking Israeli Websites (insurancejournal.com)
Cyber Metamorphosis: Ukraine Conflict's Impact on the Threat Landscape (govinfosecurity.com)
Hackers For Hire Hit Both Sides in Israel-Hamas Conflict (darkreading.com)
Beyond the Front Lines: How the Israel-Hamas War Impacts the Cyber security Industry - Security Week
Hamas 'using social engineering attacks' in conflict with Israel (techmonitor.ai)
Could Middle Eastern Cyberwarfare Spill Into Health Sector? (inforisktoday.com)
The Cyberwar Between the East and the West Goes Through Africa (darkreading.com)
Hamas 'using social engineering attacks' in conflict with Israel (techmonitor.ai)
Russia
Dark Horse Ukraine Proves Resistant to Onslaught of Russian Cyber Attacks (kyivpost.com)
Kremlin-Linked Hacker Group Launches Cyber-Attack Against Israel (kyivpost.com)
Russian hacker group "Killnet" declares cyberwar on Israel | Al Bawaba
Gaza-linked hackers and Pro-Russia groups are targeting Israel (securityaffairs.com)
Hacking Groups, Including Some Tied to Russia, Are Attacking Israeli Websites (insurancejournal.com)
Cyber Metamorphosis: Ukraine Conflict's Impact on the Threat Landscape (govinfosecurity.com)
China
A Frontline Report of Chinese Threat Actor Tactics and Techniques (darkreading.com)
Why One Of The Largest Cyber-Attacks Is Still A Mystery (slashgear.com)
Chinese Hackers Target Semiconductor Firms in East Asia with Cobalt Strike (thehackernews.com)
Chinese Criminals Backdoor Android Devices for Ad Fraud (govinfosecurity.com)
China-based Supply Chain Cyber Attacks Hit Thousands of Android Devices | MSSP Alert
Former US soldier accused of trying to pass secrets to China • The Register
Researchers Uncover Grayling APT's Ongoing Attack Campaign Across Industries (thehackernews.com)
Microsoft: China's Behind Atlassian Confluence Attacks; PoCs Available (darkreading.com)
Iran
Escalation In Iranian Cyber Operations: A Shift Toward Espionage | Iran International (iranintl.com)
North Korea
Vulnerability Management
Developers take as long as one month to patch security flaws, Synopsys finds (axios.com)
Vulnerability Behind “Largest Attack in Internet History” Found | MSSP Alert
Vulnerabilities
Patch Now: Massive RCE Campaign Wrangles Routers Into Botnet (darkreading.com)
Patch Tuesday: Code Execution Flaws in Adobe Commerce, Photoshop - Security Week
Google Chrome 118 is a massive security update - gHacks Tech News
Security Patch for Two New Flaws in Curl Library Arriving on October 11 (thehackernews.com)
Adobe Acrobat Reader Vuln Now Under Attack (darkreading.com)
Ransomware attacks now target unpatched WS_FTP servers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Critical Zero-Day Bug in Atlassian Confluence Under Active Exploit (informationweek.com)
WhatsApp exploits commanding multi-million prices (computing.co.uk)
High-Severity Vulnerabilities Discovered in WebM Project’s Libraries (paloaltonetworks.com)
Credential Harvesting Campaign Targets Unpatched NetScaler Instances - Security Week
Over 17,000 WordPress sites hacked in Balada Injector attacks last month (bleepingcomputer.com)
Thousands of WordPress sites have been hacked through tagDiv plugin vulnerability | Ars Technica
New WordPress backdoor creates rogue admin to hijack websites (bleepingcomputer.com)
libcue Library Flaw Opens GNOME Linux Systems Vulnerable to RCE Attacks (thehackernews.com)
D-Link WiFi range extender vulnerable to command injection attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Maintainers warn of vulnerability affecting foundational open-source tool (therecord.media)
Apple releases iOS 16.7.1 to plug critical security holes | Macworld
The SEC is said to be investigating a Twitter security flaw from the pre-Musk era (engadget.com)
Microsoft: China's Behind Atlassian Confluence Attacks; PoCs Available (darkreading.com)
35 Squid proxy bugs still unpatched after 2 years • The Register
Fortinet Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products | CISA
Tools and Controls
Organisations grapple with detection and response despite rising security budgets | CSO Online
Preparing for the Unexpected: A Proactive Approach to Operational Resilience (darkreading.com)
A Primer on Cyber Risk Acceptance and What it Means to Your Business (bleepingcomputer.com)
Reassessing the Impacts of Risk Management With NIST Framework 2.0 (darkreading.com)
16 Essential Factors To Cover In A Disaster Recovery Plan (forbes.com)
A Cyber Security Risk Assessment Guide for Leaders (trendmicro.com)
Addressing a Breach Starts With Getting Everyone on the Same Page (darkreading.com)
Google, Yahoo Push DMARC, Forcing Companies to Catch Up (darkreading.com)
You can't avoid APIs, so you need to secure them (betanews.com)
What is External Attack Surface Management (EASM)? | UpGuard
Why You Should Phish In Your Own (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Why zero trust delivers even more resilience than you think - Help Net Security
Unmasking the limitations of yearly penetration tests - Help Net Security
Keeping up with the demands of the cyber insurance market - Help Net Security
Cyber attackers are combining attacks to bypass detection (siliconrepublic.com)
Keep on keeping your organisation informed to stay cyber secure (techuk.org)
Why identity infrastructure is the new cyberattack surface (siliconrepublic.com)
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
Cyber security is a mindset, not just a set of tools and technologies. (techuk.org)
Large law firms experiencing two 'cyber incidents' a month - Legal Futures
Small businesses growing target for cyber criminals (planetradio.co.uk)
The world was already horrifying — technology is making it more so - The Hustle
Legions of Critical Infrastructure Devices Subject to Cyber Targeting (darkreading.com)
Subsea cable business seeks to plug its security holes (lightreading.com)
Old-School Attacks Are Still a Danger, Despite Newer Techniques (darkreading.com)
Protect Critical Infrastructure With Same Rigor as Classified Networks (darkreading.com)
Drug dealers hijack NHS, police and Crimestoppers websites to sell coke in plain sight - Daily Star
Proactive not reactive: adjusting the approach to cyber crime in education
Magecart Campaign Hijacks 404 Pages to Steal Data (darkreading.com)
As biohacking evolves, how vulnerable are we to cyber threats? - Help Net Security
Electric Power System Cyber Security Vulnerabilities (trendmicro.com)
Securing the Food Pipeline from Cyber Attacks (newswise.com)
US construction giant reports cyber security incident • The Register
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
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· FinTech
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· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
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