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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 10 May 2024
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 10 May 2024:
-China Suspected of Hacking MoD, Through Its Payroll Provider
-Security Tools Fail to Translate Risks for Executives
-Gang Accused of MGM Hack Shifts Attacks to Finance Sector
-Are SMEs Paving the Way for Cyber Attacks on Larger Companies?
-Misconfigurations Drive 80% of Security Exposure, Report Finds
-Only 45% of Organisations Employ MFA Protections
-You Cannot Protect What You Do Not Know You Have, as Criminals are Exploiting Vulnerabilities Faster Than Ever
-The Rise and Stealth of The Socially Engineered Insider
-Over 70% of Staff Use AI At Work, But Only 30% of European Organisations Provide AI Training
-Don't Be the Weakest Link – You and Your Team's Crucial Role in Cyber Security
-Ransomware Activity Thrives, Despite Law enforcement Efforts
-NATO Warns of Russian Hybrid Warfare
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
China Suspected of Hacking UK Ministry of Defence, Through Its Payroll Provider
UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed that over 270,000 personal details have been leaked after the MoD was hacked through its third-party payroll provider, SSCL. The affected systems have been pulled offline since the attack. SSCL’s website describes that it manages HR for the armed forces, the Metropolitan Police and other areas of British government. The commercial supply chain, and in particular HR and payroll providers, is increasing being used as the soft underbelly to attack larger and better protected organisations.
Sources: [LBC] [The Register] [Sky News]
Security Tools Fail to Translate Risks for Executives
Organisations are struggling with internal communication barriers, hindering their ability to address and mitigate cyber security threats, according to a report which found that seven out of 10 C-suite executives said their security teams talk in technical terms without providing business context. However, in contrast, 75% of CISO’s highlight the issue is rooted in security tools that cannot generate the insights C-level executives and boards can use to understand business implications. The role of a good CISO should be to take the output of these tools and turn that data into metrics the Boards can understand.
The issues highlight the necessity for organisations to have someone in their organisation, whether an employee or a third-party, who is able to ingest technical results and translate them into a style that the C-suite can understand for business risk management.
Source: [Help Net Security]
Gang Accused of MGM Hack Shifts Attacks to Finance Sector
The hacking group responsible for the infamous hack on MGM and Caesar’s Palace resorts is engaged in a new campaign targeting the financial sector. The group known as Scattered Spider has targeted 29 companies since 20 April this year, compromising at least 2 insurance companies so far. The research has stated that the attackers are purchasing lookalike domains that match the name of target companies, hosting fake log-in pages. Links to these are sent to employees, in an attempt to direct them there. The most recent attack took place just days ago, with more expected.
Sources: [Bloomberg Law] [Claims Journal]
Are SMEs Paving the Way for Cyber Attacks on Larger Companies?
A recent study highlights the escalating cyber threats facing businesses, particularly SMEs and supply chains. The study found that 32% of UK businesses, including 69% of large and 59% of mid-sized organisations, suffered a cyber attack last year. The situation is worse for SMEs, with weaker security systems and 77% lacking in-house cyber security. SMEs can become entry points for hackers targeting larger partners through interconnected supply chains. Meanwhile, Verizon’s latest data breaches report revealed a 68% increase in supply chain breaches, accounting for 15% of all breaches in 2023, up from 9% in 2022. These breaches are primarily driven by third-party software vulnerabilities exploited in ransomware and extortion attacks. Experts emphasise proactive cyber policies, vulnerability scans, and employee education for SMEs to bolster defences. They also urge organisations to consider third-party bugs as both vulnerability and vendor management problems, make better vendor choices, and use external signals like SEC disclosures in the United States to guide decisions. These measures can help prevent SMEs from becoming gateways for larger attacks and manage the rising threat of supply chain breaches.
Sources: [Insurance Times] [Dark Reading]
Misconfigurations Drive 80% of Security Exposure, Report Finds
A recent report has found that 80% of security exposures are caused by identity and credential misconfigurations, with a third of these putting critical assets at risk of a breach. According to the report, the majority of this is within an organisation’s network user management (Active Directory) and 56% of breaches that impact critical assets are within cloud platforms. There is often the misconception that cloud-based environments are secure by default, but misconfigurations can undo any security benefits and still leave you exposed. Just because someone else built and maintains your house, it is still your responsibility to lock the doors and windows.
Sources: [Security Magazine]
Only 45% of Organisations Employ MFA Protections
A recent report of IT decision-makers has found that 97% are facing challenges with identity verification and 52% are very concerned about credential compromise, followed by account takeover (50%). When it comes to reinforcing identity verification, only 45% used multi-factor authentication (MFA). By using MFA, organisations are forcing two identification verifications: simply knowing a username and password is not enough, especially given the speeds with which attackers can crack passwords, with average 8 character passwords able to be cracked in less than a minute. Whilst no control is 100% impenetrable, enabling MFA will aid in increasing your organisation's cyber resilience.
Source: [Help Net Security]
You Cannot Protect What You Do Not Know You Have, as Criminals are Exploiting Vulnerabilities Faster Than Ever
For many organisations, visibility of their information assets can be incredibly hard to obtain and maintain, with different tools, under-reporting and shadow IT contributing to the problem. Unfortunately, cyber criminals are getting faster at exploiting vulnerabilities, and if you do not know you have the vulnerability in your estate then you cannot patch against it. In their recent report, Fortinet found that attacks started on average 4.76 days after new exploits were publicly disclosed.
Interestingly though, while zero-day threats garner much attention (these are ‘new’ vulnerabilities that are being exploited by attackers but for which there are no security patches yet available), one third of all exploits are for older vulnerabilities. This highlights the need for a comprehensive and robust approach to network security and vulnerability management, beyond simply patching what Microsoft puts out once a month. To have effective patch management, organisations must know what they need to patch and therefore must have visibility of the corporate environment. A good starting block is the creation of a robust information asset register.
Sources: [Security Brief] [Help Net Security] [IT Security Guru]
The Rise and Stealth of The Socially Engineered Insider
Social engineering has become increasingly prevalent as the preferred tactic for foreign adversaries. Insiders are prime targets due to their privileged access to sensitive data. This is particularly affecting the technology, pharma, and critical infrastructure sectors. Advances in AI and social platforms have made it easier to exploit these vulnerabilities. These advances allow threat actors to tailor attacks with unprecedented speed and realism. Using methods like coercion or deception, these actors exploit employees to gain high-value data that can be weaponised. As a result, the threat landscape has become more complex, blurring the lines between internal and external risks. To bolster their defences, organisations are now investing in insider risk management and AI. They are also emphasising employee education and cross-sector collaboration.
Source: [Forbes]
Over 70% of Staff Use AI At Work, But Only 30% of European Organisations Provide AI Training
An ISACA study and the AI Security & Governance Report reveal a complex landscape of AI adoption and security. 73% of European organisations and 54% of global organisations use AI, with 79% increasing their AI budgets, however training and policy development lag behind. Only 30% offer limited training, 40% provide none, and a mere 17% have a comprehensive AI policy. Despite AI’s potential, 80% of data experts find it complicates security, with concerns high around generative AI exploitation (61% of respondents) and AI-powered attacks (over 50% of business leaders). Data poisoning and privacy issues persist, yet 85% of leaders express confidence in their data security strategies, with 83% revising privacy and governance guidelines. With 86% recognising a need for AI training within two years, the call for dynamic governance strategies and formal education is clear to manage evolving threats.
Sources: [Help Net Security] [IT Security Guru]
Don't Be the Weakest Link – You and Your Team's Crucial Role in Cyber Security
Cyber security success depends on more than just technology. Bad actors are always looking for the easiest entry point, meaning that employees’ everyday actions are crucial, when even one careless click or a weak password can be an open door for hackers. However, empowered with the right knowledge and tools, staff can become a robust defence. Nearly 80% of organisations have reported an increase in phishing attacks, but training programs like role-playing exercises and phishing simulations significantly reduce these risks. Effective cyber security also hinges on C-suite leaders promoting a security-first culture, ensuring all employees understand the risks and follow strict protocols like MFA and strong password policies. Consistent training and open communication are vital in fostering a resilient, security-aware workforce.
Source: [JDSupra]
Ransomware Activity Thrives, Despite Law enforcement Efforts
Despite the recent law enforcement takedowns on ransomware groups, ransomware remains rife. Whilst the takedown of a group can come as an initial relief in that the group has gone, it simply forces ransomware affiliates to diversify. This is reflected in ransomware continuing its growth in the first quarter of 2024, with 18 new leak sites, the largest number in a single quarter, emerging over this period. When comes to those at risk, both financial services and healthcare remain a prominent target.
Sources: [Help Net Security ] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Help Net Security]
NATO Warns of Russian Hybrid Warfare
NATO has issued a statement in which it describes it is “deeply concerned about Russia's hybrid actions and the threat that they constitute to NATO security”. The actions are described to include sabotage, acts of violence, cyber and electronic interference, and disinformation campaigns. This comes as many countries including the UK and US are due to have elections this year.
Sources: [EU Reporter] [Financial Times]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
You cannot protect what you do not understand (securitybrief.co.nz)
Security tools fail to translate risks for executives - Help Net Security
It Costs How Much?!? The Financial Pitfalls of Cyber Attacks on SMBs (thehackernews.com)
Now More Than Ever, it's Crucial for Companies to Get Cyber Security Right (newsweek.com)
Why SMBs are facing significant security, business risks - Help Net Security
Are SMEs paving the way for cyber attacks on larger companies? | Insurance Times
Don't Be the Weakest Link – Your Team's Crucial Role in Cyber Security | NAVEX - JDSupra
The Art Of Cyber Security Governance: Safeguarding Beyond Code (forbes.com)
CISOs Are Worried About Their Jobs & Dissatisfied With Their Incomes (darkreading.com)
92% of CISOs Question the Future of Their Role Amidst Growing AI Pressures | Business Wire
Three strategies for winning the cyber security arms race | Fintech Nexus
Rethinking Cyber Security Investment Amid Rising Threats (govinfosecurity.com)
CIOs and CFOs, two parts of the same whole - IT Security Guru
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Gang Accused of MGM Hack Turns Its Sights on Finance Sector (bloomberglaw.com)
Cybercrime Unicorns: What Everyone Needs to Know About Ransomware Gangs (pcmag.com)
Why Paying Should Be A Last Resort In Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)
Ransomware activity is back on track despite law enforcement efforts - Help Net Security
Ransomware evolves from extortion to 'psychological attacks' • The Register
Russian Hacker Dmitry Khoroshev Unmasked as LockBit Ransomware Administrator (thehackernews.com)
Ransomware attacks impact 20% of sensitive data in healthcare orgs - Help Net Security
An overwhelming majority of organisations paid ransomware last year - eCampus News
The Growing Threat of Advanced Ransomware Attacks (inforisktoday.com)
Law enforcement seized Lockbit group's website again (securityaffairs.com)
Consultant charged with $1.5M extortion of IT giant • The Register
IT chiefs plan to spend and innovate their way out of ransomware swamp | TechRadar
Ransomware crooks SIM swap kids to pressure parents • The Register
Scattered Spider group a unique challenge for cyber cops, FBI leader says (therecord.media)
97% of Organisations Hit by Ransomware Worked with Law Enforcement (globenewswire.com)
CISA boss: Secure software needed to stop ransomware • The Register
Shields Up: How to Minimize Ransomware Exposure - Security Week
Ransomware Victims
UnitedHealth’s 'egregious negligence' led to that ransomware • The Register
Ascension healthcare takes systems offline after cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
London Drugs president tight-lipped over recent cyber attack | CBC News
Boeing confirms attempted $200 million ransomware extortion attempt | CyberScoop
Cyber attack disrupts operations at major US health care network | CNN Business
City of Wichita Shuts Down Network Following Ransomware Attack - Security Week
Patient appointments imperilled by cyber attack on French radiologist (therecord.media)
Ransomware attack hits Brandywine Realty Trust | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Other Social Engineering
The Rise And Stealth Of The Socially Engineered Insider (forbes.com)
Iranian hackers harvest credentials through advanced social engineering campaigns | CSO Online
What is social engineering penetration testing? | Definition from TechTarget
Artificial Intelligence
Organisations go ahead with AI despite security risks - Help Net Security
Innovation, Not Regulation, Will Protect Corporations From Deepfakes (darkreading.com)
Strategies for preventing AI misuse in cyber security - Help Net Security
AI is changing the game when it comes to cyber security | ITPro
Why the Cyber Security Industry Is Obsessed With AI Right Now - CNET
LLMs & Malicious Code Injections: 'We Have to Assume It's Coming' (darkreading.com)
Cyber Security, Deepfakes and the Human Risk of AI Fraud (govtech.com)
Criminal Use of AI Growing, But Lags Behind Defenders - Security Week
2FA/MFA
Only 45% of organisations use MFA to protect against fraud - Help Net Security
UnitedHealth Attack: Stolen Credentials, No MFA | MSSP Alert
Malware
ZLoader Malware adds Zeus's anti-analysis feature (securityaffairs.com)
Russia-linked APT28 and crooks are still using the Moobot botnet (securityaffairs.com)
Iranian hackers pose as journalists to push backdoor malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
New 'Cuckoo' Persistent macOS Spyware Targeting Intel and Arm Macs (thehackernews.com)
Hijack Loader Malware Employs Process Hollowing, UAC Bypass in Latest Version (thehackernews.com)
Mirai Botnet Exploits Ivanti Connect Secure Flaws for Malicious Payload Delivery (thehackernews.com)
Mobile
Mobile Banking Malware Surges 32% - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Android bug can leak DNS traffic with VPN kill switch enabled (bleepingcomputer.com)
European Threat To End-To-End Encryption Would Invade Phones (forbes.com)
Ransomware crooks SIM swap kids to pressure parents • The Register
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Data Breaches/Leaks
How does a data breach affect you and why should you care? | TechRadar
Dell customer order database stolen, for sale on dark web • The Register
The Breach of a Face Recognition Firm Reveals a Hidden Danger of Biometrics | WIRED
Cyber attack: Large volume of data stolen in attack on Scottish health board (scotsman.com)
Security breach affects 6,000 German military VC meetings (avinteractive.com)
Security company exposes 1.2M guard and suspect records • The Register
Children's mental health records published after cyber attack - BBC News
Georgia education agency's MOVEit data theft impacted 800K • The Register
Data Brokers: What They Are and How to Safeguard Your Privacy - IT Security Guru
Zscaler Investigates Hacking Claims After Data Offered for Sale - Security Week
UK government departments reveal rise in data breaches & lost devices (datacentrenews.uk)
'Sophisticated' cyber attacks involving British Colombia government networks found | CBC News
Over 380K more NYC students had info leaked, bringing total to over 1M (nypost.com)
Dating apps kiss'n'tell all sorts of sensitive user info • The Register
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Hackers of all kinds are attacking routers across the world | TechRadar
These Dangerous Scammers Don’t Even Bother to Hide Their Crimes | WIRED
Massive webshop fraud ring steals credit cards from 850,000 people (bleepingcomputer.com)
Scattered Spider group a unique challenge for cyber cops, FBI leader says (therecord.media)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
The Rise And Stealth Of The Socially Engineered Insider (forbes.com)
Don't Be the Weakest Link – Your Team's Crucial Role in Cyber Security | NAVEX - JDSupra
Supply Chain and Third Parties
UK Military Data Breach a Reminder of Third-Party Risk (darkreading.com)
Details of UK military personnel exposed in huge payroll data breach | AP News
Firm at centre of MoD 'China' hack handles data for several Whitehall departments (inews.co.uk)
DBIR: Supply Chain Breaches Up 68% Year Over Year (darkreading.com)
The complexities of third-party risk management - Help Net Security
Cloud/SaaS
Encryption
Cop complaints won't stop E2EE, says encryption advocate • The Register
European Threat To End-To-End Encryption Would Invade Phones (forbes.com)
Linux and Open Source
Open-Source Cyber Security Is a Ticking Time Bomb (gizmodo.com)
Spies Among Us: Insider Threats in Open Source Environments (darkreading.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Iranian hackers harvest credentials through advanced social engineering campaigns | CSO Online
Microsoft introduces Passkeys support for consumer accounts - gHacks Tech News
Google Announces Passkeys Adopted by Over 400 Million Accounts (thehackernews.com)
UnitedHealth Attack: Stolen Credentials, No MFA | MSSP Alert
Hackers can crack average 8-character passwords in under a minute (newsbytesapp.com)
How secure is the “Password Protection” on your files and drives? - Help Net Security
Social Media
Training, Education and Awareness
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
The EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox: Shaping Global Cyber Security Standards | UpGuard
The NIS2 Compliance Deadline Is Nearing. Are You Prepared? - Security Boulevard
Innovation, Not Regulation, Will Protect Corporations From Deepfakes (darkreading.com)
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Data Protection
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
How workforce reductions affect cyber security postures - Help Net Security
One in Four Tech CISOs Unhappy with Compensation - Security Boulevard
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Ransomware activity is back on track despite law enforcement efforts - Help Net Security
LockBit's seized darknet site resurrected by police, teasing new revelations (therecord.media)
LockBit leader unmasked and sanctioned - National Crime Agency
Israeli private investigator wanted for hacking in US is arrested in London | The Independent
German police bust Europe's 'largest' scam call centre – DW – 05/02/2024
Consultant charged with $1.5M extortion of IT giant • The Register
97% of Organisations Hit by Ransomware Worked with Law Enforcement (globenewswire.com)
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity
Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Israeli private investigator wanted for hacking in US is arrested in London | The Independent
Cyber Attacks on US Utilities: New Trends in Cyber Warfare - ClearanceJobs
'The Mask' Espionage Group Resurfaces After 10-Year Hiatus (darkreading.com)
Nation State Actors
China
Firm at centre of MoD 'China' hack handles data for several Whitehall departments (inews.co.uk)
Lessons from LOCKED SHIELDS 2024 cyber exercise | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
China-Linked Hackers Used ROOTROT Webshell in MITRE Network Intrusion (thehackernews.com)
Russia
Malice from Moscow: NATO warns of Russian hybrid warfare - EU Reporter
Russia plotting sabotage across Europe, intelligence agencies warn (ft.com)
How Nato could respond after wave of Russian spy arrests across Europe (inews.co.uk)
EU, NATO denounce Russia's cyber attacks on Germany, Czechia (kyivindependent.com)
Russia Cyber Attack Germany's Ruling Party, Defence | Silicon UK
Foreign Ministry: Czech institutions targeted by GRU cyber attacks | Radio Prague International
Russia-linked APT28 and crooks are still using the Moobot botnet (securityaffairs.com)
Ukraine records increase in financially motivated attacks by Russian hackers (therecord.media)
Cyber War? EU rages over alleged Russian cyber attack on German’s ruling SPD (brusselssignal.eu)
Lessons from LOCKED SHIELDS 2024 cyber exercise | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
A (Strange) Interview With the Russian-Military-Linked Hackers Targeting US Water Utilities | WIRED
Russia says Germany using baseless 'hacker myths' to destroy ties | Reuters
Poland says it too was targeted by Russian hackers – POLITICO
Kaspersky denies claims it helped Russia with drones • The Register
Iran
Iranian hackers pose as journalists to push backdoor malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Iranian hackers harvest credentials through advanced social engineering campaigns | CSO Online
North Korea
Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence
Vulnerability Management
Cyber criminals are getting faster at exploiting vulnerabilities - Help Net Security
Misconfigurations drive 80% of security exposures | Security Magazine
Patch management vs. vulnerability management: Key differences | TechTarget
What is Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM)? (techtarget.com)
CISA’s KEV list improving private and public-sector patching • The Register
CISA Announces CVE Enrichment Project 'Vulnrichment' - Security Week
Vulnerabilities
Citrix Addresses High-Severity NetScaler Servers Flaw (darkreading.com)
Over 50,000 Tinyproxy servers vulnerable to critical RCE flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)
Veeam fixes RCE flaw in backup management platform (CVE-2024-29212) - Help Net Security
LiteSpeed Cache WordPress plugin actively exploited in the wild (securityaffairs.com)
New BIG-IP Next Central Manager bugs allow device takeover (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft: April Windows Server updates also cause crashes, reboots (bleepingcomputer.com)
Android bug can leak DNS traffic with VPN kill switch enabled (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mirai Botnet Exploits Ivanti Connect Secure Flaws for Malicious Payload Delivery (thehackernews.com)
Tools and Controls
Behind Closed Doors: The Rise of Hidden Malicious Remote Access (cybereason.com)
Security tools fail to translate risks for executives - Help Net Security
Misconfigurations drive 80% of security exposures | Security Magazine
NSA, FBI Alert on North Korean Hackers Spoofing Emails from Trusted Sources (thehackernews.com)
Microsoft plans to lock down Windows DNS like never before. Here’s how. | Ars Technica
Novel attack against virtually all VPN apps neuters their entire purpose | Ars Technica
Strategies for preventing AI misuse in cyber security - Help Net Security
Shadow APIs: An Overlooked Cyber Risk for Orgs (darkreading.com)
What is social engineering penetration testing? | Definition from TechTarget
How workforce reductions affect cyber security postures - Help Net Security
What is Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM)? (techtarget.com)
Top 10 physical security considerations for CISOs | CSO Online
IT chiefs plan to spend and innovate their way out of ransomware swamp | TechRadar
A SaaS Security Challenge: Getting Permissions All in One Place (thehackernews.com)
Tips for Controlling the Costs of Security Tools - The New Stack
Rethinking Cyber Security Investment Amid Rising Threats (govinfosecurity.com)
Microsoft confirms Windows 11 24H2 turns on Device Encryption by default (windowslatest.com)
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
Microsoft overhaul treats security as ‘top priority’ after a series of failures - The Verge
The EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox: Shaping Global Cyber Security Standards | UpGuard
Complexity leads to trade-off between risk and innovation (betanews.com)
When has the UK faced cyber attacks in the past? | The Independent
Man-in-the-middle attack: The new cyber security threat | YourStory
Paris 2024 gearing up to face unprecedented cyber security threat | Reuters
38% of riskiest cyber physical systems neglected, warns Claroty report (securitybrief.co.nz)
Why undersea cables need high-priority protection • The Register
GAO: NASA Faces 'Inconsistent' Cyber Security Across Spacecraft (darkreading.com)
Cyber security regulations: Are non-compliant cars more vulnerable? | Autocar
Fujitsu sets aside £200m as calls mount for Post Office scandal payout
FE News | Why the education sector needs to do the homework on cyber security as attacks soar
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
· Automotive
· Construction
· Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
· Defence & Space
· Education & Academia
· Energy & Utilities
· Estate Agencies
· Financial Services
· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
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Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 01 March 2024
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 01 March 2024:
-Phishing, Smishing and Vishing Skyrocket 1,265%
-Business Email Compromise Attacks Are Evolving, But What Can Be Done About It
-Vulnerabilities Count Set to Rise by 25% in 2024
-BYOD Increases Mobile Phishing; Risks Have Never Been Higher
-Risk-based spending: An Imperative for Cyber Security That Demands Board Attention
-If you Pay Ransoms, You May not Get Your Data Back and Worse, You Will Probably Get Hit Again, with 78% of Firms who Paid Then Suffering Repeat Ransomware Attacks
-Cyber Resilience and Cyber Hygiene: Why They Matter to Your Business
-Why Governance, Risk and Compliance Must be Integrated with Cyber Security
-More and More UK Firms Concerned About Insider Threats
-98% of Businesses Linked to Breached Third Parties
-What Companies Should Know About Rising Legal Threats
-CIOs Rethink All-In Cloud Strategies as Five Eyes Nations Warn of Evolving Russian Cyber Espionage Practices Targeting Cloud Environments
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
Risk-based spending: An Imperative for Cyber Security That Demands Board Attention
Staying ahead of the latest cyber security developments is essential to keeping your organisation safe. But with the rise of artificial intelligence and attackers dreaming up new techniques every day, a lot of organisations are left to question how they can create proactive, agile cyber security strategies and what approach gives the best return on investment, mitigating risks and maximising the value of their cyber security investments.
Unfortunately, most organisations do not have an unlimited budget, and for small and medium-sized businesses, there is even less to work with. What is needed is a risk-based approach, where organisations identify and prioritise their greatest vulnerabilities, correlating these to business impact; this is then used to form the cyber risk strategy for the organisation.
Sources: [Security Week] [The Hacker News] [Risk.net]
If you Pay Ransoms, You May not Get Your Data Back and Worse, You Will Probably Get Hit Again, with 78% of Firms who Paid Then Suffering Repeat Ransomware Attacks
Recent research from Proofpoint has found that 69% of organisations experienced a successful ransomware incident in the past year, a rise of 5% compared to the previous year. The report found that 60% reported four or more separate ransomware incidents and of the total involved, 54% admitted to paying a ransom. In a separate report, it was found that 78% of organisations suffering a ransomware attack suffered repeat attacks even after they paid.
Sources: [databreaches.net] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Claims Journal]
Cyber Resilience and Cyber Hygiene: Why They Matter to Your Business
Cyber resilience unites cyber security with business continuity and organisational durability, with proper implementation allowing the continuation of routine operations during adverse cyber incidents. Cyber hygiene, on the other hand, refers to having strong cyber security processes and procedures, to help the organisation mitigate the chance of an incident. The combination of both of these allows an organisation to reduce their likelihood of suffering a cyber incident, whilst improving their likelihood of continuing operations in the event of such an incident.
Sources: [Information Week] [Security Boulevard]
Why Governance, Risk and Compliance Must be Integrated with Cyber Security
With pressure from regulators, the evolving threat landscape and requirements for stronger oversight, governance, risk and compliance (GRC) has even more of an argument for alignment with cyber security. After all, cyber security is still security. Incorporating cyber security into the GRC programme of an organisation allows for cyber to become a business enabler.
Source: [CSO Online]
More and More UK Firms Concerned About Insider Threats
A report has found that 54% of UK business decision makers are concerned about the likelihood of their employees disclosing sensitive information or providing network access to fraudsters. In a separate report, 35% of respondents cited overworked and distracted staff making mistakes as a reason why they thought their business experienced insider risk. Certainly, insider risk does not just involve malicious employees; it can also include negligence and in some cases, employees may not be trained enough to identify the risk they are placing on the organisation such as not knowing or following an organisation’s call back procedure. It is important for organisations to consider whether their current training addresses this and whether the programme is doing enough to ensure that insider risk is mitigated.
Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]
98% of Businesses Linked to Breached Third Parties
A new report has found that 98% of organisations are associated with a third party that has experienced a breach, and these breaches often take months or more to be discovered. 75% of external business-to-business (B2B) relationships that enabled third-party breaches involved software or other technology products and services. Third party security is an important part of an organisation’s cyber security and to manage it correctly, organisations need to implement a third party risk management programme.
Source: [Help Net Security]
Phishing, Smishing and Vishing Skyrocket 1,265%
According to a report, since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, vishing, smishing, and phishing attacks have increased by a staggering 1,265%. Despite different techniques, these attacks all have one focus, and that’s on the user. Organisations looking to protect themselves should consider a blend of mitigations, including advanced email filtering, enabling multi-factor authentication and arguably the most important, effective user education and awareness training. This training should go beyond ticking boxes, by instead teaching employees how to both recognise and report phishing attempts.
A separate report analysed over 1 billion emails. Some of the key findings included that the majority of phishing attempts (71%) rely on deceptive links, but attachments (22%) and predatory QR codes (7%) are on the rise. When it came to spoofs, Microsoft was the most spoofed entity and financial services were amongst those most targeted sectors.
Source: [Bleeping Computer] [Help Net Security] [Security Affairs]
Business Email Compromise Attacks Are Evolving, But What Can Be Done About It
Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks remain a dominant danger, with a staggering $51 billion lost over the last decade. A recent report underscores the prevalence of email as the primary battlefield, far outstripping other cyber attack methods. The low-cost, high-reach nature of email makes it an attractive starting point for cyber criminals. As organisations embrace cloud-based infrastructures, these attacks have morphed, presenting new challenges. Attackers have progressed from direct phishing attempts, to compromising business partners, vendors and other third parties. In this arms race, artificial intelligence (AI) assumes a pivotal role as an essential ally, efficiently discerning between benign and malicious content. This development signifies a significant milestone in the realm of email security resilience.
Source: [ITPro]
Vulnerabilities Count Set to Rise by 25% in 2024
The cyber threat landscape is rapidly evolving, with an anticipated 25% increase in published systems vulnerabilities for 2024. This surge, reaching approximately 2,900 vulnerabilities per month, underscores the critical need for robust vulnerability management strategies. Vulnerabilities serve as prime entry points for ransomware actors, heightening the urgency for organisations to fortify their defences. However, the sheer volume of vulnerabilities poses a daunting challenge for security and IT teams already thinly stretched. Timely risk-scoring remains a significant issue, leaving defenders vulnerable to exploits with threat actors often gaining a head start. Honeypot data reveals a concerning uptick in scans targeting remote desktop protocol (RDP), with businesses running end-of-life (EOL) software at heightened risk. In this dynamic cyber security climate, proactive risk management and expert intervention, such as Managed Detection and Response (MDR), are imperative to safeguarding against emerging threats.
Source: [Help Net Security]
BYOD Increases Mobile Phishing; Risks Have Never Been Higher
The risk of cyber attacks looms large, with stolen employee login credentials serving as a prime target for malicious actors. Mobile phishing has emerged as a significant threat, with data revealing a surge in encounter rates, especially in hybrid work environments and amid Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. Personal devices, once considered outside the realm of corporate security, now pose substantial risks, as attackers exploit social engineering schemes to breach organisational networks. The financial implications of a successful phishing attack are staggering, with estimates suggesting potential losses of up to $4 million for organisations. As phishing encounter rates continue to rise, it's imperative for businesses to bolster their security strategies, ensuring comprehensive protection against mobile phishing threats across all employee devices. To navigate this evolving landscape and safeguard sensitive data, organisations must stay vigilant and adopt proactive measures.
Source: [MSSP Alert]
What Companies Should Know About Rising Legal Threats
The cyber security landscape is witnessing a significant shift as legal actions increasingly target both corporations and individual security officers. Recent cases including lawsuits by Tesla against ex-employees for cyber security breaches and charges by regulatory bodies like the US FTC and SEC, underscore the mounting legal risks associated with cyber security breaches. Notably, private companies are not exempt from such liabilities, facing scrutiny from authorities, regulators, customers and other affected parties. This environment has prompted many cyber security leaders to reconsider their roles, with concerns raised about the future of the profession. Amidst escalating threats and enforcement actions, there's a pressing need for enhanced cyber security budgets, robust risk-based controls and proactive audits or other independent assurance.
Source: [Darkreading]
CIOs Rethink All-In Cloud Strategies as Five Eyes Nations Warn of Evolving Russian Cyber Espionage Practices Targeting Cloud Environments
As organisations embrace the cloud, CIOs recognise that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be optimal. Many now favour a nuanced strategy, shifting workloads from public clouds to platforms offering productivity gains and cost savings; a trend known as ‘cloud exit.’ CIOs are rethinking cloud strategies, assessing each application’s suitability and fostering context-aware hosting decisions.
This comes as a recent advisory issued jointly by cyber security agencies from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand reveals that Russian cyber espionage units, including APT29 and Cozy Bear, are adapting tactics to target cloud environments used by both public and private organisations. These sophisticated attacks pose significant threats across industries. Implementing basic cloud security measures is crucial to regularly evaluate dormant accounts, limit system-issued token validity, and enforce stringent device policies. As cloud adoption rises, prioritise cyber security fundamentals for effective defence.
Sources: [CyberScoop] [CIO]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Why governance, risk, and compliance must be integrated with cyber security | CSO Online
Chart: Cyber Crime Expected To Skyrocket in Coming Years | Statista
The Imperative for Modern Security: Risk-Based Vulnerability Management - Security Week
Why Cyber Resilience May Be More Important Than Cyber Security (informationweek.com)
Beating the drum on cyber risk: the battle for boardroom attention - Risk.net
What is cyber hygiene and why businesses should know about it - Security Boulevard
Bridging the Gap: Connecting Cyber Security Spending to Business Results - Security Boulevard
What Companies & CISOs Should Know About Rising Legal Threats (darkreading.com)
Essential Guide To Security Metrics For Businesses (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Essential Guide To Information Security Compliance (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Mastering Risk Management: The Art Of Effective Strategy (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
The CISO: 2024’s Most Important C-Suite Officer (forbes.com)
UK Unveils Draft Cyber Security Governance Code - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Cyber security 'blind spot' leaves businesses exposed - Accountancy Age
Building Your Cyber Incident Response Team - Security Boulevard
9 Steps to Fostering a Cyber Security-Aware Culture (newsweek.com)
AWS on why CISOs should track 'the metric of no' | TechTarget
2024 will see more cyber threats emerge – here is what SMEs need to know | TechRadar
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Stages of LockBit Grief: Anger, Denial, Faking Resurrection? (inforisktoday.com)
What CISOs Need To Know About The Lockbit Takedown - Security Boulevard
Ransomware crews lean into infostealers for initial access • The Register
78% of Organisations Suffer Repeat Ransomware Attacks After Paying (claimsjournal.com)
Challenges Remain in Evaluating Ransomware Crackdowns | Decipher (duo.com)
Privacy Beats Ransomware as Top Insurance Concern (darkreading.com)
What Are Ransomware Attacks and Can They Be Stopped? Explainer - Bloomberg
Study: Ransom payment not a shield against future attacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
FBI, CISA warn US hospitals of targeted BlackCat ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Held to ransom: How criminal gangs are weaponising AI in the name of cyber extortion (holyrood.com)
Is Now the Right Time for a Ransomware Payment Ban? (govtech.com)
What is Old is New Again: Lessons in Anti-Ransom Policy | Recorded Future
3 Ways Your Organisation Could Be Susceptible To Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)
What the war on terrorism teaches us about the war on ransomware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Cyber criminals follow the money to hit manufacturing sector • The Register
Why your legitimate software is not safe from ransomware attacks (networkingplus.co.uk)
Ransomware Victims
Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack: BlackCat Hackers Quickly Returned After FBI Bust | WIRED
LoanDepot Ransomware Attack Exposed 16.9 Million Individuals - Security Week
Rhysida ransomware wants $3.6 million for children’s stolen data (bleepingcomputer.com)
Stolen Donald Trump Court Files Will Be Published February 29, Hackers Say (forbes.com)
Epic Games attacked by new ransomware group Mogilevich | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Hackers claim to have stolen 7GB of data from Irish Department of Foreign Affairs | Independent.ie
Insomniac Games alerts employees hit by ransomware data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
German Steelmaker Thyssenkrupp Confirms Ransomware Attack - Security Week
US pharmacy outage caused by Blackcat attack on Optum (securityaffairs.com)
MGM Resorts Says Regulators Probing September Cyber Attack (claimsjournal.com)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
European retailer Pepco loses €15.5 million in phishing (possibly BEC?) attack - Help Net Security
Vishing, smishing, and phishing attacks skyrocket 1,265% post-ChatGPT - Help Net Security
BYOD Increases Mobile Phishing; Risks Have Never Been Higher | MSSP Alert
SMBs are being targeted by this new phishing scam — make sure you don't fall victim | TechRadar
Need to Know: Key Takeaways from the Latest Phishing Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Unmasking 2024's Email Security Landscape (securityaffairs.com)
Registrars can now block all domains that resemble brand names (bleepingcomputer.com)
Criminals hijacked more than 8,000 trusted domains, sent millions of malicious emails | TechSpot
Other Social Engineering
Vishing, smishing, and phishing attacks skyrocket 1,265% post-ChatGPT - Help Net Security
The Silent Threat: Why Vishing is Causing Major Problems for Businesses - Security Boulevard
Registrars can now block all domains that resemble brand names (bleepingcomputer.com)
How to stay safe from cyber criminal "quishing" attacks | TechRadar
Artificial Intelligence
Blackstone's Schwarzman sees peril in “not bright” criminals getting their hands on AI | Fortune
AI threats: The importance of a concrete strategy in fighting novel attacks | ITPro
New Hugging Face Vulnerability Exposes AI Models to Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)
AI in cyber security presents a complex duality - Help Net Security
AI and cyber security: Navigating the risks and opportunities | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
Held to ransom: How criminal gangs are weaponising AI in the name of cyber extortion (holyrood.com)
Cyber experts raise AI fears security fears in Parliament | IT Reseller Magazine (itrportal.com)
UK ICO Vows to Safeguard Privacy in AI Era - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
BEAST AI attack can break LLM guardrails in a minute • The Register
2FA/MFA
Malware
Ransomware crews lean into infostealers for initial access • The Register
BobTheSmuggler: Open-source tool for undetectable payload delivery - Help Net Security
New IDAT Loader Attacks Using Steganography to Deploy Remcos RAT (thehackernews.com)
North Korean Hackers Targeting Developers with Malicious npm Packages (thehackernews.com)
Open-Source Xeno RAT Trojan Emerges as a Potent Threat on GitHub (thehackernews.com)
GitHub besieged by millions of malicious repositories in ongoing attack | Ars Technica
Pikabot returns with new tricks up its sleeve - Help Net Security
TimbreStealer Malware Spreading via Tax-themed Phishing Scam Targets IT Users (thehackernews.com)
Chinese Hackers Exploiting Ivanti VPN Flaws to Deploy New Malware (thehackernews.com)
CISA warns against using hacked Ivanti devices even after factory resets (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cloud-focused malware campaigns on the increase (betanews.com)
New Backdoor Targeting European Officials Linked to Indian Diplomatic Events (thehackernews.com)
Mobile
BYOD Increases Mobile Phishing; Risks Have Never Been Higher | MSSP Alert
Kaspersky Finds Attacks on Mobile Devices Significantly Increased in 2023 (darkreading.com)
Meet 'XHelper,' the All-in-One Android App for Global Money Laundering (darkreading.com)
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Internet of Things – IoT
Data Breaches/Leaks
U-Haul says 67K customers' data was stolen in cyber attack • The Register
Pharma giant hit by major cyber attack — Cencora confirms data was stolen | TechRadar
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Chart: Cyber Crime Expected To Skyrocket in Coming Years | Statista
8 Worrying Cyber Security Statistics You Need to Know in 2024 (tech.co)
It’s only February and cyber crime is already running rampant (techinformed.com)
Scottish Police Face Toil and Trouble From Cyber Crime (govinfosecurity.com)
How active adversaries divide labour to more effectively target victims | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
SonicWall: Cryptojacking Attacks Spike 659% in 2023 | MSSP Alert
Cryptojacking is no longer the sole focus of cloud attackers - Help Net Security
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Are remote workers at greater risk of cyber security threats? | TechRadar
Understanding employees' motivations behind risky actions - Help Net Security
The human element of cyber security: Why people are the ultimate defence. (thecyberwire.com)
Insurance
Supply Chain and Third Parties
New Hugging Face Vulnerability Exposes AI Models to Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)
98% of businesses linked to breached third parties - Help Net Security
Cloud/SaaS
Russia's 'Midnight Blizzard' Targeting Service Accounts for Initial Cloud Access (darkreading.com)
Cryptojacking is no longer the sole focus of cloud attackers - Help Net Security
Your Data Has Moved to the Cloud: Can Your Security Strategy Keep Up? | MSSP Alert
Cloud-focused malware campaigns on the increase (betanews.com)
Identity and Access Management
How organisations can navigate identity security risks in 2024 - Help Net Security
Echoes of SolarWinds in New 'Silver SAML' Attack Technique (darkreading.com)
Linux and Open Source
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Social Media
Rights groups file GDPR suits on Meta's pay-or-consent model • The Register
Meta Patches Facebook Account Takeover Vulnerability - Security Week
Malvertising
How the Pentagon Learned to Use Targeted Ads to Find Its Targets—and Vladimir Putin | WIRED
Google faces $2.27 billion lawsuit over advertising practices (searchengineland.com)
Training, Education and Awareness
Cyber awareness education is a change-management initiative | CSO Online
Cyber Security Training Not Sticking? How to Fix Risky Password Habits (bleepingcomputer.com)
4 Ways Organisations Can Drive Demand for Software Security Training (darkreading.com)
Creating a cyber security training curriculum for SMBs and MSPs | TechRadar
9 Steps to Fostering a Cyber Security-Aware Culture (newsweek.com)
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
81% of security leaders predict SEC rules will impact their businesses | Security Magazine
Orgs Face Major SEC Penalties for Failing to Disclose Breaches (darkreading.com)
Getting Ahead of Cyber Security Materiality Mayhem - Security Boulevard
UK ICO Vows to Safeguard Privacy in AI Era - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Backup and Recovery
Models, Frameworks and Standards
NIST Adds “Govern” Function to Cybersecurity Framework | MSSP Alert
Top 3 NIST Cyber Security Framework 2.0 takeaways | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Data Protection
UK ICO issues warning on biometric employee tracking, guidance for businesses | Biometric Update
Privacy Beats Ransomware as Top Insurance Concern (darkreading.com)
Rights groups file GDPR suits on Meta's pay-or-consent model • The Register
UK ICO Vows to Safeguard Privacy in AI Era - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
A Perfect Cyber Storm is Leading to Burnout | Network Computing
The Next Gen of Cyber Security Could Be Hiding in Big Tech (darkreading.com)
Lost to the Highest Bidder: The Economics of Cyber Security Staffing - Security Boulevard
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Is the LockBit gang resuming its operation? (securityaffairs.com)
Challenges Remain in Evaluating Ransomware Crackdowns | Decipher (duo.com)
Russian hacker is set to face trial for the hack of a local power grid (securityaffairs.com)
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity
Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Nation State Actors
China
Hackers backed by Russia and China are infecting SOHO routers like yours, FBI warns | Ars Technica
US Official Warns Of China’s Growing Offensive Cyber Power – Analysis – Eurasia Review
Chinese Cyber Espionage Set To Ramp Up This Year (forbes.com)
The Drums of US-China Cyber War by Stephen S. Roach - Project Syndicate (project-syndicate.org)
Chinese Hackers Exploiting Ivanti VPN Flaws to Deploy New Malware (thehackernews.com)
The White House Warns Cars Made in China Could Unleash Chaos on US Highways | WIRED
Foreign Firms in China Flag Lack of Feedback on Data Security (bloomberglaw.com)
Beijing Silent Over Russia's Reported War-Gaming of China Invasion
Russia
Hackers backed by Russia and China are infecting SOHO routers like yours, FBI warns | Ars Technica
Russia may have just carried out its first direct action against the West (yahoo.com)
Moscow Military Hackers Used Microsoft Outlook Vulnerability (inforisktoday.com)
Russia's 'Midnight Blizzard' Targeting Service Accounts for Initial Cloud Access (darkreading.com)
Cyber Security Agencies Warn Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Users of APT28's MooBot Threat (thehackernews.com)
Down, Not Out: Russian Hacktivists Claiming DDoS Disruptions (govinfosecurity.com)
Lazarus APT exploited 0-day in Win driver to gain kernel privileges (securityaffairs.com)
Lovers' Spat? North Korea Backdoors Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry (darkreading.com)
Russia warns of "military-technical" response to Sweden's NATO membership (newsweek.com)
Russian hacker is set to face trial for the hack of a local power grid (securityaffairs.com)
Beijing Silent Over Russia's Reported War-Gaming of China Invasion
Russia subjected to deluge of nation-state, hacktivist cyber threats | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
How the Pentagon Learned to Use Targeted Ads to Find Its Targets—and Vladimir Putin | WIRED
Iran
North Korea
Vulnerability Management
Vulnerabilities
Moscow Military Hackers Used Microsoft Outlook Vulnerability (inforisktoday.com)
Lazarus APT exploited 0-day in Win driver to gain kernel privileges (securityaffairs.com)
Cisco Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities in Data Center OS - Security Week
CISA warns against using hacked Ivanti devices even after factory resets (bleepingcomputer.com)
Five Eyes Agencies Warn of Active Exploitation of Ivanti Gateway Vulnerabilities (thehackernews.com)
Critical Flaw in Popular 'Ultimate Member' WordPress Plugin - Security Week
Meta Patches Facebook Account Takeover Vulnerability - Security Week
MITRE Rolls Out 4 Brand-New CWEs for Microprocessor Security Bugs (darkreading.com)
Citrix, Sophos software impacted by 2024 leap year bugs (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ivanti integrity checker tool needs latest update to work, Five Eyes alert warns | CyberScoop
Zyxel fixed four bugs in firewalls and access points (securityaffairs.com)
Tools and Controls
The Imperative for Modern Security: Risk-Based Vulnerability Management - Security Week
Cyber awareness education is a change-management initiative | CSO Online
Strengths & Weaknesses of MFA Methods Against Cyber Attacks | Duo Security
AI and cyber security: Navigating the risks and opportunities | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
How Zero Trust Data Detection & Response is Changing the Game - Security Boulevard
APIs become the leading attack vector, cyber security research shows (securitybrief.co.nz)
How organisations can navigate identity security risks in 2024 - Help Net Security
9 Steps to Fostering a Cyber Security-Aware Culture (newsweek.com)
Artificial Arms Race: What Can Automation and AI do to Advance Red Teams - Security Week
Savvy Seahorse gang uses DNS CNAME records to power investor scams (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cloud Apps Make the Case for Pentesting-as-a-Service (darkreading.com)
Other News
Cyber attacks on UK law firms on the rise - Spear's (spearswms.com)
IntelBroker claimed the hack of the Los Angeles International Airport (securityaffairs.com)
It's time to stop trusting your antivirus software | Digital Trends
Three new advanced threat groups targeted industrial organisations last year | CSO Online
What’s on the Radar for Aviation Industry Cyber Security? - Security Boulevard
Business leaders warn of rising cyber security threat | The Herald (heraldscotland.com)
Why Health Care Is Top Target for Cyber Criminals (govtech.com)
RCMP investigating cyber attack as its website remains down (bleepingcomputer.com)
Hackers exploit 14-year-old CMS editor on govt, edu sites for SEO poisoning (bleepingcomputer.com)
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
· Automotive
· Construction
· Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
· Defence & Space
· Education & Academia
· Energy & Utilities
· Estate Agencies
· Financial Services
· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 17 November 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 17 November 2023:
-Cyber Resilience Requires Maturity, Persistence & Board Engagement
-Security is a Process, Not a Tool
-46% of SMBs and Enterprises Have Experienced a Ransomware Attack
-Cyber Threat Intelligence: Getting on the Front Foot Against Adversaries
-67% of Workers Put Businesses at Risk by Downloading Applications and Software Without Permission
-The Persistent Menace: Understanding And Combating Ransomware, as New Ransomware Groups Account for Quarter of All Leaks in 2023
-Financial Services still Stubbornly Vulnerable to Cyber Disruption
-Worlds Biggest Bank Hit by Ransomware, Workers Forced to Trade With USB Sticks
-NCSC Warns UK Over Significant Threat to Critical Infrastructure
-Ransomware Gang Files SEC Complaint Over Victim’s Undisclosed Breach
-Businesses are Losing Huge Chunks of Their Revenue to Cyber Attacks
-Phishing Emails Are More Believable Than Ever. Here's What to Do About It.
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.
Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week
Cyber Resilience Requires Maturity, Persistence & Board Engagement
Cyber resilience is more important than ever, particularly with the added dimensions of deepening geopolitical threats and risks coming from new technology like AI. In cyber security, it is commonly accepted that it is a matter of when, not if, an organisation will experience an attack. It is imperative to ensure there is an ability across the organisation to bounce back.
Source: [Dark Reading]
Security is a Process, not a Tool
The cyber security industry is constantly seeing tools that claim to make organisations 100% secure, despite this never being achievable. A recent report found 55% of all security tools are not put into operation or are not actively managed. Additionally, the report found that 33% of all security incidents are identifiably traced to process errors. The findings are further evidence that cyber security is more than just technology tools: it requires a mindset that aligns controls across people, operations and technology.
Source: [Dark Reading]
46% of SMBs and Enterprises Have Experienced a Ransomware Attack
A recent report found that 46% of small and medium businesses (SMBs) and enterprises have experienced ransomware attacks. In addition, 90% of SMBs and 87% of enterprises are extremely or somewhat concerned about ransomware attacks, and 64% of SMBs and 70% of enterprises don’t believe in paying a ransom.
Despite the fact that nearly 50% of the firms have suffered ransomware, too many businesses still seem to think this is something that will not happen to them and is something only other businesses need to worry about.
Source: [Security Magazine] [IT Business]
Cyber Threat Intelligence: Getting on the Front Foot Against Adversaries
In the realm of cyber security, threat intelligence (TI) is a crucial yet often underused asset for countering sophisticated cyber attacks. TI involves gathering, analysing, and contextualising information about potential cyber threats, including advanced ones, thus enabling organisations to identify, assess, and mitigate cyber risks effectively. The TI market, expected to exceed $44 billion by 2033, offers four main types: Strategic, Tactical, Technical, and Operational.
Each type serves different organisational needs, from informing senior leadership to aiding security operations teams. When thinking about TI, organisations should focus on completeness, accuracy, relevance, timeliness, scalability, vendor reputation, and integration capabilities. The rapidly evolving nature of TI demands a careful, long-term approach to choosing the right services, considering an organisation's maturity and specific needs. Effective TI not only aids in countering immediate threats but also builds long-term resilience. With 80% of the top 2000 global companies projected to increase their TI investment in 2024, it's crucial for organisations to find a trusted vendor to ensure their cyber security success.
Black Arrow conducts daily threat intelligence analyses from trusted specialist sources, and interprets the TI in the context of our client organisations to support them in proactively addressing risks. In addition to our weekly Threat Briefing and subscription email, we offer tailored briefings for organisations in various sectors and geographies.
Source: [welivesecurity]
67% of Workers Put Businesses at Risk by Downloading Applications and Software Without Permission
New research has found that 67% of UK employees are endangering their business by downloading applications and software without the knowledge of IT or security teams.
Other key findings included 39% of respondent organisations lacked total visibility of applications and software on company owned assets, and 77% lacked visibility over employee owned assets connected to the corporate environment. Of total respondents, 69% acknowledged their organisations required better policies and procedures in order to deal with security vulnerabilities, with 39% of total respondents feeling challenged by UK and other jurisdictions’ increasingly complicated regulations and governance requirements.
Black Arrow help organisations of all sizes to design and deliver comprehensive asset visibility programmes that lay the foundation for proportionate and credible cyber security controls to protect the organisation. We enable organisations to adhere to regulatory and governance requirements, by providing expert cyber security resources on a flexible basis for technical, governance and transformational positions.
Sources: [Tech Radar] [the HR Director]
The Persistent Menace: Understanding and Combating Ransomware, as New Ransomware Groups Account for Quarter of All Leaks in 2023
In 2023, the landscape of cyber threats, particularly ransomware, has significantly evolved, remaining a primary concern for businesses.
This change has been further facilitated by the emergence of Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) and the increased sophistication of phishing attacks, supported by advancements in AI. This has led at least in part to almost half (29) of the ransomware groups tracked by WithSecure in 2023 having begun operations this year. These groups accounted for 25% of data leaks in this period, helping to drive a 50% year-on-year increase in data leaks.
Businesses face not only the immediate costs of ransom demands but also indirect impacts such as operational downtime and damage to reputation. Key trends include the exploitation of basic security vulnerabilities, the role of access brokers in facilitating attacks, and innovative evasion techniques used by ransomware groups. Ransomware is not going away, and organisations need to ensure they are prepared given the realistic probability of an attack.
Black Arrow works with organisations of all sizes and sectors to design and prepare for managing a cyber security incident such as ransomware; 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: [Forbes] [Infosecurity Magazine] [ITPro]
Financial Services Still Stubbornly Vulnerable to Cyber Disruption
A recent report found the UK financial system remains stubbornly vulnerable to disruption caused by cyber and IT-related incidents, and that regulated firms are not acting quickly enough to affect required changes designed to ensure firms’ systems are resilient against significant operational shocks.
According to the UK FCA’s records, the total number of cyber incidents reported between January 2018 to May 2023 was 4,192. In general terms, incidents are reportable where they are of a certain level of materiality; for instance, where there has been a “significant failure in the firm's systems or controls.
Source: [FTAdviser]
World’s Biggest Bank Hit by Ransomware; Workers Forced to Trade with USB Sticks
The US subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) experienced a ransomware attack earlier this month, which reportedly forced the bank (ICBC Financial Services) to handle trades through messengers carrying USB thumb drives. This attack has sent shockwaves through financial services and banking and has prompted an increase in vigilance within the financial sector. The US Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) has urged financial services organisations to ensure their systems are protected and vulnerabilities are immediately resolved.
Sources: [SC Media] [Bit Defender]
NCSC Warns UK Over Significant Threat to Critical Infrastructure
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has once again sounded its concern over the rising threat level to the nation's critical national infrastructure (CNI), with its annual review admitting the level of cyber security resilience in the UK’s most critical areas is not in a satisfactory place.
The NCSC stated that CNI in the UK faces an “enduring and significant” threat from state-aligned threat actors aggressively ramping up activity, and the UK must therefore work more closely with allies and industry in countering “epoch-defining” cyber challenges.
They noted a 64% increase on last year’s voluntary report figures; to note, this refers to organisations voluntarily self-reporting suffering a cyber incident.
For wider context, the Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine began a month and a half before the invasion. In 2022 Ukraine’s national incident response team dealt with 2,194 cyber incidents, followed by another 2,054 attacks in the first 10 months of this year and Ukraine’s defence chief warns that Russia will soon attack companies that provide services to Ukraine as part of their larger cyber efforts.
This comes as Russian hackers were linked to what is being described as the largest ever cyber attack on Danish critical infrastructure. The attack involved 22 companies associated with the operation of Denmark’s energy sector.
Sources: [Computer Weekly] [The Register] [The Record Media] [The Irish Times] [The Hacker News]
Ransomware Gang Files SEC Complaint Over Victim’s Undisclosed Breach
The ALPHV ransomware group, also known as BlackCat, has taken extortion to a new level by filing a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) complaint against one of their alleged victims, MeridianLink, for not complying with the four-day rule to disclose a cyber attack. The ransomware group said it compromised the digital lending solutions provider on November 7 and told the SEC the victim suffered a “significant breach and did not disclose it as required in Form 8-k”. While many ransomware and extortion gangs have threatened to report breaches and data theft to the SEC, this may be the first public confirmation that they have done so. Previously, ransomware actors exerted pressure on victims by contacting customers to let them know of the intrusion. Sometimes, they would also try to intimidate the victim by contacting them directly over the phone.
Sources: [Infosecurity Magazine] [Bleeping Computer]
Businesses are Losing Huge Chunks of Their Revenue to Cyber Attacks
A new report has found that businesses are paying a huge price for not properly securing their digital assets. The report found that businesses on average suffered 46 attacks (successful and unsuccessful) over the last year, resulting in the loss of 9% of their annual income. Cyber attacks are hurting their businesses in other ways such as network outages (34%), data loss (29%), web apps going offline (24%) and customer account compromises (22%).
Firms are reevaluating their cyber security approaches, with 76% planning increased spending despite concerns about current investment efficiency, as 35% feel they've overspent and only 55% of tools are fully utilised. A significant talent gap is also a challenge, with 30% attributing recent issues to a shortage of skilled personnel, and 33% expecting this trend to continue. Nearly half are seeking to address this by boosting recruitment budgets. Additionally, 51% of respondents are focusing on investing in Generative AI tools for cyber security in the next two years.
Source: [TechRadar]
Phishing Emails Are More Believable Than Ever. Here's What to Do About It.
Phishing is not new. This social engineering tactic has existed in the attack toolbox for decades, with threat actors posing as trusted contacts and then targeting unsuspecting victims through email or text messages to steal sensitive data. According to a recent report by Fortinet, phishing is the top tactic (56%) malicious actors use to infiltrate a network and launch ransomware successfully. With the turn of AI-driven content tools, cyber criminals are using them to make their phishing emails and texts appear more realistic than ever before.
It is crucial to focus on employee education to protect organisations. Customised training programs are essential. Security awareness training is fundamental in creating a cyber-aware culture, keeping employees informed about current security threats and meeting compliance requirements.
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: [CSO Online]
Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week
Governance, Risk and Compliance
29% of organisations cite data loss as top security breach result | Security Magazine
Financial services still 'stubbornly vulnerable' to cyber disruption - FTAdviser
Cyber Resilience Requires Maturity, Persistence & Board Engagement (darkreading.com)
Businesses are losing huge chunks of their revenue to cyber attacks | TechRadar
6% of companies have not had a digital risk cyber attack since 2020 | Security Magazine
Cyber threat intelligence: Getting on the front foot against adversaries (welivesecurity.com)
Should cyber security overconfidence be on your threat radar? | TechRadar
Insiders and outsiders: Why cyber security strategies need to look all ways - Digital Journal
Navigating the complex role of the CISO under SEC disclosure rules (betanews.com)
Every Business Owner Should Be Thinking About Improving Online Security | Inc.com
The Role of Cyber Wellness in Safeguarding Businesses - IT Security Guru
The cultural shift that’s needed to see greater ROI in cyber | Federal News Network
Business urged to increase cyber resilience as 2024 set to deliver new threats (emergingrisks.co.uk)
How to withstand the onslaught of cyber security threats - Help Net Security
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Financial services still 'stubbornly vulnerable' to cyber disruption - FTAdviser
Law practices and government agencies experience the largest ransomware spikes - Digital Journal
Orgs still losing logs, powerless to speedy ransomware • The Register
Ransomware gang files SEC complaint over victim’s undisclosed breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
46% of SMBs and enterprises have experienced a ransomware attack | Security Magazine
Many organisations don’t believe they are targets of ransomware gangs: OpenText | IT Business
LockBit ransomware exploits Citrix Bleed in attacks, 10K servers exposed (bleepingcomputer.com)
The Persistent Menace: Understanding And Combating Ransomware (forbes.com)
Phishing emails are more believable than ever. Here’s what to do about it. | CSO Online
Ransomware tracker: The latest figures [November 2023] (therecord.media)
Nuclear and Oil & Gas are Major Targets of Ransomware Groups in 2024 (securityaffairs.com)
Ransomware Gang LockBit Revises Its Tactics as Payouts Slip (bloomberglaw.com)
Fast-acting cyber gangs increasingly disabling telemetry logs | Computer Weekly
Uncovering the ransomware threat from global supply chains | ITPro
Business leaders need help in getting off the ransomware merry-go-round (thetimes.co.uk)
Hackers Could Exploit Google Workspace and Cloud Platform for Ransomware Attacks (thehackernews.com)
BlackCat affiliate seen using malvertising to spread ransomware | Computer Weekly
The Rise of Ransomware in Healthcare: What IT Leaders Need to Know (bleepingcomputer.com)
What Do You Do When You’re Hit by Russian Ransomware? - Bloomberg
Success eludes the International Counter Ransomware Initiative - Help Net Security
New Ransomware Group Emerges with Hive's Source Code and Infrastructure (thehackernews.com)
How to combat ransomware in the face of tight security staffing | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Ransomware attacks: Cyber criminals tout their ‘honesty’ in negotiating ransoms (afr.com)
New approaches to fighting ransomware are emerging | Mimecast
FBI 'Knows Identities' Of MGM, Caesars Hacking Gang | Silicon UK
FBI and CISA warn of opportunistic Rhysida ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
FBI pumping 'significant' resources into Scattered Spider • The Register
New BiBi-Windows Wiper Targets Windows Systems in Pro-Hamas Attacks (thehackernews.com)
It ain’t what you store, it’s the way you restore it. • The Register
Ransomware Victims
Ransomware gang files SEC complaint over victim’s undisclosed breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
How a cyber attack crippled the world's largest bank for hours | Euronews
ICBC -- China's biggest bank -- paid ransom: Lockbit hackers (nypost.com)
FBI: Royal ransomware asked 350 victims to pay $275 million (bleepingcomputer.com)
Rackspace Ransomware Costs Soar to Nearly $12M (darkreading.com)
Tri-City Medical Center cyber attack impacting patient care (10news.com)
Maine govt notifies 1.3 million people of MOVEit data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
LockBit leaks Boeing files after failed ransom negotiations • The Register
'CitrixBleed' Linked to Ransomware Hit on China's State-Owned Bank (darkreading.com)
World's biggest bank hit by ransomware, forced to trade via USB stick (bitdefender.com)
Mortgage giant Mr. Cooper says customer data exposed in breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
British Library’s Halloween cyber scare was ransomware | Computer Weekly
Royal Mail ransomware recovery to cost at least $12 million • The Register
9 million patients had data stolen after US medical transcription firm hacked | TechCrunch
Clorox CISO flushes self after multimillion-dollar attack • The Register
Toyota confirms breach after Medusa ransomware threatens to leak data (bleepingcomputer.com)
Government doesn't know details behind cyber hack that shut down port operator DP World - ABC News
Lorenz ransomware gang hit Texas-based Cogdell Memorial Hospital (securityaffairs.com)
Dragos Says No Evidence of Breach After Ransomware Gang Claims Hack via Third Party - Security Week
Long Beach, California turns off IT systems after cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Stellantis production affected by cyber attack at auto supplier - The Columbian
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Phishing emails are more believable than ever. Here’s what to do about it. | CSO Online
From Scanning to Scamming: The Rise of QR Codes in Phishing - VMRay
Zero-Day Flaw in Zimbra Email Software Exploited by Four Hacker Groups (thehackernews.com)
APTs Swarm Zimbra Zero-Day to Steal Government Info Worldwide (darkreading.com)
FBI Warns: Five Weeks In, Gaza Email Scams Still Thriving (darkreading.com)
Police takes down BulletProftLink large-scale phishing provider (bleepingcomputer.com)
Artificial Intelligence
UK told of significant threat as state actors seek to use AI attack systems (emergingrisks.co.uk)
UK NCSC Warns Of Threat To Critical Infrastructure | Silicon UK
AI disinformation campaigns pose major threat to 2024 elections - Help Net Security
Microsoft blocks internal access to ChatGPT over security • The Register
This new ChatGPT-powered infostealer is targeting cloud platforms | TechRadar
The US and 30 Other Nations Agree to Set Guardrails for Military AI | WIRED
Mitigating Deepfake Threats in the Corporate World | MSSP Alert
A Closer Look at ChatGPT's Role in Automated Malware Creation (trendmicro.com)
Organisations Rush to Use Generative AI Tools Despite Risks (globenewswire.com)
How scammers' use of AI is affecting fintech investment | PaymentsSource | American Banker
Malware
This new ChatGPT-powered infostealer is targeting cloud platforms | TechRadar
Infostealers and the high value of stolen data - Help Net Security
Malware was downloaded over 600 million times in 2023 from the Google Play Store - PhoneArena
This fake Windows news site is spreading malware via hacked Google ads | TechRadar
A Closer Look at ChatGPT's Role in Automated Malware Creation (trendmicro.com)
Russian-Moldovan National Admits to Infecting 23,000 Devices with Botnet Malware (occrp.org)
Children’s tablet has malware and exposes kids’ data, researcher finds | TechCrunch
Ducktail Malware Targets the Fashion Industry (darkreading.com)
Mobile
Malware was downloaded over 600 million times in 2023 from the Google Play Store - PhoneArena
Temu Sued in Class Action for Risking User Data to Chinese Government Control | Law.com
Children’s tablet has malware and exposes kids’ data, researcher finds | TechCrunch
How to spot a fake data blocker that could hack your computer in seconds | ZDNET
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Misconfigured Docker API endpoints allow attackers to deliver DDoS botnet agent | CSO Online
How DDoS attacks are taking down even the largest tech companies (bleepingcomputer.com)
Internet of Things – IoT
How to protect your organisation from IoT malware | TechTarget
Defending Against Attacks on Vulnerable IoT Devices (darkreading.com)
Data Breaches/Leaks
Infostealers and the high value of stolen data - Help Net Security
29% of organisations cite data loss as top security breach result | Security Magazine
McLaren Health Care revealed that a data breach impacted 2.2 million people (securityaffairs.com)
Hacker Leaks 800,000 Scraped Chess.com User Records (hackread.com)
Hacker Leaks 35 Million Scraped LinkedIn User Records (hackread.com)
Fourth time unlucky: Okta hit by new cyber attack - Digital Journal
Maine govt notifies 1.3 million people of MOVEit data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
The real cost of healthcare cyber security breaches - Help Net Security
Mortgage giant Mr. Cooper says customer data exposed in breach (bleepingcomputer.com)
Pharmacy provider Truepill data breach hits 2.3 million customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Samsung warns some customers their data may have been stolen by hackers | TechRadar
Hackers Claim Major Data Breach at Smart WiFi Provider Plume (hackread.com)
Vietnam Post exposes 1.2TB of data, including email addresses (securityaffairs.com)
Morgan Stanley fined over computers with personal data (cnbc.com)
Samsung says hackers accessed customer data during year-long breach | TechCrunch
A Spy Agency Leaked People's Data Online—Then the Data Was Stolen | WIRED
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Russian admits building now-dismantled IPStorm proxy botnet • The Register
Australian Intelligence Report Identifies China as Major Backer of Cyber Crime (voanews.com)
'AlphaLock' Hackers Launch 'Pen-Testing Training' Group (darkreading.com)
Cyber crime Victims Can Turn to New Nonprofit, Intelligence for Good | MSSP Alert
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Ethereum hacked to steal millions from users across the world | TechRadar
Fraudsters make $50,000 a day by spoofing crypto researchers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Insiders and outsiders: Why cyber security strategies need to look all ways - Digital Journal
The Role of Cyber Wellness in Safeguarding Businesses - IT Security Guru
3 Ways Behavioural Economics Obstructs Cyber security (darkreading.com)
Insurance
Bridging the Gap: The Vital Role of Skilled Brokers in Cyber Insurance
Aon president warns insurers against ‘walking away’ from major risks (ft.com)
Cyber insurance market attractive despite ransomware uptick: JP Morgan - Reinsurance News
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Uncovering the ransomware threat from global supply chains | ITPro
How top CISOs are transforming third-party risk management | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Cloud/SaaS
This new ChatGPT-powered infostealer is targeting cloud platforms | TechRadar
Hackers Could Exploit Google Workspace and Cloud Platform for Ransomware Attacks (thehackernews.com)
Traditional cloud security isn't up to the task - Help Net Security
Transforming cyber security from reactive to proactive with attack path analysis - Help Net Security
Identity and Access Management
Encryption
The new frontier in online security: Quantum-safe cryptography (techxplore.com)
In a first, cryptographic keys protecting SSH connections stolen in new attack | Ars Technica
TETRA encryption algorithms entering the public domain • The Register
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
70% of passwords can be cracked in less than a second, shows NordPass study (business-standard.com)
Google Workspace security flaws could see hackers easily snaffle your password | TechRadar
Stop using weak passwords for streaming services - it's riskier than you think | ZDNET
The worst passwords of 2023 are also the most common, "123456" comes in first | TechSpot
Social Media
Meta and YouTube face criminal surveillance complaints • The Register
How Much Your Social Media Profile Data Is Worth on the Dark Web (makeuseof.com)
Malvertising
BlackCat affiliate seen using malvertising to spread ransomware | Computer Weekly
This fake Windows news site is spreading malware via hacked Google ads | TechRadar
Training, Education and Awareness
Phishing emails are more believable than ever. Here’s what to do about it. | CSO Online
The Role of Cyber Wellness in Safeguarding Businesses - IT Security Guru
3 Ways Behavioural Economics Obstructs Cyber security (darkreading.com)
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
EU Tightens Cyber security Requirements for Critical Infrastructure and Services (darkreading.com)
Meta and YouTube face criminal surveillance complaints • The Register
SEC Suit Ushers in New Era of Cyber Enforcement (darkreading.com)
Make Changes to be Ready for the New SEC Cyber security Disclosure Rule (darkreading.com)
Navigating the complex role of the CISO under SEC disclosure rules (betanews.com)
Clorox CISO flushes self after multimillion-dollar attack • The Register
Morgan Stanley fined over computers with personal data (cnbc.com)
White House is ‘working on version 2.0’ of cyber implementation plan | CyberScoop
Models, Frameworks and Standards
What You Need to Know About NIST CSF 2.0 | Accelerynt, Inc. - JDSupra
Modelling organisations' defensive mechanisms with MITRE D3FEND - Help Net Security
Backup and Recovery
Data Protection
Web browsing data collected in more detail than previously known, report finds (ft.com)
Online ad auction data harms national security – claim • The Register
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
The challenges and opportunities of working in cyber security | TechRadar
How US SEC legal actions put CISOs at risk and what to do about it | CSO Online
Is ‘overwork’ culture a problem for cyber security professionals? (siliconrepublic.com)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Serbian pleads guilty to running ‘Monopoly’ dark web drug market (securityaffairs.com)
Russian admits building now-dismantled IPStorm proxy botnet • The Register
European Police Take Down $9m Vishing Gang - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Russian-Moldovan National Admits to Infecting 23,000 Devices with Botnet Malware (occrp.org)
Private Investigator Aviram Azar Gets Almost 7 Years for Hedge Fund Hacking Ring - Bloomberg
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Activity
Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
NCSC Annual Review on 'state-aligned actors' | Professional Security
Zero-Days in Edge Devices Become China's Cyber Warfare Tactic of Choice (darkreading.com)
Cyber espionage operation on embassies linked to Russia’s Cozy Bear hackers (therecord.media)
New NATO cyber forum to support collective response to cyber attacks – EURACTIV.com
Nation State Actors
China
China's Lending Giant Paid Ransom To Russia-Linked Group After It Got Hacked Last Week - Benzinga
ICBC/ransomware: China’s cyber security industry moves out of the shadows
Cyber attack shines light on role of China’s largest lender in US Treasury market (ft.com)
Australian Intelligence Report Identifies China as Major Backer of Cyber Crime (voanews.com)
Zero-Days in Edge Devices Become China's Cyber Warfare Tactic of Choice (darkreading.com)
Labour warns against watering down of UK’s takeover screening powers
Russia
China's Lending Giant Paid Ransom To Russia-Linked Group After It Got Hacked Last Week - Benzinga
Cyber attack shines light on role of China’s largest lender in US Treasury market (ft.com)
Danish Energy Attacks Portend Targeting More Critical Infrastructure (darkreading.com)
Could Russia’s Ukraine Cyber attacks Clue Global Threat? | MSSP Alert
EU Formalizes Cyber security Support For Ukraine - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Meet the Unique New "Hacking" Group: AlphaLock (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cyber espionage operation on embassies linked to Russia’s Cozy Bear hackers (therecord.media)
What Do You Do When You’re Hit by Russian Ransomware? - Bloomberg
Ukraine at D+670: GRU may be expanding its targeting. (thecyberwire.com)
Iran
North Korea
Microsoft Warns of Fake Skills Assessment Portals Targeting IT Job Seekers (thehackernews.com)
Novel social engineering attack infrastructure established by BlueNoroff | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence
Vulnerabilities
'CitrixBleed' Linked to Ransomware Hit on China's State-Owned Bank (darkreading.com)
LockBit ransomware exploits Citrix Bleed in attacks, 10K servers exposed (bleepingcomputer.com)
Zero-Day Flaw in Zimbra Email Software Exploited by Four Hacker Groups (thehackernews.com)
APTs Swarm Zimbra Zero-Day to Steal Government Info Worldwide (darkreading.com)
CISA warns of actively exploited Juniper pre-auth RCE exploit chain (bleepingcomputer.com)
WP Fastest Cache plugin bug exposes 600K WordPress sites to attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft November 2023 Patch Tuesday fixes 5 zero-days, 58 flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft fixes critical Azure CLI flaw that leaked credentials in logs (bleepingcomputer.com)
Adobe Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products | CISA
ICS Patch Tuesday: 90 Vulnerabilities Addressed by Siemens and Schneider Electric - Security Week
Chipmaker Patch Tuesday: Intel, AMD Address Over 130 Vulnerabilities - Security Week
Fortinet Releases Security Updates for FortiClient and FortiGate | CISA
Urgent: VMware Warns of Unpatched Critical Cloud Director Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)
New PoC Exploit for Apache ActiveMQ Flaw Could Let Attackers Fly Under the Radar (thehackernews.com)
SAP Patches Critical Vulnerability in Business One Product - Security Week
Critical flaw fixed in SAP Business One product (securityaffairs.com)
Citrix Releases Security Updates for Citrix Hypervisor | CISA
Fortinet warns of critical command injection bug in FortiSIEM (bleepingcomputer.com)
An email vulnerability let hackers steal data from governments around the world (engadget.com)
Experts Uncover DarkCasino: New Emerging APT Threat Exploiting WinRAR Flaw (thehackernews.com)
Some AMD EPYC server CPUs have a serious security flaw, so patch now | TechRadr
Microsoft Extends Windows Server 2012 ESUs Until 2026 (petri.com)
Tools and Controls
Building resilience to shield your digital transformation from cyber threats - Help Net Security
Against the Clock: Cyber Incident Response Plan (trendmicro.com)
Fast-acting cyber gangs increasingly disabling telemetry logs | Computer Weekly
Cyber threat intelligence: Getting on the front foot against adversaries (welivesecurity.com)
The New 80/20 Rule for SecOps: Customize Where it Matters, Automate the Rest (thehackernews.com)
Phishing emails are more believable than ever. Here’s what to do about it. | CSO Online
Web Application Attacks | Types of Web Application Attacks | Mimecast
Traditional cloud security isn't up to the task - Help Net Security
National security at risk from web browsing data collection, report finds (ft.com)Zero-Days in Edge Devices Become China's Cyber Warfare Tactic of Choice (darkreading.com)
The cultural shift that’s needed to see greater ROI in cyber | Federal News Network
NCSC backs use of security.txt for cyber resilience | UKAuthority
New approaches to fighting ransomware are emerging | Mimecast
Telemetry gaps leave networks vulnerable as attackers move faster - Help Net Security
The new imperative in API security strategy - Help Net Security
How to Automate the Hardest Parts of Employee Offboarding (thehackernews.com)
Steps CISOs Should Take Before, During & After a Cyber attack (darkreading.com)
Threat Intel: To Share or Not to Share is Not the Question - Security Week
As perimeter defences fall, the identify-first approach steps into the breach | CSO Online
The Role of Cyber Wellness in Safeguarding Businesses - IT Security Guru
OODA Loop - A Model for Cyber security Threat Sharing: Embracing the USA PATRIOT Act & FinCEN
How to speak the board's language with cyber security ROI so it makes sense | Fierce Electronics
Three Ways Generative AI Can Bolster Cyber security | NVIDIA Blogs
Hackers breach healthcare orgs via ScreenConnect remote access (bleepingcomputer.com)
Kubernetes adoption creates new cyber security challenges - Help Net Security
Aon president warns insurers against ‘walking away’ from major risks (ft.com)
CISOs vs. developers: A battle over security priorities - Help Net Security
Hundreds of websites cloned to run ads for Chinese gambling • The Register
AI helps leaders optimize costs and mitigate risks - Help Net Security
It ain’t what you store, it’s the way you restore it. • The Register
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
'Alarming': big gaps in organisations' cyber security | The Canberra Times | Canberra, ACT
National security at risk from web browsing data collection, report finds (ft.com)
CISOs vs. developers: A battle over security priorities - Help Net Security
Collaborative strategies are key to enhanced ICS security - Help Net Security
Web Application Attacks | Types of Web Application Attacks | Mimecast
Telemetry gaps leave networks vulnerable as attackers move faster - Help Net Security
Cyber crime Victims Can Turn to New Nonprofit, Intelligence for Good | MSSP Alert
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
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· Construction
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· Defence & Space
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· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
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· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
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· 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.
· Automotive
· Construction
· Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
· Defence & Space
· Education & Academia
· Energy & Utilities
· Estate Agencies
· Financial Services
· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
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Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 29 September 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 29 September 2023:
-Ransomware Groups Are Shifting Their Focus Away From Larger Targets
-Cover-ups Still the Norm as Half of Cyber Attacks go Unreported
-Reported Cyber Security Breaches Increase Threefold for Financial Services Firms
-Attacks on SME’s Surged in The First Half of 2023
-The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security
-Bermuda Struggles to Recover from Ransomware Attack
-Businesses Remain Unprepared Despite Cyber Threats Remaining a Top Concern
-Business Leaders More Anxious About Ransomware Than Recession as Tally from One Attack Alone Surpasses 2,000 Victim Organisations
-Hotel Hackers Redirect Guests to Fake Booking[.]com Site in Major Phishing Campaign
-Cyber Leaders Worry That AI Will Overwhelm Cyber Defences
-Boards Still Lack Cyber Security Expertise
-4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.
Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week
Ransomware Groups Are Shifting Their Focus Away from Larger Targets
Ransomware groups are once again prioritising attacks on smaller organisations as they look to target those with less mature security capabilities. Analysis from Trend Micro has shown that ransomware groups such as Lockbit, Cl0p and Black Cat are slowing down attacks against “big game” targets, such as multinationals, and are focusing their attention on smaller organisations. It was found that the overall ransomware attack victim numbers increased by 47% from H2 2022.
Organisations “of up to 200 employees”, those within the small-to-medium-sized range, accounted for the majority (575) of attacks using LockBit’s ransomware across H1 2023. Similar trends were observed with rivals in the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) space. Nearly half (45%) of Black Cat victims were in the same size range. There are many underlying factors in the recent surge of attacks on smaller organisations, however one big cause is the economic factor and the perception that smaller organisations are not going to be as well protected.
Sources: [Techcentral] [Helpnet Security]
Cover-ups Still the Norm as Half of Cyber Attacks go Unreported
A report found that 48% of organisations that experience critical cyber incidents and disasters such as ransomware attacks do not report it to the appropriate authorities, and 41% do not even disclose cyber attacks to their boards. Alarmingly, 32% simply “forgot” and 22% self-reported that there wasn’t a system in place to report it. In the UK, failure to report a breach within 72 hours could make a company eligible for a fine up to €10 million or 2% of annual global turnover if deemed a lower-level infringement, and up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover for higher-level infringements.
The lack of reporting also has a knock-on effect: a significant number of cyber attacks go un-reported and therefore this skews statistics, meaning the current numbers of known cyber attacks are likely much lower than the actual figure.
Sources: [Computer Weekly] [InfoSecurity Magazine]
Reported Cyber Security Breaches Increase Threefold for Financial Services Firms
New research shows that cyber security breaches for UK financial service firms have increased threefold from 187 attacks (2021-2022) to 640 attacks (2022-2023). This comes as the pensions sector reported the biggest jump in breaches rising from 6 to 246 in the same period, a concerning large increase of 4,000%. These patterns are not only relevant to the UK however, with separate reports highlighting an 119% increase in attacks on financial sector cyber attacks globally from 2022 to 2023.
Trustees can be liable for failures in managing cyber risk, so any business looking to protect itself from the impact of a cyber attack should invest in understanding its cyber footprint, the risks it poses, and have the right policies/procedures in place.
Sources: [CIR Magazine] [PensionsAge] [CityAM] [TechRadar]
Attacks on SME’s Surged in The First Half of 2023
According to Kaspersky, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dealt with more attacks during the first half of the year compared to the same time the year previous. Worryingly, a separate report found that over three quarters of SME leaders could not confidently identify a cyber incident at work and 50% of respondents felt they were unable to identify the difference between a phishing email and real email.
An outcome of the study was the identification of a need for effective user training. SMEs do not have the budget to have a wide range of tools, however they can strengthen their users’ security practices. Black Arrow enables SMEs to strengthen their people controls through bespoke and affordable education and awareness training for all levels of the organisation.
Sources: [Inquirer] [HelpNet Security] [Insurance Times]
The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security
The average tenure of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is said to sit between 18 to 24 months; research highlights the reasons including the strain of the role, the perceived lack of leadership support, and the attraction of more money from a different employer. There is often a gap while the replacement is recruited, during which there is nobody looking after the organisation’s security.
In some cases, organisations may look to outsource by using the services of a virtual CISO (vCISO) with cost savings and greater stability and flexibility. The Black Arrow vCISO team are experienced world-class specialists, providing independent, impartial and objective expertise across the wide range of essential CISO skills with significant advantages compared to an internal resource.
Source: [Security Week]
Bermuda Struggles to Recover from Ransomware Attack
The Bermudan Government this week suffered what they referred to as a significant cyber incident. Workers were cut off from email and telephone systems, with affected departments resorting to manual processes and issuing of paper based cheques. The Government was unable to make payroll payments, and parcels could not be sent from the Island’s Post Offices. It is noted that while not all systems were affected, the government took everything offline out of precaution. It is believed that some other regional governments have also been impacted.
The attack has been attributed to Russia or Russian-based actors, but attribution in cases like this can be difficult. It should be noted that, if involvement from Russia were confirmed, both Russian state actors and Russian based cyber criminals work closely in a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties. Using cyber crime groups as fronts provides nation state actors with a level of deniability, while also allowing them to direct the operation and benefit from it. Equally, cyber crime groups get to do their thing with the blessing, whether tacit or explicit, of the national authorities in their country. In general, countries where this happens (such as Russia, North Korea and China) have no interest in cooperating with Western authorities, so the cyber criminals essentially work with impunity.
Sources: [Duo] [GovInfo Security] [Bleeping Computer]
Businesses Remain Unprepared Despite Cyber Threats Remaining a Top Concern
A report found cyber threats continue to rank among the top three business concerns for a wide spectrum of companies. Despite it being such a concern, a significant percentage of businesses admitted to not conducting cyber assessments for vendors (57%) or customers’ assets (56%), having an incident response plan (50%), or implementing multifactor authentication for remote access (44%). Phishing scams were of particular concern, with companies reporting a notable increase in incidents, jumping from 14% to 27% over the past year.
Cyber attacks are a certainly a sobering reality, with nearly 23% of survey participants disclosing that their company had fallen victim to a cyber attack and 49% of these incidents occurred within the past year.
Source: [Reinsurance News]
Business Leaders More Anxious About Ransomware Than Recession as Victims from Single Attack Surpasses 2,000 Organisations
According to a recent study, half of business leaders are more worried about falling victim to a ransomware attack than macroeconomic hardship. Over 60% of businesses who had suffered a ransomware attack reported concerns about the prospect of a second ransomware attack, and 71% of leaders admitted their businesses wouldn’t be able to withstand it. 56% said they had increased hiring costs, nearly half experienced increased customer complaints, and 47% reported team stress. This comes as the tally of victims from the MOVEit attack alone surpasses 2,000 organisations. To make matters worse, the FBI has described dual ransomware attacks taking place, with the second attack less than 48 hours after the first.
Source: [Tech Informed] [Helpnet Security] [Helpnet Security] [BleepComputer]
Hotel Hackers Redirect Guests to Fake Booking[.]com Site in Major Phishing Campaign
Booking.com users have become the focus of a new, large-scale phishing campaign that involved hackers taking control of the hotel’s Booking[.]com account. Once in control, the attackers were then able to utilise personal information and craft messages, tailored to victims.
With many organisations using sites such as Booking[.]com, it is imperative that staff are trained effectively, to reduce the risk of them falling victim to a phishing campaign.
Sources: [BleepingComputer] [Inforsecurity Magazine]
Cyber Leaders Worry That AI Will Overwhelm Cyber Defences
A survey of 250 leaders found that 85% worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences while almost two thirds (61%) have already seen an increase in cyber attack complexity due to AI. Overall 80% view AI as the single biggest cyber threat their business faces, and seven out of 10 are investing in more resilient measures to improve their detection and response protocols.
AI can certainly be overwhelming, but with the right expertise, organisations can navigate their way to improving their AI defences. Black Arrow’s expert team helps your leadership to understand and manage AI-based risks, and safely adopt artificial intelligence in your organisation.
Source: [Management Issues]
Boards Still Lack Cyber Security Expertise
A study by the US National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and the Internet Security Alliance (ISA) found that just 12% of S&P 500 companies have board directors with relevant cyber credentials, showing that there is still a lack of expertise at the board level. Boards can improve their expertise by engaging with training that is tailored to leadership. Black Arrow supports business leaders in organisations of all sizes to demonstrate governance of their cyber security, by owning their cyber security strategy and leveraging their existing internal and external resources to build resilience against a cyber security incident. Source: [Wallstreet Journal]
4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident
In the event of a cyber incident, there are a number of problems that emerge, but some you may not be aware of. These may include investigations by auditors, a freeze on payments by banks, and uncertainty about notifying third parties including customers. Your insurance provide may also launch a review of the cyber security controls that you had in place before the incident, to determine the payout.
Ideally, you will never have to face a cyber incident, but it can happen and it’s best to ensure you are well placed to deal with it, by understanding what needs to be done and how to respond. Black Arrow works with organisations of all sizes and sectors to design and prepare for managing a cyber security incident; this can include an Incident Response Plan and an educational tabletop exercise for the leadership team that highlights the proportionate controls to help the organisation prevent and mitigate an incident.
Source: [Dark Reading]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security - Security Week
Cyber leaders worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences (management-issues.com)
Businesses Unprepared for Cyber Attacks Despite Steady Concern (insurancejournal.com)
Cyber criminals are targeting the financial sector more than ever | TechRadar
The hidden costs of neglecting cyber security for small businesses - Help Net Security
Majority of UK SME c-suites lacking awareness of cyber risks | Insurance Times
Business leaders most anxious about ransomware attacks (techinformed.com)
Cyber security incident response: Your company's ICU (channelweb.co.uk)
Cover-ups still the norm in the wake of a cyber incident | Computer Weekly
Many firms aren't reporting breaches to the proper authorities | TechRadar
Half of Cyber-Attacks Go Unreported - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
CISOs are struggling to get cyber security budgets: Report | CSO Online
CISOs are spending more on cyber security - but it might not be enough | TechRadar
Cyber threats remain top concern for businesses in 2023: Travelers Risk Index - Reinsurance News
Despite rising insider risk costs, budgets are being wasted in the wrong places - Help Net Security
The Hot Seat: CISO Accountability in a New Era of SEC Regulation (darkreading.com)
Proactive Security: What It Means for Enterprise Security Strategy (darkreading.com)
4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident (darkreading.com)
Moving From Qualitative to Quantitative Cyber Risk Modeling - Security Week
Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Ransomware soars as enterprises struggle to respond - Verdict
Ransomware groups are shifting their focus away from larger targets - Help Net Security
Business leaders most anxious about ransomware attacks (techinformed.com)
Why is Ransomware Such a Prevalent Threat and Popular Tool for Attackers? | MSSP Alert
ShadowSyndicate: A New Cyber Crime Group Linked to 7 Ransomware Families (thehackernews.com)
The Group Claiming To Have Hacked Sony Is Using GDPR As A Weapon For Demanding Ransoms | Techdirt
FBI: Dual ransomware attack victims now get hit within 48 hours (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cl0p's MOVEit attack tally surpasses 2,000 victim organisations - Help Net Security
MOVEit cyber attack is pause for concern | Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C. - JDSupra
Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)
'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars - The Japan Times
Amidst MGM, Caesar's Incidents, Attackers Focus on Luxury Hotels (darkreading.com)
Youth hacking ring at the center of cyber crime spree | CyberScoop
Current ransomware defencs efforts are not working - Help Net Security
VMware users anxious about costs and ransomware threats - Help Net Security
MSP shares details of Kaseya VSA ransomware attack, recovery | TechTarget
Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)
Study Reveals Conti Affiliates Money Laundering Practices (inforisktoday.com)
Akira Ransomware Mutates to Target Linux Systems, Adds TTPs (darkreading.com)
Trend Micro Report Reveals Increase of LockBit Ransomware Attacks in US (thedefensepost.com)
Hospital Ransomware Attacks Go Beyond Health Care Data (securityintelligence.com)
Patient Care at Risk as Hospitals Increasingly on Frontlines of Ransomware Attacks | The Epoch Times
Ransomware Victims
Bermuda Struggles to Recover From Cyber Attack (govinfosecurity.com)
Cl0p's MOVEit attack tally surpasses 2,000 victim organisations - Help Net Security
Amidst MGM, Caesar's Incidents, Attackers Focus on Luxury Hotels (darkreading.com)
MGM, Caesars Cyber Attack Responses Required Brutal Choices (darkreading.com)
Ransomware Group Claims to Have Breached 'All of Sony Systems' (vgchartz.com)
900 US Schools Impacted by MOVEit Hack at National Student Clearinghouse - Security Week
Youth hacking ring at the center of cyber crime spree | CyberScoop
MGM Resorts and Caesars face class action lawsuits over September cyber attacks By Investing.com
UK logistics firm blames ransomware attack for insolvency, 730 redundancies (therecord.media)
Ransomware group demands $51 million from Johnson Controls after cyber attack (bitdefender.com)
Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)
Leekes cyber attack? NoEscape ransomware gang claims breach (techmonitor.ai)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
This devious phishing scam makes it look like dodgy emails are actually safe | TechRadar
New AtlasCross hackers use American Red Cross as phishing lure (bleepingcomputer.com)
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Nigerian man pleads guilty to attempted $6 million BEC email heist (bleepingcomputer.com)
BEC Attacks Increase By 279% in Healthcare - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Artificial Intelligence
Cyber leaders worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences (management-issues.com)
Google is working to keep Bard chats out of Search • The Register
New working group to probe AI risks and applications | CyberScoop
A Primer On Artificial Intelligence And Cyber Security (forbes.com)
How should organisations navigate the risks and opportunities of AI? - Help Net Security
Malware
Gozi strikes again, targeting banks, cryptocurrency and more (securityintelligence.com)
'Culturestreak' Malware Lurks Inside GitLab Python Package (darkreading.com)
Deadglyph: New Advanced Backdoor with Distinctive Malware Tactics (thehackernews.com)
New variant of BBTok Trojan targets users of +40 banks in LATAM (securityaffairs.com)
A powerful new malware backdoor is targeting governments across the world | TechRadar
Researchers uncover thriving market for malware targeting IoT devices - The Hindu
Mobile
China-Linked EvilBamboo Targets Mobiles - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
iOS 17 update secretly changed your privacy settings; here's how to set them back (bitdefender.com)
Predator Spyware Delivered to iOS, Android Devices via Zero-Days, MitM Attacks - Security Week
Russian Firm Willing to Pay $20 Million for iPhone, Android Zero-Day Exploits (pcmag.com)
Botnets
Bot Swarm: Attacks From Middle East & Africa Are Notably Up (darkreading.com)
New variant of BBTok Trojan targets users of +40 banks in LATAM (securityaffairs.com)
Asian banks are a favorite target of cyber cooks, and malicious bots their preferred tool | ZDNET
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Internet of Things – IoT
If You Have An Amazon Alexa Device, You Need To Check This Security Update List (slashgear.com)
Researchers uncover thriving market for malware targeting IoT devices - The Hindu
Where Linux is in your home, and how to protect Linux devices from hacking | Kaspersky official blog
Data Breaches/Leaks
UK pension schemes reveal 4,000% rise in cyber security breaches - Pensions Age Magazine
Reported cyber security breaches increase threefold for financial services firms (cityam.com)
British charities warn supporters their personal data has been breached • Graham Cluley
Air Canada discloses data breach of employee and 'certain records' (bleepingcomputer.com)
National Student Clearinghouse data breach impacts 890 schools (bleepingcomputer.com)
BORN Ontario child registry data breach affects 3.4 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)
900 US Schools Impacted by MOVEit Hack at National Student Clearinghouse - Security Week
Regulator Warns Breaches Can Cost Lives - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Hospital alert as 24,000 letters meant for GPs lost in computer error - Mirror Online
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars - The Japan Times
Asian banks are a favourite target of cyber cooks, and malicious bots their preferred tool | ZDNET
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Gozi strikes again, targeting banks, cryptocurrency and more (securityintelligence.com)
Yet another hack hits NFT marketplace OpenSea - SiliconANGLE
Crooks stole $200 million worth of assets from Mixin Network (securityaffairs.com)
Bitcoin scammer who was snared by victims sentenced - BBC News
Security researcher stopped at US border for investigating crypto scam (bleepingcomputer.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
75% who didn't report cyber attack to leadership, felt guilty about it | Security Magazine
Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar
Despite rising insider risk costs, budgets are being wasted in the wrong places - Help Net Security
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Hotel hackers redirect guests to fake Booking.com to steal cards (bleepingcomputer.com)
Beware: fraud and smishing scams targeting students | Bournemouth University
Yet another hack hits NFT marketplace OpenSea - SiliconANGLE
Crooks stole $200 million worth of assets from Mixin Network (securityaffairs.com)
Fraud prevention forces scammers to up their game - Help Net Security
Why young people are more prone to online scams than boomers are (news5cleveland.com)
Bitcoin scammer who was snared by victims sentenced - BBC News
Security researcher warns of chilling effect after feds search phone at airport | TechCrunch
AML/CFT/Sanctions
Study Reveals Conti Affiliates Money Laundering Practices (inforisktoday.com)
Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security
Insurance
Dark Web
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)
How the Okta Cross-Tenant Impersonation Attacks Succeeded (darkreading.com)
Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)
3 phases of the third-party risk management lifecycle | TechTarget
Cloud/SaaS
Containers
Encryption
The UK just passed an online safety law that could make people less safe (theconversation.com)
Regulators Are 'Hurting Their Own Country' in Seeking Encryption Backdoors: Nym CEO - Decrypt
Open Source
Where Linux is in your home, and how to protect Linux devices from hacking | Kaspersky official blog
Akira Ransomware Mutates to Target Linux Systems, Adds TTPs (darkreading.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Why Shouldn’t You Use the Same Password Everywhere Online (makeuseof.com)
Are You Willing to Pay the High Cost of Compromised Credentials? (thehackernews.com)
Biometrics
Social Media
Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)
X scraps tool to report electoral fake news - researchers - BBC News
Malvertising
Training, Education and Awareness
Travel
Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
The Group Claiming To Have Hacked Sony Is Using GDPR As A Weapon For Demanding Ransoms | Techdirt
The UK just passed an online safety law that could make people less safe (theconversation.com)
Are we about to lose the last pillar of our digital security? | Euronews
New working group to probe AI risks and applications | CyberScoop
Why California's Delete Act matters for the whole country - Help Net Security
Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Why It’s Wrong To Judge SIEM Success Only Against The ATT&CK Framework (forbes.com)
Urgent actions for protecting utilities against cyber-attack: Navigating NIS 2 - Utility Week
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security - Security Week
Demand for cyber security staff trebled since 2019 | Business Post
Cyber security and staffing issues key risks for companies | Accountancy Daily
Cyber security skills employers are desperate to find in 2023 - Help Net Security
Preventing security professionals from ‘quietly quitting’ due to alert fatigue (securitybrief.co.nz)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Russia
Russia’s APT29 intensifies espionage operations | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Russian hacking operations target Ukrainian law enforcement | CyberScoop
Government of Bermuda blames Russian threat actors for the cyber attack (securityaffairs.com)
Bermuda probes major cyber attack as officials slowly bring operations back online (thestar.com)
Ukraine war: Cyber Attack in Crimea after Black Sea fleet HQ hit | News UK Video News | Sky News
Examining the Activities of the Turla APT Group (trendmicro.com)
Scottish Tory MSP has website hacked by 'hostile Russian group' | The National
Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)
Russian Firm Willing to Pay $20 Million for iPhone, Android Zero-Day Exploits (pcmag.com)
Cyber Attack on Russian Air Booking System Sparks Flight Delays - The Moscow Times
China
Taiwan is bracing for Chinese cyber attacks, White House official says - POLITICO
China-Linked EvilBamboo Targets Mobiles - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Chinese Gov Hackers Caught Hiding in Cisco Router Firmware - Security Week
China’s national security minister lists top digital threats • The Register
Misc Nation State/Cyber Warfare
Vulnerability Management
Why Zero Days Are Set for Highest Year on Record - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Vulnerabilities
Google assigns new maximum rated CVE to libwebp bug exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cisco Warns of IOS Software Zero-Day Exploitation Attempts - Security Week
Researchers Release Details of New RCE Exploit Chain for SharePoint (darkreading.com)
High-Severity Flaws Uncovered in Atlassian Products and ISC BIND Server (thehackernews.com)
GPUs from all major suppliers are vulnerable to new pixel-stealing attack | Ars Technica
Firefox 118 Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities - Security Week
Hackers actively exploiting Openfire flaw to encrypt servers (bleepingcomputer.com)
Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)
Tools and Controls
Cyber security incident response: Your company's ICU (channelweb.co.uk)
CISOs are spending more on cyber security - but it might not be enough | TechRadar
4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident (darkreading.com)
The 5 most dangerous Wi-Fi attacks, and how to fight them | PCWorld
What Is a Network Security Assessment and Why You Need It | MSSP Alert
Why You Should Phish In Your Own Pond (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
The pitfalls of neglecting security ownership at the design stage - Help Net Security
A Primer On Artificial Intelligence And Cyber Security (forbes.com)
Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar
Proactive Security: What It Means for Enterprise Security Strategy (darkreading.com)
Looking Beyond the Hype Cycle of AI/ML in Cyber Security (darkreading.com)
Moving From Qualitative to Quantitative Cyber Risk Modelling - SecurityWeek
Cyber security budgets show moderate growth - Help Net Security
Exploring Cyber Insurance and its Intersection with Property Coverage | Woodruff Sawyer - JDSupra
Other News
Cyber criminals are targeting the financial sector more than ever | TechRadar
The hidden costs of neglecting cyber security for small businesses - Help Net Security
SMBs face growing cyber security threats, but basic measures can lower risks | ZDNET
Why aviation needs to prioritise cyber security – Airport World (airport-world.com)
Are Fire Departments Prepared for a Cyber Attack? | HackerNoon
Fintechs must brace for rising cyber security challenges | Mint (livemint.com)
Space Force chief says commercial satellites may need defending | Ars Technica
UK Cyber Security Council CEO reflects on a year of progress | CSO Online
Google Loophole Lets Drug Dealers Hijack Nearly Any Website to Sell Narcotics (businessinsider.com)
Cyber Hygiene: A First Line of Against Evolving Cyber Attacks (darkreading.com)
Cyber Attacks hit military, Parliament websites as India hacker group targets Canada (cheknews.ca)
KnowBe4 Finds US. Healthcare a Top Target For Cyber Attacks (prnewswire.com)
US Government Shutdown Could Bench 80% of CISA Staff - SecurityWeek
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
· Automotive
· Construction
· Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
· Defence & Space
· Education & Academia
· Energy & Utilities
· Estate Agencies
· Financial Services
· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 22 September 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 22 September 2023:
-New Ransomware Victims Surge by 47% as Small Businesses Targeted
-MGM Resorts Lost Millions of Dollars a Day in What Should be a Wakeup Call for Corporate Boards
-SMEs Overestimate Their Cyber Security Preparedness
-China’s Hacking Power Bigger Than Rest of World Combined
-Cyber Insurance Claims for Ransomware Reach Record High
-Cyber Security Still Remains the Greatest Concern for Many C-Suite Executives
-Bad Torts: Law Firms Feel the Heat from Rising Cyber Threats
-Attacker Deepfakes IT Employees’ Voice in Phone Call to Breach Company
-Insider Risks are Getting Increasingly Costly as Organisations Fail to Proactively Address Them
-Half of Executives Expect Supply Chain Challenges
-How Social Engineering Takes Advantage of Your Kindness
-Employers Blame Employees as 54% of Firms Face Cyber Attacks Annually
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
New Ransomware Victims Surge by 47% as Small Businesses Targeted
Ransomware attackers are shifting away from “big game” targets and towards easier, less defended organisations, a new report from Trend Micro has found. The report observed a 47% increase in the number of new victims of this vector from the second half of 2022, many of which were small organisations with less mature cyber postures. In fact, 57% of victims of the infamous ransomware gang LockBit, were of organisations up to 200 employees.
Small businesses can be attractive targets; they don’t have the budget of a large organisation and therefore they are more likely to have gaps that can be exploited. To combat this, small businesses need to prioritise their security budgets effectively, to allow themselves the most protection that their budget allows.
Source [Infosecurity Magazine]
MGM Resorts Lost Millions of Dollars a Day in What Should be a Wakeup Call for Corporate Boards
The recent ransomware attack on MGM Resorts has resulted in the loss of millions of dollars daily, not accounting for ransomware fees and reputational damage. MGM Resorts are a client of Okta, who noted that Caesars entertainment and three (not named) other organisations have been hit. Although the other victims have not yet been named, it has been revealed that they are in the manufacturing, retail and technology sectors. As a result of the attacks, Beazley and AIG, who provide cyber insurance, are likely to face significant losses.
The attack should act as wakeup call for corporate boards, as it once again highlights how anyone can be a victim, and if the right controls are not in place, an attack won’t be stopped. Cyber incidents are a matter of when, not if, and boards need to ensure they are prepared, and prepared to handle the fallout when an attack happens.
Sources: [Proactive Investors] [Reuters] [Insurance Insider] [OODA Loop] [Claims Journal]
SMEs Overestimate Their Cyber Security Preparedness
According to a recent report, 57% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have experienced a cyber security breach, with 31% facing such an incident in the past year. Despite the increasing threat, 70% are confident in their defences, though 44% solely rely on their antivirus solutions, and a quarter don't regularly train employees on cyber security best practices or never have.
The report also found that many SMEs either underestimate the importance of robust security, believing they’re too small to be targeted, or put too much trust in their current defences. The increasing number of evolving cyber threats poses a significant risk to SMEs. Rising patterns show frequent and sophisticated attacks, highlighting the urgent need for effective security measures. Understandably, not all small business owners have the resources to obtain in-house cyber security experts. 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: [Helpnet Security] [Security Magazine]
China’s Hacking Power Bigger Than Rest of World Combined
In a recent conference the director of the FBI highlighted the magnitude of China’s cyber power, most notably explaining that China has a bigger hacking program than the competition combined.
This comes as recent attacks have seen malicious USB drives used to spread malware and now, something we’ve not seen much before, financially motivated hacks by Chinese-speaking actors through a piece of malware known as “ValleyRAT”.
Sources: [Reuters] [Infosecurity Magazine] [WIRED] [Inforisk Today] [TechRadar]
Cyber Insurance Claims for Ransomware Reach Record High
A new report from cyber insurance provider Coalition shows a 12% increase in cyber claims over the first six months of this year, driven by the notable spikes in ransomware (19%), business email compromise (BEC) attacks (26%) and funds transfer fraud (FTF) (31%). The report found that claims severity also increased 61% from the previous six months and 117% over the last year. The average ransom demand was $1.62 million, a 47% increase over the previous six months and a 74% increase over the past year.
The report comes as the FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a joint advisory warning that ransomware gangs are increasingly evolving their tactics while targeting critical infrastructure sectors, including Information Technology, and Food and Agriculture. The advisory strongly discourages organisations from paying ransoms and encourages victims to report ransomware incidents to a local agency’s reporting channel. Similar advisories were released earlier in the year warning of ransomware groups such as Cl0p who exploited the vulnerability in MOVEit earlier this year.
Sources: [NextGov] [BetanNews] [Security Magazine] [CSO Online]
Cyber Security Still Remains the Greatest Concern for Many C-Suite Executives
Almost three-quarters (73%) of nearly 700 board members surveyed in a new study, believe their organisations are at risk of cyber attack, including targeted attacks; a sizable increase from the 65% last year, according to a recently released Proofpoint report. Worryingly, with the high number believing they are at risk from an attack, 53% still believed they would be unprepared for such an attack. When it came to their main concerns, malware was the top concern (40%), followed by insider threat (36%) and cloud account compromise (36%).
C-suite concern has propelled budgets, with a third of businesses increasing cyber security spending by a significant margin. As IT has become less centralised with a move towards cloud-based systems, combined with a shortage of skilled cyber security workers, businesses are having to rely more heavily on third party security according to a recent report.
This investment, along with improved security communications to executives, should enhance IT upskilling and employee awareness of cyber security.
Sources: [MSSP Alert] [Tech Radar]
Bad Torts: Law Firms Feel the Heat from Rising Cyber Threats
Publicly available reports of ransomware attacks on law firms have accelerated this year, with massive amounts of sensitive client data now in the hands of threat actors, highlighting a growing trend of cyber incidents afflicting the legal business.
One of the reasons law firms are increasingly targeted is due to the amount of sensitive data that they hold. This data can be used for extortion, insider training and general ransom purposes. In addition, many law firms utilise third parties to handle their data, increasing their risk of becoming a victim through their supply chain.
Source: [Synack]
Attacker Deepfakes IT Employees’ Voice in Phone Call to Breach Company
A recent cyber attack used AI to deepfake an IT employee’s voice. The attack started off with a phishing mail, which the unsuspecting victim employee clicked. The attacker then hit a challenge: multi-factor authentication (MFA). That was until they decided to use artificial intelligence to clone the voice of an IT employee. The attacker, now speaking as if they were the IT employee, was then able to convince the victim employee to provide the needed MFA code. As a result, the attack was successful.
The attack highlights the increase in AI for attacks, whilst also demonstrating that cyber security is more than just technology: it is people and operations too. Think about voice cloning, how would your organisation prepare for this?
Sources [PC Mag]
Insider Risks are Getting Increasingly Costly as Organisations Fail to Proactively Address Them
With the cost of insider risk the highest it has ever been (£13.25m per incident), organisations need to effectively budget and find ways to proactively address insider risk. A report found that 55% of money spent on insider incident response went toward problems caused by negligence or mistakes, and 25% for those were caused by actively malicious insiders, with the remaining 20% being attacks that out-smarted employees.
The cost and damage is acknowledged by organisations, with a separate report finding 46% of organisations self-reported that they were actively planning to spend more on proactively addressing insider risk in 2024. Budgets are not infinite however, and organisations need to effectively allocate their spending to ensure they are getting the most protection for their spend.
Sources: [Computer Weekly] [CSO Online]
Half of Executives Expect Supply Chain Challenges
With the surge in the number of attacks taking place through the software supply chain, it is no wonder almost half of executives expect supply chain challenges in the year ahead according to a survey by Deloitte. When asked about their experience, 34% of respondents self-reported that their organisation has experienced one or more supply chain cyber security events during the past year.
One of the ways to improve organisations’ supply chain security is to conduct assessments on the third parties they use, yet 21% of respondents did not do this at all. Potentially, one of the reasons for this is not knowing the correct questions to ask. Black Arrow can support you through a structured approach to asking a suite of targeted questions to your third parties, and assessing the responses for indicators of risk to your business.
Sources [PRnewswire] [SiliconANGLE]
How Social Engineering Takes Advantage of Your Kindness
Last week, MGM Resorts disclosed a massive systems issue that reportedly rendered slot machines, room keys and other critical devices inoperable. What elaborate methods were required to crack a nearly $34 billion casino and hotel empire? According to the hackers themselves, all it took was a ten minute phone call, allowing them to gain access through a simple social engineering attack. Social engineering psychologically manipulates a target into doing what the attacker wants, or giving up information that they shouldn’t. The consequences range from taking down global corporations to devastating the personal finances of unfortunate individual victims.
Extroverted, agreeable, and open individuals are often cyber victims; fear is an attack vector and so is helpfulness. As comfort increases, so too does vulnerability to being hacked. Social engineering attacks target both corporations and individuals. A person’s positive traits can be weaknesses against such threats. Balancing kindness with scepticism is essential.
Source: [Engadget]
Employers Blame Employees as 54% of Firms Face Cyber Attacks Annually
A survey found that despite the percentage of companies that have encountered a cyber security incident in the last 12 months, a worrying 24% of employees have never had any cyber security training. The survey further found that alarmingly 42% of respondents used the same password for both home and work accounts, increasing the risk of exposing their organisational passwords. This risk was furthered by 40% of the total number of respondents keeping their password in an open file or physical notebook.
Organisations, including those already providing training, should look to ensure they implement training from experts that covers such areas; by effectively training employees, organisations will increase their cyber resilience and reduce their risk of suffering a cyber attack. 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 are secure employee engagement and build a cyber security culture to protect the organisation.
Source: [Information Security Buzz]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Cyber security still remains the greatest concern for many executives | TechRadar
Cyber attacks are constant and test even the best | Newsroom
Companies Struggling With Cyber security: Big Players In Bad Situations (forbes.com)
SMEs overestimate their cyber security preparedness - Help Net Security
Almost Half of Executives Expect Supply Chain Security Challenges in Year Ahead (prnewswire.com)
Organisations failing to proactively address insider cyber risk | Computer Weekly
Expensive Investigations Drive Surging Data Breach Costs (bleepingcomputer.com)
Most Global Board Members Unprepared for “Targeted” Cyber attack, Report Finds | MSSP Alert
Changing Role of the CISO: A Holistic Approach Drives the Future (darkreading.com)
How to Get Your Board on Board With Cyber security (darkreading.com)
Regulatory activity forces compliance leaders to spend more on GRC tools - Help Net Security
Going Up! How to Handle Rising Cyber security Costs (securityintelligence.com)
Balancing budget and system security: Approaches to risk tolerance - Help Net Security
Is Director Liability For Cyber security Failure An Immediate Risk? (forbes.com)
83% of IT Security Professionals Say Burnout Causes Data Breaches (prnewswire.com)
Why Cyber security Compliance Standards Still Have A Long Way To Go (forbes.com)
Bot Attack Costs Double to $86m Annually - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Adapting to new rule changes in cyber risk management: How the SEC changed the game - SiliconANGLE
Poor digital experience a blocker for cyber resilience | Computer Weekly
What is Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC)? | TechTarget Definition
How to prevent and prepare for a cyber catastrophe (securityintelligence.com)
2023 Cyber Risk and Resiliency Report: How CIOs Are Dueling Disaster (informationweek.com)
Why more security doesn’t mean more effective compliance - Help Net Security
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Digesting the Digits - 2023 ‘record year’ for ransomware attacks - PaymentExpert.com
Attacks on Casino Giants Heralds Resurgence in Ransomware Attacks (claimsjournal.com)
Beazley and AIG likely to face cyber attack losses on casinos (insuranceinsider.com)
LockBit Is Using RMMs to Spread Its Ransomware (darkreading.com)
‘Top’ ransomware gangs favour smaller businesses | Computer Weekly
US cyber insurance claims spike amid ransomware, funds transfer fraud, BEC attacks | CSO Online
Ransomware group's evolving tactics pose growing threat - Nextgov/FCW
Malware distributor Storm-0324 facilitates ransomware access | Microsoft Security Blog
Who is behind the latest wave of UK ransomware attacks? | Cyber crime | The Guardian
NCSC: Why Cyber Extortion Attacks No Longer Require Ransomware (darkreading.com)
Scattered Spider, Alphv, and the MGM hack, explained - The Hustle
Quadruple extortion ransomware maximising monetisation (securitybrief.co.nz)
What is Extortionware? How is it Different from Ransomware? (techtarget.com)
Ransomware cyber insurance claims rose by 27% | Security Magazine
Cyber insurance claims for ransomware reach record high (betanews.com)
Ransomware gang targeting defence firms, FBI warns - Defence One
Scattered Spider snares 100+ victims, moves into ransomware • The Register
BlackCat ransomware hits Azure Storage with Sphynx encryptor (bleepingcomputer.com)
FBI, CISA Issue Joint Warning on 'Snatch' Ransomware-as-a-Service (darkreading.com)
Critical Infrastructure Organisations Warned of Snatch Ransomware Attacks - Security Week
Healthcare's ransomware defences need more preventative action (securitybrief.co.nz)
Ransomware vs. resources: A higher education dilemma - eCampus News
Ransomware Victims
Hackers who breached casino giants MGM, Caesars also hit 3 other firms, Okta says | Reuters
Okta Agent Involved in MGM Resorts Breach, Attackers Claim (darkreading.com)
Hackers claim it only took a 10-minute phone call to shut down MGM Resorts (engadget.com)
MGM, Caesars Face Regulatory, Legal Maze After Cyber Incidents (darkreading.com)
Beazley and AIG likely to face cyber attack losses on casinos (insuranceinsider.com)
Greater Manchester Police Hack Follows Third-Party Supplier Fumble (darkreading.com)k
Clorox products in short supply after cyber attack disrupts operations | CNN Business
Psychiatric hospital near Jerusalem hit by suspected cyber attack | The Times of Israel
UMass Medical School Sued Over MOVEit File-Transfer Data Breach (bloomberglaw.com)
UK IT services provider Agilitas hit by Donut ransomware attack? (techmonitor.ai)
Cyber attack blamed for outages at hospitals in Illinois, Wisconsin (scrippsnews.com)
Major trucking software provider confirms ransomware incident (therecord.media)
Handbag maker Radley London hit by RansomHouse cyber attack? (techmonitor.ai)
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
HR phishing: self-evaluation questionnaire | Kaspersky official blog
Phishing victim sends eye-watering $4.5M in USDT to scammer (cointelegraph.com)
BEC – Business Email Compromise
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Hackers claim it only took a 10-minute phone call to shut down MGM Resorts (engadget.com)
How social engineering takes advantage of your kindness (engadget.com)
Artificial Intelligence
Hacker Deepfakes Employee's Voice in Phone Call to Breach IT Company | PCMag
NSA Report: Deepfakes Threaten National Security | MSSP Alert
Microsoft AI Researchers Accidentally Expose 38 Terabytes of Confidential Data (thehackernews.com)
Artificial Intelligence Making Cyber Crime Harder to Fight (govtech.com)
Companies still don’t know how to handle generative AI risks - Help Net Security
85% of cyber leaders believe AI will outpace cyber defences (electronicspecifier.com)
McAfee CEO Greg Johnson on the Cyber security Threat From Generative AI (businessinsider.com)
Companies Rely on Multiple Methods to Secure Generative AI Tools (darkreading.com)
2FA/MFA
Malware
NodeStealer Malware Now Targets Facebook Business Accounts on Multiple Browsers (thehackernews.com)
Malware distributor Storm-0324 facilitates ransomware access | Microsoft Security Blog
macOS MetaStealer attacks take aim at business Mac users (appleinsider.com)
Earth Lusca Employs New Linux Backdoor, Uses Cobalt Strike for Lateral Movement (trendmicro.com)
A mysterious new Chinese malware strain is targeting large firms across the globe | TechRadar
New SprySOCKS Linux malware used in cyber espionage attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Bumblebee malware returns in new attacks abusing WebDAV folders (bleepingcomputer.com)
Fake WinRAR exploit PoC drops VenomRAT malware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
P2PInfect botnet activity surges 600x with stealthier malware variants (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ukrainian Hacker Suspected to be Behind "Free Download Manager" Malware Attack (thehackernews.com)
‘Sandman’ hackers backdoor telcos with new LuaDream malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Kaspersky uncovers 3-year old supply chain attack campaign (securitybrief.co.nz)
Mobile
Dangerous permissions detected in top Android health apps (securityaffairs.com)
Android security updates: Everything you need to know | Android Central
Hook: New Android Banking Trojan That Expands on ERMAC's Legacy (thehackernews.com)
APT36 state hackers infect Android devices using YouTube app clones (bleepingcomputer.com)
Botnets
Bot Attack Costs Double to $86m Annually - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
P2PInfect botnet activity surges 600x with stealthier malware variants (bleepingcomputer.com)
Vast majority of bot attacks emanate from China and Russia | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Internet of Things – IoT
Hikvision Intercoms Allow Snooping on Neighbors (darkreading.com)
No dedicated hardware security for 66% IoT modules: IoT Analytics (securitybrief.co.nz)
Data Breaches/Leaks
Pirated Software Likely Cause of Airbus Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Microsoft AI Researchers Accidentally Expose 38 Terabytes of Confidential Data (thehackernews.com)
Police data breach: 20,000 data points 'at risk' (computing.co.uk)
CardX released a data leak notification impacting their customers in Thailand (securityaffairs.com)
Pizza Hut Australia hack: data breach exposes customer information and order details | Australia
Air Canada says unauthorized group breached employee data, hacked internal system (databreaches.net)
83% of IT Security Professionals Say Burnout Causes Data Breaches (prnewswire.com)
T-Mobile app glitch let users see other people's account info (bleepingcomputer.com)
T-Mobile Racks Up Third Consumer Data Exposure of 2023 (darkreading.com)Over a Third of UK
TransUnion says dump of customer data came from third party • The Register
US govt IT worker accused of leaking top secrets • The Register
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Europol lifts the lid on cyber crime tactics (malwarebytes.com)
One of the FBI’s most wanted hackers is trolling the US government | TechCrunch
India's biggest tech centres named as cyber crime hotspots • The Register
Scattered Spider snares 100+ victims, moves into ransomware • The Register
Financially Motivated Hacks by Chinese-Speaking Actors Surge (inforisktoday.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Multiple crypto raids net Lazarus Group $290M in 15 weeks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
TikTok flooded by 'Elon Musk' cryptocurrency giveaway scams (bleepingcomputer.com)
Phishing victim sends eye-watering $4.5M in USDT to scammer (cointelegraph.com)
Mark Cuban loses $870k to a crypto scam: ‘They must have been watching’ – DL News
How Sam Bankman-Fried's parents enabled his criminal empire | Fortune Crypto
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Organisations failing to proactively address insider cyber risk | Computer Weekly
HR’s role in cyber security and insider threat mitigation - Hindustan Times
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Brits Lose $9.3bn to Scams in a Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
US cyber insurance claims spike amid ransomware, funds transfer fraud, BEC attacks | CSO Online
TikTok flooded by 'Elon Musk' cryptocurrency giveaway scams (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mark Cuban loses $870k to a crypto scam: ‘They must have been watching’ – DL News
How Sam Bankman-Fried's parents enabled his criminal empire | Fortune Crypto
Payment Card-Skimming Campaign Now Targeting Websites in North America (darkreading.com)
Court sentences pair for India-based robocall scam • The Register
Shift from UK Analogue to Digital Phone Lines Breeds New SCAMs - ISPreview UK
Singapore to detail fraud liability split for bank & victim • The Register
Deepfakes
Insurance
Cyber insurance claims for ransomware reach record high (betanews.com)
US cyber insurance claims spike amid ransomware, funds transfer fraud, BEC attacks | CSO Online
Beazley and AIG likely to face cyber attack losses on casinos (insuranceinsider.com)
Ransomware cyber insurance claims rose by 27% | Security Magazine
Dark Web
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Almost Half of Executives Expect Supply Chain Security Challenges in Year Ahead (prnewswire.com)
Okta Agent Involved in MGM Resorts Breach, Attackers Claim (darkreading.com)
Greater Manchester Police Hack Follows Third-Party Supplier Fumble (darkreading.com)
Kaspersky uncovers 3-year old supply chain attack campaign (securitybrief.co.nz)
Evaluating New Partners and Vendors from an Identity Security Perspective (darkreading.com)
How cyber attacks on Taiwan are hurting global business - Raconteur
Software Supply Chain
Cloud/SaaS
Why Shared Fate is a Better Way to Manage Cloud Risk (darkreading.com)
IBM X-Force: Use of compromised credentials darkens cloud security picture | Network World
Retool blames breach on Google Authenticator MFA cloud sync feature (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mastering Defence-In-Depth and Data Security in the Cloud Era (darkreading.com)
Understanding the Differences Between On-Premises and Cloud Cyber security (darkreading.com)
Hybrid/Remote Working
Shadow IT
Identity and Access Management
Encryption
EU's quest to fix the internet could become a privacy nightmare | TechRadar
UK Minister Warns Meta Over End-to-End Encryption - Security Week
Signal Messenger Introduces PQXDH Quantum-Resistant Encryption (thehackernews.com)
Open Source
Kaspersky uncovers 3-year old supply chain attack campaign (securitybrief.co.nz)
Chinese hackers have unleashed a never-before-seen Linux backdoor | Ars Technica
New SprySOCKS Linux malware used in cyber espionage attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ukrainian Hacker Suspected to be Behind "Free Download Manager" Malware Attack (thehackernews.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
Are your end-users' passwords compromised? Here's how to check. (bleepingcomputer.com)
Why employee login credentials are 'the weakest link in security' (siliconrepublic.com)
Social Media
TikTok fined 345m euro by watchdog over how it processed children’s data | The Independent
NodeStealer Malware Now Targets Facebook Business Accounts on Multiple Browsers (thehackernews.com)
APT36 state hackers infect Android devices using YouTube app clones (bleepingcomputer.com)
Donald Trump Jr.'s X Account Appears To Have Been Hacked (dailydot.com)
UK Minister Warns Meta Over End-to-End Encryption - Security Week
TikTok flooded by 'Elon Musk' cryptocurrency giveaway scams (bleepingcomputer.com)
Malvertising
Training, Education and Awareness
Parental Controls and Child Safety
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
UK Minister Warns Meta Over End-to-End Encryption - Security Week
EU's quest to fix the internet could become a privacy nightmare | TechRadar
TikTok Is Hit With $368 Million Fine Under Europe's Strict Data Privacy Rules - Security Week
MGM, Caesars Face Regulatory, Legal Maze After Cyber Incidents (darkreading.com)
California Settles With Google Over Location Privacy Practices for $93 Million - Security Week
Why Cyber security Compliance Standards Still Have A Long Way To Go (forbes.com)
Adapting to new rule changes in cyber risk management: How the SEC changed the game - SiliconANGLE
Models, Frameworks and Standards
How to Interpret the 2023 MITRE ATT&CK Evaluation Results (darkreading.com)
How NIST Cyber security Framework 2.0 Tackles Risk Management (securityintelligence.com)
Data Protection
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
Expert: Three Skills Cyber security Professionals Should Have in 2024 (newswise.com)
83% of IT Security Professionals Say Burnout Causes Data Breaches (prnewswire.com)
IT pros told to accept burnout as normal part of their job - Help Net Security
Wanted: another 3mn cyber professionals | Financial Times (ft.com)
Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs
How the FBI Fights Back Against Worldwide Cyber attacks (securityintelligence.com)
Court sentences pair for India-based robocall scam • The Register
Finnish Authorities Dismantle Notorious PIILOPUOTI Dark Web Drug Marketplace (thehackernews.com)
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
California Settles With Google Over Location Privacy Practices for $93 Million - Security Week
TikTok fined 345m euro by watchdog over how it processed children’s data | The Independent
EU's quest to fix the internet could become a privacy nightmare | TechRadar
Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Russia
China, Russia ‘Prepared’ to Use Cyber If War Breaks Out, US Warns (thedefencepost.com)
International Criminal Court hacked amid Russia probe • The Register
Portuguese company detects 961 pro-Russian cyber attacks in Western Europe – EURACTIV.com
Vast majority of bot attacks emanate from China and Russia | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
One of the FBI’s most wanted hackers is trolling the US government | TechCrunch
Senators want clarity from Pentagon on Ukraine Starlink access fiasco | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Russian allegedly smuggled US weapons electronics to Moscow • The Register
China
China, Russia ‘Prepared’ to Use Cyber If War Breaks Out, US Warns (thedefencepost.com)
FBI chief says China has bigger hacking program than the competition combined | Reuters
EU warns China on Ukraine disinformation and cyber attacks – POLITICO
Chinese Spies Infected Dozens of Networks With Thumb Drive Malware | WIRED
Chinese hackers have unleashed a never-before-seen Linux backdoor | Ars Technica
Trouble brews after embassy worker finds spy bug in China teapot (thetimes.co.uk)
Vast majority of bot attacks emanate from China and Russia | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
A mysterious new Chinese malware strain is targeting large firms across the globe | TechRadar
Financially Motivated Hacks by Chinese-Speaking Actors Surge (inforisktoday.com)
Growing Chinese Tech Influence in Africa Spurs 'Soft Power' Concerns (darkreading.com)
How cyber attacks on Taiwan are hurting global business - Raconteur
DoD: China's ICS Cyber Onslaught Aimed at Gaining Kinetic Warfare Advantage (darkreading.com)
Iran
Microsoft: 'Peach Sandstorm' Cyber attacks Target Defence, Pharmaceutical Orgs (darkreading.com)
Pro-Iranian Attackers Target Israeli Railroad Network (darkreading.com)
North Korea
Multiple crypto raids net Lazarus Group $290M in 15 weeks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
How a North Korean cyber group impersonated a Washington D.C. analyst (cnbc.com)
Misc Nation State/Cyber Warfare
Vulnerability Management
KEV Catalog Reaches 1000, What Does That Mean and What Have We Learned | CISA
Vulnerability management, its impact and threat modeling methodologies (securityintelligence.com)
How SBOMs Help Uncover Vulnerabilities In Enterprise Applications (forbes.com)
Vulnerabilities
Fortinet Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products | CISA
Critical Trend Micro vulnerability exploited in the wild (CVE-2023-41179) - Help Net Security
iOS 17.0.1 re-patches 3 actively exploited security flaws - 9to5Mac
If you're still using WinRAR, watch out for this dangerous exploit - and please stop | TechRadar
GitLab Releases Urgent Security Patches for Critical Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)
Microsoft releases firmware update for all Surface devices | TechSpot
Tools and Controls
Expensive Investigations Drive Surging Data Breach Costs (bleepingcomputer.com)
Enterprise networks are evolving; your security architecture needs to evolve, too (betanews.com)
Think Your MFA and PAM Solutions Protect You? Think Again (thehackernews.com)
Do You Really Trust Your Web Application Supply Chain? (thehackernews.com)
Regulatory activity forces compliance leaders to spend more on GRC tools - Help Net Security
Going Up! How to Handle Rising Cyber security Costs (securityintelligence.com)
Shadow IT: Security policies may be a problem - Help Net Security
Balancing budget and system security: Approaches to risk tolerance - Help Net Security
How NIST Cyber security Framework 2.0 Tackles Risk Management (securityintelligence.com)
How Choosing Authentication Is a Business-Critical Decision (darkreading.com)
Understanding the Differences Between On-Premises and Cloud Cyber security (darkreading.com)
Adapting to new rule changes in cyber risk management: How the SEC changed the game - SiliconANGLE
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
Why automakers are worried your car is the next target for cyber attacks - CityAM
Consumers are being bombarded with billions of threats every year | TechRadar
Bad torts: Law firms feel the heat from rising cyber threats (synack.com)
SME Cyber Security – Time for a New Approach? - IT Security Guru
Time to Demand IT Security by Design and Default - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Australia’s new cyber security strategy: Build “cyber shields” around the country | CSO Online
Home Office sets up cyber security for Emergency Services Network | UKAuthority
Cyber security Tops Business Risks Challenging European Auditors (bloomberglaw.com)
Energy Is the Most-Targeted Sector for Cyber attacks: Here’s What to Do (powermag.com)
Cyber on the battlefield is about more than IT - Nextgov/FCW
Every Network Is Now an OT Network. Can Your Security Keep Up? - Security Week
Pentagon's 2023 Cyber Strategy Focuses on Helping Allies - Security Week
Singapore's retail banks take steps to enhance cyber security (finextra.com)
Experts fret over fate of CISA cyber programs as shutdown clouds loom | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
Strong compliance management is crucial for fintech-bank partnerships - Help Net Security
Rail Travel Free in Estonia as Cyber Attack Disrupts Ticketing (eturbonews.com)
Dairy industry teams with cyber security group to beef up defences | Food Dive
Securing Eurovision’s online voting system against cyber attacks (computerweekly.com)
GCHQ chief takes job in private security company | The Independent
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
· Automotive
· Construction
· Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
· Defence & Space
· Education & Academia
· Energy & Utilities
· Estate Agencies
· Financial Services
· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 15 September 2023
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 15 September 2023:
-Overconfident Organisations Prone to Cyber Breaches
-Board Members Struggling to Understand Cyber Risks
-Cyber Criminals are Targeting Top Executives and Could be Using Sensitive Information to Extort Them
-Cyber Attacks Reach Fever Pitch in Q2 2023
-Ransomware Attacks Hit Record Levels in UK as More Companies Fail to Tackle Growing Threats
-Microsoft Warns of More Attacks as Ransomware Spreads Through Teams Phishing
-Europol - Financial Crime Makes “Billions” and Impacts “Millions”
-Almost One in Three Parents Have Never Spoken to Their Children About Cyber Security
-Hackers are Dropping USB Drives Outside Buildings to Target Networks
-Data Theft is Now the No. 1 Cyber Security Threat Keeping Execs Awake at Night
-If You Didn’t Change Your Passwords After the LastPass Data Breach, Do It Now
-Cloud Vulnerabilities Surge Nearly 200% as Cloud Credentials Become the New Hot Ticket on the Dark Web
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
Overconfident Organisations Prone to Cyber Breaches
A study found that 95% of UK enterprises were very confident or somewhat confident that they do not have gaps in their security controls, yet despite this, 69% have fallen victim to a cyber attack in the last two years. One of the reasons given for this false sense of confidence was the belief that more tools meant more security; worryingly, 45% of organisations struggled with the implementation of tools due to the need for expertise. Attackers are constantly adapting their tactics to bypass the security controls that most organisations implement. It is difficult for IT teams and business leaders to maintain an objective assessment of how effective their chosen security controls are against today’s attackers. Black Arrow provides the impartial and expert advice that businesses require, including a free initial assessment, with no vested interest other than helping our clients achieve pragmatic and proportionate security.
Source: [IT Security Guru]
Board Members Struggling to Understand Cyber Risks
Board members frequently struggle to understand cyber risks, putting businesses at higher risk of attacks, a new report has found. The report noted that Board interest is being piqued as a result of growing media reporting of cyber incidents, a heightened Board focus on operational resilience post-pandemic, investor pressure and a tightening regulatory environment.
Worryingly, despite the increase in interest and increased internal and external focus on cyber risk, a number of Board-level respondents reported that they felt scared or embarrassed to ask their CISO for fear of exposing their lack of understanding.
Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]
Cyber Criminals are Targeting Top Executives and Could be Using Sensitive Information to Extort Them
Senior executives in today's evolving work landscape face growing cyber security threats, including extortion and device theft. The rise of ‘workcations’, which blend work and leisure, has blurred professional and personal boundaries, exposing leaders to heightened risks, and necessitating a strong focus on cyber security.
These executives are particularly attractive targets due to their access to critical information and decision-making authority. To protect their organisations, they must prioritise robust security measures, such as stronger passwords, anti-theft safeguards for devices, multi factor authentication, and, where appropriate or necessary, the use of virtual private networks. As guardians of their businesses' well-being, executives carry the responsibility of upholding stringent cyber security practices, ensuring that the benefits of remote work do not compromise their organisations' security.
Source: [Fortune]
Cyber Attacks Reach Fever Pitch in Q2 2023
A report has found the global landscape of increasing digitisation, political unrest, the emergence of AI and the widespread adoption of work from home, have all contributed to an increase in attacks, which have increased 314% in the first half of this year compared the first half of 2022. Rather worryingly, between the first and second quarter this year, there was a 387% increase in activity.
Source: [Data Centre & Network News]
Ransomware Attacks Hit Record Levels in UK as More Companies Fail to Tackle Growing Threats
A report from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK found ransomware attacks on UK organisations reached record levels last year, impacting over 700 organisations. This isn’t the true count though, as it does not factor the overwhelming majority of victims who do not report attacks, so the true number will be many times this. This increase comes as reports are finding that UK companies are struggling to address the growing threats, and this includes a lack of understanding at the Board level. In fact, 59% of directors say their Board is not very effective in understanding the drivers and impacts of cyber risks for their organisation.
Sources: [The Record] [The Fintech Times] [Financial Times]
Microsoft Warns of More Attacks as Ransomware Spreads Through Teams Phishing
Microsoft says an initial access broker known for working with ransomware groups has recently switched to Microsoft Teams phishing attacks to breach corporate networks. Referring to one of the groups, Microsoft said “In July 2023, Storm-0324 began using phishing lures sent over Teams with malicious links leading to a malicious SharePoint-hosted file,". This tactic has also been used by Russian Nation State Actors.
Source: [Bleeping Computer]
Europol - Financial Crime Makes “Billions” and Impacts “Millions”
The European policing alliance’s first ever European Financial and Economic Crime Threat Assessment was compiled from “operational insights and strategic intelligence” contributed by member states and Europol partners. The assessment highlighted a criminal economy worth billions of euros and that impacts millions of victims each year.
Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]
Almost One in Three Parents Have Never Spoken to Their Children About Cyber Security
A recent report found that 30% of parents have never spoken to their children about cyber security. Additionally, over 40% of parents, who themselves admitted that they didn’t know how to create strong passwords, still give their child access to their mobile phones and almost a third (32%) give them access to their computers. By doing so, parents are not only putting their children at risk, but inadvertently, themselves and the organisations they work for as well.
Black Arrow offers a range of training, including formal and informal training, for individuals, employees and business leaders. Contact us today for a free initial conversation.
Source: [IT Security Guru]
Hackers are Dropping USB Drives Outside Buildings to Target Networks
A mid-year cyber security report found that along with the explosive growth in AI, bad actors are still using tried and tested, but unfortunately still very effective, tactics such as dropping USB drives outside target buildings in the hope that an employee will pick them up and plug them into devices connected to the corporate network. Many times, these actors are banking on their targets lacking protections against these attacks. Think about your organisation, would someone plug a device they found in the street into their work computer out of curiosity? Does your organisation have controls in place to prevent this type of attack?
Source: [Tech Republic]
Data Theft is Now the No. 1 Cyber Security Threat Keeping Execs Awake at Night
According to a recent survey, 55% of IT decision-makers cited data theft as their main concern, with ransomware placed third, after phishing. This comes as ransomware attackers are moving towards more exfiltration-based techniques. Exfiltration creates a significant number of issues for an organisation including the regulatory requirements of telling customers, to not knowing what data has been exfiltrated.
Source: [Information Security Buzz]
If You Didn’t Change Your Passwords After the LastPass Data Breach, Do It Now
Criminals have had plenty of time to use encryption keys stolen in the 2022 LastPass hack to open vaults, and there has been a reported increase in the number of vaults that have been cracked. For those attackers that haven’t been able to crack your password, they're under no time constraints.
Whilst successful attackers may not directly target your email accounts, PayPal wallets, or banks, these assets can be packaged and sold to other criminal third parties. If any of the passwords stored in a LastPass vault prior to 2022 are still in use, you should change them immediately.
Source: [Make Use Of]
Cloud Vulnerabilities Surge Nearly 200% as Cloud Credentials Become the New Hot Ticket on the Dark Web
IBM tracked 632 new cloud-related vulnerabilities (CVEs) between June 2022 and June 2023, a 194% increase from the previous year, according to a new report. The latest haul of new CVEs brings the total number tracked by the vendor to 3,900; a number that has doubled since 2019. Similarly, a separate report from Palo Alto Networks found that 80% of security exposures exist in the cloud.
IBM highlighted that this has led to a number of cloud credentials being actively sold on the dark web, in some cases for the same price as a dozen doughnuts. These credentials are believed to account for almost 90% of goods and services for sale on the dark web.
Sources: [Infosecurity Magazine] [The Register] [TechTarget]
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Deputy PM urges UK plc not to lose focus on cyber | Computer Weekly
Overconfident Organisations Prone to Cyber Breaches, Study Finds - IT Security Guru
Global companies to hike security spending as threats rise - survey | Reuters
CISOs need to be forceful to gain leverage in the boardroom - Help Net Security
Don't Leave Cyber Security to Chance, the Hidden Risk when Staff Depart - IT Security Guru
Evaluating & Managing Service Provider Security Risks (in 2023) | UpGuard
Cyber Security risks dampen corporate enthusiasm for tech investments - Help Net Security
CISOs and Board Reporting – an Ongoing Problem - SecurityWeek
Threats
Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks
Ransomware attacks hit record level in UK, according to neglected official data (therecord.media)
Ransomware tracker: The latest figures [September 2023] (therecord.media)
Ransomware access broker steals accounts via Microsoft Teams phishing (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ransomware thrives as cyber security remains lax, says UK report | Financial Times (ft.com)
Rust-Written 3AM Ransomware: A Sneak Peek into a New Malware Family (thehackernews.com)
Ransomware in top three threats for 65% of organisations | Security Magazine
TrickBot & Conti Sanctions for CISOs & Board Members (trendmicro.com)
Don’t focus on ransomware variants, say UK’s national cyber and crime agencies (therecord.media)
Cuba Ransomware Gang Continues to Evolve With Dangerous Backdoor (darkreading.com)
Recent Rhysida Attacks Show Focus on Healthcare By Ransomware Actors (darkreading.com)
Ransomware Victims
A phone call to helpdesk was likely all it took to hack MGM | Ars Technica
MGM, Caesars File SEC Disclosures on Cyber Security Incidents (darkreading.com)
Caesars paid millions in ransom to cybercrime group prior to MGM hack – NECN
Group in Casino Hacks Skilled at Duping Workers for Access (1) (bloomberglaw.com)
Ransomware tracker: The latest figures [September 2023] (therecord.media)
Rhysida gang claims to have hacked three more US hospitals (securityaffairs.com)
Ransomware crew claims to have hit Save The Children • The Register
Shell says Australian unit BG Group hit by MOVEit cyber security breach | Reuters
Dutch football association pays ransom to Russian cyber criminals – EURACTIV.com
Cyber security incident affects services at The Weather Network | CFJC Today Kamloops
Phishing & Email Based Attacks
Email forwarding flaws enable attackers to impersonate high-profile domains - Help Net Security
Attackers Abuse Google Looker Studio to Evade DMARC, Email Security (darkreading.com)
$24 Million Worth of Crypto Wiped out Overnight in Massive Phishing Attack
Thousands of Microsoft 365 accounts under threat from W3LL phishing kit | TechRadar
Ransomware access broker steals accounts via Microsoft Teams phishing (bleepingcomputer.com)
Facebook Messenger phishing wave targets 100K business accounts per week (bleepingcomputer.com)
Journalists, authors, and other writers targeted by phishing emails | TechRadar
Associated Press Stylebook Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Following Data Breach - SecurityWeek
How should SMBs navigate the phishing minefield? - Help Net Security
Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc
Understanding the dangers of social engineering - Help Net Security
How to Avoid Smishing Attacks Targeting Subscription Service Users (securityintelligence.com)
Artificial Intelligence
Cyber Criminals Feasting On Artificial Intelligence (forbes.com)
ChatGPT Jailbreaking Forums Proliferate in Dark Web Communities (darkreading.com)
Cloud security in the era of artificial intelligence (securityintelligence.com)
Deepfake cyberthreats keep rising. Here's how to prevent them - SiliconANGLE
2FA/MFA
Malware
Microsoft Teams phishing attack pushes DarkGate malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
Millions of Facebook Business Accounts Bitten by Python Malware (darkreading.com)
Free Download Manager site redirected Linux users to malware for years (bleepingcomputer.com)
Protecting Your Microsoft IIS Servers Against Malware Attacks (thehackernews.com)
3 Strategies to Defend Against Resurging Infostealers (darkreading.com)
New HijackLoader Modular Malware Loader Making Waves in the Cybercrime World (thehackernews.com)
Iranian hackers backdoor 34 orgs with new Sponsor malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
'Steal-It' Campaign Uses OnlyFans Models as Lures (darkreading.com)
Sponsor with batch-filed whiskers: Ballistic Bobcat’s scan and strike backdoor (welivesecurity.com)
Cybersecurity alert: Malware hidden in Microsoft Teams messages targeting users - OnMSFT.com
Iranian Cyberspies Deployed New Backdoor to 34 Organizations - SecurityWeek
Mobile
'Evil Telegram' Spyware Campaign Infects 60K+ Mobile Users (darkreading.com)
France halts iPhone 12 sales over radiation levels - BBC News
Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS
Massive DDoS attack on US financial company thwarted by cyber firm (therecord.media)
Akamai prevented largest DDoS attack on a US financial company (securityaffairs.com)
After Microsoft and X, Hackers Launch DDoS Attack on Telegram - SecurityWeek
Yukon gov't website back after cyber attack, Nunavut gov't site still down | CBC News
Internet of Things – IoT
Co-op to ban Chinese CCTV after security risk warnings (telegraph.co.uk)
Wyze security camera owners report seeing strangers' camera feeds | Mashable
Hackers will hack anything — including your sex toys - The Hustle
Data Breaches/Leaks
Overconfident Organisations Prone to Cyber Breaches, Study Finds - IT Security Guru
LastPass Hackers Cracking Password Vaults - Experts Warns - Cyber Kendra
Dymocks Booksellers suffers data breach impacting 836k customers (bleepingcomputer.com)
How Do Hackers Sell and Trade Your Data in the Metaverse? (makeuseof.com)
Capita class action: 2,000 sign up in wake of data theft • The Register
Airbus data leaked via infected customer computer • The Register
Threat actor leaks sensitive data belonging to Airbus (securityaffairs.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
How Next-Gen Threats Are Taking a Page From APTs - SecurityWeek
How Do Hackers Sell and Trade Your Data in the Metaverse? (makeuseof.com)
Europol's spotlight report sheds light on evolving cyber attacks (amlintelligence.com)
Cyber criminals Use Webex Brand to Target Corporate Users (darkreading.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain
Top blockchain Cyber security threats to watch out for (att.com)
$24 Million Worth of Crypto Wiped out Overnight in Massive Phishing Attack
Blockchain Security Firm Unveils APT Attack by Lazarus Group - DailyCoin
Hackers steal $53 million worth of cryptocurrency from CoinEx (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cryptoqueen: Accomplice jailed for 20 years for OneCoin financial scam - BBC News
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Latest fraud schemes targeting the payments ecosystem - Help Net Security
Cryptoqueen: Accomplice jailed for 20 years for OneCoin financial scam - BBC News
Glasgow firm issues warning following recent cyber attack | Glasgow Times
Impersonation Attacks
Email forwarding flaws enable attackers to impersonate high-profile domains - Help Net Security
Cyber criminals Use Webex Brand to Target Corporate Users (darkreading.com)
Deepfakes
AML/CFT/Sanctions
Insurance
Dark Web
ChatGPT Jailbreaking Forums Proliferate in Dark Web Communities (darkreading.com)
Cloud credentials are the hot ticket item on the dark web • The Register
Supply Chain and Third Parties
Evaluating & Managing Service Provider Security Risks (in 2023) | UpGuard
Airbus Cyber Attack: Over 3,200 Vendor Data Accessed by Hackers (cybersecuritynews.com)
Capita class action: 2,000 sign up in wake of data theft • The Register
The rise and evolution of supply chain attacks - Help Net Security
A 2-Week Prescription for Eliminating Supply Chain Threats (darkreading.com)
Cloud/SaaS
Thousands of Microsoft 365 accounts under threat from W3LL phishing kit | TechRadar
7 Steps to Kickstart Your SaaS Security Program (thehackernews.com)
Cloud storage security: What's new in the threat matrix | Microsoft Security Blog
Cloud CVEs Surge 200% in a Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Cloud credentials are the hot ticket item on the dark web • The Register
Palo Alto Networks: 80% of security exposures exist in cloud | TechTarget
Cloud security in the era of artificial intelligence (securityintelligence.com)
Containers
Kubernetes Admins Warned to Patch Clusters Against New RCE Vulns (darkreading.com)
Alert: New Kubernetes Vulnerabilities Enable Remote Attacks on Windows Endpoints (thehackernews.com)
Identity and Access Management
Root Admin User: When Do Common Usernames Pose a Threat? (databreachtoday.co.uk)
Companies need to rethink how they implement identity security - Help Net Security
Enterprises persist with outdated authentication strategies - Help Net Security
Why Identity Management Is the Key to Stopping APT Cyber Attacks (darkreading.com)
Encryption
API
How to Prevent API Breaches: A Guide to Robust Security (thehackernews.com)
Elevating API security to reinforce cyber defence - Help Net Security
Machine Learning is a Must for API Security - IT Security Guru
Open Source
Free Download Manager site redirected Linux users to malware for years (bleepingcomputer.com)
Linux Malware! Read This If You Use Free Download Manager (itsfoss.com)
Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks
If You Didn’t Change Your Passwords After the LastPass Data Breach, Do It Now (makeuseof.com)
Root Admin User: When Do Common Usernames Pose a Threat? (databreachtoday.co.uk)
New WiKI-Eve attack can steal numerical passwords over WiFi (bleepingcomputer.com)
Wi-Fi radio signal data can be used 'to predict passwords' • The Register
Cloud credentials are the hot ticket item on the dark web • The Register
Iranian hackers breach defence orgs in password spray attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Social Media
Facebook Messenger phishing wave targets 100K business accounts per week (bleepingcomputer.com)
After Microsoft and X, Hackers Launch DDoS Attack on Telegram - SecurityWeek
How Do Hackers Sell and Trade Your Data in the Metaverse? (makeuseof.com)
Millions of Facebook Business Accounts Bitten by Python Malware (darkreading.com)
Training, Education and Awareness
How to Transform Security Awareness Into Security Culture (darkreading.com)
Elevating Cyber Awareness: A Strategic Approach (informationweek.com)
How end-user phishing training works (and why it doesn’t) (bleepingcomputer.com)
Great security training is a real challenge - Help Net Security
Digital Transformation
Parental Controls and Child Safety
Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
SEC Issues Final Rules on Cyber Security Disclosures | Kelley Drye & Warren LLP - JDSupra
What Makes an Incident ‘Material’? | Calloquy, PBC - JDSupra
The International Criminal Court will now prosecute cyberwar crimes | Ars Technica
Preparing For Cyber Security Disclosures Set For Public Companies (forbes.com)
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Backup and Recovery
How to develop a cloud backup ransomware protection strategy | TechTarget
How To Backup Data From NAS: A Complete Guide (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Data Protection
Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security
Cyber Security Skills Gap: Roadies & Gamers Are Untapped Talent (darkreading.com)
Three ways to overcome cyber security staff shortages (securitybrief.co.nz)
Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring
Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage
Russia
China
Risk & Repeat: Big questions remain on Storm-0558 attacks | TechTarget
Parliamentary researcher ‘who spied for China’ arrested | UK news | The Guardian
Arrest of alleged spy raises questions around UK’s China policy | Financial Times (ft.com)
Microsoft, Apple versus China, spyware actors (techrepublic.com)
Co-op to ban Chinese CCTV after security risk warnings (telegraph.co.uk)
Spies, Hackers, Informants: How China Snoops on the West - SecurityWeek
China caught with its malware in another nation's power grid • The Register
China Threat Recap: A Deeper Insight (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Iran
Iranian hackers backdoor 34 orgs with new Sponsor malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
‘Scan-and-exploit’ campaign snares unpatched Exchange servers | SC Media (scmagazine.com)
North Korea
Misc Nation State/Cyber Warfare
Vulnerability Management
Severe vulnerability found in all browsers, and it's being attacked | PCWorldOvercoming the Rising Threat of Session Hijacking (darkreading.com)
Cloud CVEs Surge 200% in a Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
With 0-days hitting Chrome, iOS, and dozens more this month, is no software safe? | Ars Technica
Vulnerabilities
Microsoft September 2023 Patch Tuesday fixes 2 zero-days, 59 flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)
Unpatched Cisco ASA flaw exploited by attackers (CVE-2023-20269) - Help Net Security
Severe vulnerability found in all browsers, and it's being attacked | PCWorld
After Apple and Google, Mozilla Also Patches Zero-Day Exploited for Spyware Delivery - SecurityWeek
Notepad++ 8.5.7 released with fixes for four security vulnerabilities (bleepingcomputer.com)
Adobe warns of critical Acrobat and Reader zero-day exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Alert: New Kubernetes Vulnerabilities Enable Remote Attacks on Windows Endpoints (thehackernews.com)
Cisco warns of VPN zero-day exploited by ransomware gangs (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cloud CVEs Surge 200% in a Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Tools and Controls
Global companies to hike security spending as threats rise - survey | Reuters
Don't Leave Cyber Security to Chance, the Hidden Risk when Staff Depart - IT Security Guru
What Is XDR and Why It's Changing the Security Industry - ReadWrite
Remote Desktop Protocol exposures leave 85% of organisations vulnerable to attack - SiliconANGLE
The Dark Web Is Expanding (As Is the Value of Monitoring It) (darkreading.com)
How to Prevent API Breaches: A Guide to Robust Security (thehackernews.com)
Elevating Cyber Awareness: A Strategic Approach (informationweek.com)
Great security training is a real challenge - Help Net Security
Companies need to rethink how they implement identity security - Help Net Security
Enterprises persist with outdated authentication strategies - Help Net Security
Why Identity Management Is the Key to Stopping APT Cyber Attacks (darkreading.com)
Easy Configuration Fixes Can Protect Your Server from Attack (securityintelligence.com)
Other News
The Weaponization of Operational Technology (securityintelligence.com)
ICS Computers in Western Countries See Increasing Attacks: Report - SecurityWeek
Cyber Trends: The Gunpowder of the Twenty-First Century (e-ir.info)
The 9 Top Technology Trends That Are Shaping the Future of Cyber Security (makeuseof.com)
The Cyber Security Risks In Education Cannot Be Ignored (forbes.com)
A new Repojacking attack exposed over 4,000 GitHub repositories to hack (securityaffairs.com)
Cyber attacks reach fever pitch in Q2 2023 - Data Centre & Network News (dcnnmagazine.com)
Rising OT/ICS cyber security incidents reveal alarming trend - Help Net Security
Brits happy to break cyber law if the price is right | Computer Weekly
British Military Hit by Six Million Cyber Attacks in 2022 (thedefensepost.com)
Trustwave report on hospitality industry security threats | Cyber Magazine
Cyber security impact on construction, engineering projects (csemag.com)
Cyber criminals come for schools — and schools aren’t ready (hechingerreport.org)
Professional Sports: The Next Frontier of Cyber Security? (darkreading.com)
How Dangerous Is the Cyber Attack Risk to Transportation? (securityintelligence.com)
Poison in the Water: The Physical Repercussions of IoT Security Threats (securityintelligence.com)
Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyber attacks since late 2022 | Reuters
Death by digital: attacks on healthcare put people at risk (synack.com)
Sector Specific
Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.
Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.
· Automotive
· Construction
· Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
· Defence & Space
· Education & Academia
· Energy & Utilities
· Estate Agencies
· Financial Services
· FinTech
· Food & Agriculture
· Gaming & Gambling
· Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)
· Health/Medical/Pharma
· Hotels & Hospitality
· Insurance
· Legal
· Manufacturing
· Maritime
· Oil, Gas & Mining
· OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems
· Retail & eCommerce
· Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)
· Startups
· Telecoms
· Third Sector & Charities
· Transport & Aviation
· Web3
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
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Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.