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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 19 January 2024

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 19 January 2024:

-World Economic Forum and UN Warn of Growing ‘Cyber Insecurity’ Amid Heightened Threat Landscape

-Cyber Attacks Reveal Fragility of Financial Markets as Attacks on Financial Services Sector Surge

-Researcher Uncovers One of The Biggest Password Dumps in Recent History

-Email Nightmare: 94% of Firms Hit by Phishing Attacks in 2023

-75% of Organisations Hit by Ransomware in 2023

-The Dangers of Quadruple Blow Ransomware Attacks

-Human Error and Insiders Expose Millions in UK Law Firm Data Breaches

-It’s a New Year and a Good Time for a Cyber Security Checkup

-Applying the Tyson Principle to Cyber Security: Why Attack Simulations are Key to Avoiding Disaster

-Cyber Threats Top Global Business Risk Concern for 2024

-Generative AI has CEOs Worried About Cyber Security, PwC Survey Says

-With Attacks on the Upswing, Cyber Insurance Premiums Poised to Rise Too

-Digital Resilience – a Step Up from Cyber Security

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

World Economic Forum and UN Warn of Growing ‘Cyber Insecurity’ Amid Heightened Threat Landscape

The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations (UN) have highlighted “cyber insecurity” as one of the most critical challenges facing organisations worldwide. A recent report reveals that over 80% of surveyed organisations feel more exposed to cyber crime than in the previous year, leading to calls for increased collaboration across sectors and borders to enhance business resilience. The study shows a growing gap in cyber resilience between organisations, with small and medium-sized enterprises facing declines of 30% in cyber resilience. Moreover, the cyber skills shortage continues to widen, with only 15% of organisations optimistic about improvements in cyber education and skills.

The report also underscores the impact of generative AI on cyber security, emphasising the need for ongoing innovation in digital security efforts. According to a separate report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, there has been a significant uptick in the use of large language model-based chatbots, deepfake technology, and automation tools in cyber fraud operations. These technologies pose a significant threat to the formal banking industry and require focused attention from authorities to counter their impact. The convergence of these trends underscores the urgency and complexity of the cyber security landscape.

Sources: [ITPro] [The Debrief]

Cyber Attacks Reveal Fragility of Financial Markets as Attacks on Financial Services Sector Surge

The financial sector is facing an increased risk from cyber attacks, with cyber security now being listed as the top systemic risk according to a Bank of England survey. Cyber attacks rose by 64% in 2023, with a shift towards AI-facilitated ransomware attacks and Vendor Email Compromise (VEC), which rose 137%, and Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, which rose by 71%, both of which exploit human error and pose a severe threat to the industry.

However, there is a lack of readiness by financial organisations to manage cyber attacks due to sophisticated attacks, talent shortages, and insufficient cyber defence investments. Ransomware incidents reported to the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority doubled in 2023, making up 31% of cyber incidents, up from 11% in 2022. The financial sector remains a prime target for cyber criminals, especially ransomware groups.

Sources: [ITPro] [Law Society] [Security Brief] [Financial Times]  [Infosecurity Magazine]

Researcher Uncovers One of The Biggest Password Dumps in Recent History

Researchers have found that nearly 71 million unique stolen credentials for logging into websites such as Facebook, Roblox, eBay, Coinbase and Yahoo have been circulating on the Internet for at least four months. The massive amount of data was posted to a well-known underground market that brokers sales of compromised credentials.

Whilst there is a large number of re-used passwords in the data dump, it appears to contain roughly 25 million new passwords and 70 million unique email addresses. This serves as a crucial reminder about properly securing accounts, such as not reusing passwords, using a password manager and securing accounts with multi factor authentication.

Source: [Ars Technica]

Email Nightmare: 94% of Firms Hit by Phishing Attacks in 2023

Email security remained at the forefront of cyber related issues for decision-makers, with over nine in ten (94%) having to deal with a phishing attack, according to email security provider Egress. The top three phishing techniques used in 2023 were malicious URLs, malware or ransomware attachments, and attacks sent from compromised accounts. 96% of targeted organisations were negatively impacted by these attacks, up 10% from the previous year.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

75% of Organisations Hit by Ransomware in 2023

A recent report found that 75% of participants suffered at least one ransomware attack last year, and 26% were hit four or more times. The report noted that of the 25% who claimed to not have been hit, some could have been a victim but may not have the facilities to detect and therefore be aware as such. Ransomware remains a security threat and no organisation is immune.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

The Dangers of Quadruple Blow Ransomware Attacks

With the introduction of new regulatory requirements like NIS 2.0 and changes to US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) statutes, organisations are now mandated to promptly report cyber incidents, sometimes with deadlines as tight as four days. However, attackers are evolving their tactics to exploit these regulations. They add a new level of coercion by threatening to report non-compliant organisations to the regulator, thereby increasing the pressure on their victims. This was first seen last year as a ransomware gang AlphV reported one of its victims, MeridianLink, to the SEC for failing to report a successful cyber attack.

This coercive strategy places immense pressure on companies, especially as they grapple with data encryption, data exfiltration, and public exposure threats. In response to these evolving threats and regulatory pressures, organisations must invest in cyber resilience. This enables them to effectively respond to attacks, communicate with regulators, and recover services promptly, ultimately fortifying their defences against future threats.

Source: [TechRadar]

Human Error and Insiders Expose Millions in UK Law Firm Data Breaches

UK law firms are falling victim to data breaches primarily because of insiders and human error, according to an analysis of data from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). According to research, 60% of data breaches in the UK legal sector where the result of insider actions. In total, breaches led to the exposure of information of 4.2 million people. Often, even those organisations that implement measures to prevent breaches will still miss insider risk. Insider risk is not always malicious; it can also be negligence or due to a lack of knowledge, and it is important to protect against it.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

It’s a New Year and a Good Time for a Cyber Security Checkup

2023 brought a slew of high-profile vulnerabilities and data breaches impacting various sectors, including healthcare, government, and education. Notable incidents included ransomware attacks, such as the MOVEit, GoAnywhere, and casino operator breaches, along with the exploitation of unpatched legacy vulnerabilities like Log4j and Microsoft Exchange. Furthermore, new regulatory requirements from the likes of the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), and state security and privacy laws, added to the complexity. As we enter 2024, it is crucial for organisations, regardless of size, to reassess their cyber security strategies, incorporating lessons learned and adapting to new requirements. Comprehensive cyber security programs encompass people, operations and technology, addressing the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.

Black Arrow can help with comprehensive and impartial assessments including gap analyses and security testing. These provide you with the objective assurance you need to understand whether your controls are providing you with your intended security and risk management.

Source: [JDSupra]

Applying the Tyson Principle to Cyber Security: Why Attack Simulations are Key to Avoiding Disaster

Mike Tyson’s famous adage “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face," is something we too often see in the world of security. When it comes to cyber security, preparedness is not just a luxury but a necessity. Far too often, unrealistic expectations in cyber defences create a false sense of security, leading to dire consequences when the reality of an attack hits. No-one wants to be testing their defences and implementing their response plan for the first time during a real incident.

In comes the benefit of incident and attack simulations: a reality check of your defences in a safe environment. Regular tabletop war-gaming exercises that simulate the fall out of an attack for senior leadership, can help to build muscle memory for when something does happen. They make sure everyone knows what to do, and crucially also not to do, when such an event happens for real. A deeper exercise would be a simulated attack that can be systematic and controlled, to mimic a real attacker and then adapted as attackers change their tactics, techniques, and procedures. From simulations, organisations can assess how their defences performed, applying insights and measuring and refining their defences for the event of a real attack.

Source: [The Hacker News]

Cyber Threats Top Global Business Risk Concern for 2024

Cyber related incidents, including ransomware attacks, data breaches and IT disruptions are the biggest concern for companies globally in 2024, according to a recent report by Allianz. The report highlights that these risks are a concern for businesses of all sizes, but the resilience gap between large and small companies is widening, “as risk awareness among larger organisations has grown since the pandemic with a notable drive to upgrade resilience.” Smaller businesses lack the time and resources that larger organisations have available, and as such need to carefully select and prioritise their resilience efforts.

Source: [Insurance Journal]

Generative AI has CEOs Worried About Cyber Security, PwC Survey Says

A recent PwC global survey found that when it comes to generative AI risks, 64% of CEOs said they are most concerned about its impact on cyber security, with over half of the total interviewed stating concerns about generative AI spreading misinformation in their company.  When we think of generative AI, we often worry about outside risk and the impact it can have for attackers, but the risk can also be internal, with things such as accidental disclosure by employees to unregulated generative AI. There is a necessity for organisations to govern the usage of AI in their corporate environment, to prevent such risks.

Source: [Quartz]

With Attacks on the Upswing, Cyber Insurance Premiums Poised to Rise Too

As the threat landscape continues to evolve, the cyber insurance market is experiencing significant changes that will impact businesses in the coming months with experts predicting that cyber insurance costs are on the verge of an upward trend. The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work and the cloud disrupted the cyber insurance market, leading to rising costs and reduced coverage options. In 2022, a temporary respite saw lower premiums, but 2023 has seen a resurgence in attacker activity, making it a challenging year for insurers. Cyber insurance remains a critical component of risk management, with the industry expected to continue growing despite higher rates. For businesses, understanding the evolving landscape of cyber insurance and ensuring adequate coverage is crucial in the face of escalating cyber threats.

Source: [Dark Reading]

Digital Resilience: a Step Up from Cyber Security

In today's digital landscape, the focus on digital resilience is paramount for organisations. While cyber security has garnered attention, digital resilience is the new frontier. Digital resilience involves an organisation's ability to maintain, adapt, and recover technology-dependent operations. As we increasingly rely on digital technology and the internet of things, understanding the critical role of technology in core business processes is vital. It goes beyond cyber security, encompassing change management, business resilience, operational risk, and competitiveness. Digital resilience means being ready to adopt new technology and swiftly recover from disruptions. Recognising its value and managing it at the senior level is crucial for long-term success in our rapidly evolving digital world. Moreover, amid a rising number of cyber attacks, addressing the statistic that only 18% of UK businesses provided cyber security training to employees last year is essential. Bridging this knowledge gap through cyber hygiene, a culture of cyber security, and robust safety measures will strengthen an organisation's cyber resilience against evolving threats.

Black Arrow supports organisations of all sizes in designing and delivering proportionate user education and awareness programmes, including in-person and online training as well as simulated phishing campaigns. Our programmes help secure employee engagement and build a cyber security culture to protect the organisation. 

Sources: [CSO Online] [Financial Times]


Governance, Risk and Compliance


Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

Ransomware Victims

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

Artificial Intelligence

2FA/MFA

Malware

Mobile

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

Internet of Things – IoT

Data Breaches/Leaks

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

Insurance

Supply Chain and Third Parties

Cloud/SaaS

Identity and Access Management

Encryption

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

Social Media

Malvertising

Training, Education and Awareness

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

Models, Frameworks and Standards

Backup and Recovery

Data Protection

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

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

Russia

Iran

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


Vulnerability Management

Vulnerabilities


Tools and Controls



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.

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Black Arrow Admin Black Arrow Admin

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 08 December 2023

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 08 December 2023:

-Cyber Attacks More Likely Than Fire or Theft, as Fifth of UK Businesses Fallen Victim To Cyber Attack in Past Year

-Russia Hacking: 'FSB in Years-Long Cyber Attacks on UK', Says Government

-NCSC CTO Cyber Security is Essential, Not Optional

-69% of Organisations Paid Ransoms, contributing to Inflation as Firms Increase Costs

-75% of Sports Related Passwords are Reused Across Accounts

-Ransomware in 2024: Anticipated Impact, Targets, and Landscape Shift

-Ransomware, Vendor Hacks Push Breach Number to Record High

-Nuclear Hack Creates Rising Fears of Cyber Vulnerability in Critical Infrastructure

-Thousands of House Purchases Frozen by Cyber Attack; Will They Complete Before Christmas?

-US Government Agency Was Hacked Thanks to 'End of Life' Software

-Digital Transformation, Security Implications, and their Effects on The Modern Workplace

-Third Party Breaches Shake up Energy Sector, with 90% Suffering from Third-Party Breach

-Report Reveals Sorry State of Cyber Security at UK Football Clubs

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 Attacks More Likely Than Fire or Theft, as Fifth of UK Businesses Fallen Victim To Cyber Attack in Past Year

A survey of more than 1,200 UK businesses of all sizes across multiple industries conducted by Aviva found that a fifth of UK businesses were victims to cyber attacks in the past year. The report found that businesses were 67% more likely to have experienced a cyber incident than a physical theft and five times more likely to have experienced a cyber attack than a fire.

When it came to the fallout from a cyber attack, 31% of businesses experienced operational disruption and 20% admit to not being confident in knowing what to do should this happen. This lack of confidence rises to more than a quarter (27%) for small businesses, who appear to be the most vulnerable to such a risk. Financially, the average incident was found to cost £21,000, however this figure is likely to be more given the further implications that result from a cyber attack.

Sources: [Insurance Age] [theHRD] [Infosecurity Magazine]

Russia Hacking: 'FSB in Years-Long Cyber Attacks on UK', Says UK Government

The UK government has accused Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the KGB, of conducting a prolonged cyber hacking campaign since at least 2015, targeting politicians, journalists, academics, and others through sophisticated attacks that included the creation of false accounts. This accusation, part of a coordinated effort with the US, aims to disrupt FSB operations and raise awareness ahead of major elections. This comes as a recent report by Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 found that the Russia-linked APT28 group, also known as “Forest Blizzard” or “Fancybear,” has exploited a Microsoft Outlook vulnerability to target European NATO members. Active since 2007 and linked to the Russian military, APT28's recent campaigns have focused on government, energy, transportation, and NGOs in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. These incidents highlight the critical need for enhanced cyber security measures and international cooperation to counter sophisticated and evolving cyber threats, ensuring the security of sensitive sectors and the integrity of global democratic processes.

Sources: [BBC News] [ Security Affairs]

NCSC CTO: Cyber Security is Essential, Not Optional

Ollie Whitehouse, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the UK’s NCSC has argued in a recent keynote that extra security features should not be a premium feature, highlighting the importance of vendors adopting a secure-by-design method, rather than implementing security upcharges where vendors charge extra for users to secure their product.

The speech also noted that organisations should utilise the tools that are already available to them, on top of maintaining a focus on user awareness.

Sources:  [Infosecurity Magazine] [Dark Reading]

69% of Organisations Paid Ransoms, contributing to Inflation as Firms Increase Costs

According to a survey, 75% of respondents reported being targeted by ransomware in the past year, and of those, 69% paid the ransom. 54% of those who paid the ransom, suffered financial ramifications of $100,000 or more. It is unclear whether the research includes further implications such as regulatory fines, loss of work, reputational damage, and cost of down-time.

A separate study found that ransomware attacks costs are directly contributing to rising inflation in the UK, as businesses face an average increase of 17% to their costs following an attack. Cumulatively, 68% of the companies represented in the survey reported they had increased prices by at least 11% as a direct result of suffering an attack. In addition, of those falling victim to ransomware, 70% believed their business would have to close if they suffered another attack. When it came to the time lost to dealing with ransomware, companies took an average of two months to recover from an attack and 16% took between three and six months.

Sources: [ITPro] [Beta News] [Security Magazine]

75% of Sports Related Passwords are Reused Across Accounts

According to a recent Bitwarden report, 33% of Americans have used a sports-themed password. This figure rose to 49% for those ages 18-34. Of those, 75% admitted to using it across multiple accounts. Password re-use a common issue globally: by re-using passwords, users are multiplying the likelihood of being breached by an attacker. Additionally, this can crossover to the corporate environment, where users’ personal breached credentials can be utilised to get into their corporate account.

Sources:  [Security Magazine] [Help Net Security]

Ransomware in 2024: Anticipated Impact, Targets, and Landscape Shift

As ransomware continues to rise, we can expect groups to evolve their attacks, operating on a larger scale for bigger profits, especially following large-scale supply chain attacks in the past 12 months. Ransomware has solidified its position as the predominant security threat in 2023, with a record number of victims. A recent report highlighted a 46% increase in cyber extortion and ransomware attacks compared to previous years. This trend shows ransomware evolving into a profitable microcosm, akin to a startup ecosystem, with more groups emerging as disruptors and newcomers. In response, organisations are increasingly turning to services that lend-out cryptocurrency, a frequent ransomware payment method. With changing tactics and the formation of new groups, it's crucial for leaders to prepare their 2024 security strategies now, ensuring they have a robust plan in place to counter ransomware threats to their organisations.

Sources: [Barrons] [Help Net Security] [Computer Weekly]

Ransomware, Vendor Hacks Push Breach Number to Record High

The world is experiencing a significant rise in data breaches, reaching a record high with more than 360 million individuals affected in the first eight months of 2023 in the US alone, according to a joint report from Apple and an MIT researcher. This alarming increase includes a notable surge in ransomware attacks, which have escalated by nearly 70% compared to 2022. The healthcare sector is particularly vulnerable, with 60% of organisations reporting ransomware attacks in 2023, an increase from 34% in 2021. The largest health data breach this year impacted 11 million people at HCA Healthcare. A critical factor in these breaches is the exploitation of third-party vendors, as seen in attacks on Progress Software's MOVEit and Fortra's GoAnywhere applications. These incidents highlight the urgent need for organisations to prioritise data security, especially in managing relationships with vendors, to protect sensitive information and mitigate the growing threat of cyber attacks.

Source: [Info Risk Today]

Nuclear Hack Creates Rising Fears of Cyber Vulnerability in Critical Infrastructure

News of one of the UK’s most high profile nuclear power stations, Sellafield, being hacked, with fears that highly sensitive information has been accessible for years, has led to new calls for the UK to tighten up security of its vital infrastructure. Rather worryingly, The Guardian have added that it discovered that authorities were unaware of its first compromise, but it has been detected as far back as 2015.

Sources: [Emerging Risks]

Thousands of House Purchases Frozen by Cyber Attack; Will They Complete Before Christmas?

Conveyancing firms across the UK faced significant disruption when they discovered blank screens on their computers due to a problem originating from CTS, a cloud hosting provider widely used for legal applications. This unexpected issue led many within these affected firms to hastily purchase new laptops to regain partial access to emails and documents, but their case management systems remained largely inaccessible. Firms had to devise manual workarounds to keep transactions moving, amidst concerns about the safety of client data and funds. While most firms have found ways to progress with exchanges and completions, the reliance on cumbersome manual processes and limited access to client data and financial systems has more than doubled the workload. This situation raises several questions about the preparedness and resilience of paperless (or paper-light) office environments, the adequacy of backup systems, and potential compensation for those inconvenienced. The immediate focus, however, is on collaborative efforts to ensure as many clients as possible can move into their new homes before Christmas.

Source: [Property Industry Eye]

US Government Agency Was Hacked Thanks to 'End of Life' Software

The US Cyber security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently issued a warning about two cyber attacks on an undisclosed federal agency, exploiting a vulnerability in outdated Adobe ColdFusion software. This software, now end-of-life, no longer receives updates, leaving the agency vulnerable and unable to apply security patches. The attacks, which occurred in June and July, appeared to be reconnaissance efforts to map the agency's network, with no evidence of malware installation or data exfiltration. However, it's unclear if the same hackers were behind both incidents. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint detected and limited the hackers' activities. This situation underscores the significant risks associated with running end-of-life software, highlighting the need for organisations to update or replace such software to protect against potential cyber threats.

Source:[ TechCrunch]

Digital Transformation, Security Implications, and their Effects on The Modern Workplace

The vast majority of digital transformation projects will have implications for your cyber security, yet too often this is overlooked with the focus on delivery of the project or the functionality it will bring. Thinking about security after the fact is not only more expensive and less efficient, but can also mean dangerous gaps remaining open in the meantime. In this era, where remote work and public network access are prevalent, the lack of a robust cyber security framework significantly undermines the digital transformation process. Continuous employee education on digital threats and proactive cyber security measures are not just add-ons but essential components of a successful digital transformation. As businesses move towards 2024, integrating advanced cyber security practices is as crucial as adopting new technologies for a truly effective and secure digital transformation.

Source:[ Forbes]

Third Party Breaches Shake up Energy Sector, with 90% Suffering from Third-Party Breach

With 90% of the largest energy companies globally experiencing a third-party breach in the past 12 months, it is no wonder the sector is shaken. In the US, 100% of the top 10 US energy providers suffered a breach and in total, 98% of the organisations in the research used at least one third party vendor that had experienced a breach in the last two years.

Third-party breaches are a concern for any organisation. It is important to know who has access to your organisation’s data, and what security controls they have in place to protect it. Organisations can benefit from firstly identifying who has their information and then conducting supply chain risk assessments to understand what information is held and how it is protected.

Sources: [Help Net Security]

Report Reveals Sorry State of Cyber Security at UK Football Clubs

A new report reveals a concerning lack of cyber resilience within UK football clubs, extending from the Premier League downwards. The industry, increasingly targeted by cyber attacks, suffers from a disconnect between the perceived and actual risk levels. Key findings include a general lack of cyber maturity, outdated approaches to cyber security, and a scarcity of dedicated IT and cyber security roles, including Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). Despite significant financial investments in players, there's reluctance from club boards to allocate sufficient resources for cyber security. The report underscores the need for comprehensive training, increased awareness of security risks across all levels of club operations, and the hiring of dedicated cyber security professionals. This situation calls for an industry-wide standard for cyber security budgets, scaled according to the club's size and turnover, to adequately address these emerging digital threats.

Source: [Computer Weekly]



Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

Ransomware Victims

Artificial Intelligence

Malware

Mobile

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

Internet of Things – IoT

Data Breaches/Leaks

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

Insurance

Supply Chain and Third Parties

Cloud/SaaS

Encryption

Linux and Open Source

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

Malvertising

Training, Education and Awareness

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

Models, Frameworks and Standards

Data Protection

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

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

Russia

Iran

North Korea


Vulnerability Management

Vulnerabilities



Other News

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.

Read More
Black Arrow Admin Black Arrow Admin

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 13 January 2023

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 13 January 2023:

-Quarter of UK SMBs Hit by Ransomware in 2022

-Global Cyber Attack Volume Surges 38% in 2022

-1 in 3 Organisations Do Not Provide Any Cyber Security Training to Remote Workers Despite the Majority of Employees Having Access to Critical Data

-AI-Generated Phishing Attacks Are Becoming More Convincing

-Customer and Employee Data the Top Prize for Hackers

-Royal Mail hit by Ransomware Attack, Causes ‘Severe Disruption’ to Services

-The Guardian Confirms Personal Information Compromised in Ransomware Attack

-Ransomware Gang Releases Info Stolen from 14 UK Schools, Including Passport Scans

-The Dark Web’s Criminal Minds See Internet of Things as Next Big Hacking Prize

-Corrupted File to Blame for Computer Glitch which Grounded Every US Flight

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

  • Quarter of UK SMBs Hit by Ransomware in 2022

Over one in four (26%) British SMBs have been targeted by ransomware over the past year, with half (47%) of those compromised paying their extorters, according to new data from anti-virus provider Avast. The security vendor polled 1000 IT decision makers from UK SMBs back in October, to better understand the risk landscape over the previous 12 months.

More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents said they are more concerned about being attacked since the start of the war in Ukraine, fuelling concerns that have led to half (50%) investing in cyber-insurance. They’re wise to do so, considering that 41% of those hit by ransomware lost data, while 34% lost access to devices, according to Avast.

Given that SMBs comprise over 99% of private sector businesses in the country, it’s reassuring that cyber is now being viewed as a major business risk. Nearly half (48%) ranked it as one of the biggest threats they currently face, versus 66% who cited financial risk stemming from surging operational cost. More respondents cited cyber as a top threat than did physical security (35%) and supply chain disruption (33%).

Avast argued that SMBs are among the groups most vulnerable to cyber-threats as they often have very limited budget and resources, and many don’t have somebody on staff managing security holistically. As a result, not only are SMB’s lacking in their defence, but they’re also slower and less able to react to incidents.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/quarter-of-uk-smbs-hit-ransomware/

  • Global Cyber Attack Volume Surges 38% in 2022

The number of cyber attacks recorded last year was nearly two-fifths (38%) greater than the total volume observed in 2021, according to Check Point.

The security vendor claimed the increase was largely due to a surge in attacks on healthcare organisations, which saw the largest year-on-year (YoY) increase (74%), and the activities of smaller, more agile hacking groups.

Overall, attacks reached an all-time high in Q4 with an average of 1168 weekly attacks per organisation. The average weekly figures for the year were highest for education sector organisations (2314), government and military (1661) and healthcare (1463).

Threat actors appear to have capitalised on gaps in security created by the shift to remote working. The ransomware ecosystem is continuing to evolve and grow with smaller, more agile criminal groups that form to evade law enforcement. Hackers are also now increasingly widening their aim to target business collaboration tools such as Slack, Teams, OneDrive and Google Drive with phishing exploits. These make for a rich source of sensitive data given that most organisations’ employees continue to work remotely.

It is predicted that AI tools like ChatGPT would help to fuel a continued surge in attacks in 2023 by making it quicker and easier for bad actors to generate malicious code and emails.

Recorded cyber-attacks on US organisations grew 57% YoY in 2022, while the figure was even higher in the UK (77%). This chimes with data from UK ISP Beaming, which found that 2022 was the busiest year on record for attacks. It recorded 687,489 attempts to breach UK businesses in 2022 – the equivalent of one attack every 46 seconds.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/global-cyberattack-volume-surges/

  • 1 in 3 Organisations Do Not Provide Any Cyber Security Training to Remote Workers Despite the Majority of Employees Having Access to Critical Data

New research from cyber security provider Hornetsecurity has found that 33% of companies are not providing any cyber security awareness training to users who work remotely.

The study also revealed nearly three-quarters (74%) of remote staff have access to critical data, which is creating more risk for companies in the new hybrid working world.

Despite the current lack of training and employees feeling ill-equipped, almost half (44%) of respondents said their organisation plans to increase the percentage of employees that work remotely. The popularity of hybrid work, and the associated risks, means that companies must prioritise training and education to make remote working safe.

Traditional methods of controlling and securing company data aren't as effective when employees are working in remote locations and greater responsibility falls on the individual. Companies must acknowledge the unique risks associated with remote work and activate relevant security management systems, as well as empower employees to deal with a certain level of risk.

The independent survey, which quizzed 925 IT professionals from a range of business types and sizes globally, highlighted the security management challenges and employee cyber security risk when working remotely. The research revealed two core problems causing risk: employees having access to critical data, and not enough training being provided on how to manage cyber security or how to reduce the risk of a cyber-attack or breach.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/1-in-3-organizations-do-not-provide-any-cybersecurity-training-to-remote-workers-despite-a-majority-of-employees-having-access-to-critical-data

  • AI-Generated Phishing Attacks Are Becoming More Convincing

It's time for you and your colleagues to become more sceptical about what you read.

That's a takeaway from a series of experiments undertaken using GPT-3 AI text-generating interfaces to create malicious messages designed to spear-phish, scam, harass, and spread fake news.

Experts at WithSecure have described their investigations into just how easy it is to automate the creation of credible yet malicious content at incredible speed. Amongst the use cases explored by the research were the use of GPT-3 models to create:

  • Phishing content – emails or messages designed to trick a user into opening a malicious attachment or visiting a malicious link

  • Social opposition – social media messages designed to troll and harass individuals or to cause brand damage

  • Social validation – social media messages designed to advertise or sell, or to legitimise a scam

  • Fake news – research into how well GPT-3 can generate convincing fake news articles of events that weren’t part of its training set

All of these could, of course, be useful to cyber criminals hell-bent on scamming the unwary or spreading unrest.

https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/ai-generated-phishing-attacks-are-becoming-more-convincing

  • Customer and Employee Data the Top Prize for Hackers

The theft of customer and employee data accounts for almost half (45%) of all stolen data between July 2021 and June 2022, according to a new report from cyber security solution provider Imperva.

The data is part of a 12-month analysis by Imperva Threat Research on the trends and threats related to data security in its report “More Lessons Learned from Analysing 100 Data Breaches”.

Their analysis found that theft of credit card information and password details dropped by 64% compared to 2021. The decline in stolen credit card and password data pointing to the uptake of basic security tactics like multi-factor authentication (MFA). However, in the long term, PII data is the most valuable data to cyber-criminals. With enough stolen PII, they can engage in full-on identity theft which is hugely profitable and very difficult to prevent. Credit cards and passwords can be changed the second there is a breach, but when PII is stolen, it can be years before it is weaponised by hackers.

The research also revealed the root causes of data breaches, with social engineering (17%) and unsecured databases (15%) two of the biggest culprits. Misconfigured applications were only responsible for 2% of data breaches, but Imperva said that businesses should expect this figure to rise in the near future, particularly with cloud-managed infrastructure where configuring for security requires significant expertise.

It’s really concerning that a third (32%) of data breaches are down to unsecured databases and social engineering attacks, since they’re both straightforward to mitigate. A publicly open database dramatically increases the risk of a breach and, all too often, they are left like this not out of a failure of security practices but rather the total absence of any security posture at all.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/customer-employee-data-hackers/

  • Royal Mail hit by Ransomware Attack, Causes ‘Severe Disruption’ to Services

Royal Mail experienced “severe service disruption” to its international export services following a ransomware attack, the company has announced. A statement said it was temporarily unable to despatch export items including letters and parcels to overseas destinations.

Royal Mail said: “We have asked customers temporarily to stop submitting any export items into the network while we work hard to resolve the issue” and advising that “Some customers may experience delay or disruption to items already shipped for export.”

The attack was later attributed to LockBit, a prolific ransomware gang with close ties to Russia. Both the NCSC and the NCA were involved in responding to the incident.

https://www.independent.co.uk/business/royal-mail-cyber-attack-exports-b2260308.html

  • The Guardian Confirms Personal Information Compromised in Ransomware Attack

British news organisation The Guardian has confirmed that personal information was compromised in a ransomware attack in December 2022.

The company fell victim to the attack just days before Christmas, when it instructed staff to work from home, announcing network disruptions that mostly impacted the print newspaper.

Right from the start, the Guardian said it suspected ransomware to have been involved in the incident, and this week the company confirmed that this was indeed the case. In an email to staff on Wednesday, The Guardian Media Group’s chief executive and the Guardian’s editor-in-chief said that the sophisticated cyber attack was likely the result of phishing.

They also announced that the personal information of UK staff members was compromised in the attack, but said that reader data and the information of US and Australia staff was not impacted. “We have seen no evidence that any data has been exposed online thus far and we continue to monitor this very closely,” the Guardian representatives said. While the attack forced the Guardian staff to work from home, online publishing has been unaffected, and production of daily newspapers has continued as well.

“We believe this was a criminal ransomware attack, and not the specific targeting of the Guardian as a media organisation,” the Guardian said.

The company continues to work on recovery and estimates that critical systems would be restored in the next two weeks. Staff, however, will continue to work from home until at least early February. “These attacks have become more frequent and sophisticated in the past three years, against organisations of all sizes, and kinds, in all countries,” the Guardian said.

https://www.securityweek.com/guardian-confirms-personal-information-compromised-ransomware-attack

  • Ransomware Gang Releases Info Stolen from 14 UK Schools, Including Passport Scans

Another month, another release of personal information stolen from a school system. This time, it's a group of 14 schools in the United Kingdom.

Once again, the perpetrator appears to be Vice Society, which is well known for targeting educational systems in the US. As the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) pointed out in a bulletin from Sept. 6, "K-12 institutions may be seen as particularly lucrative targets due to the amount of sensitive student data accessible through school systems or their managed service providers."

The UK hack may have turned up even more confidential information than the Los Angeles school system breach last year. As the BBC reported on Jan. 6, "One folder marked 'passports' contains passport scans for pupils and parents on school trips going back to 2011, whereas another marked 'contract' contains contractual offers made to staff alongside teaching documents on muscle contractions."

Some prominent school cyber attacks in the US include public school districts in Chicago, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. A new study from digital learning platform Clever claims that one in four schools experienced a cyber-incident over the past year, and according to a new report from security software vendor Emsisoft, at least 45 school districts and 44 higher learning institutions suffered ransomware attacks in 2022.

Schools are an attractive target as they are typically data-rich and resource-poor. Without proper resources in terms of dedicated staffing and the necessary tools and training to protect against cyber-attacks, schools can be a soft target. Many of the 14 schools hit by this latest leak are colleges and universities, but primary and secondary schools were also hit, according to the BBC's list.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/vice-society-releases-info-stolen-uk-schools-passport-scans

  • The Dark Web’s Criminal Minds See Internet of Things as Next Big Hacking Prize

Cyber security experts say 2022 may have marked an inflection point due to the rapid proliferation of IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

Criminal groups buy and sell services, and one hot idea — a business model for a crime — can take off quickly when they realise that it works to do damage or to get people to pay. Attacks are evolving from those that shut down computers or stole data, to include those that could more directly wreak havoc on everyday life. IoT devices can be the entry points for attacks on parts of countries’ critical infrastructure, like electrical grids or pipelines, or they can be the specific targets of criminals, as in the case of cars or medical devices that contain software.

For the past decade, manufacturers, software companies and consumers have been rushing to the promise of Internet of Things devices. Now there are an estimated 17 billion in the world, from printers to garage door openers, each one packed with software (some of it open-source software) that can be easily hacked.

What many experts are anticipating is the day enterprising criminals or hackers affiliated with a nation-state figure out an easy-to-replicate scheme using IoT devices at scale. A group of criminals, perhaps connected to a foreign government, could figure out how to take control of many things at once – like cars, or medical devices. There have already been large-scale attacks using IoT, in the form of IoT botnets. In that case, actors leveraging unpatched vulnerabilities in IoT devices used control of those devices to carry out denial of service attacks against many targets. Those vulnerabilities are found regularly in ubiquitous products that are rarely updated.

In other words, the possibility already exists. It’s only a question of when a criminal or a nation decides to act in a way that targets the physical world at a large scale. There are a handful of companies, new regulatory approaches, a growing focus on cars as a particularly important area, and a new movement within the software engineering world to do a better job of incorporating cyber security from the beginning.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/09/the-dark-webs-criminal-minds-see-iot-as-the-next-big-hacking-prize.html

  • Corrupted File to Blame for Computer Glitch which Grounded Every US Flight

A corrupted file has been blamed for a glitch on the Federal Aviation Administration's computer system which saw every flight grounded across the US.

All outbound flights were grounded until around 9am Eastern Time (2pm GMT) on Wednesday as the FAA worked to restore its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which alerts pilots of potential hazards along a flight route.

On Wednesday 4,948 flights within, into or out of the US had been delayed, according to flight tracker FlightAware.com, while 868 had been cancelled. Most delays were concentrated along the East Coast. Normal air traffic operations resumed gradually across the US following the outage to the NOTAM system that provides safety information to flight crews.

A corrupted file affected both the primary and the backup systems, a senior government official told NBC News on Wednesday night, adding that officials continue to investigate. Whilst Government officials said there was no evidence of a cyber attack, it shows the real world impacts that an outage or corrupted file can cause.

https://news.sky.com/story/all-flights-across-us-grounded-due-to-faa-computer-system-glitch-us-media-12784252


Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

Malware

Mobile

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

Internet of Things – IoT

Data Breaches/Leaks

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

Insurance

Dark Web

Software Supply Chain

Cloud/SaaS

Attack Surface Management

Identity and Access Management

Encryption

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

Social Media

Training, Education and Awareness

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

Governance, Risk and Compliance

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

Artificial Intelligence

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


Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

Nation State Actors – China

Nation State Actors – Iran

Nation State Actors – Misc


Vulnerability Management

Applications Five Years or Older Likely to have Security Flaws - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Patch Where it Hurts: Effective Vulnerability Management in 2023 (thehackernews.com)

70% of apps contain at least one security flaw after 5 years in production - Help Net Security

Rackspace Ransomware Incident Highlights Risks of Relying on Mitigation Alone (darkreading.com)

Does a hybrid model for vulnerability management make sense? • Graham Cluley

Vulnerabilities




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.

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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.

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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 06 January 2023

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 06 January 2023:

-Cyber War in Ukraine, Ransomware Fears Drive Surge in Demand for Threat Intelligence Tools

-Cyber Premiums Holding Firms to Ransom

-Ransomware Ecosystem Becoming More Diverse For 2023

-Attackers Evolve Strategies to Outmanoeuvre Security Teams

-Building a Security-First Culture: The Key to Cyber Success

-Adobe, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft Flaws Make Up Half of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalogue

-First LastPass, Now Slack and CircleCI. The Hacks Go On (and will likely worsen)

-Data of 235 Million Twitter Users Leaked Online

-16 Car Makers, including BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota, and Their Vehicles Hacked via Telematics, APIs, Infrastructure

-Ransomware Gang Apologizes, Gives SickKids Hospital Free Decryptor

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 War in Ukraine, Ransomware Fears Drive 2022 Surge in Demand for Threat Intelligence Tools

Amid the heightened fear of ransomware in 2022, threat intelligence emerged as a core requirement of doing business in a world gone mad.

A sizable amount of interest in the historically tech-centric discipline was fuelled in part by fear of cyber attacks tied to the war between Russia and Ukraine. In one example, the Ukrainian government warned the world that the Russian military was planning for multi-pronged attacks targeting the energy sector. Other nation-state cyber attack operations also contributed to the demand, including one June 2022 incident were Iran’s Cobalt Mirage exploited PowerShell vulnerabilities to launch ransomware attacks.

And of course, headlines of data breaches tied to vulnerabilities that organisations did not even know existed within their networks caught the attention not just of security teams, but the C-Suite and corporate board. A misconfigured Microsoft server, for example, wound up exposing years of sensitive data for tens of thousands of its customers, including personally identifiable information, user data, product and project details and intellectual property.

Indeed, according to 183 security pros surveyed by CyberRisk Alliance Business Intelligence in June 2022, threat intelligence has become critical in arming their security operations centres (SOCs) and incident response teams with operational data to help them make timely, informed decisions to prevent system downtime, thwart the theft of confidential data, and protect intellectual property.

Threat intelligence has emerged as a useful tool for educating executives. Many also credited threat intelligence for helping them protect their company and customer data — and potentially saving their organisation's reputation.

https://www.scmagazine.com/resource/threat-intelligence/2022-year-in-review-threat-intelligence-tools

  • Cyber Premiums Holding Firms to Ransom

Soaring premiums for cyber security insurance are leaving businesses struggling to pay other bills, a key industry player has warned.

Mactavish, which buys insurance policies on behalf of companies, said that more than half of big businesses that had bought cyber security insurance had been forced to make cuts elsewhere to pay for it.

In a survey of 200 companies with a turnover above £10 million, Mactavish found that businesses were reducing office costs and staff bonuses and were cutting other types of insurance to meet the higher payments.

Last month Marsh, an insurance broker, revealed that costs for cyber insurance had increased by an average of 66 per cent in the third quarter compared with last year.

Meanwhile, the risk to businesses from hackers continues to rise. A government report on digital threats, published this month, showed the proportion of businesses experiencing cyber security incidents at least monthly had increased from 53 per cent to 60 per cent in the past year. Uber, Cisco and InterContinental Hotels Group were among high-profile targets this year.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cyber-safety-premiums-hold-firms-to-ransom-tnrsz3vs2

  • Ransomware Ecosystem Becoming More Diverse for 2023

The ransomware ecosystem has changed significantly in 2022, with attackers shifting from large groups that dominated the landscape toward smaller ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations in search of more flexibility and drawing less attention from law enforcement. This democratisation of ransomware is bad news for organisations because it also brought in a diversification of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), more indicators of compromise (IOCs) to track, and potentially more hurdles to jump through when trying to negotiate or pay ransoms.

Since 2019 the ransomware landscape has been dominated by big and professionalised ransomware operations that constantly made the news headlines and even looked for media attention to gain legitimacy with potential victims. We've seen ransomware groups with spokespeople who offered interviews to journalists or issued "press releases" on Twitter and their data leak websites in response to big breaches.

The DarkSide attack against Colonial Pipeline that led to a major fuel supply disruption along the US East Coast in 2021 highlighted the risk that ransomware attacks can have against critical infrastructure and led to increased efforts to combat this threat at the highest levels of government. This heightened attention from law enforcement made the owners of underground cyber crime forums reconsider their relationship with ransomware groups, with some forums banning the advertising of such threats. DarkSide ceased operations soon thereafter and was followed later in the year by REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, whose creators were indicted and one was even arrested. REvil was one of the most successful ransomware groups since 2019.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 quickly put a strain on the relationship between many ransomware groups who had members and affiliates in both Russia and Ukraine, or other former USSR countries. Some groups, such as Conti, rushed to take sides in the war, threatening to attack Western infrastructure in support of Russia. This was a departure from the usual business-like apolitical approach in which ransomware gangs had run their operations and drew criticism from other competing groups.

This was also followed by a leak of internal communications that exposed many of Conti's operational secrets and caused uneasiness with its affiliates. Following a major attack against the Costa Rican government the US State Department put up a reward of $10 million for information related to the identity or location of Conti's leaders, which likely contributed to the group's decision to shut down operations in May.

Conti's disappearance led to a drop in ransomware activity for a couple of months, but it didn't last long as the void was quickly filled by other groups, some of them newly set up and suspected to be the creation of former members of Conti, REvil and other groups that ceased operations over the past two years.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3684248/ransomware-ecosystem-becoming-more-diverse-for-2023.html#tk.rss_news

  • Attackers Evolve Strategies to Outmanoeuvre Security Teams

Attackers are expected to broaden their targeting strategy beyond regulated verticals such as financial services and healthcare. Large corporations (41%) will be the top targeted sector for cyber attacks in 2023, favoured over financial institutions (36%), government (14%), healthcare (9%), and education (8%), according to cyber security solution provider Titaniam.

The fast pace of change has introduced new vulnerabilities into corporate networks, making them an increasingly attractive target for cyber attackers. To compete in the digital marketplace, large companies are adopting more cloud services, aggregating data, pushing code into production faster, and connecting applications and systems via APIs.

As a result, misconfigured services, unprotected databases, little-tested applications, and unknown and unsecured APIs abound, all of which can be exploited by attackers.

The top four threats in 2022 were malware (30%), ransomware and extortion (27%), insider threats (26%), and phishing (17%).

The study found that enterprises expected malware (40%) to be their biggest challenge in 2023, followed by insider threats (26%), ransomware and related extortion (21%), and phishing (16%).

Malware, however, has more enterprises worried for 2023 than it did for 2022. It is important to note that these threats can overlap, where insiders can have a hand in ransomware attacks, phishing can be a source of malware, etc.

Attackers are evolving their strategies to surprise and outmanoeuvre security teams, which have hardened ransomware defences and improved phishing detection. They’re using new malware, such as loaders, infostealers, and wipers to accelerate attacks, steal sensitive data and create mayhem.

They’re also buying and stealing employee credentials to walk in through the front door of corporate networks.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/01/04/attackers-evolve-strategies-outmaneuver-security-teams/

  • Building a Security-First Culture: The Key to Cyber Success

Everyone has heard a car alarm go off in the middle of the night, but how often does that notification actually lead to action? Most people will hear the alarm, glance in its direction and then hope the owner will quickly remedy the situation.

Cars alarms often fail because they go off too often, leading to apathy and annoyance instead of being a cause for emergency. For many, cyber security has also become this way. While we see an increase in the noise surrounding the need for organisations to improve the security skillset and knowledge base of employees, there continues to be little proactive action on this front. Most organisations only provide employees with elementary-grade security training, often during their initial onboarding process or as part of a standard training requirement.

At the same time, many organisations also make the grave mistake of leaving all of their security responsibilities and obligations in the hands of IT and security teams. Time and time again, this approach has proven to be highly ineffective, especially as cyber criminals refine their social engineering tactics and target user accounts to execute their attacks.

Alarmingly, recent research found that 30% of employees do not think that they play a role in maintaining their company’s cyber security posture. The same report also revealed that only 39% of employees say they are likely to report a security incident.

As traditional boundaries of access disintegrate and more employees obtain permissions to sensitive company data and systems to carry out their tasks, business leaders must change the mindset of their employees when it comes to the role they play in keeping the organisation safe from cyber crime. The key is developing an integrated cyber security strategy that incorporates all aspects—including all stakeholders—of the organisation. This should be a strategy that breaks down departmental barriers and creates a culture of security responsibility where every team member plays a part.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/01/03/building-a-security-first-culture-the-key-to-cyber-success/

  • Adobe, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft Flaws Make Up Half of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalogue

Back in November 2021, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalogue to help federal agencies and critical infrastructure organisations identify and remediate vulnerabilities that are actively being exploited. CISA added 548 new vulnerabilities to the catalogue across 58 updates from January to end of November 2022, according to cyber security solution provider Grey Noise in its first-ever "GreyNoise Mass Exploits Report."

Including the approximately 300 vulnerabilities added in November and December 2021, CISA listed approximately 850 vulnerabilities in the first year of the catalogue's existence.

Actively exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, and Apple products accounted for over half of the updates to the KEV catalogue in 2022, Grey Noise found. Seventy-seven percent of the updates to the KEV catalogue were older vulnerabilities dating back to before 2022. Many of these vulnerabilities have been around for two decades.

Several of the vulnerabilities in the KEV catalogue are from products that have already entered end-of-life (EOL) and end-of-service-life (EOSL), according to an analysis by a team from cyber security solution provider Cyber Security Works. Even though Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 are EOSL products, the KEV catalogue lists 127 Server 2008 vulnerabilities and 117 Windows 7 vulnerabilities.

Even though the catalogue was originally intended for critical infrastructure and public-sector organisations, it has become the authoritative source on which vulnerabilities are – or have been – exploited by attackers. This is key because the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) assigned Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifiers for over 12,000 vulnerabilities in 2022, and it would be unwieldy for enterprise defenders to assess every single one to identify the ones relevant to their environments. Enterprise teams can use the catalogue's curated list of CVEs under active attack to create their priority lists.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-threat-monitor/adobe-apple-cisco-microsoft-flaws-make-up-half-of-kev-catalog

  • First LastPass, Now Slack and CircleCI. The Hacks Go On (and will likely worsen)

In the past week, the world has learned of serious breaches hitting chat service Slack and software testing and delivery company CircleCI, though giving the companies' opaque wording—“security issue” and “security incident,” respectively—you'd be forgiven for thinking these events were minor.

The compromises—in Slack’s case, the theft of employee token credentials and for CircleCI, the possible exposure of all customer secrets it stores—come two weeks after password manager LastPass disclosed its own security failure: the theft of customers’ password vaults containing sensitive data in both encrypted and clear text form. It’s not clear if all three breaches are related, but that’s certainly a possibility.

The most concerning of the two new breaches is the one hitting CircleCI. The company reported a “security incident” that prompted it to advise customers to rotate “all secrets” they store on the service. The alert also informed customers that it had invalidated their Project API tokens, an event requiring them to go through the hassle of replacing them.

CircleCI says it’s used by more than 1 million developers in support of 30,000 organisations and runs nearly 1 million daily jobs. The potential exposure of all those secrets—which could be login credentials, access tokens, and who knows what else—could prove disastrous for the security of the entire Internet.

It’s possible that some or all of these breaches are related. The Internet relies on a massive ecosystem of content delivery networks, authentication services, software development tool makers, and other companies. Threat actors frequently hack one company and use the data or access they obtain to breach that company's customers or partners. That was the case with the August breach of security provider Twilio. The same threat actor targeted 136 other companies. Something similar played out in the last days of 2020 when hackers compromised Solar Winds, gained control of its software build system, and used it to infect roughly 40 Solar Winds customers.

For now, people should brace themselves for additional disclosures from companies they rely on. Checking internal system logs for suspicious entries, turning on multifactor authentication, and patching network systems are always good ideas, but given the current events, those precautions should be expedited. It’s also worth checking logs for any contact with the IP address 54.145.167.181, which one security practitioner said was connected to the CircleCI breach.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/01/first-lastpass-now-slack-and-circleci-the-hacks-go-on-and-will-likely-worsen/

  • Data of 235 Million Twitter Users Leaked Online

A data leak containing email addresses for 235 million Twitter users has been published on a popular hacker forum. Many experts have immediately analysed it and confirmed the authenticity of many of the entries in the huge leaked archive.

In January 2022, a report claimed the discovery of a vulnerability that can be exploited by an attacker to find a Twitter account by the associated phone number/email, even if the user has opted to prevent this in the privacy options. The vulnerability was exploited by multiple threat actors to scrape Twitter user profiles containing both private (phone numbers and email addresses) and public data, and was present within the social media platforms application programming interface (API) from June 2021 until January 2022.

At the end of July 2022, a threat actor leaked data of 5.4 million Twitter accounts that were obtained by exploiting the forementioned, now-fixed vulnerability in the popular social media platform. The scraped data was then put up for sale on various online cyber crime marketplaces. In August, Twitter confirmed that the data breach was caused by a now-patched zero-day flaw.

In December another Twitter data leak made the headlines, a threat actor obtained data of 400,000,000 Twitter users and attempted to sell it. The seller claimed the database is private, and he provided a sample of 1,000 accounts as proof of claims which included the private information of prominent users such as Donald Trump JR, Brian Krebs, and many more. The seller, who is a member of a popular data breach forum, claimed the data was scraped via a vulnerability. The database includes emails and phone numbers of celebrities, politicians, companies, normal users, and a lot of special usernames.

https://securityaffairs.com/140352/data-breach/twitter-data-leak-235m-users.html

  • 16 Car Makers, including BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes and Toyota, and Their Vehicles Hacked via Telematics, APIs, and Infrastructure

A group of seven security researchers have discovered numerous vulnerabilities in vehicles from 16 car makers, including bugs that allowed them to control car functions and start or stop the engine.

Multiple other security defects, the researchers say, allowed them to access a car maker’s internal applications and systems, leading to the exposure of personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to customers and employees, and account takeover, among others. The hacks targeted telematic systems, automotive APIs, and infrastructure.

Impacted car models include Acura, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, and Toyota. The vulnerabilities were identified over the course of 2022. Car manufacturers were informed about the security holes and they released patches.

According to the researchers, they were able to send commands to Acura, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Infiniti, Nissan, and Porsche vehicles.

Using only the VIN (vehicle identification number), which is typically visible on the windshield, the researchers were able to start/stop the engine, remotely lock/unlock the vehicle, flash headlights, honk vehicles, and retrieve the precise location of Acura, Honda, Kia, Infiniti, and Nissan cars.

They could also lock users out of remote vehicle management and could change car ownership.

https://www.securityweek.com/16-car-makers-and-their-vehicles-hacked-telematics-apis-infrastructure

  • Ransomware Gang Apologises, and Gives SickKids Hospital Free Decrypter

The LockBit ransomware gang has released a free decrypter for the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), saying one of its members violated rules by attacking the healthcare organisation. SickKids is a teaching and research hospital in Toronto that focuses on providing healthcare to sick children.

On December 18th, the hospital suffered a ransomware attack that impacted internal and corporate systems, hospital phone lines, and the website. While the attack only encrypted a few systems, SickKids stated that the incident caused delays in receiving lab and imaging results and resulted in longer patient wait times.

On December 29th, SickKids announced that it had restored 50% of its priority systems, including those causing diagnostic or treatment delays. Two days after SickKids' latest announcement, the LockBit ransomware gang apologised for the attack on the hospital and released a decrypter for free.

“We formally apologise for the attack on sikkids.ca and give back the decrypter for free, the partner who attacked this hospital violated our rules, is blocked and is no longer in our affiliate programme," stated the ransomware gang.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gang-apologizes-gives-sickkids-hospital-free-decryptor/


Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

Malware

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

Internet of Things – IoT

Data Breaches/Leaks

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

Impersonation Attacks

AML/CFT/Sanctions

Insurance

Dark Web

Supply Chain and Third Parties

Software Supply Chain

Cloud/SaaS

Encryption

API

Open Source

Social Media

Parental Controls and Child Safety

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

Governance, Risk and Compliance

Secure Disposal

Backup and Recovery

Data Protection

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

Artificial Intelligence

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

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






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.

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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 07 May 2021

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 07 May 2021: New Technology Has Enabled Cyber-Crime On An Industrial Scale; Cyber Security Control Failures Listed As Top Emerging Risk; Third Parties Caused Data Breaches At 51% Of Organisations; Apple Devices Under Attack, Update Now; Ransomware Reality Shock - 92% Who Pay Do Not Get Their Data Back; New Vulnerabilities Impact 60% Of Email Servers; Big Rise In Double Extortion Ransomware; Millions At Security Risk From Old Routers; 30% Of All Smartphones Vulnerable To New Bug

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 Technology Has Enabled Cyber-Crime On An Industrial Scale

Nobody likes a call from the taxman. Donald Rumsfeld, who as America’s defence secretary oversaw a budget bigger than the economy of a typical country, nonetheless finds the rules so confusing that he writes to the Internal Revenue Service each year complaining that he has “no idea” whether he has filed his taxes correctly. So, it is hardly surprising that, when the phone rings and an official-sounding voice says you have underpaid your taxes and will be connected to an adviser to pay the balance, ordinary folk tremble.

https://www.economist.com/international/2021/05/06/new-technology-has-enabled-cyber-crime-on-an-industrial-scale

Cyber Security Control Failures Listed As Top Emerging Risk

Despite a myriad of risks resulting from the pandemic, such as the new work environment and environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns, cyber security risk was singled out with notable consistency across all geographic regions and most industries, cited by 67% of respondents. The next highest cited risk, “the new working model” was cited by 43% of respondents. “Many organisations were forced to implement quick fixes to serious operational gaps as a result of their initial pandemic responses.”

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/05/03/cybersecurity-control-failures/

Third Parties Caused Data Breaches At 51% Of Organisations

Remote access is becoming an organisation's weakest attack surface, according to new research published. The new report, titled “A Crisis in Third-party Remote Access Security,” reveals a disparity between an organisation's perceived third-party access security threat and the protective measures it puts in place. Researchers found that organisations are exposing their networks to non-compliance and security risks by not taking action to reduce third-party access risk.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/third-parties-breaches-at-51-of/

Apple Devices Under Attack — Update Your Mac, iPhone, iPad And Apple Watch Now

Apple on Monday (May 3) pushed out emergency patches to macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and two different versions of iOS to fix four flaws in WebKit, the rendering engine that underlies the Safari web browser. Install these updates when you receive them, because for each flaw, the company states that "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited." In each case, Apple says, "processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution." In plain English, that means web pages could be built to remotely hack your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/news/apple-urgent-updates-2105

Enforcing KYC, AML Laws Is Key To Reducing Ransomware Attacks: Task Force

Better enforcement of crypto currency regulations can help address an increasing number of ransomware attacks; a public-private task force claimed Thursday. The Ransomware Task Force, led by the Institute for Security and Technology with support from Microsoft, McAfee and various government agencies, published a report proposing a host of government and company responses to the growing threat of ransomware attacks, including recommendations to disrupt payments to the developers who develop this form of malware. A ransomware attack is one where a malicious actor hijacks a computer or network, locking it until the victim pays a ransom, often in crypto currency (ransomware victims paid close to $350 million in crypto to attackers last year). Paying the ransom is not necessarily a guarantee the perpetrator will share a decryption tool to unlock the computer.

https://www.coindesk.com/enforcing-kyc-aml-laws-is-key-to-reducing-ransomware-attacks-report-says

Ransomware Reality Shock: 92% Who Pay Do Not Get Their Data Back

As Apple gets caught up in an apparent $50 million ransomware extortion attempt by a significant cyber criminal gang, new research reveals just how unlikely it is that organisations will get all their data back if they pay up. On April 23, I reported how the notorious cyber criminal gang behind the REvil ransomware operation had attempted to get Apple to pay the ransom for another business that it had targeted. That business, REvil said, was Apple original design manufacturer Quanta Computer and the gang said it had stolen the schematics for several new Apple products. Several blueprints were published to the REvil dark web site, including one that 9to5Mac determined was related to the 2021 MacBook Pro.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2021/05/02/ransomware-reality-shock-92-who-pay-dont-get-their-data-back/?sh=4c38f3d5e0c7

New Vulnerabilities Impact 60% Of The Internet’s Email Servers

The maintainers of the Exim email server software have released updates today to patch a collection of 21 vulnerabilities that can allow threat actors to take over servers using both local and remote attack vectors. Known as 21Nails, the vulnerabilities were discovered by the security firm Qualys. The bugs impact Exim, a type of email server known as a mail transfer agent (MTA) that helps email traffic travel across the internet and reach its intended destinations. While there are different MTA clients available, an April 2021 survey shows that Exim has a market share of nearly 60% among all MTA solutions, being widely adopted around the internet.

New vulnerabilities impact 60% of the internet’s email servers

Ransomware: There's Been A Big Rise In Double Extortion Attacks As Gangs Try Out New Tricks

There has been a big rise in the number of ransomware gangs that threaten to release information stolen from the victims if they themselves rather than the firm, do not pay the ransom for the decryption key required to restore their network. The idea behind these 'double extortion' ransomware attacks is that even if the victim organisation believes it can restore its network without giving into the ransom demands of cyber criminals – which regularly cost millions of dollars in Bitcoin – the threat of sensitive information about employees or customers being exposed could still push victims to giving into the blackmail and paying the ransom.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-theres-been-a-big-rise-in-double-extortion-attacks-as-gangs-try-out-new-tricks/

They Told Their Therapists Everything. Hackers Leaked It All

Finnish mental health Clinic Vastaamo suffers catastrophic data breach. A security flaw at the firm’s IT provider not only exposed full names, dates of birth, and social security numbers, but also the actual written notes their therapists had taken. It was the patients themselves, rather than the firm were then left facing a demand for ransom payment to prevent public disclosure of their data.

https://www.wired.com/story/vastaamo-psychotherapy-patients-hack-data-breach/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=wired&utm_social-type=earned

Millions At Security Risk From Old Routers

Millions of people could be using outdated routers that put them at risk of being hacked. The consumer watchdog examined 13 models provided to customers by internet-service companies such as EE, Sky and Virgin Media and found more than two-thirds had flaws. It estimated about six million people could have a device not updated since 2018 or earlier. So, in some cases, they would not have received crucial security updates.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56996717

An Estimated 30% Of All Smartphones Vulnerable To New Qualcomm Bug

Around a third of all smartphones in the world are believed to be affected by a new vulnerability in a Qualcomm modem component that can grant attackers access to the device’s call and SMS history and even audio conversations. First designed in the early 90s, the chip has been updated across the years to support 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular communications and has slowly become one of the world’s most ubiquitous technologies, especially with smartphone vendors. Devices that use Qualcomm MSM chips today include high-end smartphone models sold by Google, Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, and One Plus, just to name a few.

https://therecord.media/an-estimated-30-of-all-smartphones-vulnerable-to-new-qualcomm-bug/


Threats

Ransomware

Phishing

Malware

Mobile

Vulnerabilities

Data Breaches

Nation State Actors

Denial of Service

Privacy

Other News


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

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

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

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

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Black Arrow Admin Black Arrow Admin

Cyber Weekly Flash Briefing 07 August 2020: INTERPOL warn on alarming pace of cyber crime, Canon ransomware, Garmin paid ransom, TV Licence fraud targets elderly, Netgear won’t patch vuln routers

Cyber Weekly Flash Briefing 07 August 2020: INTERPOL warning on “Alarming Pace” of cyber crime, Capital One fined $80m, Canon ransomware attack, Garmin reportedly paid multimillion ransom, Over-75s warned of rise in TV Licence 'phishing' fraud, Netgear Won’t Patch 45 Router Models Vulnerable to Serious Flaw

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.


INTERPOL: Cyber crime Growing at an “Alarming Pace” Due to #COVID19

Cyber crime is growing at an “alarming pace” as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and is expected to accelerate even further, a new report from INTERPOL has found.

It revealed the extent to which cyber-criminals are taking advantage of the increasing reliance on digital technology over recent months. This includes the rapid shift to home working undertaken by many organisations, which has involved the deployment of remote systems and networks, often insecurely.

Based on feedback from member countries, INTERPOL said that during the COVID-19 period, there has been a particularly large increase in malicious domains (22%), malware/ransomware (36%), phishing scams/fraud (59%) and fake news (14%).

Threat actors have revised their usual online scams and phishing schemes so that they are COVID-themed, playing on people’s economic and health fears.

Why this matters:

Increases in malicious activity is always a concern, especially when firms don’t realise how bad the situation is already and fail to grasp how much worse it is getting. Cyber criminals have gone through an industrial revolution and have built criminal organisations to rival some of the biggest legitimate business empires. Increases in threats require and increase in defensive capability, across IT, people and governance, to counter this rising tide.

Read more: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybercrime-growing-alarming-pace/


Capital One fined $80m for data breach

Capital One, one of the top five credit card issuers by balances in the US, has been fined $80m and ordered to improve internal controls after regulators identified a string of failings that allowed hackers to obtain the personal data of more than 106m customers and credit card applicants last year.

The bank was found to have failed to establish effective risk assessment processes prior to migrating significant information technology operations to the public cloud, as well as failing to quickly correct deficiencies.

The data breach exposed names, addresses, phone numbers, self-reported income, credit scores and payment history, as well as some people’s social security numbers.

It has become a cautionary tale for banks migrating their data from their own physical IT to the kind of virtual clouds that the Capital One data was hacked from.

Why this matters:

Moving to the cloud can open up new risks and misconfigurations can go undetected until they are exploited by malicious actors. It is important to make sure you know where the weaknesses and vulnerabilities are before someone else does, and this included cloud infrastructure.

Read more: https://www.ft.com/content/a730c6a0-c362-4664-a1ae-5faf84912f20


Canon confirms ransomware attack in internal memo

Canon appears to be latest in a number of large high profile firms in recent weeks to suffer a ransomware attack that has had an impact on numerous services, including Canon's email, Microsoft Teams, USA website, and other internal applications. In an internal alert sent to employees, Canon has disclosed the ransomware attack and working to address the issue.

Researchers were alerted by a suspicious outage on Canon's image.canon cloud photo and video storage service resulting in the loss of data for users of their free 10GB storage feature.

However, the final status update was strange as it mentions that while data was lost, "there was no leak of image data."  This led BleepingComputer to believe there was more to the story and that they suffered a cyberattack.

Why this matters:

Any firm of any size can fall victim to ransomware and recovering can be time consuming, expensive and cause significant reputational damage. These attacks invariably stem from users clicking on links in phishing emails, something that IT departments and technical controls aren’t capable of defending against on their own.

Read more: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/canon-confirms-ransomware-attack-in-internal-memo/


Garmin reportedly paid multimillion-dollar ransom after suffering cyberattack

Following on from Canon being the latest high profile victim, reports indicate that fitness wearable and satellite navigation brand Garmin paid millions of dollars in ransom after an attack took many of its products and services offline last month. The payment was reportedly made through a ransomware negotiation company in order for Garmin to recover data held hostage as a result of the attack.

It was reported last week that Garmin had received a decryption key to access data encrypted by the virus, and that the initial ransom demand was for $10 million.

Why this matters:

If a company had to resort to paying the ransom then it can be inferred that they were unable to recover their data, had insufficient backups or had never tested recovering from backups and when they needed to for real found they were unable. It’s too late to find out when you need something that you don’t have it.

If no firm or individual paid ransoms this problem would go away. For as long as even a small number of firms and individuals pay this will continue to be a massive problem, affecting everyone.

Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/4/21353842/garmin-ransomware-attack-wearables-wastedlocker-evil-corp


Google: Eleven zero-days detected in the wild in the first half of 2020

According to data collected by Google's Project Zero security team, there have been 11 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in the wild in the first half of the year.

The current number puts 2020 on track to have just as many zero-days as 2019 when Google security researchers said they tracked 20 zero-days all of last year.

Details about these zero-days have been obtained from a spreadsheet managed by Google security researchers, which the company made public available earlier this year. The spreadsheet contains Google's internal statistics about in-the-wild zero-day usage going as far back as 2014, when the company began tracking said stats.

Why this matters:

Zero-days are vulnerabilities for which fixes have not yet been made available and as such as difficult to defend against. Good security is all about having multiple layers of controls and if you have good procedural, people and governance controls in place this should still go a good way to helping to defend against zero-days.

As soon as security updates are made available they should ideally be tested and applied on all applicable devices as soon as possible to prevent vulnerabilities from being exploited.

Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-eleven-zero-days-detected-in-the-wild-in-the-first-half-of-2020/


TeamViewer flaw could be exploited to crack users’ password

A high-risk vulnerability (CVE-2020-13699) in TeamViewer for Windows could be exploited by remote attackers to crack users’ password and, consequently, lead to further system exploitation.

TeamViewer is an application that is used primarily for remote access to and control of various types of computer systems and mobile devices, but also offers collaboration and presentation features (e.g., desktop sharing, web conferencing, file transfer, etc.)

Since the advent of COVID-19, enterprise use of the software has increased due to many employees being forced to work from home.

Why this matters:

Credentials stolen from any successful breach are likely to be used in credential stuffing attacks (where the same usernames and passwords are reused) against other sites and services.

Read more: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2020/08/06/cve-2020-13699/


Qualcomm chip vulnerability puts millions of phones at risk

Smartphone devices from the likes of Google, LG, OnePlus, Samsung and Xiaomi are in danger of compromise by cyber criminals after 400 vulnerable code sections were uncovered on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon digital signal processor (DSP) chip, which runs on over 40% of the global Android estate.

To exploit the vulnerabilities, a malicious actor would merely need to convince their target to install a simple, benign application with no permissions at all.

Why this matters:

The vulnerabilities leave affected smartphones at risk of being taken over and used to spy on and track their users, having malware and other malicious code installed and hidden, or even being bricked outright. Hopefully a fix will be forthcoming but it looks like it might be months before this fix is widely available.

Read more here: https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252487274/Qualcomm-chip-vulnerability-puts-millions-of-phones-at-risk


Over-75s warned of rise in TV Licence 'phishing' fraud

Over-75s awaiting letters about their new licence fee payments are falling victim to fraudsters, it has emerged.

The BBC has told 4.5 million pensioners to expect a letter from TV Licensing advising them on how to set up payment, as the free scheme for over-75s ended on July 31.

But the corporation has not given an indication of when the communication will arrive or what the wording will be, and in the meantime pensioners are being duped by scam emails which purport to be official.

The National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, said the number of licence fee “phishing” emails had risen in July, compared to previous months, and it was working hard to block them.

A spokesman said: “It is despicable that criminals are targeting over-75s in this way. TV Licensing would never ask for payment details over an email, so as soon as we were alerted to the scam messages sent in this callous campaign, they were immediately blocked.

Why this matters:

Cyber criminals are unscrupulous and will happily target the most vulnerable members of our society. If you have elderly relatives make them aware of these scams and encourage them not to respond for requests sent via email.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/03/over-75s-warned-rise-tv-licence-phishing-fraud/


Netgear Won’t Patch 45 Router Models Vulnerable to Serious Flaw

Netgear will not patch 45 router models that are vulnerable to a high-severity remote code execution flaw, the router company revealed last week. However, the company says that routers that won’t receive updates are outdated or have reached EOL (End of Life).

The remote code execution vulnerability in question, which was disclosed June 15, allows network-adjacent attackers to bypass authentication on vulnerable Netgear routers – sans authentication. The high-severity flaw affects 79 Netgear Wi-Fi routers and home gateway models – but Netgear says that 45 of those router models are outside of its “security support period.”

Why this matters:

If you are using a Netgear device ensure that it is not in the list of devices that are no longer supported and if necessary replace it with a different router that is supported. If the device you own is still supported you should log into the web interface and ensure that it is updated to the most recent version of firmware to include any security updates.

Many people never update the firmware on their networking devices at home and this means that there can be a significant number of significant security vulnerabilities that have gone unfixed jeopardising the security of any devices connected to that router. If you don’t know how to update home networking devices contact someone who can help you to do this.

Read more: https://threatpost.com/netgear-wont-patch-45-router-models-vulnerable-to-serious-flaw/157977/


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

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

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

Read More