(Photo: Executium via Unsplash)

NYAG Issues Cease and Desist Letters to 2 Crypto Platforms

Dan Gunderman • October 19, 2021

New York State AG Letitia James served cease and desist letters to two cryptocurrency lending platforms that her office says engage in "unregistered and unlawful activities." Three other platforms were told by the OAG to "immediately provide information about their activities and products."

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

US Convenes Global Ransomware Summit Without Russia

Latest

Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)

More Attempted Cyberattacks on Israeli Healthcare Entities

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 19, 2021

Israeli officials say they have fended off a wave of attempted cyberattacks on several hospitals and healthcare entities in recent days, as Hillel Yaffe Medical Center continues to recover from a ransomware attack last week that authorities reportedly suspect was carried out by Chinese hackers.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Preparing for Ransomware Attacks in the Education Sector

Anna Delaney • October 19, 2021

A spate of ransomware incidents affecting the education sector has led to the loss of student coursework, financial records and data relating to COVID-19 testing. Matthew Trump, senior IT security officer for the University of London, U.K., outlines incident response strategies.

Breach Notification

Sinclair TV Stations Targeted in Weekend Ransomware Attack

Dan Gunderman • October 18, 2021

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., which owns or operates 186 television stations across 87 U.S. markets, has been hit with a ransomware attack that has disrupted operations. The company says the attack has impacted its ability to deliver advertisements and certain programming.

Breach Notification

Accenture: Ransomware Attack Breached Proprietary Data

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 18, 2021

Accenture says an online attack against it that it first disclosed in August resulted in "the extraction of proprietary information by a third party, some of which was made available to the public by the third party." The LockBit 2.0 ransomware operation has taken credit for the attack and dumping data.

Breach Notification

Thingiverse Breach: 50,000 3D Printers Faced Hijacking Risk

Jeremy Kirk • October 18, 2021

A data breach affecting MakerBot's Thingiverse 3D printing repository website is far bigger than what the company has acknowledged, a former employee claims. Upwards of 2 million users may have been affected by the breach, which left their 3D printers at risk of being hijacked.

Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

Treasury Dept. to Crypto Companies: Comply with Sanctions

Dan Gunderman • October 16, 2021

The U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled additional steps to curb the illicit use of cryptocurrencies on Friday, warning enterprises not to engage with sanctioned entities exploiting the financial system - particularly to launder ransomware proceeds.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Ransomware Attack on Israeli Medical Center Raises Alarm

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 15, 2021

Government authorities in Israel are warning healthcare sector entities in the country of potential cyberattacks after a ransomware attack this week on Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in the city of Hadera. The hospital said it is "using alternative systems" to care for its patients.

3rd Party Risk Management

ISMG Editors' Panel: Are Our Systems Too Complex to Secure?

Anna Delaney • October 15, 2021

In this update, four editors discuss key cybersecurity issues, including addressing the complexity of security, the rising number of victims targeted by double extortion ransomware and the Information Commissioner's Office's recent consultation on creating an international data transfer agreement.

Cybercrime

BlackByte: Free Decryptor Released for Ransomware Strain

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 15, 2021

A free decryptor for BlackByte ransomware has been released by security researchers at Trustwave who cracked the crypto-locking malware's encryption. But they say that unfortunately, the underlying encryption problem is likely in the process of already being fixed by the malware's developer.

Account Takeover Fraud

Teenage Cybercrime: Giving Young Hackers A Second Chance

Anna Delaney • October 15, 2021

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features an analysis of attempts made by European law enforcement to encourage young cybercriminals to channel their skills in more ethical ways. Also featured: Fraud detection and response; inspiring behavioral change.

Critical Infrastructure Security

MITRE Launches Centers to Protect Infrastructure and Health

Mihir Bagwe • October 14, 2021

MITRE, the not-for-profit organization that works across governmental and federal agencies, as well as various industrial verticals and academia, has set up The Cyber Infrastructure Protection Innovation Center and The Clinical Insights Innovation Cell to protect healthcare.

Breach Notification

Osteopathic Professional Group Reports Year-Old Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 14, 2021

The American Osteopathic Association has just begun notifying nearly 28,000 individuals about a June 2020 data exfiltration incident involving their personal information. The medical professional organization says workforce challenges during the pandemic led to the notification delay.