FBI on Election: 'There's Going to be a Lot of Noise'

Tom Field • October 28, 2020

FBI agent Elvis Chan has dedicated the past four years to ensuring U.S. election security. With the Nov. 3 election less than a week away, he opens up on concerns about Russian, Chinese and Iranian interference and threats he'll be watching before and after the vote.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Analysis: Can Russia's Cyber Destruction Appetite Be Curbed?

Latest

COVID-19

CISOs' Pandemic Challenge: More Disruption, Less Budget

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 28, 2020

The imperative for CISOs during the COVID-19 pandemic is to do more with less. While disruptive attacks - as well as privacy concerns - keep rising, budgets are down. As organizations rapidly adopt new technologies, however, EY's Kris Lovejoy says CISOs must seize the opportunity to streamline.

Endpoint Security

New Online Platform Coordinates IoT Bug Reports

Jeremy Kirk • October 27, 2020

A new online platform called VulnerableThings.com is aiming to become the go-to place for reporting and viewing reports on software flaws in IoT devices. The IoT Security Foundation and Oxford Information Labs say the platform could help vendors comply with new IoT regulations and standards.

Cybercrime

Even in Test Mode, New Mirai Variant Infecting IoT Devices

Doug Olenick • October 26, 2020

A greatly enhanced variant of the powerful Mirai botnet is already infecting IoT devices even though it's operating in a test environment, according to researchers at cybersecurity firm Avira Protection Lab.

COVID-19

Insider Sentenced for Sabotaging PPE Shipments

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 26, 2020

A former vice president of a personal protective equipment packaging firm has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for sabotaging the company's electronic shipping records during the COVID-19 pandemic - causing delays in deliveries - after he was terminated from his job.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

KashmirBlack Botnet Targets Content Management Systems

Prajeet Nair • October 26, 2020

Security researchers at Imperva have uncovered a botnet that attacks vulnerabilities in websites' underlying content management systems and then uses these compromised servers to mine for cryptocurrency or send spam to more victims.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Fraudsters Alter Election Phishing Scam

Chinmay Rautmare • October 26, 2020

Fraudsters operating an election-themed phishing campaign have tweaked their malicious landing pages to harvest more information, including banking credentials, account data and vehicle identification information, Proofpoint reports.

Critical Infrastructure Security

US Treasury Sanctions Russian Entity Over Triton Malware

Akshaya Asokan • October 24, 2020

The Treasury Department has issued sanctions against a Russian research institute that U.S. officials now claim helped deploy Triton, destructive malware designed to damage industrial control systems. The announcement follows other economic penalties levied against Iran in the same week.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

EU Sanctions 2 Russians for German Parliament Hack

Prajeet Nair • October 23, 2020

The European Union has issued sanctions against two Russian nationals alleged to have hacked Germany's lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, in 2015. EU officials say both men work for the Russian military intelligence unit GRU.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Phishing Campaign Mimics Microsoft Teams Alerts

Chinmay Rautmare • October 23, 2020

Researchers have uncovered a fresh phishing campaign that mimics the automated messages of the popular business communication platform Microsoft Teams in an attempt to harvest users' Office 365 login credentials.

Forensics

LockBit Ransomware Uses Automation Tools to Pick Targets

Prajeet Nair • October 23, 2020

The operators behind the LockBit ransomware strain use automation tools and techniques that help the malware quickly spread through a compromised network and also assist in picking specific targets, according to Sophos.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Massive U.S. Voter Database Offered for Sale

Doug Olenick • October 23, 2020

Voter information on as many as 186 million Americans was being offered for sale in an online forum, according to Trustwave. The information apparently came from public sources as well as data leaks.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Analysis: The Significance of Russian Hackers' Indictment

Anna Delaney • October 23, 2020

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report analyzes the U.S. indictment against Russian hackers who were allegedly behind NotPetya. Also featured: A discussion of nation-state adversaries and how they operate; an update on Instagram privacy investigation.