Robert M. Lee, founder and CEO, Dragos (Image: Dragos)

Uniform Infrastructure Raises Risk for Industrial Attacks

Michael Novinson • January 26, 2023

The increased physical connectivity of digital assets has expanded the attack surface and added complexity for engineers in industrial environments, says Dragos CEO Robert Lee. More industrial automation and new systems have made it tougher for plant operators to conduct root cause analysis.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Spanish Authorities Arrest 3 in Bitzlato Crackdown

Latest

Geo Focus: The United Kingdom

UK Insurers Mostly Withstand Cyber Stress Test

David Perera • January 26, 2023

A periodic stress test assessment of U.K. insurers by the Bank of England found underwriters mostly withstood extreme cyber events. Still, underwriters may not be operating from the same set of assumptions when it comes to the likelihood of having to manage an actual extreme cyber event.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

UK Warns of Surge in Russian, Iranian APT Phishing Threats

Akshaya Asokan • January 26, 2023

Russian and Iranian state-sponsored hackers are using advanced social engineering tactics to target journalists, defense organizations and academic and civil society organizations in the U.K. for cyberespionage campaigns, the British National Cyber Security Center warns.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Facebook, Instagram Blasted for 'Lame' Security Practices

Anna Delaney , Cal Harrison • January 26, 2023

Meta's popular social media platforms are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals, and account takeover complaints rose over 1,000% last year. This social threat is spilling over into banks and government agencies, and experts criticize Meta for moving too slowly to address security issues.

Next-Generation Technologies & Secure Development

Venture Capitalist: Now Is an Ideal Time to Invest in Cyber

Tom Field • January 26, 2023

Valuations are down, some companies have left the market altogether, and some even have announced deep rounds of layoffs. Yet, Alberto Yépez of Forgepoint Capital retains optimism for the cybersecurity marketplace in 2023 and says now is the ideal time to be ramping up investments in innovation.

Cybercrime

Reported Data Breaches in US Reach Near-Record Highs

Mathew J. Schwartz • January 25, 2023

Data breaches in 2022 hit near-record levels as U.S. organizations issued 1,802 data breach notifications and more than 400 million individuals were affected. But only 34% of breach notifications included actionable information for consumers whose information was exposed.

Cloud Security

Microsoft 365 Cloud Service Outage Disrupts Users Worldwide

Mathew J. Schwartz • January 25, 2023

Microsoft blamed an internal network configuration change for outages that disrupted access to Microsoft 365 services, including Microsoft Teams and Outlook, for users around the world. The change has been rolled back and additional infrastructure added to speed restoration, it says.

Cybercrime

North Korean Crypto Hackers Keep Nose to the Grindstone

Mihir Bagwe • January 25, 2023

A North Korean hacking group tracked by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint as TA444 in December unleashed a torrent of spam in a bid to harvest credentials - evidence of a hacking group that mirrors "startup culture in its devotion to the dollar and to the grind."

Government

VA: Contractors Have 1 Hour to Report a Security Incident

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 24, 2023

An update to acquisition regulations within the Department of Veterans Affairs says that contractors have one hour to report a security and privacy incident. The clock starts ticking after the incident has been discovered. The department says the rule change only codifies an existing requirement.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

CommonSpirit Facing 2 Proposed Class Actions Post-Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 24, 2023

CommonSpirit was negligent in failing to protect sensitive health data, resulting in a compromise affecting at least 623,000 patients and perhaps many more, allege plaintiffs in two proposed class action lawsuits filed against the Chicago-based hospital chain after a 2022 ransomware attack.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

North Korean Hackers Attacked Horizon, Confirms FBI

Rashmi Ramesh • January 24, 2023

North Korea's Lazarus Group was behind the $100 million theft from the Horizon blockchain bridge, the U.S. federal government confirmed. The FBI vowed "to expose and combat North Korea's use of illicit activities - including cybercrime and virtual currency theft - to generate revenue."

Cybercrime

Malware Blurs Line Between Banking Trojan and Surveillance

Mihir Bagwe • January 23, 2023

Android malware highlighted by Dutch cybersecurity firm ThreatFabric shows the line between a banking Trojan and advanced spyware. The Trojan, dubbed Hook, can take a screenshot, simulate clicks and input swipe gesture commands. It can also take control of WhatsApp.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Australia Initiates Global Ransomware Task Force Operations

Mihir Bagwe • January 23, 2023

Australia started operating an international ransomware task force to facilitate information sharing and best practices worldwide. “Recent cyber incidents in Australia and around the globe are a stark reminder of the insidious nature of ransomware," said Minister for Home Affairs Clare O'Neil.