Devon Warren-Kachelein

Former Staff Writer, ISMG

Warren-Kachelein began her information security journey as a multimedia journalist for SecureWorld, a Portland, Oregon-based cybersecurity events and media group. There she covered topics ranging from government policy to nation-states, as well as topics related to diversity and security awareness. She began her career reporting news for a Southern California-based paper called The Log and also contributed to tech media company Digital Trends.

Russia-Ukraine Cryptocurrency Scams Detected by Researchers

Devon Warren-Kachelein • March 2, 2022

Security experts, legislators and researchers are worried about fraud and money laundering related to cryptocurrency platforms during the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Researchers are already observing a spike in phishing attacks and other threat vectors targeting digital wallets.

Cyberattack Hits Ukrainian Government, Banking Websites

Dan Gunderman , Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 23, 2022

A week after a distributed denial-of-service attack on the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, a DDoS attack has reportedly struck Ukranian government and bank websites - including the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet of Ministers and Verkhovna Rada, according to an early report.

Cryptocurrency Wallets Targeted by Alien Malware Variant

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 23, 2022

Xenomorph, a new banking Trojan that appears to be linked to the nasty Alien malware family and has been downloaded more than 50,000 times in the Google Play Store, has been targeting European banks. But ThreatFabric research shows that overlay attacks more frequently target cryptocurrency wallets.

Cybersecurity Readiness Advised as Russian Threats Loom

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 21, 2022

After Russian President Putin's doubled down on the claim that Ukraine has always been a part of Russia, federal and state-level agencies prepare for cyberattacks that could be on the horizon if the situation escalates. CISA and other agencies recommend keeping rapid communication systems in place.

First National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team Director Named

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 18, 2022

The Department of Justice has named Eun Young Choi as its first National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team's director, and the FBI formed the Virtual Asset Exploitation Unit to assist with blockchain analysis for theft and extortion crimes that have connections to crypto.

SecurityScorecard and LIFARS CEOs Discuss New Merger

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 16, 2022

SecurityScorecard provides analysis of organizational cyber hygiene through a rating system, while LIFARS, a digital forensics firm, has offered witness testimony for major federal cybercrime cases involving nation-state threat actors. CEOs for both firms tell ISMG why their merger is significant.

BlockFi to Pay SEC, State Regulators $100M in Penalties

Dan Gunderman , Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 15, 2022

The SEC announced that BlockFi, a crypto lending platform based in Jersey City, N.J., has been charged with failing to register its lending product and violating registration provisions. To settle, it will pay $50 million, stop unregistered offers and sales, and comply within 60 days.

Update: Washington Licensing Agency Investigates Suspected Breach

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 11, 2022

Security teams for the Washington Department of Licensing are investigating suspicious activity affecting an online data management system called POLARIS, which has gone offline until further notice. The DOL is advising licensees who were affected to monitor their accounts and credit files.

US Lawmakers Continue Push for Stablecoin Regulations

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 11, 2022

Nellie Liang, under secretary for domestic finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, was the only witness at a virtual hearing on the President's Working Group report on stablecoins - virtual currencies pegged to fiat currency. Lawmakers weighed in on the benefits and dangers of stablecoins.

Feds Seize $3.6 Billion in Allegedly Stolen Cryptocurrency

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 8, 2022

The FBI has seized $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency that it says traces to the 2016 theft of 119,754 bitcoins from the Bitfinex virtual currency exchange. A married New York couple who styled themselves as technology entrepreneurs has been charged with laundering the stolen friends.

M&A Roundup: Delinea Debuts, Forescout & Check Point Expand

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 4, 2022

ThycoticCentrify renames itself Delinea to grow as a "seamless" security solution. Other acquisitions focus on providing tools to developers to better secure applications and software, boost healthcare device security, fight against chargeback fraud and bring smaller organizations into compliance.

UK-Based KP Snacks Hit by Ransomware in 'Snack Attack'

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 3, 2022

A popular British supplier of crisps revealed in a letter to grocery wholesaler Nisa on Wednesday that it had been the victim of a cyberattack. KP Snacks has stopped its orders, causing stores to worry that its products will be in short supply. Ransomware group Conti is allegedly behind the attack.

Log4j Updates: Flaw Challenges Global Security Leaders

Devon Warren-Kachelein • February 2, 2022

The security world continues its fight against potential widespread exploitation of the critical remote code execution vulnerability - tracked as CVE-2021-44229 - in Apache's Log4j software library, versions 2.0-beta9 to 2.14.1, known as "Log4Shell" and "Logjam." This is a digest of ISMG's updates.

Log4j Exploitations Have Slowed, But Attack Vectors Remain

Devon Warren-Kachelein • January 28, 2022

Attack scans and attempts related to the Log4j flaw may have declined, but some security experts believe the attack vectors will continue to pose a problem up to two years. Also, the Ukraine Computer Emergency Response Team reports Log4j could be a possible attack vector in recent cyberattacks.

SEC Chair Seeks to 'Modernize' Cybersecurity Regulations

Devon Warren-Kachelein • January 27, 2022

U.S. Security and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler wants to broaden cybersecurity regulations. Among his concerns are the rising threat of cyberattacks due to the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and a need to harmonize communications between financial firms and third-party vendors.