Cybersecurity News & Trends

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This week, a lot’s been up—including data loss, ransom demands, white-hat bounties, VPN sales and more.

SonicWall Spotlight

Test Platform Leaks Bank of America Clients’ COVID-19 PPP Loan Applications — SC Magazine

  • BoA said the platform was designed to test application submissions of to the Small Business Administration — but the company soon realized client docs could be viewed by other lenders and third parties.

SonicWall’s Labs Threat Research Team Spot fake Aarogya Setu App Carrying Spyware Components — CRN India

  • After the Covid-19 tracking app reached five million downloads within its first three days, it became a target for malware creators. According to SonicWall Labs Threats research team, fake Aarogya Setu apps containing spyware are now in circulation.

New Ransomware Is Spreading That Charges $1,300 In Bitcoin — Decrypt

  • SonicWall researchers have discovered a new ransomware called Instabot that asks for ransom in bitcoin—and includes video instructions and a step-by-step manual to “help” victims comply.

Cybersecurity News

Israeli cyber chief: Major attack on water systems thwarted – The Washington Times

  • According to Israel’s national cyber chief, the country has thwarted a major cyberattack against its water systems, and it’s believed that Iran is behind it.

Ransomware’s big jump: ransoms grew 14 times in one year – Bleeping Computer

  • Ransomware has become one of the most insidious threats in the past few years, and the demands continue to climb: According to Bleeping Computer, ransom demands for more than $1 million are no longer rare.

Data Loss Spikes Under COVID-19 Lockdowns – Dark Reading

  • Two new reports suggest a massive gap between how organizations have prepared their cybersecurity defenses and the reality of their effectiveness.

DHS’s cyber division has stepped up protections for coronavirus research, official says – Cyberscoop

  • “I just want you to know that we have stepped up our protections of HHS and CDC,” Bryan Ware told industry representatives Friday.

New Octopus Scanner malware spreads via GitHub supply chain attack – Bleeping Computer

  • Security researchers have found a new malware that finds and backdoors open-source NetBeans projects hosted on the GitHub web-based code hosting platform to spread to Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.

Hong Kong demand for VPNs surges on heels of China’s plan for national security laws – Reuters

  • Demand for virtual private networks in Hong Kong surged more than six-fold last Thursday as Beijing proposed tough new national security laws that some say could impact internet privacy.

States plead for cybersecurity funds as hacking threat surges – The Hill

  • Cash-short state and local governments are pleading with Congress to send them funds to shore up their cybersecurity as hackers look to exploit the crisis by targeting overwhelmed government offices.

$100 million in bounties paid by HackerOne to ethical hackers – Bleeping Computer

  • Bug bounty platform HackerOne announced that it has paid out $100,000,000 in rewards to white-hat hackers around the world.

‘Turla’ spies have been stealing documents from foreign ministries in Eastern Europe, researchers find – Cyberscoop

  • According to researchers, a notorious group of suspected Russian hackers have used a revamped tool to spy on governments in Eastern Europe and quietly steal sensitive documents from their networks.

Ransomware deploys virtual machines to hide itself from antivirus software – ZDNet

  • The operators of the RagnarLocker ransomware are running Oracle VirtualBox to hide their presence on infected computers inside a Windows XP virtual machine.

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Cybersecurity News & Trends

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This week, cybersecurity news was thrust into the fray, with clashes between scammers and vigilante hackers, between conspiracy theorists and cell-phone towers, and between REvil and a number of high-profile celebrities.

SonicWall Spotlight

DeskFlix: SonicWall channel director on COVID-19 cybersecurity challenges — CRN UK

  • Mike Awford discusses the ways SonicWall has supported partners through the migration to remote working.

EasyJet Hack: Passenger Data Could be Sold on Dark Web After Major Cyber Attack, Experts Warn — The Independent

  • Based on similar attacks in the past, SonicWall’s VP EMEA Terry Greer-King discusses what could happen to customers’ data once it hits the Dark Web.

SonicWall Capture Labs Threat Research Teams Uncovers New Variant of Raccoon Stealer — CXO Today

  • SonicWall has reported a new variant of Raccoon stealer malware, version 1.5, which has been used in a malicious COVID-19 campaign.

Cybersecurity News

ShinyHunters Is a Hacking Group on a Data Breach Spree — Wired

  • In May, ShinyHunters began selling 200 million stolen records from over a dozen companies … and they claim this is just Stage 1.

Beware of phishing emails urging for a LogMeIn security update — Help-Net Security

  • The email appears to be legitimate correspondence from LogMeIn, including company logo, spoofed sender identity and a link that appears legitimate.

Vigilante hackers target scammers with ransomware, DDoS attacks — Bleeping Computer

  • A hacker has been taking justice into their own hands by targeting “scam” companies with ransomware and denial of service attacks.

Tech Chiefs Press Cloud Suppliers for Consistency on Security Data — The Wall Street Journal

  • Each cloud company offers its own process on cybersecurity and governance, creating added work for customers.

Cell-tower attacks by idiots who claim 5G spreads COVID-19 reportedly hit US — Ars Technica

  • Wireless telecom providers are being warned to boost security as 5G conspiracy theorists ramp up attacks on cell towers and telecommunications workers.

Microsoft warns of ‘massive’ phishing attack pushing legit RAT — Bleeping Computer

  • Microsoft is warning of an ongoing COVID-19 themed phishing campaign that spreads via malicious Excel attachments.

Supercomputers hacked across Europe to mine cryptocurrency — ZDNet

  • Multiple supercomputers across Europe have been shut down to investigate cryptocurrency mining malware infections.

Microsoft opens up coronavirus threat data to the public — Cyberscoop

  • Microsoft has announced plans to make threat intelligence it collected on COVID-19-related hacking campaigns public.

NetWalker adjusts ransomware operation to only target enterprise — Bleeping Computer

  • NetWalker ransomware group is moving away from phishing for malware distribution and has adopted a network-intrusion model focusing on huge businesses only.

REvil Ransomware found buyer for Trump data, now targeting Madonna — Bleeping Computer

  • After breaching a prominent law firm, the REvil ransomware group is holding the personal information of high-profile celebrities for ransom.

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Cybersecurity News & Trends

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This week, we spotlight 5G conspiracy theorists, government-linked attacks, and two young hackers–one who “saved the internet,” the other an “evil genius.”

SonicWall Spotlight

What are the security priorities for the post-coronavirus world? — Computer Weekly

  • Terry Greer-King, EMEA vice-president at SonicWall, believes the pandemic has accelerated an ongoing transformational shift in cybersecurity, which was driven by the continued adoption of cloud-based resources.

Maintaining Business Continuity in Cyber Threat Environment — CIO Review

  • A Q&A on cybercrimes that have spiked during the current pandemic, the impact on different sectors and recommended strategies for businesses to handle the situation.

Lurking Cyber Threats on Social Media — Dataquest

  • Debasish Mukherjee, VP Regional Sales-APAC at SonicWall, discusses the current threats on social media — including misinformation campaigns, fake profiles, data mining and social engineering — that are posing an increasing threat to users.

Cybersecurity News

Merkel cites ‘hard evidence’ she was targeted by Russian hackers — The Hill

  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel told lawmakers Wednesday that she has seen “hard evidence” of Russia-based hacking attempts targeting her emails and those of the nation’s lawmakers.

The Confessions of Marcus Hutchins, the Hacker Who Saved the Internet — Wired

  • At 22, he single-handedly put a stop to the worst cyberattack the world had ever seen. Then he was arrested by the FBI. This is his untold story.

ProLock Ransomware teams up with QakBot trojan for network access — Bleeping Computer

  • ProLock is a relatively new form of ransomware, but it has quickly attracted attention by targeting businesses and local governments and demanding huge ransoms for file decryption.

Ransomware Reminder: Paying Ransoms Doesn’t Pay — Bank Info Security

  • Still don’t believe that paying the ransoms demanded by cybercriminals is a bad idea? A recent survey presents further proof.

Researchers expose new malware designed to steal data from air-gapped networks — Cyberscoop

  • ESET is hoping publicizing the malware will shake loose clues in their hunt for the enigmatic hackers.

Hackers Target WHO by Posing as Think Tank, Broadcaster — Bloomberg

  • Employees of the World Health Organization have been targeted with coronavirus-related emails purporting to be from news organizations and researchers — but which actually originate with an Iranian hacker group.

U.S. accuses China-linked hackers of stealing coronavirus research — Reuters

  • According to U.S. officials, China-linked hackers are breaking into American organizations researching COVID-19. The report warns scientists and public health officials to be on the lookout for cyber theft.

The 5G Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Has Taken a Dark Turn — Wired

  • Though social networks have pledged to take more concerted action against conspiracy theories, the 5G hoax has continued to spread, inspiring a surge of attacks.

Sodinokibi ransomware can now encrypt open and locked files — Bleeping Computer

  • The Sodinokibi (REvil) ransomware has added a new feature that makes it easier to encrypt all files, even those that are opened and locked by another process.

Teen Hacker and Crew of ‘Evil Geniuses’ Accused of $24 Million Crypto Theft — Bloomberg

  • An adviser to blockchain companies is claiming a 15-year-old and his crew of “evil computer geniuses” stole $24 million in cryptocurrency from him by hacking into his phone.

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Cybersecurity News & Trends

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This week, healthcare continues to be in the crosshairs and ransomware-for-hire continues to mean big paydays for cybercriminals.

SonicWall Spotlight

Hackers Are Calling In The Raccoons — Fudzilla

  • Hackers are exploiting anxiety around Covid-19 to create new hooks for their malware, such as the new Raccoon Stealer variant uncovered by SonicWall’s Threat Research team

SonicWall Called Upon by Health Giant GNC to Rapidly Provide Protection of Remote, Mobile Workforce — CXOToday

  • SonicWall and GNC Holdings (GNC), a leading global health and wellness brand, are working closely to increase capacity of the company’s existing Secure Mobile Access (SMA) deployment to connect and secure the company’s growing volume of work-from-home employees.

Web-applications Attacks, Including SQL Injection Attacks, More Than Doubled In 2019, According To Data From Sonicwall — Security Boulevard

  • What is an SQL injection attack? How common are they? And why are they so devastating? Security Boulevard weighs in on these nefarious attacks, and gives tips on how to prevent them.

Cybersecurity News

It Has Been 20 Years Since Cybercrime Woke Up To Social Engineering With An Intriguing Little Email Titled ‘ILOVEYOU’ — The Register

  • Two decades have passed since cybercrooks demonstrated the role exploiting human psychology could play in spreading malware.

10 Questions With Tech Data Security Guru Alex Ryals On Security Trends And Training In Isolation — CRN

  • Learning about cybersecurity has never been more important — but with an abundance of styles and modules to choose from, it’s also never been easier.

Cyber-spies seek coronavirus vaccine secrets — BBC

  • The U.S. has seen foreign spy agencies carry out reconnaissance of research into a coronavirus vaccine, a senior U.S. intelligence official told the BBC — and similar reports have come from the UK as well.

Healthcare Targeted By More Attacks But Less Sophistication — Dark Reading

  • An increase in attacks targeting healthcare organizations suggests that perhaps new cybercriminals are getting into the game.

Sodinokibi, Ryuk ransomware drive up average ransom to $111,000 — Bleeping Computer

  • The first quarter of the year saw a 33% increase of the average amount ransomware operators demand from their victims compared to the previous quarter.

LockBit, the new ransomware for hire: a sad and cautionary tale — Ars Technica

  • A ransomware infection involving a recent strain called LockBit ransacked one company’s poorly secured network in a matter of hours, leaving leaders no viable choice other than to pay the ransom.

New Kaiji Botnet Targets IoT, Linux Devices — Threat Post

  • The botnet uses SSH brute-force attacks to infect devices and a custom implant written in the Go Language.

Phishing Attacks Against Banks Jump With Pandemic Used as Lure — Bloomberg

  • Cyber-attacks trying to trick bank employees into clicking on malicious links jumped in the first quarter, with criminals attempting to take advantage of fear and confusion caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg reports.

SilverTerrier BEC scammers target US govt healthcare agencies — Bleeping Computer

  • Government healthcare agencies, COVID-19 response organizations, and medical research facilities from across the globe were the targets of Business Email Compromise (BEC) phishing campaigns coordinated by multiple Nigerian BEC actors during the last three months.

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Cybersecurity News & Trends

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This week, COVID-19 continued to be a boon for opportunistic hackers, who targeted everything from federal stimulus funds, to package recipients, to John Wick 3.

SonicWall Spotlight

Cutting Business Expenses Shouldn’t Include Cybersecurity – Channel Futures

  • HoJin Kim explains how Boundless Cybersecurity’s emphasis on scalable economics is helping companies secure their networks during the current economic downturn.

Social Distancing For IoT—No, You Aren’t Paranoid When You Say It! – PC Quest

  • Debasish Mukherjee, VP of regional sales APAC at SonicWall, discusses how the world of cybersecurity compares to the race to find a cure for the novel coronavirus.

COVID-19 Impact: Health and Wellbeing of Employees Have Taken Precedence – Arabian Reseller

  • Mohamad Abdallah, regional director for META, speaks about how COVID-19 has impacted business at SonicWall and the contingency plans the company has put into place in case the crisis persists or continues to worsen.

Cybersecurity News

Scammers pounce as stimulus checks start flowing – The Hill

  • The ongoing taxpayer stimulus is increasingly being targeted by scammers, who see the funds as easy pickings during the ongoing crisis.

FCC Only Partially Improved Its Cybersecurity Posture, GAO Says – Security Week

  • The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has yet to fully address security weaknesses in its systems, a newly published report from the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals.

Shade Ransomware shuts down, releases 750K decryption keys – Bleeping Computer

  • The operators behind the Shade Ransomware (Troldesh) have shut down their operations, released over 750,000 decryption keys, and apologized for the harm they caused their victims.

Hackers spoof SBA to try to compromise companies’ computers – Cyberscoop

  • It isn’t just the taxpayer stimulus being targeted by bad actors—the funds distributed by the U.S. Small Business Administration to companies affected by COVID-19 are also in their crosshairs.

The Covid-19 Pandemic Reveals Ransomware’s Long Game – Wired

  • Hackers laid the groundwork months ago for attacks. Now they’re flipping the game.

Lucy malware for Android adds file-encryption for ransomware ops – Bleeping Computer

  • A threat actor focusing on Android systems has expanded their malware-as-a-service (MaaS) business with file-encrypting capabilities for ransomware operations.

COVID-19’s impact on package deliveries creates golden opportunity for scammers  – SC Magazine

  • Cybercriminals are using the disruption caused by COVID-19 to pose as delivery companies, as they attempt to swindle businesses into opening malicious emails or handing over their credentials.

Microsoft warns of malware-laced ‘John Wick 3,’ ‘Contagion’ movie torrents – Cyberscoop

  • Tens of thousands of internet users have been infected with malware as they attempt to torrent popular movies and wind up downloading more than they intended.

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