Global news outlets and bloggers continue to reference the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report and celebrate our 30th anniversary. Meanwhile, in industry news, the perfect ransomware victim, the biggest DDoS attack in history, phishing attacks are more numerous than we thought, the “FudCo” empire expands, hackers use our brains against us, and REvil has reappeared.

SonicWall in the News

What makes the perfect ransomware victim? — FinTech Global (U.K.)

• Report about Kela, a cybersecurity company in the U.K. that studied profiles of victims of significant ransomware attacks. The report named the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report as it noted how the number of ransomware attacks in 2021 outperformed the entire year of 2020.

The Rise in Ransomware: HAUSER Insurance Wants You to Know the Risks — American Reporter

• This report asks, “Are we actually seeing an increase in ransomware attacks, or are they just becoming more high-profile? According to experts, the answer is both. The Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report shows that ransomware attacks rose by 62% worldwide and 158% in North America alone between 2019 and 2020.

Tips for SMEs: What to do in the event of a ransomware attack — ITUser (Spain)

• According to Excem, small and medium-sized companies are particularly vulnerable to ransomware attacks as they do not have sufficient human, technological and financial resources to protect themselves.

The Rise of Ransomware and How the Education Sector Can Protect Itself — FENews (U.K.)

• Cybercrime has grown tremendously in recent years, and the education sector is no exception. The report uses the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report on how severe the threat is for education.

SonicWall turns 30 — Computing Es (Spain)

• The cybersecurity veteran reflects on the vision, people, technology, customers, and partners that have shaped the company over three decades. In addition, the report mentions SonicWall’s celebrated legacy of product innovation, channel-based DNA, and cybersecurity innovations.

SonicWall celebrates three decades of innovation as a 100% channel company — ITReseller (Spain)

• The report quotes Bill Conner, president and SEO of SonicWall: SonicWall has demonstrated over three decades that its mission is to ensure the long-term success of its customers, partners and employees.

SonicWall, three decades of cybersecurity innovation — Newsbook

• SonicWall just celebrated 30 years in the cybersecurity market. Three decades dedicated to security innovation to tackle digital criminals.

Cybersecurity pioneer celebrates three decades of innovation — CyberSecurity

• Cybersecurity veteran reflects on the vision, people, technology, customers and partners that have shaped the company over three decades.

Stellar Cyber: Partners with SonicWall for Advanced Prevention, Response — MarketScreener (U.S.)

• Partnership delivers seamless integration between advanced prevention technology from SonicWall and AI-powered detection and automated response technology from Stellar Cyber.

SonicWall has been an attractive partner for the channel for 30 years — Infopoint Security (DACH)

• The article reports on the development of the SonicWall Partner Programme, the SonicWall University, and the SonicWall MSSP Programme.

Industry News

Russia’s Yandex says it repelled biggest DDoS attack in history — Reuters

• Russian tech giant Yandex reported “the largest known distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in the history of the Internet.” The attack began in August and peaked on Sept 5, with more than 22 million requests per second sent to the company’s servers.

South African Justice Department Is Hit by Ransomware Attack — Bloomberg

• South Africa’s Justice Department said its systems were attacked by a ransomware campaign earlier this week. All of the department’s information systems were encrypted and unavailable.

Russian cybercrime continues as government-backed attacks on companies dwindle, CrowdStrike says — Cyberscoop

• The Russian approach to hacking shifted considerably over the past year, with state-sponsored attacks on commercial organizations dropping off even as the local cybercrime scene dominated the field, CrowdStrike said in a report Wednesday.

Ukrainian extradited to U.S. for allegedly selling computer credentials: DOJ — The Hill

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday that a Ukrainian hacker was extradited to the U.S. for allegedly selling computer passwords on the dark web. If convicted, Ivanov-Tolpintsev faces up to 17 years in federal prison.

U.S. Gov Seeks Public Feedback on Draft Federal Zero Trust Strategy — Security Week

• THIS WEEK, the U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced they are seeking public feedback on draft zero-trust strategic and technical documentation.

SideWalk Backdoor Linked to China-linked Spy Group’ Grayfly’ — Threat Post

• Grayfly campaigns have launched the novel malware against businesses in Taiwan, Vietnam, the U.S. and Mexico and target Exchange and MySQL servers. The attack revealed a “novel backdoor technique” that security experts dubbed “SideWalk.”

Microsoft: Attackers Exploiting Windows Zero-Day Flaw — Krebs on Security

• Microsoft warned that attackers are exploiting a previously unknown vulnerability in Windows 10 and several Windows Server versions. The attack seizes control over P.C.s when users open a malicious document or visit a booby-trapped website.

Phishing attacks: One in three suspect emails reported by employees really are malicious — ZDNet

• Up to a third of emails that were flagged as suspicious by employees were actually a threat, according to a new report released by F-Secure, an I.T. security company based in Finland. The analysis involved more than 200,000 emails during the first half of 2021.

Ransomware gang threatens to leak data if victim contacts FBI, police — Bleeping Computer

• The Ragnar ransomware group is warning that they will leak stolen data from victims that contact law enforcement authorities. Ragnar previously hit prominent companies with ransomware attacks, demanding millions of dollars in ransom payment.

CISA Issues Guidelines on Choosing a Managed Service Provider — Security Week

• The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued new guidelines for government and private organizations to consider when looking to outsource services to a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

Dallas school district admits SSNs and more of all employees and students since 2010 accessed during security incident — ZDNet

• If you were a student, employee or contractor of The Dallas Independent School District between 2010 and the present, your personal data was likely downloaded by an “unauthorized third party.”

Tech Industry Seeks Bigger Role in Defense. Not Everyone Is on Board — The Wall Street Journal

• Tech-industry leaders are pushing the Pentagon to adopt commercially developed technologies on a grand scale to counter the rise of China. This initiative could transform the military and the multibillion-dollar defense-contracting business.

“FudCo” Spam Empire Tied to Pakistani Software Firm — Krebs on Security

• In May 2015, KrebsOnSecurity briefly profiled “The Manipulators,” the name chosen by a prolific cybercrime group based in Pakistan that was very publicly selling spam tools and a range of services for crafting hosting and deploying malicious email. Six years later, a review of the social media postings from this group shows they are prospering. Brian Krebs reports.

Howard University shuts down network after ransomware attack — Cyberscoop

• In Washington, the private Howard University disclosed that it suffered a ransomware attack late last week and is currently working to restore affected systems.

New Zealand banks, post office hit by outages in apparent cyberattack — Reuters

• Websites of several financial institutions in New Zealand and its national postal service were briefly down on Wednesday, with officials saying they were battling a cyberattack.

How Hackers Use Our Brains Against Us — The Wall Street Journal

• Cybercriminals take advantage of the unconscious processes that we all use to make decision-making more efficient. Blame it on our “lizard brains.”

Notorious Russian Ransomware Group ‘REvil’ Has Reappeared — Bloomberg

• After vanishing this summer, the infamous criminal ransomware group behind the JBS SA cyberattack has returned to the dark web.

Juniper Breach Mystery Starts to Clear With New Details on Hackers and U.S. Role — Bloomberg

• Tech company installed a flawed NSA algorithm that became a perfect example of the danger of government backdoors.’

Guntrader breach perp: I don’t think it’s a crime to dump 111k people’s details online in Google Earth format — The Register

• A “pseudonymous person” reformatted Guntrader hack data as a Google Earth-compatible CSV and said they are prepared to go to prison, denying their actions are a criminal offense.

In Case You Missed It

• IoT Devices: If You Connect It, Protect It – Amber Wolff
• The Halfway Point: How Cybercrime Has Impacted Government in 2021 – Amber Wolff
• Elevating SonicWall to the Cloud – Jayant Thakre
• How Cybercrime Impacted Education in 2021 – Amber Wolff
• From Sonic Systems to SonicWall: 30 Years of Cybersecurity Evolution – Amber Wolff
• The Top 12 Cybersecurity Books – Recommendations from SonicWall Leadership and Employees – Ray Wyman
• SonicWall Earns Another Perfect Score from ICSA Labs for Q2 — Amber Wolff
• SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner Recognized on CRN’s 2021 Top 100 Executives List — Lindsey Lockhart
• Latest Cyber Threat Intelligence Shows Ransomware Skyrocketing – Amber Wolff
• SonicWall Fortifies Cloud Edge Secure Access with Device Compliance Check and Network Traffic Control – Sony Kogin
• New SonicWall NSsp 13700 Firewall: Security for Large Enterprises – Ajay Uggirala
• SonicWall Announces Capture Labs Portal – Brook Chelmo

The Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report found its way into the Wall Street Journal, CNN and other news outlets. Plus, SonicWall’s big 30^th anniversary earned mentions all over the global news cycle. In industry news, China crushes cyberweakness, Trickbot links, Blackberry’s “BadAlloc,” hackers attack rural sewage, surgeries cancelled, care diverted, and the Dallas Police Department announces a serious breach – four months late.

SonicWall in the News

SonicWall and Fusion BPO Services enter into strategic partnership — CRN India

• SonicWall has entered into a strategic partnership with Fusion BPO services, a global BPO with headquarters in Kolkata, India and Draper, Utah (US). The new partnership will feature SonicWall’s state-of-the-art next-generation firewalls (NGFW) for SMB, enterprise, and government organizations. Fusion incorporates a wide range of call center services from 18 centers located in nine countries.

The Ruthless Hackers Behind Ransomware Attacks on U.S. Hospitals: ‘They Do Not Care’ — Wall Street Journal

• The Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report continues to reverberate. This time by the Wall Street Journal reporting on recent ransomware attacks on hospitals in the U.S. The attacks were devastating: a chain in Las Vegas was all but closed; in Oregon, they shut down monitors tracking patient vital signs, and in New York, they briefly closed a trauma center. In addition, the report notes that a cybercrime gang known as “Ryuk” may account for one-third of the 203 million U.S. ransomware attacks in 2020 cited in SonicWall’s report.

Friday 13: 5 tips to protect yourself from ‘bad luck’ from cyber attacks — CNN Brazil

• CNN, one of Brazil’s most prominent news outlets, drew a parallel between superstitions associated with “Friday the 13th” and the specter of falling victim to a cyberattack. The reporter playfully warns that readers can avoid the “bad luck” of cyberattacks on a then-upcoming occurrence of the day by taking certain precautions. However, the story turns very serious when it quotes data from the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report.

Newest Target of Cyber Attacks: America’s Hospitals — The Crime Report

• Reporters here cited the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report as a reference point for the massive surge in ransomware attacks in the U.S. The story also noted a story from Arstechnica that describes how attackers knocked out staff access to I.T. systems across virtually all operations. The report also pointed out that the Ryuk cybercriminal gang was once called the “Business Club,” tied to Russian government security services.

Cyber threat warning to Fife businesses as attacks’ skyrocket’ — Dunfermline Press

• Data from the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report kicks off with a cybersecurity agency in the U.K. that warns small businesses and charities to be extra vigilant about their exposure to cyberattacks.

CISA offers government and private sector guidance on ransomware prevention — FinTech Global

• The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) shared guidance on the roles government and private sector organizations may work together to prevent ransomware data breaches. The story cited the 151% spike in ransomware attacks that was reported in the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report.

SonicWall: Record 304.7 Million Ransomware Attacks Eclipse 2020 Global Total Just 6 Months — CRWE World

• Observing growing anxiety over the increase in ransomware attacks worldwide, reporters cite data from the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report.

SonicWall: Record 304.7 Million Ransomware Attacks Eclipse 2020 Global Total in Just 6 Months — European Business Magazine

• The Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report takes center stage in this report about growing global threats from ransomware attacks. Noting that the attacks have skyrocketed in the U.S., the European Community is not far behind.

SonicWall: Record 304.7 Million Ransomware Attacks Eclipse 2020 Global Total in Just 6 Months — Digital Conqurer

• Citing the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, the story highlights ransomware’s massive year-to-date spikes in the U.S. (185%), and U.K. (144%)

SonicWall Cyber Threat Report 2021: 304.7 Million Record Ransomware Attacks In Just 6 Months, Eclipses Whole Of 2020 — SiliconVillage

• Another story highlighted the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, noting record highs in April and May, with another new high of 78.4 million ransomware attacks in June 2021 alone.

SonicWall: Record 304.7 Million Ransomware Attacks Eclipse 2020 Global Total In Just 6 Months — MoneyFM

• In the first half of 2021, ransomware attacks skyrocketed, eclipsing the entire volume for 2020 in only six months, according to the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report.

Ransomware was the most common attack among Brazilian companies in 2021 — Bahia Lighthouse

• A reporter used the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report to demonstrate that in the first quarter of 2021 alone, Brazil was the leader among Latin nations and a victim of 3.2 billion attempts.

Ransomware was the most common attack among Brazilian companies in 2021 — InfoTec Computadores

• Citing the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, reporters note that in the first quarter of 2021, Brazil drew nearly half of the 7 billion attempts reported across Latin America in 2021.

Anniversary – 30 years of Sonicwall — Netzpalaver

• The article notes SonicWall’s 30th anniversary to share its history, significant milestones, the growth of SonicWall technologies, and its commitment to its customers.

SonicWall turns 30: Cybersecurity pioneer celebrates three decades of innovation — All About SECURITY

• This article also observes SonicWall’s 30th anniversary and shares comments from SonicWall President and CEO, Bill Conner, Exertis’ U.K. and Europe Security Sales Director, Jason Hill, Epicor’s I.T. Director of Hosting and Managed Services, Harry Hartnup, and SonicWall’s SVP and Chief Technology Officer, John Gmuender.

Sonicwall Turns 30: Cybersecurity Pioneer Celebrates Three Decades Of Innovation— SECURITY INSIDER

• One more article celebrates SonicWall’s 30th anniversary, detailing SonicWall technologies and enduring customer loyalty.

Industry News

Crypto exchange Binance hires former U.S. Treasury criminal investigator — Reuters

• Crypto exchange agency, Binance, says it appointed a former U.S. Treasury criminal investigator as its global money laundering reporting officer, part of an attempt by one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges to reinvent itself as a regulated financial firm.

China orders annual security reviews for all critical information infrastructure operators — The Register

• China’s government has introduced rules for protection of critical information infrastructure. The announcement was issued the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) notes that security challenges facing critical information infrastructure are severe.

Japanese insurer Tokio Marine discloses ransomware attack — Bleeping Computer

• Tokio Marine Holdings, a multinational insurance holding company in Japan, announced this week that its Singapore branch, Tokio Marine Insurance Singapore (TMiS), suffered a ransomware attack.

Diavol ransomware sample shows stronger connection to TrickBot gang — Bleeping Computer

• A new analysis of a Diavol ransomware sample shows a more apparent connection between the gang behind the TrickBot botnet and the evolution of the malware.

BlackBerry’s popular operating system for medical devices affected by critical vulnerabilities — Cyberscoop

• A critical set of software flaws first revealed in April affects code made by BlackBerry used in countless devices in the medical, automotive and energy sectors, the technology vendor confirmed on Tuesday. The disclosure expands the number of devices at risk due to the “BadAlloc” flaw.

Rural Sewage Plants Hit by Ransomware Attacks in Maine — Security Week

• Local officials said that a pair of ransomware attacks on sewage treatment plants in rural Maine communities demonstrates that small towns need to be just as vigilant as larger communities in protecting against hackers.

Colonial Pipeline sends breach letters to more than 5,000 after ransomware group accessed SSNs — ZDNet

• Colonial Pipeline is sending out notification letters to 5,810 current and former employees whose personal information was accessed by the DarkSide ransomware group  during an attack in May. The company admitted in an August 13 letter that on May 6, the ransomware group “acquired certain records” stored in their systems.

Malware campaign uses clever ‘captcha’ to bypass browser warning — Bleeping Computer

• A malware campaign used a clever captcha prompt to trick users into bypassing browsers warnings to download the Gozi (aka Ursnif) banking trojan. Yesterday, security researcher Malware Hunter Team shared a suspicious URL with BleepingComputer that downloads a file when attempting to watch an embedded YouTube video about a New Jersey women’s prison.

Brazilian government discloses National Treasury ransomware attack — Bleeping Computer

• The Brazilian Ministry of Economy disclosed a ransomware attack that hit the National Treasury’s computing systems on Friday night, right before the start of the weekend. “On Friday night (the 13th) a ransomware attack on the internal network of the National Treasury Secretariat was identified,” the Brazilian government announced.

Tech Hack Notification Delays Can Leave Corporate Customers in the Lurch — The Wall Street Journal

• Some tech companies are slow to share details about hacks of their products, leaving customers vulnerable to disruptions and uncertain how to respond as information trickles out. Cyberattacks in which hackers target a service provider and then use that foothold to access their customers’ networks. The report goes on to describe how policy makers in the U.S. and Europe are scrutinizing “weak links.”

T-Mobile Investigating Claims of Massive Customer Data Breach — VICE

• T-Mobile says it is investigating a forum post claiming to be selling a mountain of personal data. The forum post itself doesn’t mention T-Mobile, but the seller told Motherboard they have obtained data related to over 100 million people and that the data came from T-Mobile servers.

Dallas cops lost 8 T.B. of criminal case data during bungled migration, says the DA… four months later — The Register

• According to local reports, a bungled data migration of a network drive caused the deletion of 22 terabytes of information from a U.S. police force’s system – including case files in a murder trial. Dallas Police Department confessed to the information blunder last week, revealing in a statement that a data migration exercise carried out at the end of the 2020-21 financial year deleted vast amounts of data from a network drive.

Surgeries canceled, care diverted as Memorial Health responds to cyberattack — S.C. Magazine

• Memorial Health System in Ohio is currently operating under electronic health record (EHR) downtime procedures and diverting emergency care patients after a cyberattack struck its network during the early hours of Sunday, Aug. 15. All radiology exams and urgent surgical cases scheduled for Aug. 16 have also been canceled as a result.

In Case You Missed It

• From Sonic Systems to SonicWall: 30 Years of Cybersecurity Evolution – Amber Wolff
• The Top 12 Cybersecurity Books – Recommendations from SonicWall Leadership and Employees – Ray Wyman
• SonicWall Earns Another Perfect Score from ICSA Labs for Q2 — Amber Wolff
• SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner Recognized on CRN’s 2021 Top 100 Executives List — Lindsey Lockhart
• Latest Cyber Threat Intelligence Shows Ransomware Skyrocketing – Amber Wolff
• SonicWall Fortifies Cloud Edge Secure Access with Device Compliance Check and Network Traffic Control – Sony Kogin
• New SonicWall NSsp 13700 Firewall: Security for Large Enterprises – Ajay Uggirala
• SonicWall Announces Capture Labs Portal – Brook Chelmo
• SonicWall NSa 4700 and 6700: The Newest Next-Generation Firewalls for Medium Enterprises – Ajay Uggirala
• Three New Firewalls with Triple the Performance, Plus Three Powerful Updates – Atul Dhablania

This week, the Mid-Year Update to the 20201 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report shook up a lot of people with the headline “304.7 million ransomware attacks eclipse 2020.” That’s a 151% increase, year-over-year. In other news, “Wipers” in the Middle East, Emma Willard, UC San Diego, rebranded hacker groups, fake Microsoft 11 installers, the sinister case of Plugwalkjoe, and flirty aerobics instructors.

SonicWall in the News

Record 304.7 Million Ransomware Attacks Eclipse 2020 Global Total in Just 6 Months – SonicWall Press

• Straight off the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report: high-profile attacks against established technology and infrastructure are now more prevalent than ever. Through the first half of 2021, SonicWall recorded global ransomware volume of 304.7 million, surpassing 2020’s full-year total (304.6 million) — a 151% year-to-date increase. If that doesn’t rock your boat, keep in mind that just about every business sector is targeted.

Over 300 million ransomware attacks recorded in first half of 2021, claims study – Tech Digest

• The cyberthreat quote of the week came from SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner: “In a year driven by anxiety and uncertainty, cybercriminals have continued to accelerate attacks against innocent people and vulnerable institutions. This latest data shows that sophisticated threat actors are tirelessly adapting their tactics and embracing ransomware to reap financial gain and sow discord…”

Fresh data shows a 600% rise in education-related cybercrime – FENews

• This publication focused on data from SonicWall Capture Labs that shows a 615% rise in ransomware – just on education alone! Threat researchers also recorded alarming ransomware spikes across other key verticals, including government (917%), healthcare (594%) and retail (264%).

Record 304.7 Million Ransomware Attacks Eclipse 2020 Global Total in Just 6 Months – IT Supply Chain

• Data from the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report revealed that 2021 ransomware numbers “eclipse” all of 2020 global attacks.

SonicWall: Record 304.7 Million Ransomware Attacks Eclipse 2020 Global Total in Just 6 Months – VM Blog

• Writers here focused on the fact that data from the Mid-Year Update to the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report shows the sharp rise in the number of ransomware attacks was achieved in just 6 months.

SonicWall makes the move to Globalization Partners to help grow global team – WhaTech

• Noting SonicWall’s 30-year history, writers here point out a Globalization Partners solution to hire talent around the world.

Teleworking: how much risk is there for your Company security – Dealer World

• SonicWall’s Sergio Martínez participated in a special issue about teleworking and cybersecurity.

Industry News

Researchers Link Mysterious ‘MeteorExpress’ Wiper to Iranian Train Cyberattack – Security Week

• Security researchers at SentinelOne stumbled upon a hitherto unknown data-wiping malware that was part of a disruptive cyberattack against Iran’s train system earlier this month. “Wipers,” as they are euphemistically called, are the most destructive of all malware types. The genre logs most of its attacks in the Middle East, with the 2012 Shamoon attacks against Saudi Aramco being the most prominent example.

New York’s Emma Willard School suffers ransomware attack – Edscoop

• Following a 615% rise in ransomware targeting education this year, leaders at the prodigious Emma Willard School in Troy, NY are reeling from a recent cyberattack. They’re still identifying the extent of the attack but said that some employee Social Security numbers and financial information were stolen, according to a letter obtained by the Times-Union.

As Cyberattacks Surge, Security Start-Ups Reap the Rewards – The New York Times

• Responding to the severe uptick in cyberattacks, investors have poured $12.2 billion into cybersecurity companies so far this year, nearly $2 billion more than the total for all of 2020.

UC San Diego Health discloses data breach after phishing attack – Bleeping Computer

• UC San Diego Health, one of nation’s highest ranked hospitals, and a leading academic medical school, disclosed that they discovered a data breach that compromised some employees’ email accounts that may have revealed personal information of patients, employees, and students. The breach occurred between December 2, 2020, and April 8, 2021, and was the result of a phishing attack.

Scammers are using fake Microsoft 11 installers to spread malware – Cyberscoop

• Security firm Kaspersky issued warnings that hackers are circulating fake installers to people who are eager to get their hands on the Microsoft operating system update due this fall.

Cyber insurance rates fail to match catastrophe risk – Reuters

• Rising prices of insurance against cyberattacks fail to take account of the potential catastrophic effects of a widespread attack, Chubb Ltd. CEO Evan Greenberg said on Wednesday. Chubb is a major underwriter for various insurance for business.

Justice Department officials urge Congress to pass ransomware notification law – The Hill

• U.S. Justice Department officials came out in strong support of legislation requiring companies to report ransomware attacks and other severe data breaches to federal authorities. But DOJ also says that Congress should hold the brakes on banning ransomware payments.

PlugwalkJoe Does the Perp Walk – Krebs on Security

• Brian Krebs takes a closer look at the “sinister criminal charges” in the indictment of Joseph O’Connor (aka “PlugwalkJoe”) that revealed a subculture where young men turned to sextortion, SIM swapping, and death threats to seize control of social media accounts.

Haron and BlackMatter are the latest groups to crash the ransomware party – Ars Technica

• New groups – or rebranded old ones – are rising just as the number of high-severity ransomware attacks ratchet up.

FBI reveals top targeted vulnerabilities of the last two years – Bleeping Computer

• Recommended read: A joint security advisory by cybersecurity agencies from the US, the UK, and Australia reveals the top 30 most targeted security vulnerabilities of the last two years.

Top FBI official advises Congress against banning ransomware payments – The Hill

• Bryan Vorndran, the assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division advised members of the Senate Judiciary Committee against banning payments for ransomware attacks.

Praying Mantis Threat Group Targeting US Firms in Sophisticated Attacks – Dark Reading

• Group’s advanced memory-resident attacks similar to those employed in sustained campaign against Australian companies and government last year, security vendor says.

In Case You Missed It

• Latest Cyber Threat Intelligence Shows Ransomware Skyrocketing – Amber Wolff
• SonicWall Fortifies Cloud Edge Secure Access with Device Compliance Check and Network Traffic Control – Sony Kogin
• New SonicWall NSsp 13700 Firewall: Security for Large Enterprises – Ajay Uggirala
• SonicWall Announces Capture Labs Portal – Brook Chelmo
• SonicWall NSa 4700 and 6700: The Newest Next-Generation Firewalls for Medium Enterprises – Ajay Uggirala
• Three New Firewalls with Triple the Performance, Plus Three Powerful Updates – Atul Dhablania

This week, attacks on cyber-insurers, Kaseya, Morgan Stanley and the Ukrainian government were brought to light, and two prominent cybercriminals were brought to justice.

SonicWall in the News

Ransomware demands are digital extortion: don’t pay — Financial Times

• SonicWall’s report numbers on ransomware indicate attacks increased by more than 60%.
  Syndicated: California News Times

Review: SonicWall Cloud Edge Secure Access — Biz Tech

• With least-privilege access and advanced microsegmentation, SonicWall leverages the principles of zero trust to protect cloud-first organizations.

Global cyber insurance pricing increases by 32% – Howden — Global Insurance

• The rampage in ransomware now poses a threat to businesses of all sizes.

SonicWall Triples Threat Performance, Dramatically Improves TCO with Trio of New Enterprise Firewalls — ITWeb

• With triple the firewall throughput compared to previous SonicWall appliances, new NSa and NSsp models help organizations keep pace with the speeds of their growing networks.

Cybersecurity: how to invest in a thriving sector amid rising cybercrime — Proactive News

• It’s a “cat and mouse” industry as hackers and defense software developers get more sophisticated.

CISA Releases Ransomware Readiness Assessment Audit Tool — HIPAA Journal

• The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has launched a new tool that can be used by organizations to assess how well they are equipped to defend and recover from a ransomware attack.

SonicWall’s EMEA boss discusses what drove up sales by almost a third in 2020 — Channel Partner Insight

• SonicWall EMEA VP Terry Greer-King discusses what drove up sales by almost a third in 2020, as well as partner support, growth plans in EMEA and challenges ahead.

Infiltrate, adapt, repeat: A look at tomorrow’s malware landscape — Intelligent CIO

• Brook Chelmo, Software and Security Product Marketing Strategist at SonicWall, explains possible reasons for the growth in the varieties of new malware that were detected and featured in the SonicWall 2021 Cyberthreat Report.

Rebuilding after ransomware: Heartland Community College invests $1 million — EDSCOOP

• According to a recent report by the cybersecurity company SonicWall, COVID-themed malware attacks spiked for the education industry in early fall as students returned to school.

Industry News

Morgan Stanley reports data breach after vendor Accellion hack — Bleeping Computer

• Investment banking firm Morgan Stanley has reported a data breach after attackers stole personal information belonging to its customers by hacking into the Accellion FTA server of a third-party vendor.

Kaseya Left Customer Portal Vulnerable to 2015 Flaw in its Own Software — Krebs on Security

• It appears that, until last week, Kaseya’s customer service portal was left vulnerable to a data-leaking security flaw that was first identified in the same software six years ago.

Letting Businesses ‘Hack Back’ Against Hackers Is a Terrible Idea, Cyber Veterans Say — The Wall Street Journal

• Companies shouldn’t be allowed to strike back against hackers, cybersecurity specialists and former government officials warned, after senators last week introduced legislation floating the idea of such counterattacks.

Ransomware as a service: negotiators between hackers and victims are now in high demand — ZDNet

• RaaS groups are hiring negotiators whose primary role is to force victims to pay up.

Use of Common Malware in Operation Targeting Energy Sector Makes Attribution Difficult — Security Week

• Researchers at cybersecurity firm Intezer have been monitoring a campaign that appears to be mainly aimed at the energy sector, but attribution to a known threat group is made difficult by the fact that the operation involves several common malware families.

Attempted Hack of R.N.C. and Russian Ransomware Attack Test Biden — The New York Times

• The breach of a Republican National Committee contractor, also linked to Russia, and the global ransomware attack occurred weeks after a U.S.-Russian summit.

Hackers attack websites of Ukraine’s president and security service — Reuters

• A cyberattack hit the websites of Ukraine’s president, security service and other institutions on Tuesday afternoon, but they were working again by the evening.

Ransomware: US warns Russia to take action after latest attacks — ZDNet

• The U.S. has warned Russia to take care of cybercrime operating in its own backyard — or the U.S. will take care of it themselves.

Alleged Cybercriminal Arrested in Morocco Following Interpol Probe — Dark Reading

• The suspect operated under the name “Dr Hex” to target thousands of people through phishing, fraud and carding activities.

Fake Kaseya VSA security update backdoors networks with Cobalt Strike — Bleeping Computer

• Threat actors are trying to capitalize on the ongoing Kaseya ransomware attack crisis. This time, they’re targeting potential victims in a spam campaign pushing Cobalt Strike payloads disguised as Kaseya VSA security updates.

In Crosshairs of Ransomware Crooks, Cyber Insurers Struggle — Security Week

• In the past few weeks, ransomware criminals attacked at least three cyberinsurance brokerages — all of which offer policies to help others survive the very network-paralyzing, data-pilfering extortion attacks they themselves suffered.

Germany Thwarts Cyberattack, Denies Impact on Banking System — Bloomberg

• German authorities thwarted a cyberattack on a data service provider used by federal agencies, but they pushed back on a report that a broad assault targeted critical infrastructure and banks.

NSA: Russian GRU hackers use Kubernetes to run brute force attacks — Bleeping Computer

• The National Security Agency (NSA) warns that Russian nation-state hackers are conducting brute force attacks to access U.S. networks and steal email and files.

Colombia police collar suspected Gozi Trojan distributor — ZDNet

• The alleged hacker is wanted in the United States.

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