Cybersecurity News & Trends – 08-21-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, U.S. national security was at the forefront, with authorities working to secure voting systems ahead of the November elections, FBI and CISA issuing warnings about Linux malware and the U.S. Army detailing North Korea’s cyberattack strategies.

SonicWall Spotlight

Interview: Bill Conner, President and CEO, SonicWall — Infosecurity

  • With remote working likely to be far more common going forward, businesses are considering what they should do to adequately secure themselves.

How to Negotiate with Cyber Terrorists During a Pandemic — Bloomberg (United Kingdom)

  • According to SonicWall’s mid-year Cyber Threat Report, the number of ransomware attacks climbed 20% in the first half of the year, to a total of 121.4 million.
    *Syndicated on Yahoo! Finance UK, Washington Post and The Star

D&H Expands Hosted Security Offerings for MSPs, SMBs — Channelnomics

  • D&H Distributing is giving MSPs and SMBend customers access to SonicWall’s security solutions through a subscription model that removes upfront costs and offers predictable monthly payments.

Cybersecurity News

Taiwan says China behind cyberattacks on government agencies, emails — Reuters

  • Taiwan said hacking groups linked to the Chinese government had attacked at least 10 government agencies and some 6,000 government email accounts to steal important data.

FritzFrog malware attacks Linux servers over SSH to mine Monero — Bleeping Computer

  • A sophisticated botnet campaign named FritzFrog has been discovered breaching SSH servers around the world.

Ongoing Campaign Uses HTML Smuggling for Malware Delivery — Security Week

  • Referred to as Duri, the campaign attempts to evade network security solutions, including proxies and sandboxes, to deliver malicious code.

IRS Granted Tens of Thousands of Devices Network Access Without Proper Authentication — Nextgov

  • Most devices accessing the Internal Revenue Service’s internal network using wireless connections and virtual private networks weren’t authenticated, according to an audit.

U.S. Army Report Describes North Korea’s Cyber Warfare Capabilities — Security Week

  • A 332-page report, titled “North Korean Tactics,” details North Korean forces and their actions, with one chapter focusing on electronic intelligence warfare.

How a new federal policy for telling election officials about cyber-intrusions got put to use — Cyberscoop

  • An unidentified hacker reportedly spoofed the email account of a voting-equipment vendor and sent a phishing email to a local election official in Missouri.

NSA and FBI warn that new Linux malware threatens national security — Ars Technica

  • The FBI and NSA have issued a joint warning that Russian state hackers are using a previously unknown piece of Linux malware to infiltrate sensitive networks, steal confidential information, and execute malicious commands.

CISA Warns of Phishing Emails Delivering KONNI Malware — Security Week

  • The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an alert providing information on attacks delivering the KONNI remote access Trojan (RAT).

CactusPete hackers go on European rampage with Bisonal backdoor upgrade — ZDNet

  • The APT is attacking banks and military organizations throughout Eastern Europe.

Lawmakers introduce bill to help election officials address cyber vulnerabilities — The Hill

  • Reps. John Katko (R-N.Y.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation to provide election officials with enhanced cybersecurity resources, as authorities ramp up warnings of foreign interference in the upcoming U.S. elections.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 08-14-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week marks one of the biggest launches in SonicWall history, bringing with it a comprehensive set of new solutions designed to increase security, simplify management and meet the challenges of today’s cybersecurity reality.

SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall’s Biggest Launch To-Date Delivers Future-Proof Security, Remotely — CRN TV

  • CRN’s video discusses SonicWall CEO Bill Conner’s leadership and showcases the importance of SonicWall to the channel and the industry overall.

SonicWall Leads SMB Market To Resolve Stretched Security Budgets And Risks For Newly Extended Remote Workforces — Source Security

  • SonicWall is introducing new zero-touch enabled, multi-gigabit SonicWall TZ firewalls with SD-Branch capabilities, along with a redesigned cloud-native management console.

SonicWall Refreshes High End Both Enterprise and SMB Firewalls — ChannelBuzz

  • ChannelBuzz highlights the new versions of SonicWall’s firewalls and includes commentary from Bill Conner on the importance of the launch.

SonicWall Sounds Off On Next-Gen Security Line Up  — SDxCentral

  • SDxCentral explains how SonicWall’s Gen 7 offerings expand the company’s enterprise capabilities and strengthen its current portfolio of products.

SonicWall Ships High-Speed Firewalls for SMB and Branch Office Environments — The ChannelPro Network

  • In a feature on SonicWall’s Gen 7 launch, the ChannelPro Network discusses SonicWall’s new firewall appliances.

Cybersecurity News

Israel Says It Thwarted Cyber Attack Targeting Defense Industry — Bloomberg

  • Israel has announced it foiled a cyberattack targeting its defense industry by a shadowy group that the U.S. has linked to North Korea. .

Agent Tesla Spyware Adds Fresh Tricks to Its Arsenal — Threat Post

  • The RAT is surging in 2020, becoming more prevalent than even the infamous TrickBot or Emotet malware.

Trump Moves on China Apps May Create New Internet ‘Firewall’ — Security Week

  • A Trump administration ban on apps such as TikTok and WeChat risks fragmenting an already fragile global internet and creating an American version of China’s “Great Firewall.

Avaddon ransomware launches data leak site to extort victims — Bleeping Computer

  • The Avaddon ransomware operators’ site will be used to publish the stolen data of victims who do not pay a ransom demand.

Hacked government, college sites push malware via fake hacking tools — Bleeping Computer

  • A large scale hacking campaign appears to offer articles on hacking social network accounts, but instead delivers malware and scams.

UN reports sharp increase in cybercrime during pandemic — The Washington Times

  • A 350% increase in phishing websites was reported in Q1 2020, many targeting hospitals and health care systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

Magecart group uses homoglyph attacks to fool you into visiting malicious websites — ZDNet

  • A new campaign is utilizing the Inter kit and favicons to hide skimming activities.

Maryland officials warn gun dealers about phishing scams — The Washington Times

  • Authorities in Maryland have issued an advisory about an apparent email phishing scam targeting firearms dealers in the state.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 08-07-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, hackers dominated the headlines. But from financial firms, to voting machines, to entire countries, many are beginning to mount a stronger defense.

SonicWall Spotlight

AT&T Cybersecurity: Do Secure VPNs, Don’t Pay Ransoms — SDxCentral

  • The author notes that, per SonicWall’s mid-year update to the 2020 Cyber Threat Report, there was a 20% jump in ransomware globally in the first half of 2020 compared to mid-year 2019, including a staggering 109% spike in the U.S.

3 Tips For Improving Your Cybersecurity Program This School Year — EdTech Magazine

  • As schools prepare to reopen, EdTech Magazine offers three ways districts can improve their cybersecurity programs.

Covid-19 pandemic: Russian hackers target UK, US and Canadian research — Pharmaceutical Technology

  • Security services in the UK, US and Canada have determined that Russian cyber hacking group APT29 has attempted to illicitly access Covid-19 research. SonicWall CEO Bill Conner discusses how state-sponsored espionage groups are targeting medical data.

Cybersecurity News

Insecure satellite Internet is threatening ship and plane safety — Ars Technica

  • At the Black Hat security conference, researcher James Pavur presented findings that show that satellite-based Internet is putting millions at risk despite safeguards implemented by providers.

How the US Can Prevent the Next ‘Cyber 9/11’ — Wired

  • In an interview with WIRED, former national intelligence official Sue Gordon discusses Russian election interference and other digital threats to democracy.

U.S. Government Launches Cyber Career Path Tool — Security Week

  • The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) this week announced the launch of a free tool designed to help users identify and navigate a potential career path.

U.S. coronavirus fraud losses near $100 million as COVID scams double — Reuters

  • U.S. losses from coronavirus-related fraud and identity theft have reached nearly $100 million, while complaints of COVID-19 scams have at least doubled in most states.

Financial Firms’ Cybersecurity Spending Jumps 15%, Survey Finds — Bloomberg

  • Big banks and other financial firms are spending 15% more this year to defend computer networks from cyber criminals, and the pandemic and work-from-home arrangements are probably spurring further increases.

Hackers Get Green Light to Test U.S. Voting Systems — The Wall Street Journal

  • Election Systems & Software, the top U.S. seller of voting-machine technology, is calling a truce in its feud with computer security researchers over the ways they probe for vulnerabilities of the company’s systems.

Hackers can abuse Microsoft Teams updater to install malware — Bleeping Computer

  • Microsoft Teams can still double as a Living off the Land binary (LoLBin) and help attackers retrieve and execute malware from a remote location.

Robots Running the Industrial World Are Open to Cyber Attacks — Bloomberg

  • According to a new report titled “Rogue Automation,” some robots have flaws that could make them vulnerable to advanced hackers, who could steal data or alter a robot’s movements remotely.

Interpol Warns of ‘Alarming’ Cybercrime Rate During Pandemic — Security Week

  • Global police body Interpol has warned of an “alarming” rate of cybercrime during the coronavirus pandemic.

CISA, DOD, FBI expose new versions of Chinese malware strain named Taidoor — ZDNet

  • U.S. government agencies say the Taidoor remote access trojan (RAT) has been used as far back as 2008.

Exclusive: China-backed hackers ‘targeted COVID-19 vaccine firm Moderna’ — Reuters

  • Chinese government-linked hackers targeted biotech company Moderna Inc., a U.S.-based coronavirus vaccine research developer, this year in a bid to steal data, according to a U.S. security official.

Hackers Are Targeting the Remote Workers Who Keep Your Lights On — Bloomberg

  • With many of the people who help keep the grid running now working from home, cyberattacks targeting the power sector have surged.

Hackers Broke Into Real News Sites to Plant Fake Stories — Wired

  • A disinformation operation broke into the content management systems of Eastern European media outlets in a campaign to spread misinformation about NATO.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 07-31-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, ransomware attacks on U.S. governments, the energy sector, sports teams and smartwatch maker Garmin made headlines — and with cryptocurrency on the rise, more may be in store.

SonicWall Spotlight

Malware is Down, But IoT and Ransomware Attacks Are Up — TechRepublic

  • Malicious attacks disguised as Microsoft Office files increased 176%, according to SonicWall’s midyear threat report.

Sharp Spike in Ransomware in U.S. as Pandemic Inspires Attackers — ThreatPost

  • COVID-19 has changed the face of cybercrime, as the latest malware statistics show.

Inactive wear! Smartwatch maker Garmin suffers widespread outages after ‘ransomware attack’ – leaving thousands unable to track their workouts — Daily Mail

  • According to Bill Conner, the combination of remote internet connections and less secure personal computers has increased organizations’ risk of being compromised.

Smartwatch maker Garmin suffers outage after ransomware attack — The Telegraph

  • SonicWall found that there had been a 20% increase in the number of ransomware attacks in the first half of the year, to more than 120 million.

HoJin Kim Named as part of CRN‘s Top 100 Executives Of 2020 list, we highlight 25 sales executives leading the channel charge — CRN Award

  • Kim has revolutionized pricing for MSSPs, with a pay-as-you-go model for SonicWall’s software products that delivers a cost savings of 20% over buying an annual license.

Cybersecurity News

FBI warns of Netwalker ransomware targeting US government and orgs — Bleeping Computer

  • The FBI has issued a security alert about Netwalker ransomware operators, advising victims not to pay the ransom and to report incidents to their local FBI field offices.

Russia’s GRU Hackers Hit US Government and Energy Targets — Wired

  • A previously unreported Fancy Bear campaign persisted for well over a year — suggesting the notorious group behind the attacks has broadened its focus.

UK govt warns of ransomware, BEC attacks against sports sector — Bleeping Computer

  • The UK National Cyber Security Centre has highlighted the increasing number of ransomware, phishing and BEC schemes targeting sports organizations.

Bitcoin rises above $10,000 for first time since early June — Reuters

  • After several weeks of trading in narrow ranges, Bitcoin has breached $10,000 for the first time since early June.

Feature-rich Ensiko malware can encrypt, targets Windows, macOS, Linux — Bleeping Computer

  • Threat researchers have found a new feature-rich malware that can encrypt files on any system running PHP.

CISO concern grows as ransomware plague hits close to home — ZDNet

  • An increasing wave of cybercrime targeting Fortune 500 companies is starting to ring alarm bells.

BootHole GRUB bootloader bug lets hackers hide malware in Linux, Windows — Bleeping Computer

  • When properly exploited, a severe vulnerability in almost all signed versions of GRUB2 bootloader could enable compromise of an operating system’s booting process even if the Secure Boot verification mechanism is active.

OkCupid: Hackers want your data, not a relationship — ZDNet

  • Researchers have discovered a way to steal the personal and sensitive data of users on the popular dating app.

US defense contractors targeted by North Korean phishing attacks — Bleeping Computer

  • Employees of U.S. defense and aerospace contractors were targeted in a large-scale spearphishing campaign designed to infect their devices and to exfiltrate defense tech intelligence.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 07-24-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, SonicWall reveals what the “new business normal” looks like for cybercriminals in the mid-year update to the 2020 Cyber Threat Report.

SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall Report: COVID-19 Has Created ‘Boon’ For Criminals — ZDNet

  • In an article on SonicWall’s Mid-Year Threat Report, ZDNet highlights findings that hackers have shifted their strategies due to COVID-19.

The 2020 Rising Female Stars Of The IT Channel — CRN

  • SonicWall is proud to announce one of its own, Tiffany Haselhorst, has joined other leaders within the IT channel community on CRN’s esteemed 2020 list of 100 Rising Female Stars.

Cyberthreat landscape changes to meet new business normal of Work From Home: SonicWall — Channelbuzz.ca

  • In an article on SonicWall’s Mid-Year Threat Report, Channelbuzz highlights how cybercriminals have evolved their tactics to better exploit remote work environments during the pandemic.

Malware Attacks Down As Ransomware Increases — BetaNews

  • In an article on SonicWall’s Mid-Year Threat Report, BetaNews highlights findings that malware has dropped 24% and ransomware has increased 20% globally and 109% in the U.S.

Cybersecurity News

Using Robust Tools, Cybercriminals Accelerate Their Own Digital Transformation — SiliconANGLE

  • In the online underground, crime not only pays, but attackers are rapidly developing tools and networks that rival those of legitimate enterprises today.

Blackbaud Hack: Universities lose data to ransomware attack — BBC

  • At least seven universities in the UK and Canada have had student data stolen after hackers attacked a cloud computing provider.

Ongoing Meow attack has nuked >1,000 databases without telling anyone why — Ars Technica

  • Just hours after a world-readable database exposed a wealth of sensitive user information, UFO made the news again, this time because a database that stored user details was destroyed in an attack.

Apple’s Hackable iPhones Are Finally Here — Wired

  • Last year, Apple announced a special device just for hackers. The phone — for approved researchers only — will soon go into circulation.

New cryptojacking botnet uses SMB exploit to spread to Windows systems — Bleeping Computer

  • A new cryptojacking botnet is spreading across compromised networks via multiple methods that include the EternalBlue exploit for Windows Server Message Block (SMB) communication protocol.

Ransomware attack locked a football club’s turnstiles — ZDNet

  • Cyber criminals are targeting sports teams, leagues and organizational bodies — and in many cases, their attacks are successful, warns the NCSC.

Lazarus hackers deploy ransomware, steal data using MATA malware — Bleeping Computer

  • A recently discovered malware framework, known as MATA and linked to the North Korean-backed Lazarus hacking group, was used in attacks targeting corporate entities from multiple countries.

House-passed defense spending bill includes provision establishing White House cyber czar — The Hill

  • The House version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act included a provision establishing a national cyber director, a role that would help coordinate federal cybersecurity efforts.

Hackers use recycled backdoor to keep a hold on hacked e-commerce server — Ars Technica

  • Easy-to-miss script can give attackers new access should they ever be booted out.

Twitter Hack Revives Concerns Over Its Data Security — The Wall Street Journal

  • The alleged perpetrator, who called himself ‘Kirk,’ was part of a subculture where hackers trade in coveted social-media accounts.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 07-17-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, between breaches at Twitter, compromise at Citrix and cyberattacks against COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, the case for a U.S. national cyber director got even stronger.

SonicWall Spotlight

Russian Cyber Espionage Group is Trying to Steal U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Research — Newsweek International

  • SonicWall CEO and GCHQ advisor Bill Conner said, “Russia happens to be the first country placed in the spotlight, but it was only a matter of time before a nation state resorted to cybercrime to influence or control global healthcare during a time of great need. … [Cyber] criminals tend to follow the money trail, thus putting a massive bounty on anything vaccine-related.”

Cybersecurity News

Honeywell Sees Rise in USB-Borne Malware That Can Cause Major ICS Disruption — Security Week

  • Honeywell says it has seen a significant increase over the past year in USB-borne malware that can cause disruption to industrial control systems.

Malware adds online sandbox detection to evade analysis — Bleeping Computer

  • Malware developers are now using Any.Run malware analysis service in an attempt to prevent their malware from being easily analyzed by researchers.

This botnet has surged back into action spreading a new ransomware campaign via phishing emails — ZDNet

  • There’s been a big jump in Phorpiex botnet activity – but it’s a trojan malware attack that was the most common malware campaign in June.

New AgeLocker Ransomware uses Googler’s utility to encrypt files — Bleeping Computer

  • A new and targeted ransomware named AgeLocker utilizes the ‘Age’ encryption tool created by a Google employee to encrypt victims’ files.

The case for a National Cyber Director — Cyberscoop

  • Although the effects of COVID-19 will last for years, it’s already clear that shifting more activity online has increased our society’s digital dependence even faster than expected.

‘DdoS-For-Hire’ Is Fueling a New Wave of Attacks — Wired

  • Turf wars are heating up over routers that fuel distributed DDoS attacks.

New Mirai Variant Surfaces with Exploits for 9 Vulnerabilities Products — Dark Reading

  • Impacted products include routers, IP cameras, DVRs, and smart TVs.

TrickBot malware mistakenly warns victims that they are infected — Bleeping Computer

  • The notorious TrickBot malware accidentally included a test module that’s warning victims that they are infected and should contact their administrator.

Russian Hackers Blamed for Attacks on Vaccine-Related Targets — The Wall Street Journal

  • U.S. and U.K. government officials said a prominent state-backed Russian hacking group is responsible for ongoing cyberattacks against organizations involved in the development of coronavirus vaccines and other healthcare-related work.

A Brazen Online Attack Targets V.I.P. Twitter Users in a Bitcoin Scam — The New York Times

  • In a major show of force, hackers breached some of the site’s most prominent accounts, a Who’s Who of Americans in politics, entertainment and tech.

Citrix: No breach, hacker stole business info from third party — Bleeping Computer

  • Citrix has published an official statement to deny claims that the company’s network was breached by a malicious actor who says that he was also able to steal customer information.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 07-10-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, phishing dominated the headlines, as threat actors targeted Office 365 users and senior executives.

SonicWall Spotlight

Contact tracing apps: “It’s better to do it right than quick” — Verdict

  • This podcast on contact tracing technology includes commentary from Bill Conner, who discusses different types of security policies and why security and privacy are of paramount importance.

‘Our direct-touch approach is disrupting the market’ – SonicWall’s new Ireland boss on becoming more than just a firewall vendor — Channel Partner Insight (UK)

  • Ireland Country Manager Tristan Bateup said SonicWall’s channel team in Ireland has been restructured to bring more roles into the country. “We’ve now got people in place in country from a sales and marketing, sales and engineering and obviously a country lead perspective.”

Cybersecurity News

Over 5 Billion Unique Credentials Offered on Cybercrime Marketplaces — Security Week

  • More than 15 billion username and password pairs have been offered on cybercrime marketplaces, including over 5 billion unique credentials.

Researchers connect Evilnum hacking group to cyberattacks against Fintech firms — The Register

  • New report puts a microscope on Evilnum, including its tools, techniques and potential ties to other cyberattackers.

Conti ransomware uses 32 simultaneous CPU threads for blazing-fast encryption — ZDNet

  • The Conti ransomware also abuses the Windows Restart Manager component to unlock apps and free up their data for encryption.

Persuasive Office 365 phishing uses fake Zoom suspension alerts — Bleeping Computer

  • A new phishing campaign targets Microsoft Office 365 corporate users with notices that their Zoom accounts have been suspended, with the end goal of stealing Office 365 logins.

Citrix tells everyone not to worry too much over its latest security patches. NSA’s former top hacker disagrees — The Register

  • Rob Joyce, former head of the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations elite hacking team, warns it’s time for admins to get busy to ensure protection from several exploitable issues, including unauthenticated access and RCE.

Vast Phishing Campaign Hits Microsoft Users in 62 Countries — Bloomberg

  • Microsoft Corp. customers were targeted in a massive phishing campaign that has sought to defraud users in 62 countries since December, with recent emails attempting to exploit the pandemic.

North Korean hackers linked to web skimming (Magecart) attacks, report says — ZDNet

  • After hacking banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, orchestrating ATM cash-outs, and deploying ransomware, North Korean hackers have now set their sights on online stores.

Cerberus Banking Trojan Unleashed on Google Play — Threat Post

  • The Cerberus malware can steal banking credentials, bypass security measures and access text messages.

Looks Like Russian Hackers Are on an Email Scam Spree — Wired

  • A group dubbed “Cosmic Lynx” uses surprisingly sophisticated methods — and targets big game.

Hackers are trying to steal admin passwords from F5 BIG-IP devices — ZDNet

  • Threat actors have already started exploiting the F5 BIG-IP mega-bug, attempting to steal administrator passwords from the hacked devices

New Mac ransomware is even more sinister than it appears – Ars Technica

  • ThiefQuest or EvilQuest can grab passwords and credit card numbers.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 07-02-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, the U.S. government brought up cybersecurity legislation, while the U.S. judicial system handed down cybercriminal incarceration.

SonicWall Spotlight

Hackers used ransomware to take over parts of UC San Francisco’s network and extorted $1.14million in exchange for returning access to their files — Daily Mail

  • UC San Francisco hasn’t said what files were affected nor how the ransomware entered the system, but the FBI has opened an investigation into the incident.

Sonicwall Lands In Ireland, Expands Channel Partner Strategy — SonicWall Press Release

  • SonicWall today announced that it has appointed Tristan Bateup as country manager for Ireland.

UCSF pays $1 million ransom to recover medical school data from hackers — The Mercury News

  • The UCSF School of Medicine was the third targeted by cyberattacks in the past two months, but a spokesperson said the attack did not affect patient care or ongoing COVID-19 research.

Cybersecurity News

Russian Criminal Group Finds New Target: Americans Working at Home — The New York Times

  • A hacking group calling itself Evil Corp., indicted in December, has shown up in corporate networks with sophisticated ransomware. American officials worry election infrastructure could be next.

How COVID-19 changed Cyber Command’s ‘Cyber Flag’ exercise — Cyberscoop

  • This year, U.S. Cyber Command convened with allied countries for what appeared to be a straightforward simulation of an attack against a European airbase — but then a global pandemic changed all the rules.

Russian cybercriminal gets 9 years for online fraud website — The Washington Times

  • A Russian computer hacker who facilitated $20 million in credit card fraud and ran a sophisticated clearinghouse for international cybercriminals was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison.

Lawmakers introduce legislation to establish national cybersecurity director — The Hill

  • A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation in the House that would establish a national cybersecurity director to lead government efforts on cybersecurity.

DDoS botnet coder gets 13 months in prison — ZDNet

  • Kenneth Schuchman, known as Nexus Zeta, created multiple DDoS botnets, including Satori, Okiru, Masuta, and Fbot/Tsunami.

An embattled group of leakers picks up the WikiLeaks mantle — Ars Technica

  • DDoSecrets was banned from Twitter after releasing what they claim is the largest-ever cache of hacked U.S. police data, a leak some say positions the group as the heir apparent of WikiLeaks’ early, idealistic mission.

Senators move to boost state and local cybersecurity as part of annual defense bill — The Hill

  • A group of Senate Democrats on Monday introduced as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) a measure that would strengthen cybersecurity protections for states vulnerable to malicious cyberattacks.

U.S. FCC issues final orders declaring Huawei, ZTE national security threats — Reuters

  • The FCC has formally designated China’s Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp as posing threats to national security, barring U.S. firms from tapping an $8.3 billion government fund to purchase equipment from the companies.

Schools Already Struggled With Cybersecurity. Then Came Covid-19 — Wired

  • A lack of dedicated funding and resources made it hard to keep data secure — and that was before classes moved almost entirely online.

Things that happen every four years: Olympic Games, presidential elections, and now new Mac ransomware — The Register

  • Known as EvilQuest, the brand-new strain of Mac ransomware was spotted spreading via Russian piracy and torrent sites.

DDoS Attacks Jump 542% from Q4 2019 to Q1 2020 — Dark Reading

  • The shift to remote work and heavy reliance on online services has driven an increase in attacks intended to overwhelm ISPs.

Tax software used by Chinese bank clients installs GoldenSpy backdoor — SC Magazine

  • A tax software program installed by business clients of an unidentified Chinese bank was trojanized with malware that installs a backdoor granting attackers system-level privileges, researchers warn.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 06-26-20

/0 Comments/in /by

Hackers made inroads this week with zero-day threats, massive DDoS attacks and point-of-sale compromises — but there were significant wins for the good guys, too.

SonicWall Spotlight

CEO Outlook 2020 – Bill Conner — CRN

  • CRN recently asked 80 of the industry’s top CEOs — including SonicWall’s Bill Conner — why 2020 will be the launch of the data decade.

MSPs will be forced to fix ‘rushed out’ remote working solutions post-COVID – Sonicwall CEO —  Channel Partner Insight

  • In an interview with CPI, Bill Conner explained that as changes to work patterns are likely to outlast the pandemic, pivoting out of lockdown will mean some of the earlier “temporary” remote working solutions will need to be re-engineered.

The Tel Aviv Tech Startups that are Solving COVID-19 Challenges — Forbes

  • Tel Aviv-based Perimeter 81, a provider of network security-as-a-service that recently completed a $10 million Series A led by SonicWall and existing investors, offers solutions that replace traditional VPNs.

Cybersecurity News

FBI warns K-12 schools of ransomware attacks via RDP —  ZDNet

  • The FBI has issued a security alert warning K-12 schools about ransomware gangs abusing RDP connections to break into school systems.

There are DDoS attacks, then there’s this 809 million packet-per-second tsunami Akamai says it just caught —  The Register

  • The attack, which targeted an unspecified European bank, was the largest such attack Akamai had ever encountered — and CDN believes it may be the largest DDoS attack to hit any network, ever.

This ransomware has learned a new trick: Scanning for point of sales
devices —  ZDNet

  • Already one of the most dangerous forms of ransomware, Sodinokibi now looks like it could be attempting to make money from stolen payment information, too.

FBI sees major spike in coronavirus-related cyber threats — The Hill

  • FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received 20,000 coronavirus-related cyber threat reports this year — as many as they received in all of 2019.

Republicans propose bill to end ‘warrant-proof’ encryption —
The Washington Times

  • Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced a bill Tuesday taking on the encryption technology that major tech companies use to secure customer data.

New WastedLocker ransomware demands payments of millions of USD —  ZDNet

  • Evil Corp, one of the biggest malware operations on the planet, has returned to life with a new ransomware strain.

Ransomware operators lurk on your network after their attack —  Bleeping Computer

  • While many believe attackers quickly deploy ransomware and leave so they won’t get caught, in reality threat actors are not so quick to give up a resource that they worked so hard to control.

Phishing and cryptocurrency scams squashed as one million emails are reported to new anti-scam hotline —  ZDNet

  • In the two months since its launch, the UK’s new anti-scam hotline has received an average of 16,500 emails per day, resulting in 10,000 links to online scams either blocked or taken down by authorities.

Hacker arrested for stealing, selling PII of 65K hospital employees —
Bleeping Computer

  • 29-year-old Justin Sean Johnson has been arrested for allegedly stealing PII and W-2 information for over 65,000 University of Pittsburgh Medical Center employees and selling it on the dark web.

Security surprise: Four zero-days spotted in attacks on researchers’ fake networks —  ZDNet

  • Previously unknown attacks used against fake systems highlight big problems with industrial systems security.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 06-19-20

/0 Comments/in /by

This week, SonicWall’s new Switches and Secure SD-Branch made waves, hackers made a stronger Qbot, and attacks on AWS made history.

SonicWall Spotlight

ChannelPro 5 Minute Roundup — ChannelPro Network

  • Erick and Rich of ChannelPro explore the far-reaching implications of SonicWall’s new branch office networking solution, which they say arrived at a great time for businesses.

SonicWall Launches New Network Switches — Enterprise Times

  • SonicWall has announced a range of new products, including new multi-gigabit switches and an SD-Branch solution.

SonicWall Advances Network Edge Security, Adds Multi-gigabit Switch Series and New SD-Branch Capabilities — TMCnet

  • TMCnet highlights SonicWall’s momentum over the past quarter, including the release of new and enhanced MSSP offerings and the launch of its SD-Branch capabilities.

SonicWall takes threat protection to the branch level — MicroScope

  • This article covers the  latest SD-Branch offering as a major shift and a milestone in its corporate history, with it set to have a major impact on the security player’s channel.

Cybersecurity News

Researchers Expose a New Vulnerability in Intel’s CPUs — Wired

  • Modern CPUs — particularly those made by Intel — have been under siege in recent years by an unending series of attacks. Now, two separate academic teams disclosed two new and distinctive exploits that pierce Intel’s Software Guard eXtension, by far the most sensitive region of the company’s processors.

Google Sees Increase in COVID-19 Phishing in Brazil, India, UK — Security Week

  • Cyberthreats taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic are evolving, and Google is seeing an increase in related phishing attempts in some countries.

Attackers impersonate secure messaging site to steal bitcoins — Bleeping Computer

  • In what can be described as the case of both cybersquatting and phishing, threat actors have created a site that imitates the legitimate secure note sharing service privnote.com to steal bitcoins.

Coder-Turned-Kingpin Paul Le Roux Gets His Comeuppance — Wired

  • Paul Le Roux, 47 — who faced up to a life sentence after pleading guilty to crimes ranging from methamphetamine trafficking to selling weapons technology to Iran — has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.

Targeting U.S. banks, Qbot trojan evolves with new evasion techniques — SC Magazine 

  • By malware standards, the banking trojan Qbot is long in the tooth, but it still has some bite, according to researchers who say it has added some detection and research evasion techniques to its arsenal.

Hackers Trigger Far-Reaching Disruption by Targeting Low-Profile Firm — The Wall Street Journal

  • Small and midsize companies are fighting a rising tide of cyberattacks largely out of public view, posing an underappreciated risk for the bigger companies and institutions that use their services.

Google Alerts catches fake data breach notes pushing malware — Bleeping Computer

  • Fraudsters have begun pushing fake data breach notifications using big company names to distribute malware and scams. They’re mixing black SEO, Google Sites, and spam pages to direct users to dangerous locations.

Exclusive: Massive spying on users of Google’s Chrome shows new security weakness — Bloomberg

  • A newly discovered spyware effort attacked users through 32 million downloads of extensions to Google’s Chrome web browser, highlighting the tech industry’s failure to protect browsers despite their increasing use for email, payroll and other sensitive functions.

AWS said it mitigated a 2.3 Tbps DDoS attack, the largest ever — ZDNet

  • The previous record for the largest DDoS attack ever recorded was of 1.7 Tbps, recorded in March 2018.

In Case You Missed It