This week, SonicWall talks protecting non-profits, new cybercrime laws are proposed, and old cybercrime laws are criticized.

SonicWall Spotlight

Don’t Let Cyber Hygiene Become an Afterthought – Nonprofit Technology News

• With most of the big headlines concentrating on breaches and cyberattacks on large companies, SonicWall CEO Bill Conner, writing in Nonprofit Technology News, reminds us that cybercriminals know that SMBs and smaller non-profits often do not budget adequately for cybersecurity and can leave themselves open.

The Big Picture: SonicWall Sets Sights on the Enterprise Market – Tahawultech

• SonicWall’s Terry Greer-King sits down with Security Advisor ME to discuss the history of SonicWall, personal highlights in the company so far, and what the future holds.

Cybersecurity News

Cyberattack on a Major Bank Would Have Ripple Effect: Study – BankInfoSecurity

• A new study, Cyber Risk and the U.S. Financial System: A Pre-Mortem Analysis, has found that if a cyberattack disrupting money transfers was successfully carried out on any of the five most active U.S. banks, there would be huge, rippling damage to the financial network in general.

Analysis Ties Hacking of Bezos’ Phone to Saudi Leader’s Account – New York Times

• A forensic analysis of Jeff Bezos’ cellphone has found with “medium to high confidence” that the Amazon chief’s device was hacked after he received a video from a WhatsApp account reportedly belonging to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.

Secret Service to Launch Private-Sector Cybercrime Council – Cyberscoop

• The United States Secret Service has recently hand-picked a small group of private-sector cybersecurity experts to advise the agency’s investigations team on how it can better take down cybercriminals. Members were selected to represent a wide array of experiences including law enforcement, computer scientists, network security, malware, ransomware, identity theft and more.

Cybercrime Laws Need Urgent Reform to Protect UK, Says Report – The Guardian

• A new report in the UK has found that the current cybercrime laws, dating back to 1990, are not fit for purpose and “crying out for reform.” As it stands, the act exposes cybersecurity professionals to prosecution for carrying out intelligence research against cybercriminals and foreign state actors.

US Could Appoint a Cybersecurity Leader for Each State – InfoSecurity Magazine

• US Legislators are proposing the Cybersecurity State Coordinator Act of 2020, which would improve intelligence sharing between state and federal governments and appoint an employee in each state to serve as cybersecurity state coordinator.

GDPR: 160,000 Data Breaches Reported Already, so Expect the Big Fines to Follow – ZDNet

• It has been 18 months since GDPR regulation came into force but there’s no sign of breach notifications slowing, in fact they are currently rising with an average of 278 per day.

And Finally

Euro Cup and Olympics Ticket Reseller Hit by MageCart – Bleeping Computer

• Magecart continues its reign of terror as an Olympics and Euro Cup ticketing reseller site is the latest to be infected by the card skimmer.

In Case You Missed It

• The Worst Cyberattacks and Data Breaches of 2019 – John Lynch
• Bett 2020: SonicWall Showcases Cybersecurity Solutions for Educational Institutions – David Peace
• Spear-Phishing Attacks Targeting Office 365 Users, SaaS Applications – Matt Brennan
• A Hard Study in Ransomware: Education Being Held Hostage – Brook Chelmo
• Smarter Cybersecurity: How SecOps Can Simplify Security Management, Oversight & Real-Time Decision-Making – Ken Dang
• 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Latest SonicWall NSa Firewall – Brook Chelmo

This week, SonicWall warnings about school districts under cyberattack prove prophetic as a new bill to protect K-12 districts is introduced, and do you know that the first ransomware attack was 30 years ago?

SonicWall Spotlight

US Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Schools Against Cyber-Threats – Infosecurity Magazine

• SonicWall CEO Bill Conner weighs in on the importance of cybersecurity in school districts, commenting on a new bill introduced to the US House of Representatives this week. The bill is designed to enhance the cybersecurity of K–12 schools in a year where they have suffered heavily under cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity News

Hackers Steal Data for 15 Million Patients, Then Sell It Back to Lab That Lost It – Ars Technica

• Canada’s biggest provider of lab testing services has confirmed it suffered a data breach, with info as old as 2016 accessed. It has also admitted that it made “a payment” to the hackers to retrieve the data, without disclosing exactly how much was paid.

Oil and Gas Industry Risks Escalate, Cybersecurity Should Be Prioritized – HelpNetSecurity

• A new in-depth report draws on a decade’s worth of cyberattack data in the oil and gas industries, calling for a strengthening of cybersecurity as the risks continue to escalate.

Mobile Devices Account for 41% of DDoS Attack Traffic – Dark Reading

• While the image DDoS attacks conjure up might be one of racks of computers all being harnessed, the reality right now is that around half of the traffic is now coming from mobile and IoT devices. A newly released report on DDoS attacks looking deeply into the current DDoS threat landscape also finds that China, Turkey, the US, and South Korea are the main sources of the attacks.

WhatsApp Updated to Patch Bug That Allows Attacker to Crash Group Chats – Washington Times

• Another WhatsApp bug has been discovered and patched. This particular vulnerability allowed a user to send a malicious message to a group chat that would cause the app on every participant’s mobile device to continuously crash.

Maze Ransomware Gang Dumps Purported Victim List – BankInfoSecurity

• In the latest escalation of ransomware attacks, the gang behind the Maze ransomware is threatening to name and shame victims if they do not pay the ransom. Proving they can make good on their threat, last month the gang published data stolen from a security services firm who did not pay.

10 Cybersecurity Stories in 2019 That Make Us Feel Less Secure – Tech Republic

• Before looking to the future, we have to look to the past. Tech Republic lists the top 10 2019 cybersecurity stories that worry them the most, including the Capital One breach, juice jacking, and the number of adware attacks like xHelper and Joker in the Android ecosystem.

And Finally

30 Years of Ransomware: How One Bizarre Attack Laid the Foundations for the Malware Taking Over the World – ZDNet

• Thirty years ago, the first ransomware attack was launched… on a floppy disk… with a PO Box to pay the ransom by postal order or check.

In Case You Missed It

• A Hard Study in Ransomware: Education Being Held Hostage – Brook Chelmo
• Smarter Cybersecurity: How SecOps Can Simplify Security Management, Oversight & Real-Time Decision-Making – Ken Dang
• E-rate Funding 2020: Use It or Lose It? – Holly Davis
• 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Latest SonicWall NSa Firewall – Brook Chelmo
• My Workspace: Streamlining Asset Management for MSSPs – Suroop Chandran
• SonicWall Simplifies Day-to-Day Operations for MSSPs – Robert (Bob) VanKirk

This week, SonicWall strengthens MSSP security offerings, cyberthreats to the upcoming census, and the end of decade lists begin.

SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall Strengthens MSSP Security Offerings, Simplifies Account Management, Product Registration, Licensing Control. – SonicWall Press Release

• SonicWall announced new offerings for managed security service providers (MSSP). The newly announced capabilities allow MSSPs to simplify oversight, visibility and management of cybersecurity ecosystems as they continue to expand. The news is covered in CRN, Channel Futures, MSSP Alert, Channelnomics, and more.

553: Opening a Spin-off’s Liberated Growth Chapter – CFO Thought Leader podcast

• How do you take a business unit, extract it, and set it up to be a running company on its own, all within one year? SonicWall CFO Ravi Chopra sits down with the CFO Thought Leader podcast and explains exactly how he did it with SonicWall. He also discusses his career path, his experiences in the dot com crash, and how he learns from his mentors.

Cybersecurity Should Be the Core Pillar of Any Modern Digital Hospital: Dmitriy Ayrapetov – The Economic Times of India

• SonicWall’s Dmitriy Ayapetov is interviewed talking about the impact of cyberattacks on the health industry – with ransomware attacks growing and the rise of the Cloud and Internet of Things devices leading to potentially many new entry points for a cybercriminal, he stresses the need for greater cybersecurity awareness.

Cybersecurity News

Black Friday UK: Just One in 20 Discounts Are Genuine, Research Finds – The Guardian (UK)

• Research by consumer group Which? Has found that the majority of Black Friday deals are sold at the same price or cheaper throughout the year. SonicWall figures on ransomware are also referred to, highlighting the increase in cyberattacks around the Black Friday period.

Special Report: 2020 U.S. Census Plagued by Hacking Threats, Cost Overruns – Reuters

• An in-depth investigation into the upcoming 2020 US census has found that despite a major technology overhaul, fears of hacking attempts are running high and a lack of adequate training and understanding of cybersecurity risks internally is not helping.

Report Highlights Nation-State Cyberthreats Facing SMBs in 2020 – Tech Republic

• A new survey of over 1000 cybersecurity officials working at SMBs has found that more than 60% of respondents intend to increase their cybersecurity budgets next year due to growing fears of cyberattacks from both at home and abroad, especially during the upcoming elections.

India Plans Security Audit of WhatsApp After Hacking Attempt – Reuters

• The Indian government is pushing for a security audit of WhatsApp after revelations emerged last month that spyware inserted by surveillance groups allowed access to the phones of roughly 1400 users.

44 Million Microsoft Users Reused Passwords in the First Three Months of 2019 – ZDNet

• Microsoft has completed an audit of their accounts and found that 44 million people are still using usernames and passwords that were leaked online in 2019. A forced password reset has been enacted to help solve the problem.

FBI Issues Smart TV Cybersecurity Warning – Infosecurity Magazine

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning to holiday shoppers over the cyber-risks an unsecured smart TV might pose to a household. Default passwords should be changed, and a familiarization of all connection options is recommended at a bare minimum.

And Finally

A Decade of Malware: Top Botnets of the 2010s – ZDNet

• It’s the end of a decade, and with it comes the lists! ZDNet round up some of the biggest, in both size and infamy, botnets that hit throughout the 2010s, including those old favorites, Emotet, Trickbot, and Dridex.

In Case You Missed It

• My Workspace: Streamlining Asset Management for MSSPs – Suroop Chandran
• SonicWall Simplifies Day-to-Day Operations for MSSPs – Robert (Bob) VanKirk
• Meeting a Russian Ransomware Cell – Brook Chelmo
• 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Newest SonicWall TZ Firewall – Brook Chelmo
• SonicWall: Encrypted Attacks, IoT Malware Surge as Global Malware Volume Dips – Geoff Blaine
• How to Protect Multi-Cloud Environments with a Virtual Firewall – Tiju Cherian

This week, SonicWall meets a Russian ransomware cell, the first 2020 cyber-predictions are coming in, and cybersecurity has a color.

SonicWall Spotlight

Mindhunter: Meeting a Russian Ransomware Cell – SonicWall Webinar

• On November 19, SonicWall will proudly present Mindhunter: my two-week conversation with a ransomware cell. Join SonicWall security expert Brook Chelmo as he gives you an inside look into the human-side of a modern ransomware cell, their advice on how to stop them from infiltrating your organization, encrypting your endpoints, and spreading to other drives and segments of your network.

Retail’s Weakness Is Cyber Crime’s Opportunity – Retail Technology Review

• The festive shopping season is about to kick off with Black Friday 2019. Writing in Retail Technology Review, SonicWall CEO Bill Conner details the size and scale of cyberattacks over the same period last year and offers advice on to retailers on how to best protect themselves.

Attack on Labour Shows Need for DDoS Defence but Should Alarm Few – Computer Weekly (UK)

• The UK Labour party’s website suffered a DDoS attack this week. While Cloudflare successfully prevented any major damage from occurring, the attack acts as a reminder that modern election campaigns need to ensure that their cybersecurity is prepared for anything. SonicWall’s Terry Greer-King provides commentary.

Cybersecurity News

Predictions 2020: This Time, Cyberattacks Get Personal – ZDNet

• The first cyber predictions for 2020 have started rolling in. Initial contenders include the weaponizing of mergers and acquisitions data, deepfake scams, and the closing off of AI and Machine Learning data from outsiders.

Breach Affecting 1 Million Was Caught Only After Hacker Maxed out Target’s Storage – Ars Technica

• A hacker breached an IT provider in May 2014, stealing data and creating a data archive on their server that went unnoticed for almost two years. The hack was only noticed in 2016 when the hackers archive grew so big the server ran out of disk space. The company have now been fined for failing to detect the breach.

Cybersecurity: Why More Needs to Be Done to Help Older People Stay Safe Online – ZDNet

• Internet users are no longer just the young or most technologically up-to date. ZDNet argues that not enough is being done to protect less tech-savvy elderly people online.

As 5G Rolls out, Troubling New Security Flaws Emerge – Wired

• 5G is entering use in major urban domains worldwide, and its uptake is likely only to increase rapidly. Despite this, major security vulnerabilities continue to be found, including 11 design flaws in a single recent study.

Cybersecurity Is an Asset, Not a Nuisance – Forbes

• Forbes argues that a good way to think about cybersecurity is not as a nuisance but like the braking system on a race car. Without it, the potential top speed of the car would be considered reckless.

The Time to Tackle Cybersecurity in Self-Driving Cars is Now – Newsweek

• Upcoming self-driving cars contain a myriad of computers connected both to each other and to many external networks. With cyberattacks a constant threat to systems worldwide, Newsweek argues that cybersecurity should be integral to the very design of cars from the ground up, not as an add-on at a later point.

And Finally

What Color Is Cybersecurity? – Forbes

• A new large-scale study into how cybersecurity is talked about and advertised online has found the color code #235594 to be dominant in imagery.

In Case You Missed It

• 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Newest SonicWall TZ Firewall – Brook Chelmo
• SonicWall: Encrypted Attacks, IoT Malware Surge as Global Malware Volume Dips – Geoff Blaine
• How to Protect Multi-Cloud Environments with a Virtual Firewall – Tiju Cherian
• 2019 North America Roadshow Series: SonicWall Showcases Complete Cybersecurity Portfolio, Capture Cloud Platform – David Bankemper
• What is Your Disaster Recovery Plan? 5 Core Practices to Ensure Business Continuity – Richard Chio
• National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Focuses on Protecting Digital Identities, Being Accountable for Online Safety – Geoff Blaine

This week, the financial cost in a worst-case scenario cyberattack, a nuclear power plant is targeted, and SonicWall figures are used to look at the Internet of Things.

SonicWall Spotlight

Intelligent Living: The Smart Home and IoT – Silicon (UK)

• Silicon investigate the future of smart homes and rise of Internet of Things (IoT). When looking at the security risks they defer to SonicWall CEO Bill Conner and SonicWall research.

A Sneaky Online Security Threat: Encrypted Malware in SSL – Security Boulevard

• Security Boulevard tackles the double-edged sword of encryption, used by both cybersecurity experts and cybercriminals alike. They refer to the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report for details on the rising number of cyberattacks coming in on encrypted channels.

Cybersecurity News

One Cyber Attack Can Cost Major APAC Ports $110B – ZDNet

• A new study has laid out a possible “extreme” scenario where a single software virus infecting 15 ports across five Asian markets can result in losses totaling $110 billion. 92% of these costs are currently uninsured.

Indian Nuke Plant’s Network Reportedly Hit by Malware Tied to N. Korea – Arstechnica

• A cyberattack on India’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant that took place in September of 2019 has been linked, through the use of the “Dtrack” malware, to a known North Korean government hacking group. Officials at the plant have stated that there was never any risk of losing control of the plant as the control systems are neither connected to the administrative network or any other networks in general.

ICS Attackers Set to Inflict More Damage With Evolving Tactics – ThreatPost

• New research claims that future attacks on industrial control system (ICS) networks, such as the power grid, may inflict even more damage in the long run as attackers will learn from previous cyberattacks. Analysts expect attacks to evolve from immediate, direct impact to stealthy attacks with multiple infection stages.

Muhstik Ransomware: A Hack-Back Story – Security Boulevard

• While ransomware is making headlines for the large targets, like government and multinational industries, there are still small scale ransomware attacks being launched. Security Boulevard report on one victim who, caught by Muhstik Ransomware, decided to hack back and took down the entire ransomware network, releasing a complete set of decryption keys in the process.

21 Million Stolen Fortune 500 Credentials for Sale on Dark Web – SecurityWeek

• A new study on leaked data used deep-learning techniques to sift through millions of leaked credentials on the darkweb. After removing duplicates, anomalies and default passwords it still found around 21 million different credentials belonging to the Fortune 500 companies; more than 16 million of which were compromised during the last 12 months. All the results were cleartext passwords, either because they were never encrypted, or hackers had decrypted them already.

Ohio Establishes ‘Cyber Reserve’ to Combat Ransomware – NextGov

• Ohio has become the first state to set up a “Cyber Reserve” force; five volunteer teams of 10 people apiece who are ready to be called into service in a cybersecurity emergency.

Why the EU Is About to Seize the Global Lead on Cybersecurity – Forbes

• The European Commission has made cybersecurity a “high priority” and proposed that the cybersecurity budget for 2021-27 include €2 billion to fund “safeguarding the EU’s digital economy, society and democracies through polling expertise, boosting EU’s cybersecurity industry, financing state-of-the-art cybersecurity equipment and infrastructure.” Forbes argues that similar US legislation and programs have been left in a segmented and fragmentary state with little national or international cohesion to them.

In Case You Missed It

• 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Newest SonicWall TZ Firewall – Brook Chelmo
• SonicWall: Encrypted Attacks, IoT Malware Surge as Global Malware Volume Dips – Geoff Blaine
• How to Protect Multi-Cloud Environments with a Virtual Firewall – Tiju Cherian
• 2019 North America Roadshow Series: SonicWall Showcases Complete Cybersecurity Portfolio, Capture Cloud Platform – David Bankemper
• What is Your Disaster Recovery Plan? 5 Core Practices to Ensure Business Continuity – Richard Chio
• National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Focuses on Protecting Digital Identities, Being Accountable for Online Safety – Geoff Blaine