Cyber Security News & Trends – 05-17-19

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This week, the Zombieland vulnerability leads to a patching frenzy, a global cybercrime gang is shutdown, and a GDPR update.

SonicWall Spotlight

Intel MDS ‘Zombieload’ Vulnerability Software Patch List for MSSPs – MSSPAlert

  • “Zombieload” is a recently discovered vulnerability open to side-channel attacks that affects all Intel processors manufactured since 2011. MSSPAlert quote SonicWall CEO Bill Conner on how it could be used to “pick locks” in highly secure data centers. SonicWall RTDMI technology can discover and block side channel attacks in real-time.

Creating a Culture of Resilience – New Statesman (UK)

  • The New Statesman uses the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report to review the threat landscape and, noting how cybersecurity is often “bolted onto products as an afterthought,” explains how and why a culture of cyber resilience will have to be built.

Cyber Security News

Russian Government Sites Leak Passport and Personal Data for 2.25 Million Users – ZDNet

  • An investigation into Russian government websites and user portals has found that over 2.25 million Russian citizens had their personal information, including insurance and passport details, left easily accessible online.

GDPR: Europe Counts 65,000 Data Breach Notifications so Far – BankInfoSecurity

  • European privacy authorities have received nearly 65,000 data breach notifications since the EU’s new privacy law went into full effect, with over $63 million in fines issued so far.

Rattled by Cyberattacks, Hospitals Push Device Makers to Improve Security – Wall Street Journal

  • Nervous U.S. hospitals are pressing medical-device makers to improve the cyberdefenses of internet-connected infusion pumps, biopsy imaging tables and other health-care products after being rattled by a rise in cyberattack reports in other hospitals.

Bluetooth Harvester Signals Hacking Group’s Growing Interest in Mobile – Ars Technica

  • ScarCruft, a Korean-speaking advanced persistent threat group, has launched a malware that steals Bluetooth-device information. It is likely that the malware is targeting intelligence and diplomatic agencies for political purposes.

Microsoft Warns Wormable Windows Bug Could Lead to Another WannaCry – Ars Technica

  • Microsoft is warning that the internet could see another exploit of the magnitude of WannaCry unless a high-severity vulnerability is patched. Such is the level of fear that patches for the no-longer supported Windows 2003 and XP have been issued. The vulnerability has not yet been exploited but, due to its low complexity, once the details are known an attack will likely be developed and launched very quickly.

Global Hackers Are Thwarted by FBI, Europe in $100 Million Heist – Bloomberg

  • U.S. and European law enforcement officials have dismantled a “highly specialized and international criminal network” in an operation that has been ongoing since 2016. The members of the group pooled their technical skills together online to craft and circulate malware that attempted to steal around $100 million from thousands of businesses.

Microsoft Office 365: Change These Settings or Risk Getting Hacked, Warns US Govt – ZDNet

  • The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has posted its advice for organizations using Microsoft Office 365. Its major request is that administrators at organizations turn on the many security features, like multi-factor authentication, that are not automatically enabled by default.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 05-10-19

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This week, SonicWall CEO Bill Conner is interviewed by SC Magazine, a Zero-Day vulnerability travelled around the world without ever being disclosed publicly, and Facebook are working to prevent election meddling in Europe.

SonicWall Spotlight

In Focus: SonicWall CEO Bill Conner – SC Magazine

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner joins Illena Armstrong of SC Magazine in an exclusive video interview. They discuss what companies are missing in the global cyber arms race, the non-traditional points of entry where the threats are emerging and what steps an organization can take to secure its infrastructure.

Cyber Security News

The Strange Journey of an NSA Zero-Day into Multiple Enemies’ Hands – Wired

  • Wired tell the story of an NSA-discovered zero-day vulnerability that made its way around the globe over several years; first intercepted by China, then stolen by hackers before being picked up by North Korea and Russia, all without being publicly disclosed.

Facebook Opens a Command Post to Thwart Election Meddling in Europe – New York Times

  • After the harsh criticism it faced following the 2016 US election Facebook has opened a “command post” in Ireland charged with preventing any meddling in the upcoming European election.

Hackers Steal Over $40 Million Worth of Bitcoin From One of the World’s Largest Cryptocurrency Exchanges – CNBC

  • Over $40 million worth of bitcoin has been stolen from Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, in a “large scale security breach.” The well-organized attack managed to bypass the security checks and exited over 7,000 bitcoin, about 2% of total holdings.

Cybersecurity Jobs Abound. No Experience Required. – Wall Street Journal

  • Large tech companies are scrambling to hire hundreds of thousands of corporate hackers to defend their networks and data, pursuing workers without traditional four-year degrees or formal experience.

How to Close the Critical Cybersecurity Talent Gap – Dark Reading

  • “If we don’t change our ways, the gap will keep getting worse.” Dark Reading commentator Thomas Weithman calls for “outside-the-box thinking” to bridge the cybersecurity talent gap, suggesting introducing cybersecurity curriculum in K-12 courses and setting up programs to allow people in a similar industry to retrain.

Russian Cyberspies Are Using One Hell of a Clever Microsoft Exchange Backdoor – ZDNet

  • An email backdoor named LightNeuron that integrates directly with Microsoft Exchange is being called “one of the most complex backdoors ever spotted.” Despite being in use since 2014 it has avoided detection until very recently.

Amazon Hit by Extensive Fraud With Hackers Siphoning Merchant Funds – Bloomberg

  • A court filing has revealed that Amazon believes it was the victim of a “serious” online attack between May and October 2018. Hackers accessed around 100 seller accounts and funneled cash from loans or sales into their own bank accounts.

TRON Critical Security Flaw Could Break the Entire Blockchain – ZDNet

  • A critical vulnerability with a “high” severity rate has been found in the TRON network’s TRX cryptocurrency. If exploited the vulnerability could render the entire network unusable.

Without Strong Cybersecurity, Backdoors Will Remain Open – Silicon Republic

  • Former Europol Executive Director John O’Mahony is warning that not enough companies and individuals have “even adequate cybersecurity” in place to prevent bad actors exploiting backdoors in their networks.

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Cyber Security News & Trends – 05-03-19

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This week, SonicWall CEO Bill Conner is interviewed by on Federal Tech Talk, the potential of a 5G future is considered, and more details emerge about the Citrix data breach.

SonicWall Spotlight

Federal Tech Talk’ Hosts SonicWall CEO Bill Conner to Examine Cybercriminal Strategies that Threaten Federal Agencies – SonicWall Blog

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner joins John Gilroy on Federal Tech Talk, a radio show and podcast on the Federal News Network. They discuss emerging cyber threats including attacks over non-standard ports, encrypted threats and malicious PDFs and Office files.

SonicWall Reports Dramatic Rise in Fraudulent PDF Files in Q1 2019 – Tech Observer (India)

  • With SonicWall Capture Labs researchers releasing details on the growth of fraudulent PDFs and Office files, SonicWall’s Debasish Mukherjee talks to Tech Observer about how Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection (RTDMI) can detect new malware almost instantly.

Cyber Security News

Cybersecurity: The Key Lessons of the Triton Malware Cyberattack You Need to Learn – ZDNet

  • The Triton malware attack of 2017 was unsuccessful but still managed to shut down industrial operations at a critical infrastructure firm in the Middle East. ZDNet explore how real-world physical security problems intersected with cyber security problems and allowed a cyberattack to go very far before being caught.

P2P Weakness Exposes Millions of IoT Devices – Krebs on Security

  • Peer-to-peer communications software iLnkP2P includes several critical security flaws that leaves millions of Webcams, baby monitors and more open to a cyberattack.

The Terrifying Potential of the 5G Network – The New Yorker

  • While some claim 5G technology will usher in a fourth industrial revolution, there’s a worry that such a huge change could have disastrous effects and policymakers may not be taking the cyber security concerns seriously enough.

“Denial of Service” Attack Caused Grid Cyber Disruption: DOE – E&E News

  • A “cyber event” interrupted power grid operations in the western United States on March 5 of this year. Initially details on what happened were scarce but it has now been confirmed that a denial-of-service (DDOS) attack occurred against an unnamed energy company.

Putin Signs Law to Isolate Russian Internet – Financial Times

  • Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a law that will allow the Kremlin to disconnect Russia from the global internet. Critics are casting it as an attempt to curb free speech or internal dissent within Russia, but the Kremlin says the law is a cyber security safeguard that would allow the Russian internet to continue running in the event of a hostile cyberattack on its infrastructure.

DC Metro Vulnerable to Cybersecurity Attacks, Says Inspector General – The Hill

  • The Washington D.C. Metro has vowed to hire experts to help with cyber security vulnerabilities present in its current systems.

Hackers Lurked in Citrix Systems for Six Months – ZDNet

  • The FBI has become involved in an ongoing investigation into an “intermittent” but long-lasting data breach at Citrix. Information on what data was accessed by hackers is not yet known but it is possible that the data stolen includes names, Social Security numbers, and financial information.

Financial Data for Multiple Companies Dumped Online in Failed Extortion Bid – Dark Reading

  • 516GBs of potentially sensitive stolen data was dumped online after German digital infrastructure service provider Citycopy refused to pay up in an attempted cyber-extortion attempt. The data dump has not been verified or fully examined yet, but the would-be extortionists claim it includes “financial and private information on all clients include VAG, Ericsson, Leica, MAN, Toshiba, UniCredit, and British Telecom (BT).”

Docker Hub Breach Hits 190,000 Accounts – SecurityWeek

  • Docker Hub, the world’s largest library and community for container images, suffered a data breach with 5% of users affected. Usernames and hashed passwords were accessible. Docker says the company breach has now been sealed and that they are working to ensure it cannot happen again.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 04-26-19

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This week, SonicWall’s recent PDF and Office cyberattack findings back up investigative reporting, a “secure” WhatsApp replacement is anything but, and vulnerabilities in the Internet of Things continue to create headlines.

SonicWall Spotlight

The Growing Partnership Between Russia’s Government and Cybercriminals – 60 Minutes

  • In a new investigative report, CBS examines evidence of increasingly blurred lines between Russia intelligence agencies and the criminal exploits of notorious cybercriminals like Evgeniy Bogachev, better known as the hacker “slavik” and “lucky12345”. The report further supports SonicWall’s recent findings of escalating PDF and Office document-based attacks likely originating from Russia.

Cyber Threat Report: Over 10 Billion Attacks of Various Types Recorded in 2018 – Business Review

  • Business Review reflect on the figures from the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report and the recently revealed data on the rise of dangerous PDF files.

PDF: The Vehicle of Choice for Malware and Fraud – HelpNet Security

Cyber Security News

How Nest, Designed to Keep Intruders out of People’s Homes, Effectively Allowed Hackers to Get In – Washington Post

  • Internet connected devices, like Google’s Nest family, struggle striking the right balance between making devices very secure and making them easy to use. If too much friction is put in place for security reasons, then brands risks turning potential users off.

FBI: Cybercriminals Set New Record in 2018 by Causing More Than $2.7 Billion in Reported Losses – Washington Times

  • The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center have released their annual report, detailing an almost doubling of financial losses caused by cybercrime in 2018.

Bug in French Government’s WhatsApp Replacement Let Anyone Join ÉLysée Chats – Ars Technica

  • A “secure” messaging app launched by the French government was hacked almost immediately upon release.

An Inside Look at How Credential Stuffing Operations Work – ZDNet

  • ZDNet dig deep into the world of cybercrime to explain how credential stuffing works, detailing both the tools and methods used, but also its place in the criminal economy.

Unauthorized Party Muscles Its Way Into Bodybuilding.Com’s Systems – SC Magazine

  • Bodybuilding.com revealed that it suffered a data breach in February 2019 leaving exposed a trove of data, including the real names, email addresses, physical addresses and phone numbers. Stored financial information beyond partial card numbers was not exposed.

Hacker Finds He Can Remotely Kill Car Engines After Breaking Into GPS Tracking Apps – Motherboard

  • A hacker broke into the accounts of thousands of GPS trackers and claims that “with one touch, I can stop these vehicles engines.” He says that he has carried out this hack to raise awareness of the poor security on the GPS apps.

Cybersecurity: UK Could Build an Automatic National Defence System, Says GCHQ Chief – ZDNet

  • Following a recent UK cybersecurity survey suggesting that only 15% of people say they know how to protect themselves online, the head of the GCHQ in the UK has called for cybersecurity responsibility not to be dependent on individuals but shared by governments, ISPs and businesses.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 04-19-19

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This week, SonicWall CEO Bill Conner appears on the Chertoff Group podcast, our threat researchers release details on the dramatic rise in PDF-related cyberattacks, and there’s an ongoing legal fight over whether a cyberattack can be considered an act of war.

SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall Detects, Reports Dramatic Rise in Fraudulent PDF Files in Q1 2019 – SonicWall Press Release

  • SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers are reporting a substantial increase of fraudulent PDF files. The fraud campaign takes advantage of recipients’ trust in PDF files as a “safe” file format that is widely used and relied upon for business operations.

‘Chase & Capture’: The Chertoff Group Hosts SonicWall CEO Bill Conner on Latest Podcast – Podcast

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner speaks on the latest Chertoff Group Insights & Intelligence podcast, “Chase & Capture: Inside the Tactical Advances between Cybercriminals and the Security Industry.” He joins host Katie Montgomery to discuss the SonicWall 2019 Cyber Threat Report.

Of Billions and Trillions: Firewalls, Threats and Sonicwall’s Thriving Business – Sify Finance

  • With around one billion malware attacks detected a week, AI and machine learning are just part of how SonicWall are raising the cybersecurity bar – SonicWall’s Bob Vankirk and Debashish Mukherjee are interviewed by Sify Finance.

Old-school cruel: Dodgy PDF email attachments enjoying a renaissance – The Register (UK)

  • The Register investigates the findings of the SonicWall Capture Labs showing a substantial increase of fraudulent PDF files.

The State of Cyber Arms Race: Unmasking the Threats Coming in 2019 – SonicWall Webcast

  • SonicWall’s John Gordineer presents a Webinar sharing the findings of the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report and discusses and analyses what this intelligence tells us about the Cyber Arms Race.

Mar-a-Lago Malware Event: A Study in What NOT to do With Unknown USB Keys    – SonicWall Blog

  • Don’t plug it in. Critical advice from SonicWall’s Brook Chelmo on what to do, and what not to do, if you find a USB key lying around your workplace.

Cyber Security News

Big Companies Thought Insurance Covered a Cyberattack. They May Be Wrong. – New York Times

  • Zurich Insurance have refused to pay out on a cyberattack insurance claim by Mondelez, citing a “war exemption.” Mondelez originally made the claim after losing business while infected by NotPetya ransomware but, after the United States government tied the NotPetya attack to the Kremlin, Zurich classified the cyberattack as collateral war damage. Mondelez are pursuing a case against Zurich Insurance in the courts.

Facebook Uploaded Email Contacts of 1.5m Users Without Consent – The Guardian

  • Facebook admitted to “unintentionally” uploading the address books of 1.5 million users without their consent, blaming a legacy verification program. They say they will delete the data and notify those affected.

Data on Thousands of Law Enforcement Personnel Exposed in Breach – Dark Reading

  • Hackers leaked personal information on the FBI, police officers, Secret Service and other federal employees after a breach of three websites associated with the FBI National Academy, a 501(c)(3) organization.

A Hacker Has Dumped Nearly One Billion User Records Over the Past Two Months – ZDNet

  • A hacker calling themselves Gnosticplayers has stolen and published almost a billion user records over the past two months. ZDNet investigates the hacker community, finding that some hackers are not only motivated by money but by fame and a desire to be remembered.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 04-12-19

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This week, SonicWall named one of the 10 coolest IoT security vendors, Health Care has a huge cybersecurity problem, and LockerGoga is spreading fast.

SonicWall Spotlight

2019 Internet of Things 50: 10 Coolest IoT Security Vendors – CRN

  • CRN name SonicWall as one of the 10 coolest IoT security vendors of 2019.

A Closer Look at LockerGoga, the Ransomware Crippling Industrial Giants – Verdict (UK)

How K–12 Schools Can Use Next-Generation Content Filtering to Keep Students Safe – EdTech Magazine

  • EdTech magazine looks at the evolving content filtering services available for K-12 schools. With older services no longer supplying adequate security and often over-blocking content, they recommend modern granular tools like SonicWall’s Content Filtering Services (CFS) which allows multiple, customized policies and categories.

Cyber Security News

Health Care’s Huge Cybersecurity Problem – The Verge

  • With health care increasingly relying on internet connected devices many hospitals simply do not have adequate cybersecurity plans in place. The Verge investigates the risks to the healthcare system posed by cyberattacks, including already successful implementations of WannaCry and NotPetya.

Yahoo Strikes $117.5 Million Data Breach Settlement After Earlier Accord Rejected – Reuters

  • Yahoo strikes a revised settlement with millions of people whose email addresses and other personal information were stolen in the largest data breach in history. The new settlement includes at least $55 million for victims’ out-of-pocket expenses and other costs, $24 million for two years of credit monitoring, up to $30 million for legal fees, and up to $8.5 million for other expenses.

Cybersecurity Testing Exercise for EU Elections – Government Europa

  • The European Parliament has deployed a series of cybersecurity tests in anticipation of the European elections in May aiming to test the efficacy of crisis response protocols and explore new ways of detecting and preventing online cyberattacks.

Largest Leak in History: Email Data Breach Exposes Over Two Billion Personal Records – CPO Magazine

  • Estimates for the volume of records exposed in the recent Verifications.io data breach have climbed from initial reports of 763 million records to a little over two billion records, setting a new world record.

Norsk Hydro Repairs Systems and Investigates After Ransomware Attack – Wall Street Journal

  • Norwegian aluminum and energy company Norsk Hydro confirmed a LockerGoga ransomware attack in March crippled the company’s global operations.

Dragonblood Vulnerabilities Disclosed in WiFi WPA3 Standard – ZDNet

  • The security researchers who previously disclosed the 2017 KRACK attack on the WiFi WPA2 standard have now released details on a group of vulnerabilities on WiFi WPA3, dubbing them “Dragonblood”.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 04-05-19

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This week, Golroted malware is up to new tricks, SonicWall Hosted Email Security gets its stars, nefarious PDFs and Office files are running wild, and the classic board game ‘Risk’ foreshadows today’s cyber arms race.

SonicWall Spotlight

That Word Document You Just Downloaded Might Contain Malware – Verdict UK

  • SonicWall identifies malware in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Rich Text Format (.RTF) files, including the first known case of Golroted being spread through trusted file types.

Document-based Malware on the Rise, Businesses Warned – ComputerWeekly

SonicWall Hosted Email Security Garners 5-Star Rating – SC Magazine

  • “If safeguarding your network with the latest protection is something that you aspire to have, then SonicWall’s Hosted Email Security or Email Security Appliance should be on your shortlist of products to consider.”

What Does SonicWall’s New UK Boss Have in Store for the Channel? – CRN

  • SonicWall regional director Helen Jackson outlines the company’s enterprise expansion in the U.K.

Don’t Have a Risk(y) Defense Against Malware, Ransomware – SonicWall Blog

  • SonicWall’s Scott Grebe recalls his love for the classic board game ‘Risk’ and how its mechanics sometimes mirror today’s cyber threat landscape.

A Review of SD-Branch and its Progression from SD-WAN – TechTarget

  • In an exploration of SD-WAN technology, SonicWall is mentioned as one of the growing number of vendors to integrate the software-defined capabilities into its firewall offerings.

Cyber Security News

Cyberattacks ‘Damage’ National Infrastructure – BBC

  • New Ponemon Institute study reveals that cyberattacks against network infrastructure have successfully taken systems offline during the last two years.

Georgia Tech Cyberattack Exposes Data of 1.3 Million People – Dark Reading

  • An attacker infiltrated a central Georgia Tech database and made off with personal information on up to 1.3 million current and former faculty, students, staff and applicants.

Hospital Viruses: Fake Cancerous Nodes in CT Scans, Created by Malware, Trick Radiologists – The Washington Times

  • Israeli researchers authored malware to put the spotlight on security weaknesses in medical imaging equipment and networks.

New York Capital Hit by Ransomware Attack, Taking Services Offline – CNET

  • The city of Albany, New York, announced it was the victim of a ransomware attack, taking down several city services.

Why Phishing Emails Are Still Your Biggest Security Nightmare – ZDNet

  • According the 2019 Cyber Security Breaches Survey published by the UK government, the most common type of cyberattacks are phishing attacks, whether through fraudulent emails, or being directed to fake websites.

Apple Card, ASUS Live Update Backdoor, Statistics on Malware Attacks – Security Boulevard

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 03-29-19

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This week, SonicWall releases the 2019 Cyber Threat Report and hosts a live Twitter Chat!

SonicWall Spotlight

Annual SonicWall Cyber Threat Report Details Rise in Worldwide, Targeted Attacks – SonicWall Press Release

  • SonicWall releases the highly anticipated 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, delivering an in-depth look at threat intelligence obtained from more than 1 million sensors around the world.

The SonicWall Cyber Threat Report Infographic – SonicWall website

  • If you want to know the highlights of the 2019 Cyber Threat Report then look no further than our handy Infographic which breaks down the major findings.

#SonicWallChat – Twitter Chat

  • To celebrate the release of the 2019 Cyber Threat Report we hosted our first live Twitter Chat! SonicWall Threat Researchers took over our Twitter handle and fielded questions about the Threat Report from our Twitter followers.

Perpetual ‘Meltdown’: Security in the Post-Spectre Era – Data Breach Today

  • The growing frequency and complexity of side-channel attacks, including Meltdown, Spectre and most recently Spoiler, is proving a growing threat to security. SonicWall CEO addresses this specific challenge in a video interview with Data Breach Today at the recent RSA Conference in San Francisco.

SonicWall Report Paints Sobering Picture of Cyberthreat Trends – Silicon Angle

  • Silicon Angle review the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, stating that the results “don’t make happy reading for security personnel.”

SonicWall 2019 Cyber Threat Report Says Canadian Malware up More Than 100 per Cent – Channel Buzz (Canada)

Cyber Security News

Virus Attacks Spain’s Defense Intranet, Foreign State Suspected: Paper – Reuters

  • An undetected virus infecting the Spanish Defence Ministry’s intranet may have been active for months. Sources suspect a foreign state is behind the cyberattack.

Toyota Announces Second Security Breach in the Last Five Weeks – ZDNet

  • Toyota announced that it has been hit by a data breach for the second time in five weeks with servers storing information on up to 3.1 million customers affected. Experts suggested that APT32 hackers might have targeted Toyota’s Australia branch as a way to get into Toyota’s more secure central network in Japan.

Ransomware Behind Norsk Hydro Attack Takes on Wiper-Like Capabilities  – Threat Post

  • LockerGoga is the ransomware that has cost Norsk Hydro millions but researchers are still unsure who has created it and, since many of those infected cannot even view the ransom note, what their intent is.

Digital Footprint, Age, Position Determining Factors in Email Attacks – SC Magazine

  • A recent study found that it is possible to determine whether a person may be targeted by a fraudulent email by checking factors such as if they were caught in previous data breach, or even their age – older people who have been online longer than younger people are more likely to have been affected by a previous cyber incident.

 

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 03-22-19

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This week, SonicWall’s Cyber Threat Report is just around the corner, Facebook stored passwords in a searchable format and a hacker sets off tornado sirens in Texas.

SonicWall Spotlight

Unmasking the Threats: A Preview of the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report – SonicWall Blog

  • SonicWall’s Terri O’Leary previews the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, scheduled for release on March 26, including information about our upcoming Twitter chat.

Cyber Security News

Facebook Stored Millions of User Passwords in Plain, Readable Text – NPR

  • Facebook stored hundreds of millions of user passwords in unencrypted and internally searchable plain text for years. The company says there are no signs of misuse of this data, and that the password logging was inadvertent.

How Hackers Pulled Off a $20 Million Mexican Bank Heist – Wired

  • Flawed, unprotected and insecure network architecture allowed hackers to exploit the Mexican bank infrastructure and pull off a $20 million bank heist. This involved coordinating long distance communication, recruitment and training for hundreds of people but Wired reports that this was feasible because many would have been willing to work for less than $260 each.

Hacked Tornado Sirens Taken Offline in Two Texas Cities Ahead of Major Storm – ZDNet

  • A hacker set off over 30 tornado emergency sirens in the middle of the night in two North Texas cities. “It has become evident that a person or persons with hostile intent deliberately targeted our combined outdoor warning siren network,” Lancaster officials said in a statement.

Nielsen Warns US ‘Not Prepared’ for Foreign Cyberattacks – The Hill

  • S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says that the U.S. “is not prepared” to handle hackers backed by other countries, warning that an attack by a nation state against the internet connected device of an “average private citizen” is not a fair fight.

New Europol Protocol Addresses Cross-Border Cyberattacks – Dark Reading

  • The Council of the European Union has adopted a new EU Law Enforcement Emergency Response Protocol intended to prepare for, and protect from, large-scale, cross-border cyberattacks. It also aims to help law enforcement immediately respond to any cyberattacks that do happen.

Aluminum Maker Hydro Battles to Contain Ransomware Attack – Reuters

  • One of the largest aluminum producers had to shut down several of its plants to contain a ransomware attack after they were infected by a malware known as LockerGoga. The company say its intention is to restore encrypted files rather than pay the ransom.

DDoS Attack Size Drops 85% in Q4 2018 – Dark Reading

  • The average denial-of-service (DDoS) attack size shrunk 85% in the fourth quarter of 2018 following an FBI takedown of DDoS-for-hire websites in December 2018. Researchers believe that this decline is likely only to be temporary because the downed websites served as payment gateways rather than as the technology used to launch the attacks.

MyPillow and Amerisleep Wake up to Magecart Card Theft Nightmare – ZDNet

  • Hundreds of Magecart incidents are thought to occur daily but two U.S. mattress and bedding merchants are thought to have not acknowledged major attacks on their websites going as far back as 2017; attacks that may still be ongoing.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends – 03-15-19

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This week, vote for SonicWall in 2019 CRN Channel Madness, Facebook suffers an outage worldwide, and one U.S. County pays a $400,000 ransom.

SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall’s HoJin Kim has been nominated in the 2019 CRN Channel Madness Tournament.

  • CRN’s fifth annual Channel Madness Tournament of Chiefs pits some of the channel’s best-known executives against in each other. Vote for HoJin Kim now!

SonicWall Launches Security Solutions for Wireless Networks, Cloud Apps and Endpoints – CRN (India)

  • SonicWall’s Debasish Mukherjee is quoted talking about the release of new SonicWall products and the expansion possibilities for SonicWall in the Indian market.

SonicWall Now a California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) Vendor – SonicWall Blog

  • Being a CMAS vendor allows SonicWall to support K-12 education through the E-rate program, a Federal funding program that allows technology products and services to be purchased by school districts and libraries.

Cyber Security News

Hackers Use Slack to Hide Malware Communications – CSO Online

  • Cyberattackers have been using a previously undocumented backdoor program to launch an attack on users of Slack. A fully patched computer will prevent the attack but in cases where the exploit runs successfully it triggers a damaging multi-stage infection.

Web Inventor Tim Berners-Lee Calls for ‘Fight’ Against Hacking and Abuse on its 30th Birthday – CNN

  • On the 30th anniversary of its launch, the inventor of the world wide web called out three major “sources of dysfunction” affecting it; deliberate malicious intent, system design and the unintended negative consequences of benevolent design.

Facebook’s Daylong Malfunction Is a Reminder of the Internet’s Fragility – New York Times

  • A technical error by Facebook led to a worldwide outage that affected Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. The New York Times looks at how the more tightly woven a computer network becomes, the more likely it is that a small problem can grow into a large one.

Applicant Data Hacked and Ransomed at Three U.S. Colleges – Fortune

  • Three U.S. colleges recently suffered successful ransomware attacks. The hackers were able to fool college staff members into handing over passwords and then took control of databases that housed student applicant information.

Hackers Cop a FILA Thousands of UK Card Deets After Slinking Onto Clothing Brand’s Servers – The Register (UK)

  • Sportswear brand FILA are the latest company to suffer from a damaging malware infection with an attack similar to Magecart infecting card payments on their website.

US Senators Want to Know How Many Times They’ve Been Hacked – ZDNet

  • Two US senators have requested the US Senate Sergeant at Arms to provide each senator with both annual statistics about cyberattacks and a commitment to disclosing breaches within five days of discovery.

Georgia County Pays a Whopping $400,000 to Get Rid of a Ransomware Infection – ZDNet

  • Officials in Jackson County, Georgia, negotiated with cybercriminals to pay a $400,000 ransom after being successfully infected with ransomware.

In Case You Missed It