This week, vote for SonicWall in this year’s CRN Channel Madness!

SonicWall Spotlight

2020 CRN Channel Madness – CRN

• This year’s CRN Channel Madness has SonicWall’s HoJin Kim up for best channel leader in the security category. Vote early, vote often, vote today!

8 Million UK Shopping Records Exposed – Information Security Buzz

• SonicWall’s Terry Greer-King is reached for comment after researchers uncovered a leak of personal data from third-party apps used by Amazon UK. Greer-King explains the value of personal information on the Dark Web and the importance of a good cybersecurity plan.

7 Factors to Consider When Evaluating Endpoint Protection Solutions – MSSPAlert

• SonicWall’s Vishnu Chandra Pandey lists 7 basic checks to help enhance endpoint compliance and better protect from cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity News

State-Sponsored Hackers are now Using Coronavirus Lures to Infect their Targets – ZDNet

• Government-backed hacking groups worldwide have been detected using coronavirus-based phishing lures as part of their efforts to spread malware. ZDNet investigates campaigns that have taken place over the past month.

Election Commission Hires Cybersecurity Expert to Help States With 2020 Infrastructure – CyberScoop

• The Election Assistance Commission has hired Joshua Franklin, who spent six years as an engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technoligy, to act as top cybersecurity expert helping oversee the technology that will be involved in the 2020 US Presidential Election.

Commission to Propose Sweeping National Cybersecurity Strategy – Axios

• An upcoming report on cybersecurity will, over the course of 75 recommendations, propose “a very ambitious reorganizing of the federal government, perhaps the most ambitious since the 9/11 Commission,” to combat cybersecurity threats.

Australia Sues Facebook over Cambridge Analytica Data Breach – The Hill

• The Australian information commissioner has sued Facebook for sharing the personal data of more than 300,000 Australians as part of the Cambridge Analytica controversy. The Australian government says that it is actively seeking an order that Facebook pay a monetary penalty.

European Power Grid Organization says its IT Network was Hacked – CyberScoop

• The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) this week confirmed that its IT network was successfully compromised by hackers. It stresses that the network was not connected to any critical control systems that would have allowed the hackers access to any power infrastructure.

Hackers Get $1.6 Million for Card Data from Breached Online Shops – Bleeping Computer

• A known MageCart hacking group has collected $1.6 million from selling more than 239,000 payment card records on the dark web.

In Case You Missed It

• Strength in Numbers: SonicWall Named New Member of Cyber Threat Alliance – Lindsey Lockhart
• SonicWall Wins Best UTM Security Solution at SC Awards 2020 – Geoff Blaine
• Catapult the Wi-Fi User Experience: Fast, Secure & Easy to Manage – Srudi Dineshan
• SonicWall Firewall Certified via NetSecOPEN Laboratory Testing, Earns Perfect Security Effectiveness Score Against Private CVE Attacks – Ken Dang
• SonicWall Secures 3 Spots on Annual CRN Channel Chief List – Lindsey Lockhart
• 7 Factors to Consider When Evaluating Endpoint Protection Solutions – Vishnu Chandra Pandey

This week, SonicWall firewalls win an award and the company is named one of the coolest Network Security Companies of 2020.

SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall Wins Best UTM Security Solution at SC Awards 2020 – SonicWall Blog

• SC Media honors SonicWall and the NSa 2650 Firewall with its Best UTM Security Solution at the 2020 SC Awards Gala. Marrying Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) and Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection (RTDMI) the NSa 2650 firewall proactively blocks mass-market, zero-day threats and unknown malware, and examines every byte of every packet.

The 20 Coolest Network Security Companies Of 2020: The Security 100 – CRN

• As part of CRN’s 2020 Security 100 list, SonicWall is named as one of the 20 companies that have “raised their game to meet continued network security needs.” SonicWall’s My WorkSpace interface and improvements in Capture Client and Cloud App Security are cited as the reasons SonicWall is included on the list.

Life Lessons: Look at Business as a Game of Chess – IoT NOW

• SonicWall EMEA VP Terry Greer-King is interviewed by IoT Now. He talks about his career so far, some of the worst bosses he has worked under, and what’s firing up his imagination in 2020 when it comes to the Internet of Things.

Cybersecurity News

To Secure Satellites, Bolster Cybersecurity Standards in Space – Undark

• With Space X planning to launch tens of thousands of satellites over the next decade, the reality of cyberattacks on such a system is something that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Despite some movement by the US government to address these issues, there are currently no cybersecurity standards for satellites and no governing body to regulate and ensure their cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity: Do These Ten Things to Keep Your Networks Secure from Hackers – ZDNet

• In the wake of continued cyberattacks on the health sector, the European cybersecurity agency, ENISA, has issued cybersecurity recommendations to hospitals and medical institutions in the form of ten good practices to help resilience against cyberattacks.

How Personality Influences Cybersecurity Behavior – Security Boulevard

• The Myers-Briggs Company has released preliminary findings of a study investigating how personality types can influence cybersecurity behaviors, breaking down the results into their famous personality types. From this, a list of guidelines and tips on how to best structure security awareness solutions for the different personality types has been developed.

Australian Banks Targeted by DDoS Extortionists – ZDNet

• A criminal gang has been attempting to extort banks and other financial institutions in Australia, threatening DDoS attacks on their websites unless a ransom is paid. Based on current evidence, the attackers have not followed through on any of their threats.

One in Four Americans Won’t do Business with Data-Breached Companies – ZDNet

• A new survey of over 1,000 people in the USA has found that over 20% of them are willing to hand over financial information to a company that has suffered a data breach. Almost all respondents agree that businesses are financially liable to their customers after a breach.

Cybersecurity Threats for 2020 – Security Boulevard

• Deepfakes, ransomware… and how to protect yourself from them. Security Boulevard looks at the biggest cybersecurity threats of 2020.

In Case You Missed It

• Catapult the Wi-Fi User Experience: Fast, Secure & Easy to Manage – Srudi Dineshan
• SonicWall Firewall Certified via NetSecOPEN Laboratory Testing, Earns Perfect Security Effectiveness Score Against Private CVE Attacks – Ken Dang
• SonicWall Secures 3 Spots on Annual CRN Channel Chief List – Lindsey Lockhart
• 7 Factors to Consider When Evaluating Endpoint Protection Solutions – Vishnu Chandra Pandey
• RSA 2020: SonicWall Returns with Stories from the Cyber Battlefront – Geoff Blaine
• Inside Cybercriminal Inc.: SonicWall Exposes New Cyberattack Data, Threat Actor Behaviors in Latest Report – Geoff Blaine

This week, SonicWall partners with Perimeter 81, Puerto Rico loses millions from a phishing attack, and new figures show how cryptocurrency losses boomed in 2019.

SonicWall Spotlight

2020 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report: Threat Actors Pivot Toward More Targeted Attacks, Evasive Exploits – SonicWall Press Release

• This week saw the release of the always anticipated yearly SonicWall Cyber Threat Report! Key takeaways include a drop in malware and ransomware attack volumes but an increase in more targeted attacks, a continued rise in encrypted attacks, and a massive fall in cryptojacking.

Inside Cybercriminal Inc.: SonicWall Exposes New Cyberattack Data, Threat Actor Behaviors in Latest Report  – Geoff Blaine

• SonicWall Vice President of Marketing Geoff Blaine digs into the 2020 Cyber Threat Report, laying out and analyzing the data SonicWall’s Cyber Threat Team have found over the past year.

The CyberWire Daily Briefing – Cyberwire

• The SonicWall 2020 Cyber Threat Report is picked up in the CyberWire Daily news report. Other English language coverage include pieces by Politico, SC Magazine, Dark Reading, Tech Republic, Information Age, The Register, Channelnomics, HelpNetSecurity, VMBlog, Blockonomi, Computer Weekly, ChannelWeb and Var India.

Vulnerability in Linear eMerge Access Controllers Exploited in the Wild – SecurityWeek

• SecurityWeek picks up on SonicWall’s recent SonicAlert about a known vulnerability in Nortek Security & Control’s Linear Emerge E3 Access Controller actively being exploited. Despite this vulnerability being raised a year ago and considered critical, no fix has yet been implemented.

Cybersecurity News

Kobe Bryant Wallpaper Shows how Hackers Exploit Mourning Fans for Cryptocurrency Mining – The Independent (UK)

• Cybercriminals have been detected attempting to profit from the death of Kobe Bryant by hiding malware within downloadable wallpapers of the basketball star.

Internet of Things: Smart Cities Pick Up the Pace – Financial Times

• As 5G and the Internet of Things go from a future development to a reality, so do smart cities. The Financial Times investigates where smart cites are right now, how deep 5G and IoT penetration currently goes and what they are likely to look like in the future, including the prediction that up to 30% of smart city programs will be abandoned by 2023.

Magecart Group Jumps from Olympic Ticket Website to new Wave of E-Commerce Shops – ZDNet

• Despite recent arrests of a major magecart group, a new wave of the malware has been detected spreading across a Russian hosting provider using a Chinese domain registrar, who suspended the domain when the malware was reported.

Watch Out for Coronavirus Phishing Scams – Wired

• A number of phishing scams have been detected where attackers disseminate malicious links and PDFs that claim to contain information on how to protect yourself from the spread of the Coronavirus. SonicWall’s Cyber Threat team have also detected malicious executables being spread using fears of the virus as bait.

Feds are Lining up More Indictments Related to Chinese Cyber-Activity, Officials say – Cyberscoop

• U.S. prosecutors are preparing to issue new charges against Chinese nationals related to alleged hacking and insider threats at U.S. organizations. U.S. officials have repeatedly accused China of breaking a 2015 agreement not to conduct “cyber-enabled” intellectual property theft and have ramped up pressure by announcing criminal charges against Chinese nationals. Strain over Huawei and the nascent 5G network may bring the whole thing to a head.

In Case You Missed It

• Coronavirus Affecting Business as Remote Workforces Expand Beyond Expected Capacity – Agasthiamani Sankaran
• 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

This week, SonicWall experts explain the accuracy and reach of data tracking, cyber-insurance court cases continue to heat up, and government drones are grounded for cybersecurity reasons.

SonicWall Spotlight

How Do I Love Thee, Data Privacy? Let Me Count the Ways – Forbes

• SonicWall’s Dmitriy Ayrapeto talks data privacy with Forbes on Data Privacy Day 2020, explaining just how large, sophisticated, and accurate data tracking methods are, even for people not signed up for social media accounts.

A Glimpse Into what Cyber Security Has in Store in 2020 – VarIndia

• What’s coming from SonicWall in India in 2020? SonicWall’s Debasish Mukherjee reflects on the current cybersecurity and threat landscape, noting a general downtick in ransomware in India as hackers choose more targeted attacks on larger corporations instead of scattergun approaches.

Cybersecurity News

Leaked Report Shows United Nations Suffered Hack – Washington Times

• Hackers managed to get into the U.N. networks in Geneva last year, compromising dozens of servers and accessing domain administrator accounts. It is unknown how much damage was done but espionage has been put forward as a likely reason. The U.N. say nothing confidential was compromised.

AIG Must Cover Client’s $5.9 Million in Cyber-Related Losses, Judge Rules – Cyber Scoop

• In the latest cyber-insurance development, a judge has decided that AIG must pay out for a $5.9 million claim it had previously denied after its clients lost money through a business email compromise scam.

US Space Industry to Launch Cybersecurity Portal – InfoSecurity Magazine

• The Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) is setting up an unclassified portal where companies can share and analyze information on cybersecurity threats, with the aim of protecting the space industry.

The Space Race For Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) – Forbes Technology Council

• SonicWall partners Perimeter 81 talk about the rise of and race for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), a security solution created to fit the modern challenges of nomad and digital workforce, cloud adoption and 5G networks.

Dept. of Interior Grounds its Drones Amid Cybersecurity Concerns – TechCrunch

• The U.S. Department of the Interior released a statement confirming that non-emergency drones were being temporarily grounded for a cybersecurity review, admitting that concerns from “foreign entities, organizations, and governments” are driving the decision.

Malware Tries to Trump Security Software With POTUS Impeachment – Bleeping Computer

• New research has found malware using text from President Trump’s impeachment as cover in an attempt to pass itself off as “goodware.“

Dozens of Companies Have Data Dumped Online by Ransomware Ring Seeking Leverage – Ars Technica

• The Maze ransomware ring has begun to post data from companies caught by their malware, threatening to dump huge amounts of the information if their ransom demands are not met.

And Finally

Hacker Snoops on Art Sale and Walks Away with $3.1m, Victims Fight Each Other in Court – ZDNet

• Hackers who managed to intercept talks between an art dealer and a Dutch museum spoofed the dealer’s email account and convinced the museum to send $3.1 million to a bank account in Hong Kong. Both the art dealer and the museum are now blaming the other side for the mistake.

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 experts explain why the Dustman attack likely originates from Iran, the NSA publishes a major exploit in Microsoft ECC Certs, and Emotet makes a return after a holiday-season break.

SonicWall Spotlight

Security Advisor January 2020 – Tahulwheltech

• SonicWall’s VP for EMEA Sales, Terry Greer-King, sits down with Security Advisor Middle East, and sheds some light on how SonicWall has become a major cybersecurity player in the Enterprise space with a “direct touch” approach and unrivaled security innovations.

The US is Worried about Iran Retaliating with a Cyberattack – Vox

• As tensions between the US and Iran simmered in recent days, eyes have turned to Iran’s arsenal of cyberattack capabilities. Speaking to Vox SonicWall CEO Bill Conner stresses that American businesses must use the situation to bolster their cyberdefenses.

Dustman Attack Underscores Iran’s Cyber Capabilities – Dark Reading

• A malware known as Dustman attacked Bahrain’s national oil company in a cyberattack in late December. SonicWall’s Dmitiry Ayrapetov explains to Dark Reading why an Iran-backed group is likely the likely source of the attack as they investigate the attack.

Landry’s Malware Attack Highlights Need for Stronger Data Security – Channel Futures

• SonicWall CEO Bill Conner explains to Channel Futures that the recent attack on Landry’s is just one of several attacks that should not even be happening because large companies have the budget to afford the best in cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity News

Cybersecurity Threats Call for a Global Response – IMF Blog

• The International Monetary Fund calls for a unified worldwide response to cyberthreats, listing four areas where the international community can come together to work better – understanding of the risks; improving collaboration; consistent regulatory approaches, and being ready for cyberattacks when they do happen.

60% of US politicians haven’t upgraded their cybersecurity since 2016 – MIT Technology Review

• Despite controversy over alleged cyberattacks in the 2016 US Presidential campaign, a new poll of 500 high-risk users found that 60% of them have not upgraded their cybersecurity in the intervening years.

Proof-of-Concept Exploits Published for the Microsoft-NSA Crypto bug – ZDNet

• Microsoft released a security update this week that includes a fix to a dangerous bug discovered and reported to them by the NSA. With the bug being described as “seriously, seriously bad” it only took 48 hours for two proof-of-concept exploits for the vulnerability to be published.

Unprotected Medical Systems Expose Data on Millions of Patients – SecurityWeek

• New research and analysis has found that hundreds of internet-connected and unprotected medical imaging systems worldwide are exposing data of millions of patients. The most badly affected country is the USA where over 800 institutions have been exposed.

Renewed Emotet Phishing Activity Targets UN, Government and Military Users – SC Magazine

• After a massive drop in attacks in December 2019, the Emotet botnet and banking trojan renewed attacks in January 2019, launching a massive phishing campaign targeting high profile organizations like the United Nations.

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