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Cybersecurity News & Trends – 12-04-20

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This week, Trickbot is gaining strength, Bitcoin is gaining value, and cybercriminals are gaining ground against vaccine manufacturers.

SonicWall in the News

New Partnerships Boost OT/IoT Security Across Digital Environments — Security Boulevard

  • SonicWall’s Q3 Threat Report data is cited in this article about Nozomi Networks partnership with Honeywell and Yokogawa Europe.

Top Tips to Stay Safe During Black Friday & Cyber Monday — Security Toolbox

  • Check out five tips to maintain security hygiene when shopping online during the upcoming holiday season.

Industry News

Manchester United attack illuminates the cyberthreats facing an overlooked sports sector — Cyberscoop

  • The headline-making attack is a stark reminder that major sports franchises have targets on their backs, even if regulators and the press don’t apply the same amount of scrutiny to data protection strategies in athletics as in other sectors.

 Federal agencies warn that hackers are targeting US think tanks — The Hill

  • The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned Tuesday that major hacking groups are targeting U.S. think tanks.

 Companies Urged to Adjust Hiring Requirements for Cyber Jobs — The Wall Street Journal

  • Companies need millions more cybersecurity professionals to fill roles around the world, but researchers say the problem may be outlandish job requirements, rather than a lack of workers.

FINRA Warns Brokerage Firms of Phishing Campaign — Security Week

  • Cybercriminals are using a recently registered lookalike domain in a phishing campaign targeting U.S. organizations, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority warns.

Cyberespionage APT group hides behind cryptomining campaigns — Bleeping Computer

  • An advanced threat group called Bismuth recently used cryptocurrency mining as a way to hide the purpose of their activity and to avoid triggering high-priority alerts.

Bitcoin Hits New Record, This Time With Less Talk of a Bubble — The New York Times

  • The crazy cousin of traditional currencies, which fell below $4,000 in March, has now passed $19,783 — and more investors are now buying it for the long term.

Government watchdog urges policymakers to boost cybersecurity for 5G networks — The Hill

  • The agency detailed “capabilities and challenges” involved in the buildout of 5G networks and made a number of recommendations aimed at scaling up cybersecurity, spectrum availability and consumer data privacy.

Supreme Court considers scope of federal anti-hacking law in biggest cyber case to date — Cyberscoop

  • This case is the biggest to come before the nation’s highest court involving the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), written in the 1980s and centering on when an individual “exceeds authorized access” to a computer.

It’s hard to keep a big botnet down: TrickBot sputters back toward full health — Cyberscoop

  • Mounting evidence suggests that TrickBot, the vast botnet that both U.S. Cyber Command and a Microsoft-led coalition sought to disable around the 2020 elections, is on the mend and evolving.

Coronavirus: Hackers targeted Covid vaccine supply ‘cold chain’ — BBC

  • The international vaccine supply chain has reportedly been targeted by cyber-espionage.

The Internet’s Most Notorious Botnet Has an Alarming New Trick — Wired

  • The hackers behind TrickBot have begun probing victim PCs for vulnerable firmware, which would let them persist on devices undetected.

North Korean Hackers Are Said to Have Targeted Companies Working on Covid-19 Vaccines — The Wall Street Journal

  • At least six pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., the U.K. and South Korea were targeted as the regime seeks sensitive information it could sell or weaponize.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 11-20-20

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This week hackers targeted hardware and software, with attacks on WordPress sites, printers, CPUs and the popular game “Among Us” making headlines.

SonicWall in the News

SonicWall Stresses Zero Trust, Zero Touch in 2020 — ChannelPro Network

  • A look at SonicWall’s business strategy in 2020, particularly SonicWall’s Cloud Edge solution, its Boundless 2020 virtual event, and commentary from Bill Conner and Dmitriy Ayrapetov.

Best Firewalls For Small Businesses — Business Pundit

  • Business Pundit has recognized SonicWall’s TZ firewall as the “Best Overall Firewall.”

SonicWall Refreshes Low Ends of TZ and NSa Firewall Portfolios and Unveils Zero Trust SonicWall Cloud Edge Secure Access — ChannelBuzz

  • SonicWall adds Cloud Edge Secure Access solution and new TZ and NSa firewalls to its lineup.

Firewalls And ZTNA Solution Protect Working Environments — LANline

  • LANline offers a closer look at SonicWall’s new NSa Firewalls and ZTNA solution news.

SonicWall Expands Cybersecurity with New TCO Firewalls — APN News

  • SonicWall announced the expansion of its Capture Cloud Platform with the addition of the high-performance NSa 2700 firewall, three new cost-effective TZ firewall options and SASE offering debut.

Industry News

The 10 Coolest Cybersecurity Startups Of 2020 — CRN

  • Perimeter 81, who teamed up with SonicWall to create the Cloud Edge Secure Access solution, made CRN’s list of Coolest Cybersecurity Startups of 2020.

Cybersecurity Industry in Detroit Is Growing and Mentors Are Starting With Young People — Detroit Free Press

  • In an article on how Detroit’s cybersecurity industry is growing, Bill Conner offers cybersecurity tips for remote work.

Egregor ransomware bombards victims’ printers with ransom notes — Threatpost

  • The Egregor ransomware uses a novel approach to get a victim’s attention after an attack: it shoots ransom notes from all available printers.

Bitcoin hits nearly three-year peak, homes in on record — Reuters

  • Bitcoin has soared to its highest level since December 2017 as the asset’s perceived quality as a hedge against inflation lured institutional and retail demand.

Trump fires CISA chief Chris Krebs, who guarded the 2020 election from interference and domestic misinformation — Cyberscoop

  • President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had fired Chris Krebs, a widely respected Department of Homeland Security official who helped protect the 2020 election from hacking and disinformation, the latest in a series of purges.

Forget Imposters. Among Us Is a Playground for Hackers — Wired

  • James Sebree, a researcher for security firm Tenable, on Tuesday published a blog post laying out a slew of relatively simple, hackable vulnerabilities in Among Us.

Hackers are actively probing millions of WordPress sites — Bleeping Computer

  • Unknown threat actors are scanning for WordPress websites with Epsilon Framework themes installed on over 150,000 sites and vulnerable to Function Injection attacks that could lead to full site takeovers.

Ransomware Operator Promotes Distributed Storage for Stolen Data — Dark Reading

  • The criminals behind the DarkSide ransomware-as-a-service operation say the system will be harder to take down.

Hackers can use just-fixed Intel bugs to install malicious firmware on PCs — Ars Technica

  • Vulnerabilities allowed hackers with physical access to override a protection Intel built into modern CPUs that prevents unauthorized firmware from running during the boot process. Known as Boot Guard, the measure is designed to anchor a chain of trust directly into the silicon to ensure that all firmware that loads is digitally signed by the computer manufacturer.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 11-13-20

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This week, SonicWall expanded its Capture Cloud Platform with four new firewalls and a new Zero-Trust security solution.

SonicWall in the News

SonicWall Expands Boundless Cybersecurity With New High-Performance, Low-TCO Firewalls; Company Debuts Cloud-Native Ztna Solution to Secure Work-From-Anywhere Environments — Company Press Release

  • SonicWall today announced the expansion of its Capture Cloud Platform with the addition of the high-performance NSa 2700 firewall, three new TZ firewall options, and SonicWall Cloud Edge Secure Access, which delivers easy-to-deploy, easy-to-use zero-trust security.

SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection Collects ICSA Labs Certification — Company Press Release

  • For the third consecutive quarter, cloud-based Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) sandbox service has been vigorously tested in the detection of today’s most evasive threats and awarded the coveted ICSA Labs Advanced Threat Defense certification.

The 2020 Tech Innovators Awards — CRN

  • SonicWall was recognized as the winner of the networking category for its TZ570 and TZ670 series (slide 22) and was a finalist in the security network category for its Network Security Services Platform 15700 (slide 37).

Cybersecurity Industry in Detroit Is Growing and Mentors Are Starting With Young People — Detroit Free Press

  • In an article on how Detroit’s cybersecurity industry is growing, Bill Conner offers cybersecurity tips for more secure remote work.

Four New SonicWall Firewalls Announced — Storage Review

  • Storage Review covers SonicWall’s latest launch, focusing on Cloud Edge Secure Access and four all-new firewalls.

SonicWall Research: Ransomware, IoT Malware Attacks On The Rise — MSSP Alert

  • In a feature article on SonicWall’s Q3 Threat Data, MSSP Alert spotlights the surge in ransomware and IoT malware.

Industry News

Campari Site Suffers Ransomware Hangover — ThreatPost

  • Italian spirits brand Campari has restored its company website following a recent ransomware attack.

Ragnar Locker Ransomware Gang Takes Out Facebook Ads in Key New Tactic — Threat Post

  • Following the Nov. 3 ransomware attack against Campari, Ragnar Locker group took out public Facebook ads threatening to release stolen data.

Pressure grows to reinstall White House cyber czar — The Hill

  • Pressure to reinstate a cyber czar within the White House is growing, with bipartisan allies lining up on Capitol Hill to push such a proposal.

Zoom settles charges with FTC over deceptive security practices — Cyberscoop

  • The FTC has reached a deal with Zoom to settle allegations that the communications technology company misrepresented its security and privacy protections.

How to Avoid Paying Ransomware Ransoms — Data Center Knowledge

  • As private experts and government officials advise against indulging the bad guys, here are some tips for following that advice.

Treasury Asks if External Cyber Acts Qualify for Terrorism Risk Insurance Program — Nextgov

  • A request for comment reflects recommendations made by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.

Major ransomware strain jumps from Windows to Linux — SC Magazine

  • A recently discovered file-encrypting Trojan, built as an executable and linkable format (ELF), encrypts data on machines controlled by Linux-based operating systems.

Hospital network hit by cyber attack restoring services — The Washington Times

  • Computer experts at the University of Vermont Medical Center are working to restore systems disabled in a cyberattack that has affected the hospital’s ability to provide some cancer treatments.

Vietnamese hacking group OceanLotus uses imitation news sites to spread malware — Cyberscoop

  • Suspected Vietnamese government-linked hackers are behind a series of fake news websites and Facebook pages meant to target victims with malicious software.

Microsoft Exchange Attack Exposes New xHunt Backdoors — Threat Post

  • An attack on the Microsoft Exchange server of an organization in Kuwait revealed two never-before-seen PowerShell backdoors.

U.S. seizes over $1 billion in bitcoin tied to ‘Silk Road’ — Reuters

  • The U.S. Justice Department announced it had seized over $1 billion worth of bitcoin associated with the underground online marketplace Silk Road.

Ransomware Attacks Surge 40% Globally In Q3: Report — Express Computer

  • While overall malware volume declined for the third consecutive quarter, ransomware attacks globally surged 40% to reach 199.7 million hits in the third quarter of this year.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 11-06-20

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This week, there were no reports of cybercriminal meddling in the U.S. election. But hospitals, government agencies, human rights groups, embassies and more weren’t so lucky.

SonicWall in the News

FBI Warns That Hackers Are Targeting Hospitals While Coronavirus Admissions Surge — Vox

  • The FBI has warned of an increase in ransomware attacks, particularly Ryuk, on hospitals.
    * Syndicated on MSN

Ryuk This For A Game Of Soldiers: Ransomware-flingers Actively Targeting Hospitals In The Us, Cyber Agencies Warn — The Register

  • While countries such as the UK, Germany and India saw declines in Ryuk, the U.S. saw a staggering 145.2 million ransomware hits – a 139 per cent year-on-year increase.

Surge In Ryuk Ransomware Attacks Has Hospitals On Alert — Computer Weekly

  • Ryuk has surged during 2020, according to statistics provided by SonicWall’s Capture Labs, which has booked 67.3 million Ryuk attacks in 2020, one-third of all ransomware incidents so far this year.

Most Organizations Don’t Have An Election Cyber War Room. They Don’t Need One — Cybersecurity Dive

  • The latest technological developments are almost irrelevant if security is absent from company culture. It’s a matter of reminding organizations of their security hygiene.

Industry News

Officials on alert for potential cyber threats after a quiet Election Day — The Hill

  • Election officials are cautiously declaring victory after no reports of major cyber incidents on Election Day.

Scam PSA: Ransomware gangs don’t always delete stolen data when paid — Bleeping Computer

  • Ransomware gangs are increasingly failing to keep their promise to delete stolen data after a victim pays a ransom.

No indication foreign governments have successfully interfered with 2020 voting: DHS officials — The Washington Times

  • Department of Homeland Security officials said the federal government is confident that the nation’s voting systems are secure and unaffected by foreign interference, but they cautioned that America’s adversaries may still attempt to create problems.

UK cyber-threat agency confronts Covid-19 attacks — BBC

  • More than a quarter of the incidents which the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) responded to were COVID-related, according to its latest annual report.

Hacker is selling 34 million user records stolen from 17 companies — Bleeping Computer

  • A threat actor is selling account databases containing an aggregate total of 34 million user records that they claim were stolen from seventeen companies during data breaches.

North Korean Group Kimsuky Targets Government Agencies With New Malware — Security Week

  • North Korea-linked threat actor Kimsuky was recently observed using brand new malware in attacks on government agencies and human rights activists, Cybereason’s security researchers say.

Hackers Bearing Down on U.S. Hospitals Have More Attacks Planned — Bloomberg

  • A Russia-based ransomware group responsible for a new wave of attacks against U.S. hospitals is laying the groundwork to cripple at least ten more.

First the Good News: Number of Breaches Down 51% Year Over Year — Dark Reading

  • But the number of records put at risk experiences a massive increase.

US shares info on Russian malware used to target parliaments, embassies — Bleeping Computer

  • US Cyber Command today shared information on malware implants used by Russian hacking groups in attacks targeting multiple ministries of foreign affairs, national parliaments, and embassies.

Hackers are on the hunt for Oracle servers vulnerable to potent exploit — Ars Technica

  • Hackers are scanning the Internet for machines that have yet to patch a recently disclosed flaw that force Oracle’s WebLogic server to execute malicious code, a researcher warned Wednesday night.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 10-30-20

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This week, Ryuk is on the rise, medical records are on display, and Maze is on its way out.

SonicWall in the News

Amid Pandemic, Hospitals Warned of ‘Credible’ and ‘Imminent’ Cyberthreat — ABC News

  • SonicWall’s Q3 threat data detailing the increase of Ryuk ransomware is cited in this article, which centers around FBI’s warning of potential attacks against healthcare providers.

Review: The SonicWall SWS12-10FPOE Switch Simplifies Security — BizTech

  • This article reviews the SWS12-10FPOE Switch and mentions the benefit the product will have on small businesses and branch offices.

FBI Warns of Imminent Wave of Ransomware Attacks Hitting Hospitals — CNET

  • SonicWall’s Q3 Threat Data on the surge of ransomware is included in CNET’s article covering potential attacks on the healthcare industry.

Ryuk Wakes From Hibernation; FBI, DHS Warn of Healthcare Attacks —  Cybersecurity Dive

  • Samantha Schwartz included SonicWall’s Q3 Threat data and a quote from CEO Bill Conner in an article on possible upcoming attacks on the healthcare industry.

Venomous Bear and Charming Kitten Are Mentioned In Dispatches. Ryuk Targets Hospitals. Maze Shutdown? — CyberWire

  • CyberWire included a link to SonicWall’s Q3 Threat data press release in the “Cyber Trends” section of its daily newsletter.

Malware Levels Drop Attacks Become More Targeted — BetaNews

  • BetaNews’ article cites SonicWall’s Q3 Threat data, highlighting the drop in malware and the rise in ransomware and IoT malware attacks so far in 2020.

Ryuk Ransomware Responsible for One Third of All Ransomware Attacks in 2020 — Security Magazine

  • Security Magazine reports on SonicWall’s Q3 Threat Data, highlighting the surge in Ryuk ransomware that’s occurred in 2020.

Industry News

Maze ransomware is shutting down its cybercrime operation — Bleeping Computer

  • The Maze cybercrime gang is shutting down its operations after becoming one of the most prominent ransomware groups.

Trump Campaign Website Is Defaced by Hackers — The New York Times

  • The defacement lasted less than 30 minutes, and the hackers appeared to be looking to generate cryptocurrency.

Microsoft says Iranian hackers targeted conference attendees — The Washington Times

  • Iranian hackers reportedly posed as conference organizers in an attempt to break into the email accounts of “high-profile” people.

EXCLUSIVE: Medical Records of 3.5 Million U.S. Patients Can be Accessed and Manipulated by Anyone — Security Week

  • The results of 13 million medical examinations relating to around 3.5 million U.S. patients are unprotected and available to anyone on the internet, SecurityWeek has learned.

Spy agency ducks questions about ‘back doors’ in tech products — Reuters

  • The U.S. National Security Agency is rebuffing efforts by a leading congressional critic to determine whether it is continuing to place so-called back doors into commercial technology products, a controversial practice that critics say damages both U.S. industry and national security.

FBI: Hackers stole government source code via SonarQube instances — Bleeping Computer

  • The FBI issued a flash alert warning of hackers stealing data from U.S. government agencies and enterprise organizations via insecure and internet-exposed SonarQube instances.

Election Officials Warn of Widespread Suspicious Email Campaign — The Wall Street Journal

  • Local election officials in the U.S. have been receiving suspicious emails that appear to be part of a widespread and potentially malicious campaign targeting several states.

Bitcoin Approaches Highest Level Since Post-Bubble Crash in 2018 — Bloomberg

  • Bitcoin is approaching levels not seen in nearly three years.

US Treasury Sanctions Russian Institution Linked to Triton Malware — Dark Reading

  • Triton, also known as TRISIS and HatMan, was developed to target and manipulate industrial control systems, the US Treasury reports.

REvil ransomware gang claims over $100 million profit in a year — Bleeping Computer

  • REvil ransomware developers say that they made more than $100 million in one year of extorting large businesses.

Data breach at Finnish psychotherapy center takes a darker turn with extortion attempts — Cyberscoop

  • Patients of a prominent Finnish psychotherapy practice reportedly had their information posted on the dark web after being told they could protect their data by directly paying a ransom.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 10-23-20

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While election security is still making headlines, education news moved to the forefront this week as K-12 institutions continue fighting off a barrage of cyberattacks.

SonicWall in the News

Hackney Council Cyberattack: Why Are Hackers Targeting The Public Sector? — IT Supply Chain

  • Terry Greer-King, VP of EMEA at SonicWall, offers some perspective on the Hackney Council cyberattack — and a warning to other public bodies.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Empower Organizations in Cybersecurity Protocols — Business 2 Community

  • Companies should be doing more to defend against cyberattacks, and during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, cybersecurity professionals are committed to telling you how.

Ripple20 Isn’t An Anomaly – IoT Security is a Mess (Still) — Infosecurity Magazine

  • A new SonicWall report found a 50% increase in IoT malware attacks in the first half of 2020 alone — a number that’s sure to rise further as the number of IoT devices coming online continues to rise.

Industry News

UK’s GCHQ spy chief: We must engage business to harness cyber talent for future — Reuters

  • The head of Britain’s GCHQ agency said on Wednesday it was seeking to engage more with business to harness top cyber talent.

Botnet Fights Back After Microsoft’s Election Security Takedown — Bloomberg

  • After Microsoft led a global attack against a highly prolific malware group, the company says it’s winning the battle to destabilize the malicious botnet ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

LockBit ransomware moves quietly on the network, strikes fast — Bleeping Computer

  • LockBit ransomware takes as little as five minutes to deploy the encryption routine on target systems once it lands on the victim network.

Mysterious ‘Robin Hood’ hackers donating stolen money — BBC

  • Darkside hackers claim to have extorted millions of dollars from companies, but say they now want to “make the world a better place.” In a post on the Dark Web, the gang posted receipts for $10,000 in Bitcoin donations to two charities.

U.S. Accuses Google of Illegally Protecting Monopoly — The New York Times

  • A victory for the government could remake one of America’s most recognizable companies and the internet economy that it has helped define.

Hackers Smell Blood as Schools Grapple With Virtual Instruction — The Wall Street Journal

  • Many K-12 schools opting for virtual instruction distributed devices to students and teachers. Now, as this unique school year unfolds, hackers are circling.

TrickBot malware under siege from all sides, and it’s working — Bleeping Computer

  • The Trickbot malware operation is on the brink of going down completely following efforts from an alliance of cybersecurity and hosting providers targeting the botnet’s command-and-control servers.

Democrats introduce bill providing $400 million to protect schools from cyberattacks — The Hill

  • The Enhancing K-12 Cybersecurity Act would establish a $400 million “K-12 Cybersecurity Human Capacity” grant program to help protect educational institutions against attacks.

Hackers now abuse BaseCamp for free malware hosting — Bleeping Computer

  • Phishing campaigns have started using Basecamp as part of malicious phishing campaigns that distribute malware or steal login credentials.

Fancy Bear Imposters Are on a Hacking Extortion Spree — Wired

  • Companies worldwide are getting extortion notices from hackers, which claim to be Fancy Bear or the Lazarus Group, warning them to pay up or face powerful DDoS attacks.

Federal watchdog finds escalating cyberattacks on schools pose potential harm to students — The Hill

  • The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal watchdog agency, has concluded that an increasing number of cyberattacks on educational institutions are putting students increasingly at risk.

Thousands of infected IoT devices used in for-profit anonymity service — Ars Technica

  • Some 9,000 devices — mostly Android, but also Linux and Darwin OS— have been corralled into the Interplanetary Storm, a botnet whose chief purpose is creating a for-profit proxy service.

Trump signs legislation making hacking voting systems a federal crime — The Hill

  • Trump has signed the Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act unanimously approved by the House last month, over a year after the Senate also unanimously passed the legislation.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 10-16-20

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This week, increasingly sophisticated ransomware is being deployed by ransomware groups increasingly functioning like businesses.

SonicWall in the News

Sonicwall Trusted By U.S. Federal Agencies, Driving Thought-Leadership With Live Webinar Event — SonicWall Press Release

  • Thursday, Oct. 15, 1 p.m. EDT, SonicWall will host a live webinar event, ‘Securing Federal Agencies in Unprecedented Times’, exploring the effects of COVID-19 on federal networks and employees, changes in the federal space in 2020, and SonicWall’s certified federal solutions.

How The Enterprise Can Shut Down Cyber Criminals and Protect A Remote A Staff  — TechRepublic

  • Hackers accidentally allowed into company software by security-noncompliant employees cost businesses millions annually. Experts to weigh in on best safety practices.

5 Campaign Cybersecurity Lessons Learned from Enterprise — SDxCentral

  • Campaigns can — and should — take a page from enterprise security best practices to harden their defenses and hunt for threats in their environments.

SonicWall Unveils Boundless 2020, Company’s Largest Ever Global Virtual Partner Event — CRN India

  • On the heels of a record-setting year that has included the introduction of the Boundless Cybersecurity platform and numerous new products, services and programs, SonicWall is hosting a three-day virtual partner event, Boundless 2020, from Nov 17-19.

The Best Firewalls For Small Business In 2020 —  Digital Trends

  • In a roundup of the top firewalls for small businesses, SonicWall’s firewalls are ranked first in the category of data-dependent small businesses. *Syndicated on Yahoo Finance

Cybersecurity Experts React on Hackney Council Cyber Attack — Information Security Buzz

  • Media outlets are reporting that Hackney Council in London has been the target of a serious cyberattack, which is affecting many of its services and IT systems.

Industry News

Study: Half of battleground states facing cybersecurity challenges ahead of election — The Hill

  • Around half of battleground states are facing cybersecurity challenges that put them at increased risk of a cybersecurity breach, a study found.

BazarLoader used to deploy Ryuk ransomware on high-value targets — Bleeping Computer

  • The TrickBot gang operators are increasingly targeting high-value targets with the new stealthy BazarLoader trojan before deploying the Ryuk ransomware.

Android Ransomware Has Picked Up Some Ominous New Tricks — Wired

  • Though ransomware has been around for years, it poses an ever-increasing threat to hospitals, municipal governments, and basically any institution that can’t tolerate downtime.

Apple pays $288,000 to white-hat hackers who had run of company’s network — Ars Technica

  • The company has so far processed about half of the vulnerabilities reported and committed to paying $288,500 for them. Once Apple processes the remainder, the total payout might surpass $500,000.

US Cyber Command: Patch Windows ‘Bad Neighbor’ TCP/IP bug now — Bleeping Computer

  • U.S. Cyber Command warns Microsoft customers to patch their systems immediately against the critical and remotely exploitable CVE-2020-16898 vulnerability addressed during this month’s Patch Tuesday.

Amid an Embarrassment of Riches, Ransom Gangs Increasingly Outsource Their Work — Krebs on Security

  • Judging from the proliferation of help-wanted ads for offensive pentesters in the cybercrime underground, today’s attackers have exactly zero trouble gaining that initial intrusion: The real challenge seems to be hiring enough people to help everyone profit from the access already gained.

Hackers Eye Their Next Targets, From Schools to Cars — The Wall Street Journal

  • Hackers will tell you that just about anything with software and an internet connection can get hacked. The next decade will test how much that is true, and the challenge it poses to everyday life.

Ransomware Attackers Buy Network Access in Cyberattack Shortcut — Threatpost

  • Network access to various industries is being offered in underground forums at as little as $300 a pop – and researchers warn that ransomware groups like Maze and NetWalker could be buying in.

Court orders seizure of ransomware botnet controls as U.S. election nears — Reuters

  • Microsoft said Monday it had used a court order to take control of computers that were installing ransomware and other malicious software on local government networks and threatening to disrupt the November election.

The Man Who Speaks Softly—and Commands a Big Cyber Army — Wired

  • Meet General Paul Nakasone. He reined in chaos at the NSA and taught the U.S. military how to launch pervasive cyberattacks. And he did it all without you noticing.

Canva design platform actively abused in credentials phishing — Bleeping Computer

  • Free graphics design website Canva is being abused by threat actors to create and host intricate phishing landing pages.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 10-09-20

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This week, cybercriminals deployed attacks on both U.S. political parties, the shipping industry, and COVID-19 researchers.

SonicWall in the News

Sonicwall Unveils Boundless 2020, Company’s Largest Ever Global Virtual Partner Event — SonicWall Press Release

  • SonicWall unveils Boundless 2020, a three-day virtual partner event hosted online Nov. 17-19. 

Marina Pharmacy Secures Its Branches With SonicWall Next-Gen Firewalls — Intelligent CIO

  • How UAE-based Marina Pharmacy’s SonicWall implementation has improved the group’s security posture and secured network connectivity across its 40 retail stores.

Surge In Ransomware Attacks Threatens Student Data — TechTarget

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner explains why K-12 schools are an increasingly attractive target, and why they shouldn’t give in to ransom demands.

Rethinking Cloud Security Amidst Pandemic and Mounting Threats — Digital TechMedia

  • A closer look at how the pandemic has affected cybersecurity in India and around the globe.

Industry News

Cyber Pirates Hit Global Shipping Industry Nearing Peak Season — Bloomberg

  • Two key players in the global shipping industry are trying to restore computer networks and assess the damage from separate cyberattacks just ahead of peak season.

Hackers are using DNC volunteer pitch to deliver malware, researchers warn — The Washington Times

  • Democratic National Committee messaging has been repurposed and weaponized as part of a hacking campaign spotted by cybersecurity researchers following the debate

Ransomware: Gangs are shifting targets and upping their ransom demands — ZDNet

  • Ransomware gangs are getting smarter, factoring in companies’ revenues when determining the ransom they try to collect.

‘Mercenary’ hacker group runs rampant in Middle East, cybersecurity research shows — Reuters

  • Saudi diplomats, Sikh separatists and Indian business executives have been among those targeted by a group of hired hackers.

Phishing emails lure victims with inside info on Trump’s health — Bleeping Computer

  • A phishing campaign pushing a network-compromising backdoor pretends to have the inside scoop on President Trump’s health after being infected with COVID-19.

US warns: Big surge in Emotet malware campaigns makes it one of today’s top threats — ZDNet

  • CISA’s intrusion detection system has recorded 16,000 Emotet threats to government networks since July.

Will We Have Cyberwar or Cyber Peace? — The Wall Street Journal

  • The Wall Street Journal’s Richard Clark takes a look at what cyber warfare could look like in 2030.

Ransomware: Surge in attacks as hackers take advantage of organisations under pressure — ZDNet

  • Cyber criminals are doubling down on ransomware attacks, deploying more sophisticated campaigns at a time when remote working is already creating additional security challenges for businesses

US brokerage firms warned of widespread survey phishing attacks — Bleeping Computer

  • The U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a notice warning member brokerage firms of widespread phishing attacks using surveys to harvest information.

COVID-19 Clinical Trials Slowed After Ransomware Attack — Threatpost

  • The attack on eResearchTechnology potentially slowed down coronavirus research worldwide, and researchers suggest a nation-state actor could be behind the incident.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 10-02-20

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This week, attackers targeted everything from the energy sector and the U.S. elections to social media accounts and your coffeemaker.

SonicWall in the News

The 100 People You Don’t Know but Should 2020 — CRN

  • SonicWall’s Jason Carter has been selected to be part of CRN’s annual “100 People You Don’t Know but Should” list.

How Home Tech Can Be Companies’ Weakest Link — Financial Times (Business Education)

  • SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner weighs in on how companies can protect against risks due to remote employees’ home network setups.

Managed IT Service Providers Expands Support For Remote Workers During Pandemic — Crain’s Detroit Business

  • In March, SonicWall helped Vision Computer Solutions acquire additional licenses more quickly than normal so the company could rapidly transition to remote work.

These 13 Israeli Cybersecurity Startups Have Raised A collective $847 Million In Funding This Year For New Tools That Protect Remote Work  — Business Insider

  • Perimeter 81 — which SonicWall has invested in — is included in the roundup as a cloud-based company helping IT and security professionals more easily secure remote access.

Industry News

U.S. tech giants face curbs on data sharing, digital marketplaces, under draft EU rules — Reuters

  • Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and other U.S. tech giants could be banned from favoring their services or forcing users to sign up to a bundle of services under draft EU rules.

House passes bills to secure energy sector against cyberattacks — The Hill

  • The House has unanimously passed four bills aimed at securing the power grid and other energy infrastructure against cyberattacks.

Microsoft looks to expose espionage groups taking aim at NGOs, US politics — Cyberscoop

  • Cyberscoop summarizes/explores the new Microsoft report — a detailed review of criminal and government hackers’ tradecraft.

When coffee makers are demanding a ransom, you know IoT is screwed — Ars Technica

  • With the name Smarter, you might expect a network-connected kitchen appliance maker to be, well, smarter than companies selling conventional appliances. But in the case of the Smarter’s IoT coffee maker, you’d be wrong.

CISA Warns of Hackers Exploiting Zerologon Vulnerability — Security Week

  • The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an alert to warn of attackers actively targeting a recently addressed vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows Netlogon Remote Protocol (MS-NRPC).

Microsoft disrupts nation-state hacker op using Azure Cloud service — Bleeping Computer

  • In a report today, Microsoft said that it disrupted operations of a nation-state threat group that was using its Azure cloud infrastructure for cyberattacks.

Ransomware Attacks Take On New Urgency Ahead of Vote — The New York Times

  • Attacks against small towns, big cities and the contractors who run their voting systems have federal officials fearing that hackers will try to sow chaos around the election.

FBI director warns that Chinese hackers are still targeting US COVID-19 research — The Hill

  • FBI Director Christopher Wray said Chinese hackers are continuing to target U.S. companies involved in COVID-19 research and described China as the nation’s “greatest counterintelligence threat.”

Mount Locker ransomware joins the multi-million dollar ransom game — Bleeping Computer

  • A new ransomware operation named Mount Locker is stealing victims’ files before encrypting and then demanding multi-million dollar ransoms.

FBI Director: Feeding DOD’s Cyber Offense Operations Is Crucial to New Strategy — Nextgov

  • Senator says legislation is moving forward to thwart intellectual property theft and defend federal networks from cyberattacks.

Phishing attacks are targeting your social network accounts — Bleeping Computer

  • Scammers are targeting your social network accounts with phishing emails that pretend to be copyright violations or promises of a shiny ‘blue checkmark’ next to your name.

In Case You Missed It

Cybersecurity News & Trends – 09-25-20

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This week, foreign hackers made headlines for targeting everything from COVID-19 research, to NASA, to the U.S. presidential election.

SonicWall in the News

Top 5 CyberSecurity Innovations and Why They’re Drawing In The Money — TechGenix

  • SonicWall’s product with Perimeter 81 was in included in article, as an innovation in the zero-trust sector.

ChannelPro Weekly Podcast: Episode #157 – The New M&A (Mongrels & Animals) — ChannelPro Weekly

  • In its weekly news podcast, ChannelPro Network discussed SonicWall’s 7th generation of security products.

Coronavirus Puts Security At The Heart Of The Agenda — MicroScope

  • Terry Greer-King, vice-president for EMEA at SonicWall, says the “mass shift” from working within the corporate perimeter to working from home has made everyone inherently less secure, ushering in an era of “boundless cyber security”

Making Work-From-Home Security Work — ChannelPro Network

  • In an article about how to successfully and securely work from home, SonicWall’s data on the increase in ransomware from the midyear update to the 2020 Cyber Threat Report is included to showcase the dangers of ransomware attacks.

Industry News

U.S. warns ‘foreign actors’ aim to sow doubts over mail-in voting — Reuters

  • U.S. federal law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies on Tuesday warned that “foreign actors” will likely try to discredit the November presidential election by taking advantage of the slow counting of mail-in ballots.

UK Govt Advisor Warns: Universities the Latest Frontier for Cybercriminals — IT Supply Chain

  • Students’ return to universities has coincided with a spate of attacks against academic institutions across the North of England, prompting the National Cyber Security Centre to issue a warning: Prepare for disruption as the term starts.

FBI Open China-Related Counterintelligence Case Every 10 Hours — SC Media

  • FBI Director Christopher Wray offered the House Homeland Security Committee some sobering news about China: the FBI opens a new China-related counterintelligence case roughly every 10 hours.

Ransomware gang targets Russian businesses in rare coordinated attacks — ZDNet

  • Group breaks an unofficial rule in the cybercrime underground not to target the former Soviet space.

Lessons from the ransomware death: Prioritize cyber emergency preparedness — SC Magazine

  • The death of a woman, at least in part due to a ransomware attack, has placed security teams on high alert.

“LokiBot,” the malware that steals your most sensitive data, is on the rise — Ars Technica

  • Officials are seeing a big uptick in infections coming from LokiBot, an open-source DIY malware package that’s openly sold or traded in underground forums. It steals passwords and cryptocurrency wallets, and can also download and install new malware.

The dark web won’t hide you anymore, police warn crooks — ZDNet

  • ‘Operation Disruptor’ involved agencies from nine countries and resulted in the seizure of over $6.5m in cash and cryptocurrencies, as criminals are warned law enforcement will track them down.

Healthcare lags behind in critical vulnerability management, banks hold their ground — ZDNet

  • New research sheds light on which industries are performing well when it comes to patching high-risk bugs.

Officials say NASA facing increased targeting by foreign and domestic hackers — The Hill

  • Top officials at NASA say the agency is facing increasing attempts by foreign hackers to target sensitive information as it works to improve its IT security during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FBI sounds alarm on rampant personal-data theft by China-backed hackers — The Washington Times

  • China is engaged in massive data mining in the U.S. and likely has stolen personal information on nearly half of the entire U.S. population, FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed.

Chinese and Russian hackers pose ‘very, very real threat’ to COVID-19 research: FBI Director Wray — The Washington Times

  • Foreign hackers searching for ways to steal coronavirus research remain a “very, very real cyber threat,” FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee.

U.K. warns of surge in ransomware threats against education sector — Bleeping Computer

  • The U.K. National Cyber Security Centre has issued an alert about a surge in ransomware targeting educational institutions, urging them to follow new recommendations for mitigating attacks.

In Case You Missed It