Posts

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, spyware is found in the Android store, maritime cybersecurity protections are considered, and your gas pump could be the next target for a hacker.


SonicWall Spotlight

The CyberWire Daily Podcast – The CyberWire

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner speaks with The CyberWire for their story on the dangers of side-channel malware attacks. He details how previous big side-channel attacks like Spectre and Meltdown worked and explains that it’s only a matter of time before someone else manages to find a way of exploiting similar chipset vulnerabilities in the wild.

Rich, Smart and Sensibly Grown-Up? You’re the Hackers’ Dream – The Telegraph (UK)

  • The Telegraph builds a profile of the standard person who gets hacked and takes a look at the “hacker’s menu” – an itemized list detailing the cost of hacking personal information. To make their case they refer to the SonicWall 2019 Cyber Threat Report Mid-Year Update for information on ransomware.

RB Music Uses Spyware to Steal Sensitive Information From the Infected Device – VARINDIA

  • Following up on the SonicWall Alert detailing spyware in the RB Music player on the Android Store, VARINDIA talks to SonicWall’s Debasish Mukherjee. Mukherjee explains that it is common for malware code to be reused by different developers over time and even when an app appears to be legitimate it may contain dangerous code waiting to be activated.

Cybersecurity News

FBI Cyber Warning: Attacks on Key Employees up 100%, as 281 Are Arrested – Forbes

  • The FBI has warned that Business Email Compromise attacks have doubled between June 2018 and July 2019, even as a worldwide crackdown on the practice led to 281 arrests worldwide. Learn how you can protect yourself from Business Email Compromise with SonicWall’s Email Security Appliances.

Cyber-Security Incident at US Power Grid Entity Linked to Unpatched Firewalls – ZDNet

  • A recently released report has detailed how the “cyber-incident” reported on the US Power Grid in June of this year turned out to be a cyberattack that was able to take place because of unpatched firewalls.

Exploit for Wormable BlueKeep Windows Bug Released Into the WildArs Technica

  • A rough but workable exploit for the Bluekeep vulnerability has been coded and released into the wild. While it is highly unlikely that the exploit will be successful in infecting any users in its current form it serves as a proof-of-concept and could be the first step towards bigger problems in the future.

Swedish GDPR Fine Highlights Legal Challenges in Use of Biometrics – Security Week

  • A school in Sweden has been fined for using biometrics on its students, even though the school had obtained consent from both the students and their parents. A court ruling decided that due to the imbalance of power between students and the school, freely-given consent could not be possible. The case highlights the possibility of future problems in wider biometric implementation if, for example, it is argued that employees cannot consent to employers using biometrics in the workplace for similar reasons.

The State of Maritime Cybersecurity – WorkBoat

  • Maritime magazine WorkBoat interviews the creators of a recent survey on the current state of maritime cybersecurity. They discuss why the survey was created, why many companies are not prepared in the current threat landscape and what needs to be done to prevent another problem like the 2017 ransomware attack on global shipper Maersk.

Think Your iPhone Is Safe From Hackers? That’s What They Want You to Think… – The Guardian

  • The Guardian investigates the world of zero-day exploits that are sold on dark web marketplaces and warn that despite Apple’s iOS having a reputation of being close to unhackable, there are, in fact, vulnerabilities in it that have been exploited for years.
And Finally:

IoT Security: Now Dark Web Hackers Are Targeting Internet-Connected Gas Pumps – ZDNet

  • As hackers turn their sights on Internet of Things devices, and the number of these devices worldwide grow, hackers online have been turning their sights on web-connected Gas Pumps. It’s early days yet but researchers hypothesize that the reasons for this could range from obtaining cheap fuel to something much more explosive…

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, there’s a new cybersecurity power couple as SonicWall and ADT announce a strategic partnership to protect SMBs, U.S. cities face a ransomware pandemic and the ‘invisible web’ is growing rapidly.


SonicWall Spotlight

ADT Selects SonicWall as Exclusive Provider of Managed Cybersecurity Service Offerings for SMBs – SonicWall

  • SonicWall and ADT announce a strategic partnership that provides an exclusive cybersecurity offering to better protect small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB) from the growing volume of cyberattacks.

ADT Teams Up with SonicWall for SMB Security Services – Dark Reading

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner explains why SonicWall was the logical choice for a new cybersecurity offering from ADT, a company best known or delivering physical security monitoring. The connection between the two companies dates back to ADT’s acquisition of Secure Designs, Inc (SDI), formerly an MSSP selling SonicWall SMB security products.

Cyber Security News

Hackers Won’t Let Up in Their Attack on U.S. Cities – The Wall Street Journal

  • As Baltimore is still recovering a month after a devastating ransomware attack crippled the city’s infrastructure, the FBI is warning that this is not an isolated incident, calling the growing levels of ransomware attacks a “pandemic in the United States”.

Cyber-Thieves Turn to ‘Invisible Net’ to Set Up Attacks – BBC News

  • Gated chat forums, invitation-only communities and encrypted apps are the new communication channels of choice for cybercriminals to evade law enforcement agencies.

Hackers Steal $9.5 Million from GateHub Cryptocurrency Wallets – ZD Net

  • GateHub has released a preliminary statement confirming a security breach that has resulted in nearly $9.5 million stolen from the users of their cryptocurrency wallet service.

Hacking Diabetes: People Break into Insulin Pumps as an Alternative to Delayed Innovations – USA Today

  • Diabetes patients are jailbreaking their own insulin pumps, using instructions found online, in order to give their pumps the ability to self-adjust and remove the need for constant blood sugar monitoring.

LabCorp Data Breach Exposes Information of 7.7 Million Consumers – USA Today

  • A day after Quest Diagnostics announced 12 million patients were affected by a data breach, another medical testing company says its patients’ data was also compromised.

Hackers Can Now Bypass Two-Factor Authentication With a New Kind of Phishing Scam – Fortune

  • Two-factor authentication, the added security step that requires people enter a code sent to their phone or email, has traditionally worked to keep usernames and passwords safe from phishing attacks.

Baltimore Ransomware Attack: NSA Faces Questions – BBC

  • After a ransomware attack currently estimated to cost at least $18M Baltimore officials are questioning why the hacking vulnerability known as EternalBlue was not disclosed when discovered by the NSA years ago. The NSA are declining to comment on the issue.

New Zealand Budget Leak: ‘Hackers’ Had Simply Searched Treasury Website – The Guardian

  • After the embargoed New Zealand budget was leaked to the opposition National Party days before it was due to be released, officials were quick to call it a hack. However, it has now been found that the documents were searchable on the New Zealand treasury website.

HawkEye Malware Campaign Upticks on Business Users – SC Magazine

  • Hawkeye, a keylogger than has been around for six years, has seen a major increase in a campaign targeting business users worldwide.

Startups: Embrace Cybersecurity Priorities From Day One – Forbes

  • Forbes argues that cybersecurity in startups should not be considered an add-on or a luxury product and provide four cybersecurity priorities that a startup needs to think about from day one.

Emotet Made up 61% of Malicious Payloads in Q1 – Dark Reading

  • A new study has found that 61% of all malware payloads in the first quarter of 2019 contained the Emotet botnet.

Security Expert: Here’s How Driverless Cars Could Be Hacked – Yahoo! Finance

  • As cars modernize and driverless cars are becoming a reality it is fair to say that they are becoming more and more like a series of interconnected computers. Yahoo! Finance looks at where the security weakpoint in these computers might be found, how it could be targeted by hackers, and how the car industry is struggling to keep up with security requirements.

Nation-State Security: Private Sector Necessity – SecurityWeek

  • Attackers with the funding and technical support of nation-states are now targeting commercial entities and the obvious split between commercial and political cyberattacks is disappearing. SecurityWeek examine the current threat landscape, including the increasing number of organizations embracing “Zero Trust” security models where all environments are considered untrusted until proven otherwise. They then offer some advice on how to ensure your organization is ready for cyberattacks.

Microsoft Issues Second Warning About Patching BlueKeep as PoC Code Goes Public – ZDNet

  • Microsoft again warned users to ensure their patches are up to date to protect against the Bluekeep vulnerability – described as similar to the EternalBlue exploit – after a proof-of-concept attack appeared online. SonicWall provides protection against this threat.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, Baltimore battles ransomware, IoT attacks are increasing, and the potential vulnerabilities in a driverless car are investigated.


SonicWall Spotlight

5 Steps to Robust Network Security – Business World (India)

  • IT security teams around the world are dealing with an ever-increasing level of complexity in the threat landscape. SonicWall’s Debasish Mukherjee argues that the best way to overcome these challenges is with a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, he then recommends five steps to take in order to get there.

How to Mitigate the IoT Attacks That Are Increasing at 217.5% – IoT Agenda

  • Internet of Things (IoT) devices are expected to increase in number to 75.44 billion worldwide by 2025. Using the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report IoT Agenda explains why preventative measures need to be developed sooner rather than later.

Cyber Security News

Baltimore Ransomware Attack: NSA Faces Questions – BBC

  • After a ransomware attack currently estimated to cost at least $18M Baltimore officials are questioning why the hacking vulnerability known as EternalBlue was not disclosed when discovered by the NSA years ago. The NSA are declining to comment on the issue.

New Zealand Budget Leak: ‘Hackers’ Had Simply Searched Treasury Website – The Guardian

  • After the embargoed New Zealand budget was leaked to the opposition National Party days before it was due to be released, officials were quick to call it a hack. However, it has now been found that the documents were searchable on the New Zealand treasury website.

HawkEye Malware Campaign Upticks on Business Users – SC Magazine

  • Hawkeye, a keylogger than has been around for six years, has seen a major increase in a campaign targeting business users worldwide.

Startups: Embrace Cybersecurity Priorities From Day One – Forbes

  • Forbes argues that cybersecurity in startups should not be considered an add-on or a luxury product and provide four cybersecurity priorities that a startup needs to think about from day one.

Emotet Made up 61% of Malicious Payloads in Q1 – Dark Reading

  • A new study has found that 61% of all malware payloads in the first quarter of 2019 contained the Emotet botnet.

Security Expert: Here’s How Driverless Cars Could Be Hacked – Yahoo! Finance

  • As cars modernize and driverless cars are becoming a reality it is fair to say that they are becoming more and more like a series of interconnected computers. Yahoo! Finance looks at where the security weakpoint in these computers might be found, how it could be targeted by hackers, and how the car industry is struggling to keep up with security requirements.

Nation-State Security: Private Sector Necessity – SecurityWeek

  • Attackers with the funding and technical support of nation-states are now targeting commercial entities and the obvious split between commercial and political cyberattacks is disappearing. SecurityWeek examine the current threat landscape, including the increasing number of organizations embracing “Zero Trust” security models where all environments are considered untrusted until proven otherwise. They then offer some advice on how to ensure your organization is ready for cyberattacks.

Microsoft Issues Second Warning About Patching BlueKeep as PoC Code Goes Public – ZDNet

  • Microsoft again warned users to ensure their patches are up to date to protect against the Bluekeep vulnerability – described as similar to the EternalBlue exploit – after a proof-of-concept attack appeared online. SonicWall provides protection against this threat.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

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

This week, SonicWall protects against the newest Intel chip vulnerability, millions more records are found unprotected online and Google Chrome has a serious security flaw.


SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall Extends SMB Cybersecurity Ambitions – Security Boulevard

  • SonicWall’s Dmitriy Ayrapetov provides insight into SonicWall’s newest product releases, where SonicWall is heading and the benefits of unifying cybersecurity systems.

SonicWall Aims at Evasive Cyber Threats Targeting Wireless Networks, Cloud Apps, Endpoints – CRN (India)

  • CRN India review the new SonicWall releases in detail and Jeff Wilson, Senior Research Director at IHS Markit, highlights the need for cloud protection as provided by SonicWall Cloud App Security 2.0.

Cyber Security News

‘Spoiler’ Flaw in Intel CPUs is Similar to Spectre – Yet Dangerously Different – Tech Radar

  • A new Intel chip vulnerability dubbed ‘Spoiler’ is similar to the Spectre flaw that allows an attacker to exploit the way PC memory works. Attackers using the flaw can, amongst other things, view data from running programs which should otherwise not be accessible. SonicWall RTDMI identifies and blocks this threat.

Google Confirms Serious Chrome Security Problem – Here’s How to Fix It – Forbes

  • Google issues an urgent update warning for all Chrome users after a zero-day vulnerability was discovered being exploited in the wild.

An Email Marketing Company Left 809 Million Records Exposed Online – Wired (UK)

  • Researchers found over 150 gigabytes of detailed private data, including hundreds of millions of unique email addresses and personal social media accounts, easily accessible online after an “email verification” company left the records exposed.

Project Zero Discloses High-Severity Apple macOS Flaw – Threat Post

  • Google Project Zero researchers detail a new high-severity macOS flaw after Apple failed to patch it by the 90-day disclosure deadline.

A CEO Cheat Sheet for the Cybersecurity Big One – Forbes

  • Warren Buffet calls it “The Big One” – it’s the worst-case cybersecurity scenario for a company. Forbes provide a CEO cheat sheet with tips on how to prepare for it.

Cyberattack Planning Is Still Depressingly Poor, Even in Big Businesses – ZDNet (UK)

  • A report by the British government has found that while most companies have some kind of cybersecurity strategy in place, many have not tested it, or fail to fully understand the threats faced.

After the Breach: Six Key Actions to Take – IT Pro Portal

  • Contain, Identify, Determine, Announce, Offer, and Make Sure it doesn’t happen again – IT Pro Portal detail six steps a company must follow if they suffer a data breach.

Ransomware Warning: The Gang Behind This Virulent Malware Just Changed Tactics Again – ZDNet (UK)

  • The gang behind the GandCrab ransomware, who sell it through a Ransomware “as-a-service” model, are under constant cybersecurity scrutiny and continue to change tactics. Instead of targeting small networks they are now advertising to those who want to go after larger targets for a bigger payday.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, ATM hacking is so easy cybercriminals turn it into a game, the flaws in blockchain are investigated, and the British Labour Party lockdown their data.


SonicWall Spotlight

January 2019 Cyber Threat Data: New Year, New Malware Attack Variants – SonicWall Blog

  • SonicWall’s threat blog for January 2019 finds that while overall malware attacks are dropping, the variants of malware are growing with twice as many new threats diagnosed compared to the same time last year.

Cyber Security News

Once Hailed as Unhackable, Blockchains Are Now Getting Hacked – MIT Technology Review

  • MIT Technology review traces how all blockchain technology payments like Bitcoin are vulnerable to “51% Attacks” due to the inherent structure of blockchain. Renting enough mining power to attack bitcoin would cost more than $260,000 per hour but, with lesser-known blockchain currencies, this figure drops dramatically.

Russian Hackers Targeted European Research Groups, Microsoft Says – New York Times

  • Microsoft reports that the hacker group Fancy Bear, often associated with Russian intelligence, are targeting European think tanks and NGOs in the lead up to the 2019 European Parliament election. Russian officials deny any links to the group.

Data-Spewing Spectre Chip Flaws Can’t Be Killed by Software Alone, Google Boffins Conclude – The Register (UK)

  • Although Intel announced hardware fixes for some of the Spectre vulnerabilities in 2018, Google researchers have concluded that the proposed solution of simply fixing the remaining issues with software is not a viable option.

ATM Hacking Has Gotten so Easy, the Malware’s a Game – Wired

  • ATM hacking is usually seen as easily preventable if basic cybersecurity protocols are followed. However, many ATMs worldwide simply never receive updates. As a result, theft from ATMs has become so easy that some hackers have turned their hacking malware into a game.

Ransomware Attacks Classified as a Felony Under Proposed Maryland Bill – Health IT Security

  • Proposed legislation in Maryland wants to lower the financial threshold for a ransomware attack to be considered as a felony from $10,000 to $1,000 USD.

POS Firm Says Hackers Planted Malware on Customer Networks – ZDNet

  • A Point of Sale (POS) company based in Minnesota announced that a security breach in January 2019 led to almost 140 of its customers being affected by malware. Full details are not available, but it is likely that any card details used on the POS systems while the malware was active were compromised.

When Cyberattacks Pack a Physical Punch – Threat Post

  • “Physical” cyberattacks, where hardware is compromised or physical infrastructure like a burglar alarm is attacked, now count for more than one in ten data breaches. Threat Post investigates the shrinking gap between cyber and physical security.

Data Breach Rumours Abound as UK Labour Party Locks Down Access to Member Databases – The Register (UK)

  • The UK Labour Party announced this week that its databases would be unavailable after confirmed access by “individuals who are not, or are no longer, authorised to do so.” It is likely this refers to the recently launched Independent Group of breakaway MPs who made headlines leaving the party this past week.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, SonicWall highlights how the UK is taking malware seriously, there is an investigation into new vehicles that are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and an update on the average price paid for ransomware.


SonicWall Spotlight

Bill Conner: How the UK Is Taking Malware Seriously – Information Age

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner was interviewed by Information Age editor Nick Ismail on the changing cybersecurity landscape, how malware can be region specific, the possibilities of cross-border collaboration, and more.

DCC Inks Distribution Deal With SonicWall

  • IT products distributor Drive Control Corporation (DCC) has been appointed as an official distributor for SonicWall in South Africa.

SMBs Need Layered Security to Defend Their Businesses – Forbes

  • Bill Conner, CEO of SonicWall, talks as part of the Forbes Technology Council on why small and medium businesses (SMBs) need layered cybersecurity. He argues that if you’re running an SMB online cybercriminals see you as an easy target and, without adequate investment in cyberdefenses, they might just be correct.

Cyber Security News

Is Your Car Hackable? Cybersecurity Experts Say It Might Be – USA Today

  • A modern car is full of small computers, but in a new survey of 15,900 IT security practitioners and engineers in the automotive industry, many acknowledged a huge number of flaws in the cybersecurity makeup of the vehicles. 62 percent of those surveyed say a malicious attack against automotive technologies is likely or very likely to occur in the next 12 months.

Trojan Malware: The Hidden Cyber Threat to Your PC – ZDNet

  • While Ransomware and cryptocurrency mining have been making the headlines recently, ZDNet investigates the quiet growth of Trojan malware – made possible by the huge number of recent breaches leading to targeted phishing emails.

Ransomware Victims Who Pay Cough up $6,733 (on Average) – BankInfoSecurity

  • A new report has found that in the fourth quarter of 2018 ransomware victims who paid the ransom spent, on average, $6.73; an increase of 13 percent from the previous quarter. Unsurprisingly Bitcoin is the preferred method of payment.

Two Hacker Groups Responsible for 60 Percent of All Publicly Reported Hacks – ZDNet

  • Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis investigated publicly reported cryptocurrency exchange hacks and concluded that 60 percent could be traced back to two hacking groups.

True Crime: SamSam Ransomware I Am – SC Magazine

  • SamSam may not be the worst malware out there but its impact on enterprise cybersecurity became difficult to ignore in 2018. SC Magazine traces the history of the malware throughout the year.

Report: Nation-State Malware Attack Could Cripple US – BankInfoSecurity

  • A new report has concluded that without improved private and public data co-operation, the US is at risk of being crippled by well-made malware. The report recommends closer technical data sharing and action taken to improve communication between public and private entities.

A Hacker’s Take on Blockchain Security – Forbes

  • With Blockchain seen by some as the solution to cybersecurity problems, Forbes asks a black hat hacker to investigate with them just how true that is. They come across some less obvious stumbling blocks in blockchain security.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, Collections #2-5 drop over 2 billion stolen logins, Bangladesh is suing a Philippines bank over cybertheft and SonicWall CEO Bill Conner discusses keeping up with the cybersecurity market.


SonicWall Spotlight

Could Cash-Rich Facebook Be Considering Acquisition Targets? – Real Money

  • SonicWall CEO Bill Conner is quoted by Real Money talking about Facebook’s need for cybersecurity acquisitions in a piece that speculates where the company might go next.

Are We Really Aware of What Mobile Malware Is? – VarIndia

  • SonicWall’s Debasish Mukherjee is interviewed as part of a panel discussing the mobile malware. He talks about the data SonicWall Capture Labs found on the Android platform throughout 2018.

SonicWall Aims to Build Brand in Critical Two Years – IT Europa

  • Bill Conner, CEO of SonicWall, lends his thoughts to IT Europa talking about the future of the fast-moving cybersecurity market and why not every security company is able to keep up.

Cyber Security News

Hackers are Passing Around a Megaleak of 2.2 Billion Records – Wired

  • After the leak of Collection # 1 earlier in the year Collections #2-5 continue the data dump of hacked records, largely information that has been leaked previously.

Airbus Reports Breach Into Its Systems After Cyber Attack – Reuters

  • Airbus detected a cyberattack which resulted in a data breach of mostly employee data. It says the incident did not affect commercial operations.

What Was the Cybersecurity Impact of the Shutdown? – FCW

  • With the Government shutdown over, the cybersecurity impact is still being worked out. FCW discuss the possible knock-on effects and how long they might last.

IT Spending Expected to Rise in 2019 Amid Shift to Cloud Services – Wall Street Journal

  • Forecasts for IT enterprise spending say there will be an 8.5% growth this year, and overall IT spending is expected to rise 3.2%.

Too Few Cybersecurity Professionals Is a Gigantic Problem for 2019

  • There is a global gap of nearly 3 million cybersecurity positions. In the USA alone 314,000 jobs were posted in a one-year period between 2017 and 2018. Cybersecurity training itself is a new area and almost no cybersecurity professional over 30 today has a formal cybersecurity degree.

Bangladesh to Sue Philippine Bank Over $81M Cyber Heist – Security Week

  • A digital heist in 2016 led to the successful theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank’s account with the US Federal Reserve. Bangladesh is now attempting to retrieve the funds by suing the Philippines bank that facilitated the transfer. The Federal Reserve denies that it was hacked.

Massive DDoS Attack Generates 500 Million Packets per Second – Dark Reading

  • A DDos attack on Github in 2018 made headlines as the biggest ever DDos attack, but it was only a quarter of the size of the attack stopped earlier this month.

Cryptocurrency Thefts, Scams Hit $1.7 Billion in 2018: Report – Reuters

  • Cryptocurrency theft rose 400 percent in 2018, with up to $1.7 billion stolen by the end of the year. $950 million of this was theft from cryptocurrency exchanges and digital wallets.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, fears are growing that new 5G industrial robots are vulnerable to cyberattack, the numbers affected by a breach jump from 500 to over 500,000 and the government shutdown continues to worry cybersecurity experts.


SonicWall Spotlight

SonicWall on Winning the Cyber Arms Race on Winning the Cyber Arms Race – Tahawul Tech

  • SonicWall’s Michael Berg is interviewed talking SonicWall’s expansion in Dubai, the cyber arms race and where SonicWall is going in 2019.

Cyber Security News

Why Cybersecurity Must Be a Top Priority for Small & Midsize Businesses – Dark Reading

  • Big corporations seize the cyberattack headlines, but Dark Reading argues that cybersecurity must be a top priority for small and medium businesses, outlining the major security risks and methods of protection.

For Industrial Robots, Hacking Risks Are on the Rise  – Wall Street Journal

  • 5G and the Internet of Things promise to make factories a lot smarter, but also a lot more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

New Ransomware Poses as Games and Software to Trick You Into Downloading It – ZDNet

  • A Dangerous new ransomware dubbed Anatova that was found at the start of the new year is being watched closely by researchers. Its modular architecture makes it easily adaptable and potentially very dangerous in the hands of a skilled cybercriminal.

The Shutdown Is Exposing Our Economy to Crippling Cybersecurity Breaches – Salon

  • Salon details the infrastructural cybersecurity problems, many previously outlined by SonicWall, that have been growing with the ongoing government shutdown.

Proposed Law Classifies Ransomware Infection as a Data Breach – SecurityWeek

  • The Act to Strengthen Identity Theft Protections in North Carolina proposes widening the definition of a breach to include ransomware and even unauthorized access. The legislation requires tightened data protection and a quicker notifications period when there is a breach.

Online Casino Group Leaks Information on 108 Million Bets, Including User Details – ZDNet

  • The server details of an online casino were left exposed online, leaking information on 108 million bets, including complete customer data like real names and addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birth dates, and more.

Victim Count in Alaska Health Department Breach Soars – BankInfoSecurity

  • It was originally thought to only affect 501 people but the numbers in the Alaska Health Department breach of June 2018 have soared to up to 700,000. The number has soared after months of analysis and confirmation, the DHSS says they always knew the number would rise dramatically after analysis.

Recession Is the Number One Fear for CEOs in 2019, Survey Says – CNBC

  • While recession is the number one fear worldwide, a survey of over 800 CEO’s found that cybersecurity was the number one fear for CEO’s in the U.S.

Cybercriminals Home in on Ultra-High Net Worth Individuals – Dark Reading

  • With a growing cybersecurity awareness in businesses new research is suggesting that some hackers are shifting their sights to the estates and businesses of wealthy families with personalized cyberattacks.

In Case You Missed It

Cyber Security News & Trends

This week, one city is back to using pen and paper after a ransomware attack, cybercriminals utilize popular video game Fortnite in a money laundering scam and construction industry cranes are alarmingly vulnerable to being hacked.


SonicWall Spotlight

SSL, TLS Certificates Expiring on US Government Sites During Federal Shutdown – SonicWall Blog

  • SonicWall’s Brook Chelmo explains why US Government websites are starting to suffer during the ongoing Government Shutdown, explaining that security certificates are not being updated and what kind of messages you might be seeing as a result.

Cyber Security News

Hack Brief: An Astonishing 773 Million Records Exposed in Monster Breach – Wired

  • Wired details the mega-breach where at least 773 million emails and 21 million unique passwords have been released in a folder called “Collection #1.” Some are calling this the largest collection of breached data ever found, although it should be noted that Collection #1 is a compilation of both old and new leaked details.

Fortnite Is Being Used by Criminals to Launder Cash Through V-Bucks – ZDNet

  • Criminals have been using the in-game currency in Fortnite for laundering money from stolen cards. It is not known exactly how much profit the cybercriminals have made, but Fortnite coins sold on eBay alone have grossed over $250,000 in two months.

Defense Department Continuously Challenged on Cybersecurity – Security Week

  • A report has revealed that while the U.S. Department of Defense has been making strides to improve their cybersecurity stance, they are still struggling. In September of last year there were 266 open cybersecurity‑related recommendations, some dating as far back as 2008.

NotPetya Victim Mondelez Sues Zurich Insurance for $100 Million

  • Zurich insurance rejected a $100 million claim by Mondelez saying that since the NotPetya ransomware attack has been seen by some, including the UK government, as a Russian military attack it is not covered by standard insurance against malware. Mondelez are taking legal action in response.

Oklahoma Gov Data Leak Exposes FBI Investigation Records, Millions of Department Files – ZDNet

  • A storage server belonging to the Oklahoma Department of Securities was found with terabytes of confidential data exposed and accessible to the public.

Yes, You Can Remotely Hack Factory, Building Site Cranes. Wait, What? – The Register

  • Cybersecurity protection on cranes, drilling rigs, and other heavy machinery has been found to be severely lacking with a report into the area finding that none of the radio remote controllers investigated had “implemented any protection mechanism to prevent unattended reprogramming.”

WEF: Cyber-Attacks a Major Global Risk for Next Decade – Infosecurity Magazine

  • The World Economic Forum released a reporting stating that cyberattacks remain as one of the risks facing the world today with 82 percent of those queried stating they expect data and monetary theft attacks to increase.

Ransomware Attack Sends City of Del Rio Back to the Days of Pen and Paper – ZDNet

  • Officials at Del Rio, Texas, had to abandon their computers and switch to pen and paper after a ransomware attack last week. It has not been revealed who is behind the ransomware but the FBI have been informed and are investigating.

Emotet Malware Returns to Work After Holiday Break – BankInfoSecurity

  • Whether coincidence or a sign that the criminals were actually on holidays, a number of malware strains including Emotet have returned in 2019 after falling out of use towards the end of the year. BankInfoSecurity trace the history and usage of Emotet, including information on where in the world it has and has not been striking.

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