Week in review: Pentagon data breach, cybersecurity workforce gap, who gets spear phished?
Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news and articles:
Who gets spear phished, and why?
Spear phishing is one of the most successful methods of cyberattack. One countermeasure involves increasing employee awareness about spear phishing through training. This is a good idea, but often these programs focus only on senior executives. In reality, there are other common spear phishing targets within the organization.
Solving the cloud infrastructure misconfiguration problem
There are simply too many cloud resources, too many interfaces to cloud APIs, and too much infrastructure change for any team of humans to manage without risking a breach due to misconfiguration.
The future of OT security in modern industrial operations
In this podcast, Andrew Ginter, VP of Industrial Security at Waterfall Security Solutions, and Edward Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber, talk about how new approaches are needed to gain defensive advantage over already-capable cyber adversaries, to keep up with new OT/ICS technologies, and to serve business risk management needs in increasingly-demanding, competitive environments.
The global cybersecurity workforce gap is widening
New (ISC)2 research shows a widening of the global cybersecurity workforce gap to nearly three million across North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Operation Oceansalt research reveals cyber-attacks targeting South Korea, USA and Canada
The new campaign uses a data reconnaissance implant last used in 2010 by the hacker group APT1, or Comment Crew, a Chinese military-affiliated group accused of launching cyber-attacks on more than 141 U.S. companies from 2006 to 2010.
Targeted attacks on crypto exchanges resulted in a loss of $882 million
Group-IB has estimated that cryptocurrency exchanges suffered a total loss of $882 million due to targeted attacks in 2017 and in the first three quarters of 2018.
Knowing how to define, screen and monitor your third parties is essential to minimizing risk
A new NAVEX Global survey found that more than a third of organizations still use paper-based records or disparate office productivity software to administer their third-party risk assessment and management programs.
You are who you say you are: Establishing digital trust with the blockchain
Over the last few years, blockchain use has gained popularity driven partly by the interest in cryptocurrency, but mostly with the growing understanding of what distributed ledger technology can enable through decentralization of trust.
IT and security professionals unprepared for Windows 7 end of life
While some organisations have already migrated to Windows 10 and are using the move as a catalyst to improve their security posture, many are lagging behind and don’t understand the potential risks of the migration.
Endpoint security solutions challenged by zero-day and fileless attacks
There is an endpoint protection gap against modern threats, the result of a recent survey by the Ponemon Institute and Barkly have shown.
Researchers expose security vulnerabilities in terahertz data links
A new study shows that terahertz data links, which may play a role in ultra-high-speed wireless data networks of the future, aren’t as immune to eavesdropping as many researchers have assumed.
Anthem will pay $16 million to settle HIPAA violation due to 2015 breach
Anthem has agreed to pay $16 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and take substantial corrective action to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules.
eBook: 9 Tips to Supercharge Your IT Security Career
(ISC)² research shows 70% of employers plan to hire cybersecurity staff. But many organizations don’t really know what they need to secure the enterprise. To get ahead, you need to plan your strategy now.
This Career eBook explains employer challenges and how you can rise above expectations with the right certification.
Protecting applications from malicious scripts
In 2018, malicious client-side scripts are still posing a problem for large organizations.
Cryptomining attacks against Apple devices increase sharply
Check Point has published its latest Global Threat Index for September 2018, revealing a near-400% increase in cryptomining malware attacks against Apple iPhones.
Scaling the IoT product security lifecycle with automation
The IoT security value chain continues to use custom methodologies and ad-hoc approaches when it comes to choosing the security objectives and controls that should be included or tested in a product. This leads to the implementation of narrow and arbitrary security measures in IoT products.
Vulnerable controllers could allow attackers to manipulate marine diesel engines
Researchers have found several authentication and encryption vulnerabilities in the firmware of marine diesel engine controllers by Norwegian company Auto-Maskin, as well as the accompanying Android app.
2018 US voter records offered for sale on hacking forum
Somebody is selling US voter registration databases on an English-language speaking dark web hacker forum and the offer comes with the promise they will be updated every week.
9 in 10 organizations have a cybersecurity culture gap
Cybersecurity culture is a workplace culture in which security awareness and behaviors are integrated into everyone’s daily operations, as well as an executive leadership priority.
Hackers steal Pentagon personnel’s PI and credit card data
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that personal information and credit card data of some 30,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel has been compromised in a breach affecting a DoD’s third party contractor.
Fake Flash updaters deliver cryptominers AND update Flash
Cryptominers have dethroned ransomware as the top malware threat and cybercriminals are coming up with new ways to keep the mining activity secret from the victims.
Stringent password rules lower risk of personal data breaches
Researchers at Indiana University have discovered a simple way to foil criminals intent on breaking into university data.
GreyEnergy group targeting critical infrastructure with espionage
ESET has uncovered details of a successor to the BlackEnergy APT group. Named GreyEnergy by ESET, this threat actor focuses on espionage and reconnaissance, quite possibly in preparation for future cyber-sabotage attacks.
New infosec products of the week: October 19, 2018
A rundown of infosec products released last week.