Author Archives: Tim Starks

Biden administration mulls software security grades after SolarWinds

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The White House is contemplating the use of cybersecurity ratings and standards for U.S. software, a move akin to how New York City grades restaurants on sanitation or Singapore labels internet of things devices, a senior administration official told reporters on Friday. “There will be ideas coming on both of those in an executive action in the next few weeks,” the official said, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity about simultaneous major security incidents that continue to roil the country: the SolarWinds supply chain attack, and the exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities. The concept of government labeling and grading in cybersecurity isn’t entirely new. Some experts have long coveted an Energy Star-style rating system resembling the program that the Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Department use to promote energy-efficient devices. Among them: the Cybersecurity Solarium Commission, which last year recommended that Congress establish a National Cybersecurity Certification and […]

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Molson Coors says cyberattack disrupted beer brewing

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Molson Coors confirmed in a regulatory filing on Thursday that it suffered a cyberattack that disrupted its beer production, and it may not be out of the woods yet. “Although the Company is actively managing this cybersecurity incident, it has caused and may continue to cause a delay or disruption to parts of the Company’s business, including its brewery operations, production, and shipments,” the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure. The SEC filing also said that Molson Coors had contacted “leading forensic information technology firms and legal counsel” and was “working around the clock” to restore full operations. The company reported net sales of nearly $12 billion in 2020, and is one of the largest beer brewers in the U.S. The company was remarkably vague. It didn’t say what kind of attack, where it happened, which systems were affected or when it began. Local media near a […]

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F5 releases patches for nearly two dozen vulnerabilities, some critical

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F5 Networks, a leading provider of enterprise networking equipment, disclosed four critical vulnerabilities and 17 others on Wednesday as the recent parade of major flaws needing patches marches ahead. Three of the vulnerabilities would allow hackers to remotely execute code on target networks. It’s the second time in in two years that F5 has disclosed such a flaw. In 2020, both Cyber Command and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued warnings about the earlier reported vulnerabilities. F5 joins Microsoft, SolarWinds and Accellion on the list of companies that have needed to release major patches in recent months. In the case of F5 so far, “We are not aware of any active exploits for these vulnerabilities,” spokesperson Rob Gruening said. The flaws affect both the F5 BIG-IP local traffic manager and BIG-IQ centralized management software. The company announced fixes for all of the vulnerabilities. Despite the […]

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Is Congress finally ready to pass meaningful ransomware legislation?

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During the entire last two-year session of Congress, lawmakers only signed one bill law that mentioned the word “ransomware.” With the epidemic of digital extortion showing no signs of abating, though, and as ransomware attacks claim ever more victims across all parts of the U.S., evidence is mounting that the next two years could bring a more concerted push for legitlation. “I think it will be a focus because essentially every congressional district has had some kind of ransomware incident, whether public or not,” said Michael Garcia, a senior policy adviser in the national security program at Third Way, a center-left think tank. “Just look at the number of hospitals getting hit, of schools being hit.” In one recent incident, a Mississippi public school system revealed it had paid $300,000 to ransomware attacks, while a U.S. medical company, Universal Health Services, said it lost $67 million as a result of […]

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Accellion hack ensnares Flagstar Bank, putting customer and employee data at risk

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The Accellion hack has claimed another victim, this time a financial firm that boasts it’s the second-largest savings bank in the United States. Michigan-based Flagstar Bank recently began notifying affected customers that on Jan. 22, Accellion, an IT provider, relayed that a vulnerability in its file sharing platform had affacted Flagstar. The software flaw has led to breaches at firms around the world, with hackers exploiting the Accellion vulnerability to victimize grocery chain Kroger, cybersecurity company Qualys, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the state of Washington, prominent law firm Jones Day (which counts former President Donald Trump among its clients) and perhaps others. “Unfortunately, we have learned that the unauthorized party was able to access some of Flagstar’s information on the Accellion platform and that we are one of numerous Accellion clients who were impacted,” Flagstar said in a notice on its website. The Clop ransomware gang, alternately known […]

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Suspected Iranian hackers snooping on Middle Eastern targets anew

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Hackers connected to Iran are on the loose again in the Middle East, instigating an apparent espionage campaign in five countries, Trend Micro said on Friday. The company concluded with moderate confidence that the MuddyWater hacking group, whose interests tend to align with the Iranian government’s, is behind the campaign. It’s an ongoing spearphishing effort aimed at government agencies, academia and the tourism industry in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to Trend Micro. The research confirms research from Anomali in February, and expands the range of named targets. MuddyWater has a history of going after Middle Eastern government agencies and academia along with a range of industries, and it has a reputation for persistent spy work. What’s different about this campaign, though, is that it doesn’t exhibit the usual competence MuddyWater has demonstrated, Trend Micro said. “While it possesses remote access capabilities, the attackers […]

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Researchers uncover three more malware strains linked to SolarWinds hackers

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It looks like the SolarWinds hackers had even more tricks up their sleeve. Microsoft and FireEye on Thursday revealed three more malware strains associated with the suspected Russian perpetrators who breached SolarWinds’ Orion software and used its update to infect federal agencies and major companies. FireEye named one strain Sunshuttle in a blog post. In a separate blog post, Microsoft dubbed two more strains GoldFinder and Sibot, and labeled the strain FireEye called Sunshuttle as GoldMax. Microsoft said the strains join the previously known SolarWinds hacker tools Sunburst and Teardrop. The traits the new malware strains exhibit are yet more evidence that the hackers behind that breach are, in fact, notably sophisticated — a term often affixed to virtually any hacking group by their victims. “They are tailor-made for specific networks and are assessed to be introduced after the actor has gained access through compromised credentials or the SolarWinds binary […]

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Scammers exploit COVID-19 vaccine confusion for fraud efforts

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A confusing, chaotic rush to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations is making cyberspace a more fertile place for pandemic-related scams. Researchers at Barracuda Networks said on Thursday that vaccine-related spearphishing emails rose 26% from October to the end of January. That roughly coincides with the time Pfizer and Moderna announced vaccine availability, and represents a 12% uptick from up from the one-month period of October to November. “We hope it’s the last phase of the lifecycle of this pandemic” for vaccine-related spearphishing attacks, said Fleming Shi, chief technology officer at Barracuda. ” These are just as potent as the ones earlier in the pandemic, probably even more so, because there’s an urgency for people. They’re racing for the openings.” Also Wednesday, Check Point Research said that vaccine-related domain registrations rose by 300% over the past eight months, with a large spike beginning in November and continuing through January. Of those Check Point […]

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Robocalls keep spamming Americans, in part because of their cyber tools

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After a surprising lull at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, phone scammers are back, and showing signs of overlapping more and more with text messages and cyber elements. Scammers are combining phone calls with tricks to circumvent two-factor authentication, using information they obtain online to make more targeted calls and, in some cases, mimicking the attack methods of hackers, government and industry officials say. Phone scams that merge with other methods are growing more frequent and difficult to contend with, said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. “I think it’s common and it’s dangerous, particularly the way that they’re able to cloak themselves or convince you that you need to respond to a particular call or email,” he said. Internet technology has helped fuel a record number of robocalls thanks to the advent of voice-over IP, a tool that made mass calling convenient and more affordable. Estimates vary, but most […]

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Biden signs executive order demanding supply chain security review

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President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday directing federal agencies to conduct a review of supply chain security risks in industries including information technology. While a significant goal of the order is to address shortages of a wide assortment of critical imported components such as electric batteries and pharmaceuticals, it does include a mandated review of the information and communications technology sector. A prominent justification for the review is a desire to rely less on semiconductors manufactured overseas. Biden, at a news conference to herald his signing of the executive order, said “we need to make sure these supply chains are secure and reliable.” It’s an issue, he said, “of both concern for economic security as well as our national security.” Espionage remains a significant concern, as well, after hackers leveraged access in a federal contractor to gather sensitive from throughout the U.S. government. The supply chain danger […]

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