Category Archives: cyberthreat

Trends that shaped ransomware – and why it’s not slowing down

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Ransomware isn’t showing signs of slowing down in the new year. It’s staked its claim as a major element of the cybercriminal ecosystem and potentially one of the costliest and damaging malware attacks, according to a new report. What we are seeing over the past 18 months, however, is a shift in tactics: Threat actors are targeting ever-larger organizations, and the business model that dictates how ransomware attacks occur is evolving. It’s up to IT professionals to proactively deal with these trends to meet the challenges just on the horizon and beyond. Enterprises can successfully defend themselves from threats when there is a balance between detection and prevention, says a new report produced by SophosLabs and the Sophos Managed Threat Response, Sophos Rapid Response and SophosAI teams. The report covers: The future of ransomware The impact of Ransomware-as-a-Service The expanding threat of extortion-style attacks How misuse of “threat emulation” tools […]

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USB-based malware is a growing concern for industrial firms, new Honeywell findings show

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The number of cyber threats designed to use USB sticks and other external media devices as launching pads doubled in 2021, according to new research from Honeywell, the industrial automation giant.  Of those threats, 79% could be used to disrupt operational technology systems, researchers found. The report was based on cybersecurity threat data collected from hundreds of industrial facilities over a 12-month period. The company did not immediately provide details on the specific type of threat data detected.  “USB-borne malware was a serious and expanding business risk in 2020, with clear indications that removable media has become part of the playbook used by organized and targeted attacks, including ransomware,” Eric Knapp, director of cybersecurity research at Honeywell Connected Enterprise said in a statement.  Since many industrial systems are cut off from the internet, external devices like USB drives can provide hackers with a foothold into sensitive networks. USB drives have […]

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Colonial’s Ransom Payment Indicates Severity of Threats

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Last week Joseph Blount, the CEO of Colonial Pipeline, told The Wall Street Journal that he authorized the ransom payment of $4.4. million to the hackers who broke into computer systems and caused major disruption to the East Coast’s gas supply. In th… Continue reading Colonial’s Ransom Payment Indicates Severity of Threats→

Assessing the New Normal for Cybersecurity

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As work from home continues, cyberthreats related to the new normal will remain even post-pandemic “Pandemic” was the word of the year, with runners up including quarantine, coronavirus and asymptomatic. They make sense, of course, but two… Continue reading Assessing the New Normal for Cybersecurity→

Inside the DoJ’s GRU Indictments for Cyber Meddling

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For the third time in the past two years, the United States has indicted intelligence officers associated with Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), the military intelligence entity of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Feder… Continue reading Inside the DoJ’s GRU Indictments for Cyber Meddling→

Netskope Unveils Free Real-Time Threat Intelligence Exchange

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Netskope today launched a Cloud Threat Exchange portal through which it will share threat intelligence with customers and partners for free. Company CTO Krishna Narayanaswamy said the Cloud Threat Exchange will automate the delivery and distribution i… Continue reading Netskope Unveils Free Real-Time Threat Intelligence Exchange→

Why Ransomware Isn’t Going Away Anytime Soon

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 2019 was an extremely successful year for ransomware, rife with attacks and many high-profile victims. Of all the cyberthreats, ransomware was proven to be the most devastating. In the UK, it was reported by the government’s Cyber Security Breach Sur… Continue reading Why Ransomware Isn’t Going Away Anytime Soon→

7 Key Features of a Breach and Attack System

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Truly effective organizational security begins with anticipation and ends with continuous testing. To defeat hackers, it’s imperative to assume their perspective to help anticipate their next move. When you understand an attacker’s perspec… Continue reading 7 Key Features of a Breach and Attack System→

Check Point Reveals Azure Cloud Security Flaw

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Check Point Software Technologies revealed today its researchers were able to exploit a flaw to take over servers in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. The flaw in the Azure App Service used to deploy applications could have allowed hackers to bypass the way … Continue reading Check Point Reveals Azure Cloud Security Flaw→

IT Security: Detection Doesn’t Equal Protection

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For too long, the sole emphasis of security vendors in the cybersecurity industry has been on detection. Once the attack has been reported to the end user, it seems the job is done. The next steps—the complex task of investigating and actually solving… Continue reading IT Security: Detection Doesn’t Equal Protection→