Latest

Cybercrime

Microsoft Describes How SolarWinds Hackers Avoided Detection

Doug Olenick  •  January 21, 2021

Microsoft researchers are offering fresh details on the SolarWinds hackers' extensive efforts to remain hidden, which gave them more time to fully penetrate systems, move laterally through networks and exfiltrate data in follow-on attacks.

Cryptocurrency Fraud

Cryptomining Campaign Linked to Iranian Software Firm

Prajeet Nair  •  January 21, 2021

An ongoing global cryptomining campaign has connections to an Iranian software firm, according to a report from Sophos. The MrbMiner malware has targeted thousands of vulnerable Microsoft SQL Servers.

►

Governance & Risk Management

Implementing 'Zero Trust' for the Cloud

Suparna Goswami  •  January 20, 2021

Essential steps to implementing a "zero trust" architecture when shifting to the cloud to support a distributed workforce include implementing multifactor authentication, conducting device posture checks on endpoints and analyzing network traffic, says Timothy Snow of Cisco.

3rd Party Risk Management

Free Auditing Tool Helps Detect SolarWinds Hackers' Malware

Akshaya Asokan  •  January 20, 2021

Security firm FireEye has released a free auditing and remediation tool on GitHub that it says can help organizations determine if the hacking group that targeted SolarWinds used similar techniques within their network to gain access to Microsoft Office 365 accounts.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Malwarebytes CEO: Firm Targeted by SolarWinds Hackers

Prajeet Nair  •  January 20, 2021

The CEO of security firm Malwarebytes says the hackers who attacked SolarWinds also targeted his company and gained access to a "limited subset of internal company emails."

►

COVID-19

COVID-19 First Anniversary: It's About Vaccines & Variants

Tom Field  •  January 20, 2021

As the U.S. marks its first anniversary of fighting COVID-19, pandemic expert Regina Phelps says the next several, critical weeks come down to two vital words: vaccines and variants. "Those are going to determine our destiny for the long and foreseeable future," she says.

Cybercrime

'FreakOut' Botnet Targets Unpatched Linux Systems

Prajeet Nair  •  January 20, 2021

Researchers at Check Point Research are tracking a new botnet dubbed "FreakOut" that's targeting vulnerabilities in Linux systems. The malware is creating a malicious network that has the potential to launch DDoS attacks.

3rd Party Risk Management

'Raindrop' Is Latest Malware Tied to SolarWinds Hack

Doug Olenick  •  January 19, 2021

Symantec Threat Intelligence says it's uncovered another malware variant used in the SolarWinds supply chain hack - a loader nicknamed "Raindrop" that apparently was used to deliver Cobalt Strike, a legitimate penetration testing tool, to a handful of targets.

Governance & Risk Management

Microsoft Taking Additional Steps to Address Zerologon Flaw

Prajeet Nair  •  January 19, 2021

Microsoft is alerting customers that starting Feb. 9, it will enforce domain controller settings within Active Directory to block connections that could exploit the unpatched Zerologon vulnerability in Windows Server. Microsoft has been warning about the urgency of patching the flaw for months.

Breach Notification

Privacy Fines: Total GDPR Sanctions Reach $331 Million

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 19, 2021

Privacy watchdogs in Europe have imposed fines totaling more than $330 million since the EU's General Data Protection Regulation went into full effect in May 2018, according to law firm DLA Piper. Over the past year, regulators received 121,000 data breach notifications, up 19% from the year before.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

FBI: Disinformation Campaigns Seek to Exploit Capitol Siege

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 18, 2021

The U.S. Capitol siege and the impeachment of President Trump are being exploited for disinformation purposes ahead of Inauguration Day by Russia, Iran and China, a U.S. joint threat assessment reportedly warns. But in terms of violence, domestic extremists are the principal threat.

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

COVID-19 Vaccine Themes Persist in Fraud Schemes

Prajeet Nair  •  January 18, 2021

Researchers at the security firm Proofpoint are tracking several fraud schemes leveraging COVID-19 vaccine-themed emails. The schemes include business email compromise scams, messages with malicious attachments and phishing emails designed to harvest credentials.