Note posted to LockBit's darknet data-leak site in August claiming responsibility for the Accenture attack and threatening to leak stolen data

Accenture: Ransomware Attack Breached Proprietary Data

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 18, 2021

Accenture says an online attack against it that it first disclosed in August resulted in "the extraction of proprietary information by a third party, some of which was made available to the public by the third party." The LockBit 2.0 ransomware operation has taken credit for the attack and dumping data.

Cybercrime

BlackByte: Free Decryptor Released for Ransomware Strain

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Governance & Risk Management

Applying Zero Trust Architecture in Energy, Military Sectors

CyberEdBoard Profiles in Leadership: Amit Ghodekar, cybersecurity leader

Latest

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Groove Operators Reportedly Ask Peers to Attack US

Prajeet Nair • October 26, 2021

The operators behind Groove ransomware are calling on other extortion gangs to join forces to attack the U.S. public sector, according to chatter seen on underground forums, reports malware research organization vx-underground, citing a blog posted by the gang on a Russian site.

Cryptocurrency Fraud

CoinMarketCap: No Breach Despite 3.1M Email Address Leak

Jeremy Kirk • October 25, 2021

CoinMarketCap says it has found no evidence of a data beach despite the circulation of a list of 3.1 million email addresses that correlates with accounts on its service. Regardless of the source, the list would be useful for attackers to launch phishing attacks against those interested in cryptocurrency.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Memo to Ransomware Victims: Seeking Help May Save You Money

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 25, 2021

While ransomware might be today's top cybercrime boogeyman, attackers aren't infallible. The latest example: Errors in DarkSide - and its BlackMatter rebrand - enabled security experts to quietly decrypt many victims' files for free, saving millions in potential ransom payments.

Card Not Present Fraud

Spotting Credit Card Fraud in the Airline Industry

Suparna Goswami • October 22, 2021

With many countries opening up for tourists, the airline industry is seeing a rise in fraudulent credit card transactions, says Johan Waldeck, senior forensic investigator at Comair Limited, a leading South African airline company.

Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)

Forrester Report: Key Questions to Ask XDR Vendors

Anna Delaney • October 22, 2021

The current state of the XDR market is a "chaotic jumble of different features," according to Forrester analyst Allie Mellon, who has authored a new study to identify the top XDR providers in the industry: The Forrester New Wave: Extended Detection And Response (XDR) Providers, Q4 2021.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

ISMG Editors’ Panel: Regulators Get Tough on Crypto Firms?

Anna Delaney • October 22, 2021

In the latest weekly update, four ISMG editors discuss: a federal judge imposing the maximum sentences on a hacker who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, regulators getting tougher on cryptocurrency lending platforms and the return to in-person roundtables.

Cybercrime

REvil Revelations: Law Enforcement Behind Disruptions

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 22, 2021

The outages of the notorious REvil - aka Sodinokibi - ransomware operation have been due to a coordinated law enforcement effort involving the U.S. and foreign partners, aimed at disrupting the group's attack capabilities, Reuters reports.

Leadership & Executive Communication

Profiles in Leadership: Wouter Veugelen of Oil Search Ltd

Jeremy Kirk • October 22, 2021

It's often noted that some view cybersecurity as putting the brakes on business. But it's actually the opposite, says Wouter Veugelen, CISO of Oil Search Ltd.

3rd Party Risk Management

Ransomware Warning: Are Businesses Stepping Up?

Anna Delaney • October 22, 2021

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features an analysis of whether businesses are stepping up their ransomware defenses in response to several warnings released by the U.S. and U.K. governments highlighting the threat posed to infrastructure. Also featured are the Thingiverse data breach and airline fraud...

3rd Party Risk Management

Ransomware: Average Ransom Payment Stays Steady at $140,000

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 21, 2021

When a business, government agency or other organization hit by ransomware opted to pay a ransom to its attacker in Q3, the average payment was $140,000, reports ransomware incident response firm Coveware. It says the attack landscape has seen some notable shifts since the Colonial Pipeline attack.

Endpoint Security

Why Reporting Security Bugs Can Be Fraught With Tension

Jeremy Kirk • October 20, 2021

Reporting security vulnerabilities to organizations with no disclosure policies can be fraught with tension. In the worst conflicts, security researchers could face lawsuits or even prosecution. Some experts say laws should provide a safe harbor for responsible security research.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

BlackMatter Ransomware Defense: Just-In-Time Admin Access

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 19, 2021

How many ways do U.S. businesses need to be told to lock down their systems to safeguard themselves from ransomware? That's the focus of a new, joint cybersecurity advisory from the U.S. government pertaining to BlackMatter, following an advisory issued last month about Conti.