Latest

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Fresh Privacy Legislation Would Jail CEOs for Violations

Suparna Goswami  •  October 18, 2019

New legislation introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., would "bring meaningful punishments for companies that violate people's data privacy, including larger fines and potential jail time for CEOs," he says. But can Congress agree on a privacy law?

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Russia-Linked Cyber Espionage Group APT29 Remains Active

Apurva Venkat  •  October 18, 2019

While the Russian-linked hacking group known as The Dukes, Cozy Bear and APT29 in recent years appeared to have gone somewhat quiet, researchers from ESET report that the hackers have been targeting various European embassies and ministries as part of what the security firm dubs "Operation Ghost."

Cybercrime

Darknet Markets: As Police Crack Down, Cybercriminals Adapt

Nick Holland  •  October 18, 2019

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report discusses the shutdown of DeepDotWeb. Plus, dealing with breach fatigue and the Pitney Bowes ransomware attack.

Cybercrime

Phorpiex Botnet Behind Large-Scale 'Sextortion' Campaign

Apurva Venkat  •  October 17, 2019

Scammers are using the notorious Phorpiex botnet as part of an ongoing "sextortion" scheme, according to Check Point researchers. At one point, the botnet was sending out over 30,000 spam emails an hour and the attackers made about $110,000 in five months, researchers say.

Application Security

How 'Zero Trust' Better Secures Applications and Access

Jeremy Kirk  •  October 17, 2019

Organizations are accepting that the network perimeter no longer serves as the "ultimate defense" and thus adapting zero-trust principles, including least privilege, based on the understanding that they may already have been compromised, says Darran Rolls of SailPoint.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Ransomware Attacks: STOP, Dharma, Phobos Dominate

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  October 16, 2019

Ransomware is once again the most common illicit profit-making tool in online attackers' arsenal, police warn. Security firm Emsisoft says the most-seen strains in recent months include STOP, Dharma .cezar, Phobos, GlobeImposter 2.0 and Sodinokibi. Less widely seen Ryuk also continues to generate big profits.

Cybercrime

'Silent Librarian' Revamps Phishing Campaign: Proofpoint

Apurva Venkat  •  October 16, 2019

"Silent Librarian," a hacking group with apparent ties to the Iranian government, is continuing to revamp and refine its phishing techniques as it targets research universities in the U.S. and Europe in an attempt to steal intellectual property, according to the security firm Proofpoint.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

Phony Company Used to Plant macOS Malware: Report

Apurva Venkat  •  October 16, 2019

Security researchers have found that a hacking group, which may have North Korean ties, recently created a phony company offering a cryptocurrency exchange platform as a step toward planting malware on the macOS devices of employees of cryptocurrency exchanges.

CISO Trainings

The Ultimate Missing Link in Cyber: Continuous Compromise Assessment

Information Security Media Group  •  October 16, 2019

According to Ricardo Villadiego, Lumu Technologies' Founder and CEO, organizations are "sitting on a gold mine: their own data". Under the single premise that organizations should assume they are compromised and prove otherwise, Lumu seeks to empower enterprises to answer the most basic question: Is your organization...

Endpoint Security

IoT in Vehicles: The Trouble With Too Much Code

Jeremy Kirk  •  October 16, 2019

The threat and risk surface of internet of things devices deployed in automobiles is exponentially increasing, which poses risks for the coming wave of autonomous vehicles, says Campbell Murray of BlackBerry. Large code bases, which likely have many hidden software bugs, are part of the problem, he says.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Pitney Bowes Says Ransomware Behind System Outages

Jeremy Kirk  •  October 15, 2019

Pitney Bowes says it was infected by file-encrypting malware that has affected online accounts and mailing products but that client data doesn't appear to be at risk. The postage meter maker says "all options" are being considered for recovery, meaning that it could pay a ransom.

Cybercrime

Stung by Takedowns, Criminals Tap Distributed Dark Markets

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  October 15, 2019

Law enforcement success inevitably sparks criminals to become more innovative, including shifting from centralized markets - such as Hansa and Wall Street Market - to encrypted and distributed marketplaces, says the University of Surrey's Alan Woodward.