CyberSecure Specialist

06 Dec

The global state of the cyber security industry 2022

Attacks, Data Breaches

Introduction to cyber security in 2022 Cyber security is central to operational success Cyber security practitioners entered 2022 under the shadow of the Log4Shell vulnerability. The vulnerability sent shockwaves throughout the cyber security world and has continued to be used by threat actors. Just months into 2022, statements from government organizations such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the US and the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) called on organizations, especially…

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06 Dec

Tractors vs. threat actors: How to hack a farm

Information

Forget pests for a minute. Modern farms also face another – and more insidious – breed of threat. While I was in the UK police force and part of the National Cyber Crime Unit in 2018, I was asked to give a talk on cybersecurity at a National Farmers’ Union (NFU) meeting in southern England. Right after I started my talk, one farmer immediately raised his hand and told me that his cows had recently…

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06 Dec

Ping of death! FreeBSD fixes crashtastic bug in network tool

Information

by Paul Ducklin One of the first low-level network tools that any computer user learns about is the venerable ping utility. Named after the eponymous sound effect from any and every old-school war movie scene involving submarines, the command is a metaphorical echo (see what we did there?) of the underwater version of RADAR known as SONAR. You send out a p-i-n-g (more like a d-o-i-n-n-n-n-g noise, in reality) into the briny depths, and by…

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06 Dec

The cybersecurity challenges and opportunities of digital twins

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

Digital twins are a digital representation of objects, structures or systems that give organizations greater insight into the life cycle of these objects, but this same level of insight and control can also open doors for malicious attackers. Digital twins can be created for any physical infrastructure that includes individual components of an engine, turbine and other equipment, or entire factories, and data centers. “What makes a digital twin different from just your normal model…

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06 Dec

The changing role of the MITRE ATT@CK framework

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

Since its creation in 2013, the MITRE ATT&CK framework has been of interest to security operations professionals. In the early years, the security operations center (SOC) team used MITRE as a reference architecture, comparing alerts and threat intelligence nuggets with the taxonomy’s breakdown of adversary tactics and techniques. Based on ESG research, MITRE ATT&CK usage has reached an inflection point. Security teams not only recognize its value as a security operations foundation but also want…

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06 Dec

What you should know when considering cyber insurance in 2023

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

As the frequency and severity of ransomware, phishing, and denial of service attacks has increased, so has demand for cyber insurance. About $6.5 billion in direct written premiums were recorded in 2021, a 61% increase over the prior year, according to an October 2022 memorandum from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. “Some companies see it as essential to their risk management strategy,” says Heather Engel, managing partner at advisory firm Strategic Cyber Partners. However, experts say…

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05 Dec

Palo Alto Networks looks to shore up healthcare IoT security

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

Palo Alto Networks today rolled out a new Medical IoT Security offering, designed to provide improved visibility, automated monitoring, and more for hitherto vulnerable healthcare IoT frameworks, thanks to machine learning and adherence to zero-trust principles. Medical device security is a serious problem for most organizations in healthcare, with a long string of reported vulnerabilities in the area stretching back for years. Fundamentally, experts agree, a large part of the problem is that many connected…

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05 Dec

Judge Orders U.S. Lawyer in Russian Botnet Case to Pay Google

Information, Insights

In December 2021, Google filed a civil lawsuit against two Russian men thought to be responsible for operating Glupteba, one of the Internet’s largest and oldest botnets. The defendants, who initially pursued a strategy of counter suing Google for interfering in their sprawling cybercrime business, later brazenly offered to dismantle the botnet in exchange for payment from Google. The judge in the case was not amused, found for the plaintiff, and ordered the defendants and…

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05 Dec

New CryWiper Data Wiper Targets Russian Courts

Attacks, Malware

According to researchers, ransom payment does not guarantee file recovery. CryWiper is the second retaliatory malware strain that targeted Russian companies after RURansom, a.NET-based wiper discovered in March. Numerous wipers have been launched in the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including WhisperGate, AcidRain, HermeticWiper, IsaacWiper, DoubleZero, Industroyer2, and CaddyWiper. “Wipers can be effective regardless of the technical skills of the attacker, as even the simplest wiper can wreak havoc on affected systems,” stated Max…

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05 Dec

SiriusXM Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Unlock and Start Cars Remotely

Attacks, Malware

Curry also discussed another flaw that affects Hyundai and Genesis vehicles manufactured after 2012. The vulnerability could be used to remotely control locks, engines, headlights, and trunks by using the registered email addresses. “By adding a CRLF character at the end of an already existing victim email address during registration, we could create an account that bypassed the JWT and email parameter comparison check,” stated Curry. However, since then, SiriusXM and Hyundai have released patches…

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