CyberSecure Specialist

15 Nov

Top Zeus Botnet Suspect “Tank” Arrested in Geneva

Information, Insights

Vyacheslav “Tank” Penchukov, the accused 40-year-old Ukrainian leader of a prolific cybercriminal group that stole tens of millions of dollars from small to mid-sized businesses in the United States and Europe, has been arrested in Switzerland, according to multiple sources. Wanted Ukrainian cybercrime suspect Vyacheslav “Tank” Penchukov (right) was arrested in Geneva, Switzerland. Tank was the day-to-day manager of a cybercriminal group that stole tens of millions of dollars from small to mid-sized businesses. Penchukov…

Read More
15 Nov

Zendesk Vulnerability Could Have Given Hackers Access to Customer Data

Information, News

An SQL injection vulnerability in Zendesk Explore could have allowed a threat actor to leak Zendesk customer account information, data security firm Varonis reports. Zendesk Explore is the analytics and reporting service of Zendesk, a popular customer support software-as-a-service solution. According to Varonis, two vulnerabilities in Zendesk Explore could have allowed an attacker to access conversations, comments, email addresses, tickets, and other information stored in Zendesk accounts with Explore enabled. The two issues, however, were…

Read More
15 Nov

Global 2000 companies failing to adopt key domain security measures

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

Forbes Global 2000 companies are failing to adopt key domain security measures, exposing them to significant security risks, according to CSC’s Domain Security Report 2022. The enterprise-class domain registrar and Domain Name System (DNS) threats mitigator found that 75% of Global 2000s have implemented fewer than half of all domain security measures with Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC), the only domain security measure with significantly increased adoption since 2020. The data follows Akamai…

Read More
15 Nov

Meta’s new kill chain model tackles online threats

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

In April 2014, Lockheed Martin revolutionized the cyber defense business by publishing a seminal white paper Intelligence-Driven Computer Network Defense Informed by Analysis of Adversary Campaigns and Intrusion Kill Chains. This document sparked a new wave of thinking about digital adversaries, specifically, nation-state advanced persistent threat groups (APTs). The authors of the paper argued that by leveraging the knowledge of how these adversaries operate, cyber defenders “can create an intelligence feedback loop, enabling defenders to…

Read More
15 Nov

Build a mature approach for better cybersecurity vendor evaluation

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

Seasoned CISO Mike Manrod knows the value of a good cybersecurity vendor evaluation. He recalls that in a past job he inherited some very expensive vaporware under a long-term services agreement. His predecessor had purchased an “innovative” beta identity and access management platform but hadn’t done any analysis on the product, simply accepting the vendor’s claims of its efficacy. It was a dud. Inversely, as CISO at his current company Grand Canyon Education, Manrod set…

Read More
14 Nov

Ukraine Says Russian Hacktivists Use New Somnia Ransomware

Attacks, Malware

To protect against ransomware attacks, organizations should:• Regularly back up data, air gap, and password protect backup copies offline.• Ensure copies of critical data are not accessible for modification or deletion from the system where the data resides.• Implement network segmentation.• Implement a recovery plan to maintain and retain multiple copies of sensitive or proprietary data and servers in a physically separate, segmented, secure location (i.e., hard drive, storage device, the cloud).• Install updates/patch operating…

Read More
14 Nov

“Gucci Master” business email scammer Hushpuppi gets 11 years

Information

by Naked Security writer He was sentenced under his real-life name of Ramon, but in back in his boastful days of pretending to be a seriously successful real estate agent based in Dubai, you may have seen and heard of him as Ray, or, to give him his full nickname, Ray Hushpuppi. To be clear, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas wasn’t pretending to have lots of money, but he was pretending to have acquired his money by…

Read More
14 Nov

Canadian Supermarket Chain Sobeys Hit by Ransomware Attack

Information, News

Canadian supermarket and pharmacy chain Sobeys is recovering from a cyberattack that might have involved the Black Basta ransomware. Sobeys is the second largest supermarket chain in Canada and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, which operates more than 1,500 stores across the country, under brands such as Foodland, IGA, Lawtons, Needs, Safeway, and more. On November 7, Empire disclosed that it fell victim to a cyberattack that impacted some in-store systems at its…

Read More
14 Nov

“We know who are” says AFP to Medibank hackers

Attacks, Data Breaches

The hackers responsible for a cyber attack against Australian health insurer Medibank have been identified by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) as being associated with Russia. The breach, which was initially identified on October 13, saw 200GB of data stolen, 9.7 million people affected and the private medical details for a significant number of people distributed on the dark web. Commissioner of the AFP, Reese Kershaw, directly addressed the hackers, saying “we know who you…

Read More
14 Nov

New York-barred attorneys required to complete cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection training

Data Breaches, Malware, Social Engineering

New York-barred attorneys will be required to complete one continuing legal education (CLE) credit hour of cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection training as part of their biennial learning requirement beginning July 1, 2023. New York is the first jurisdiction to stipulate this specific requirement as the state aims to emphasize the technical competence duty of lawyers to meet professional, ethical and contractual obligations to safeguard client information. Lawyers have ethical obligations and professional responsibilities around…

Read More