Data Breaches

What are DDoS attacks?

Distributed denial of service attacks, or DDoS attacks, see malicious actors attempt to disrupt a site by overwhelming its infrastructure with a large amount of internet traffic. As DDoS attacks overwhelm a site’s bandwidth, this prevents users from accessing it.  Here, Cyber Security Hub explores why malicious actors launch DDoS attacks, who they usually target and some key examples of these disruptive attacks.  Contents  Why do malicious actors launch DDoS attacks? How big was the…

Read More

AT&T informs 9M customers about data breach

AT&T is informing customers about a data breach at a vendor’s system that allowed threat actors to gain access to AT&T’s Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI). The incident came to light after customers posted the email communication from AT&T on community forums to know if it was legitimate or email fraud. “We recently determined that an unauthorized person breached a vendor’s system and gained access to your ‘Customer Proprietary Network Information’ (CPNI),” AT&T said in…

Read More

CISA funding to top $3 billion under Biden’s FY 2024 budget

President Biden released his FY 2024 budget proposal that seeks a bigger budget for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and greater cyber investigative capabilities for the FBI. The budget also calls for increasing the federal government’s IT modernization efforts, exploring cybersecurity efforts surrounding gender-based cybercrimes, expanding efforts to counter China’s problematic behaviors, and helping Ukraine better defend itself on the digital front. “The Budget continues to invest in cybersecurity programs recognizing that cybersecurity…

Read More

Attacks on SonicWall appliances linked to Chinese campaign: Mandiant

A persistent malware targeting unpatched SonicWall Secure Mobile Access (SMA) appliances has been linked to a Chinese campaign dating back to 2021, according to a Mandiant research done in partnership with SonicWall’s in-house research team. The responsible malware, dubbed UNC4540, has been found to be stealing user credentials, providing shell access, and persisting through firmware upgrades. “This is not a new vulnerability, so a patch was not published,” a Mandiant spokesperson said. “The findings are…

Read More

Stolen credentials increasingly empower the cybercrime underground

The cybercrime underground has long functioned as an open market where sellers of products and services are paired with buyers and contractors. One of the most valuable commodities on this market are stolen credentials since they can provide attackers with access into networks, databases, and other assets owned by organizations. It’s no surprise to see cybercriminals focused on this valuable commodity. “Last year, 4,518 data breaches were reported,” researchers from Flashpoint said in a new…

Read More

New Chinese regulatory body expected to streamline data governance rules

A new data regulation body that China is reportedly set to create is expected to clarify and establish new data sovereigny rules for multinational companies and accelerate tech-based initatives such as public administration services built on anonymized citizen data. The new governent body will streamline data governance policies in the country, amid increasing confusion from businesses that deal with multiple bodies presiding over different aspects of data governance within the country’s borders, according to a…

Read More

Congressional health insurance service hit by data breach

A health insurance marketplace that provides coverage for members of the US Congress and congressional staffers was found to be compromised on Wednesday, according to a letter apparently sent from House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine L. Szpindor to members of that chamber. Szpindor’s office would not directly confirm or deny the authenticity of the letter, which was first published on Twitter by a reporter for the right-wing Daily Caller news site. However, a spokesperson for…

Read More

GitHub begins 2FA rollout for code contributors

GitHub has begun its official rollout of two-factor authentication (2FA) for developers who contribute code to the platform to enhance the security of accounts and the software supply chain. GitHub first announced its intention to mandate 2FA for all code contributors in May 2022, and will begin the first group’s enrolment on Monday, March 13. GitHub is allowing users to choose their preferred 2FA method – SMS, TOTP, security keys, or GitHub mobile. The rollout…

Read More

Lazarus group infiltrated South Korean finance firm twice last year

Lazarus group was spotted exploiting flaws in unnamed software to gain access to a South Korean finance firm twice last year.  The North Korea-linked group had infiltrated the affected company in May 2022 and again in October through the same software’s zero-day vulnerability, according to a research by AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center (ASEC).  ASEC reported the software in question to the Korean Internet and Security Agency since the vulnerability has not been fully verified…

Read More

SANS, Google launch academy to promote cloud security, diversity in workforce

SANS Institute has launched the SANS Cloud Diversity Academy (SCDA) in partnership with Google, to help provide training and certifications to women, ethnic minorities, Indigenous people and other groups that are currently underrepresented in the cybersecurity sector. A 2022 report by Cybersecurity Ventures found that women make up only 25% of the cybersecurity workforce globally, while an Aspen Digital Tech Policy report from the same year found that only 9% of cybersecurity experts are Black,…

Read More