Data Breaches

Altruism under attack: why cybersecurity has become essential to humanitarian nonprofits

Humanitarian initiatives have always been of huge global importance, but perhaps never more so than over the past few years. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented shifts in weather patterns limiting resource availability and triggering mass migration, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and some of the largest rises in living costs for decades have all brought new urgency to the vital support humanitarian work (often led by nonprofits) provides those in need. However, nonprofits engaging…

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Election security, misinformation threats loom large ahead of the US midterms

As the United States nears the 2022 mid-term elections, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued two back-to-back public service announcements (PSAs) that address the state of play when it comes to election integrity. The first announcement, seemingly designed to enhance voters’ faith in the election process, said the two agencies “assess that any attempts by cyber actors to compromise election infrastructure are unlikely to result in…

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Top skill-building resources and advice for CISOs

The role of the CISO has evolved, and so have the responsibilities. Some believe a CISO must have technical knowledge and experience as a cybersecurity professional, others think leadership skills such as being able to communicate with boards are what matters most. Ultimately, the hiring organisations will define what it needs in terms of cybersecurity to find the right person. In finance and insurance, for example, there will be specific rules that must be followed…

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Security startups to watch for 2022

The problems cybersecurity startups attempt to solve are often a bit ahead of the mainstream. They can move faster than most established companies to fill gaps or emerging needs. Startups can often innovative faster because they are unfettered by an installed base. The downside, of course, is that startups often lack resources and maturity. It’s a risk for a company to commit to a startup’s product or platform, and it requires a different kind of customer/vendor…

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New Chinese attack framework Alchimist serves Windows, Linux, and macOS implants

Researchers have discovered a new attack framework of Chinese origin that they believe is being used in the wild. The framework is made up of a command-and-control (C2) backend dubbed Alchimist and an accompanying customizable remote access Trojan (RAT) for Windows and Linux machines. The framework can also be used to generate PowerShell-based attack shellcode or distribute malicious implants for other platforms such as macOS. “Our discovery of Alchimist is yet another indication that threat…

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IOTW: Hacker allegedly hits both Uber and Rockstar

It has been alleged that the hacker who gained unauthorized access to rideshare service Uber’s servers was also responsible for a similar hack into the systems of Rockstar Games, developer of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game series. The hack into Rockstar Games was discovered on September 19, 2022 after a user called teapotuberhacker posted on Grand Theft Auto game series fan site GTAForums: “Here are 90 footage/clips from GTA 6. It’s possible I could…

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What the Uber verdict means to CISOs: You’re (probably) not going to jail

There seem to be two reactions to the verdict in the Sullivan case. One reaction, often from CISOs already stressed by being outside the room where it happens, is to decide that being a CISO isn’t worth the risk – it already wasn’t worth the stress. If the title is really Chief Scapegoat Officer, it’s one thing to lose your job, but your freedom? That’s across the line. The second reaction seems to be nonchalant.…

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Ferrari denies breach following 7GB of data posted online

Italian car manufacturer Ferrari has denied being the victim of a cyber-attack after ransomware gang RansomEXX claimed it had stolen 7GB of the company’s data and posted it online. News of the alleged breach was posted by dark web intelligence feed DarkFeed on Twitterwhere it shared screenshots from RansomEXX in which they claimed to be sharing “some internal documents, data sheets [and] repair manuals”. 🌐 RansomEXX #ransomware team added Ferrari To the victim’s list 🚨…

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Former CSO of Uber found guilty of covering up data breach

A federal jury has found Joe Sullivan, former CSO of Uber, guilty of covering up a data breach the company suffered in 2016.  The breach saw 57 million user’s information including full names, email addresses, telephone numbers and driver’s license numbers exposed, and led to Uber paying US$148,000 to settle civil litigation. Sullivan was convicted on October 5 of obstruction of proceedings of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and misprision of felony in connection with…

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IOTW: Capital One hacker given probation following cyber attack

Paige Thompson, a former Amazon software engineer known by the online handle ‘erratic’ was sentenced to time served and five years’ probation for seven federal crimes. Thompson’s location and personal computer will also be monitored.  The sentencing was related to her hacks into a number of cloud accounts for both individuals and companies, including the bank Capital One. During the hacks, Thompson stole data and computer power. At the trial, she was found guilty of…

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