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NJ Man Hired Online to Firebomb, Shoot at Homes Gets 13 Years in Prison

A 22-year-old New Jersey man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for participating in a firebombing and a shooting at homes in Pennsylvania last year. Patrick McGovern-Allen was the subject of a Sept. 4, 2022 story here about the emergence of “violence-as-a-service” offerings, where random people from the Internet hire themselves out to perform a variety of local, physical attacks, including firebombing a home, “bricking” windows, slashing tires, or performing a…

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Spearphishing targets in Latin America – Week in security with Tony Anscombe

Video ESET’s analysis of cybercrime campaigns in Latin America reveals a notable shift from opportunistic crimeware to more complex threats, including those targeting enterprises and governments 20 Oct 2023 This week, ESET researchers announced the release of a report that looked at more than a dozen publicly documented malicious campaigns targeting Latin America between 2019 and 2023. Over the past few years, there has been a notable rise in both the number and complexity of…

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Strengthening the weakest link: top 3 security awareness topics for your employees

Business Security Knowledge is a powerful weapon that can empower your employees to become the first line of defense against threats Phil Muncaster 19 Oct 2023  •  , 5 min. read It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM) time again this October. This is an awareness-raising initiative that spans both consumer and corporate worlds, although there’s plenty of crossover: every employee is also a consumer, after all. In fact, as we increasingly work from home or our…

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Okta Support System Hacked, Sensitive Customer Data Stolen

Identity and access management tech firm Okta on Friday warned that hackers broke into its support case management system and stole sensitive data that can be used to impersonate valid users. A security notice from Okta security chief David Bradbury said the company found “adversarial activity” that leveraged access to a stolen credential to access the support case management system. “The threat actor was able to view files uploaded by certain Okta customers as part…

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Hackers Stole Access Tokens from Okta’s Support Unit

Okta, a company that provides identity tools like multi-factor authentication and single sign-on to thousands of businesses, has suffered a security breach involving a compromise of its customer support unit, KrebsOnSecurity has learned. Okta says the incident affected a “very small number” of customers, however it appears the hackers responsible had access to Okta’s support platform for at least two weeks before the company fully contained the intrusion. In an advisory sent to an undisclosed…

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In Other News: Energy Services Firm Hacked, Tech CEO Gets Prison Time, X Glitch Leads to CIA Channel Hijack

SecurityWeek is publishing a weekly cybersecurity roundup that provides a concise compilation of noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar. We provide a valuable summary of stories that may not warrant an entire article, but are nonetheless important for a comprehensive understanding of the cybersecurity landscape. Each week, we will curate and present a collection of noteworthy developments, ranging from the latest vulnerability discoveries and emerging attack techniques to significant policy changes and…

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Philippine Military Ordered to Stop Using Artificial Intelligence Apps Due to Security Risks

The Philippine defense chief has ordered all defense personnel and the 163,000-member military to refrain from using digital applications that harness artificial intelligence to generate personal portraits, saying they could pose security risks. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. issued the order in an Oct. 14 memorandum, as Philippine forces have been working to weaken decades-old communist and Muslim insurgencies and defend territorial interests in the disputed South China Sea. The Department of National Defense on…

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Better safe than sorry: 10 tips to build an effective business backup strategy

Business Security How robust backup practices can help drive resilience and improve cyber-hygiene in your company Phil Muncaster 18 Oct 2023  •  , 5 min. read Could your company survive if its most critical data stores were suddenly encrypted or wiped out by cybercriminals? This is the worst-case scenario many organizations have been plunged into as a result of ransomware. But there are also many other scenarios that could create serious business risk for companies.…

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Harmonic Lands $7M Funding to Secure Generative AI Deployments

A British startup called Harmonic Security has attracted $7 million in seed-stage investment to build technology to help secure generative AI deployments in the enterprise. Harmonic, based in London and San Francisco, said it is working on software to mitigate against the ‘wild west’ of unregulated AI apps harvesting company data at scale. The company said the early-stage financing was led by Ten Eleven Ventures, an investment firm actively investing in cybersecurity startups. Storm Ventures…

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Operation King TUT: The universe of threats in LATAM

ESET Research ESET researchers reveal a growing sophistication in threats affecting the LATAM region by employing evasion techniques and high-value targeting 17 Oct 2023  •  , 3 min. read Much like the life and mysterious demise of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut, the threat landscape in Latin America (LATAM) remains shrouded in mystery. This is primarily due to the limited global attention on the evolving malicious campaigns within the region. While notable events…

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