Insights

Journey into the Immersive Frontier: Preliminary NIST Research on Cybersecurity and Privacy Standards for Immersive Technologies

Words like “metaverse” and “augmented reality” may conjure up thoughts of friends in headsets wielding virtual sabers or folks roaming the streets at night in search of PokéStops. Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies (“immersive technologies”) have entered the popular conscience thanks in part to the success of games, but their applications go well beyond new experiences in entertainment. They are already being utilized to increase access to education, improve manufacturing, bolster accessibility, and train…

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Here’s Some Bitcoin: Oh, and You’ve Been Served!

A California man who lost $100,000 in a 2021 SIM-swapping attack is suing the unknown holder of a cryptocurrency wallet that harbors his stolen funds. The case is thought to be the first in which a federal court has recognized the use of information included in a bitcoin transaction — such as a link to a civil claim filed in federal court — as reasonably likely to provide notice of the lawsuit to the defendant.…

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Ivanti Releases Security Update for Connect Secure and Policy Secure Gateways

Ivanti has released a security update to address an authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2023-46805) and a command injection vulnerability (CVE-2024-21887) in all supported versions (9.x and 22.x) of Connect Secure and Policy Secure gateways. A cyber threat actor could exploit these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.   Ivanti reports active exploitation of both CVE-2023-46805 and CVE-2024-21887.   CISA urges users and administrators to immediately apply the current workaround in Ivanti’s security update and…

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Meet Ika & Sal: The Bulletproof Hosting Duo from Hell

In 2020, the United States brought charges against four men accused of building a bulletproof hosting empire that once dominated the Russian cybercrime industry and supported multiple organized cybercrime groups. All four pleaded guilty to conspiracy and racketeering charges. But there is a fascinating and untold backstory behind the two Russian men involved, who co-ran the world’s top spam forum and worked closely with Russia’s most dangerous cybercriminals. From January 2005 to April 2013, there…

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Happy 14th Birthday, KrebsOnSecurity!

KrebsOnSecurity celebrates its 14th year of existence today! I promised myself this post wouldn’t devolve into yet another Cybersecurity Year in Review. Nor do I wish to hold forth about whatever cyber horrors may await us in 2024. But I do want to thank you all for your continued readership, encouragement and support, without which I could not do what I do. As of this birthday, I’ve officially been an independent investigative journalist for longer…

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CISA Releases Microsoft 365 Secure Configuration Baselines and SCuBAGear Tool

CISA has published the finalized Microsoft 365 Secure Configuration Baselines, designed to bolster the security and resilience of organizations’ Microsoft 365 (M365) cloud services. This guidance release is accompanied by the updated SCuBAGear tool that assesses organizations’ M365 cloud services per CISA’s recommended baselines. Today’s release incorporates stakeholder input from last year’s public comment period and pilot effort with federal agencies. Changes to the draft Microsoft 365 Secure Configuration Baselines were integrated with the SCuBAGear…

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BlackCat Ransomware Raises Ante After FBI Disruption

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) disclosed today that it infiltrated the world’s second most prolific ransomware gang, a Russia-based criminal group known as ALPHV and BlackCat. The FBI said it seized the gang’s darknet website, and released a decryption tool that hundreds of victim companies can use to recover systems. Meanwhile, BlackCat responded by briefly “unseizing” its darknet site with a message promising 90 percent commissions for affiliates who continue to work with…

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CISA and FBI Release Advisory on ALPHV Blackcat Affiliates

Today, CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), #StopRansomware: ALPHV Blackcat, to disseminate known ALPHV Blackcat affiliates’ tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) identified through FBI investigations as recently as Dec. 6, 2023. The advisory also provides updates to the FBI FLASH BlackCat/ALPHV Ransomware Indicators of Compromise released April 19, 2022. ALPHV Blackcat affiliates have extensive networks and experience with ransomware and data extortion operations.…

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FBI, CISA, and ASD’s ACSC Release Advisory on Play Ransomware

Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), #StopRansomware: Play Ransomware, to disseminate Play ransomware group’s tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) identified through FBI investigations as recently as October 2023. Play ransomware actors employ a double-extortion model, encrypting systems after exfiltrating data and have impacted a wide range…

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CISA Releases Advisory on Cyber Resilience for the HPH Sector

Today, CISA released a Cybersecurity Advisory, Enhancing Cyber Resilience: Insights from the CISA Healthcare and Public Health Sector Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, that details findings from our risk and vulnerability assessments of a Health and Public Health (HPH) Sector organization. CISA encourages all critical infrastructure organizations as well as software manufacturers to review the advisory and apply recommendations. The recommendations detail how organizations can harden networks to improve cyber resilience and reduce the likelihood of domain…

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