Insights

22 Dec

NIST and CISA Release Draft Interagency Report on Protecting Tokens and Assertions from Tampering Theft and Misuse for Public Comment

Attacks, Insights, Malware

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have released an initial draft of Interagency Report (IR) 8597 Protecting Tokens and Assertions from Forgery, Theft, and Misuse for public comment through January 30, 2026. This report is in response to Sustaining Select Efforts to Strengthen the Nation’s Cybersecurity and Amending Executive Order 13694 and Executive Order 14144, providing implementation guidance to help federal agencies and cloud service providers…

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19 Dec

Dismantling Defenses: Trump 2.0 Cyber Year in Review

Information, Insights

The Trump administration has pursued a staggering range of policy pivots this past year that threaten to weaken the nation’s ability and willingness to address a broad spectrum of technology challenges, from cybersecurity and privacy to countering disinformation, fraud and corruption. These shifts, along with the president’s efforts to restrict free speech and freedom of the press, have come at such a rapid clip that many readers probably aren’t even aware of them all. FREE…

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19 Dec

CISA and Partners Release Update to Malware Analysis Report BRICKSTORM Backdoor

Attacks, Insights, Malware

Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency, and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security released an update to the Malware Analysis Report BRICKSTORM Backdoor with indicators of compromise (IOCs) and detection signatures for additional BRICKSTORM samples. This update provides information on additional samples, including Rust-based samples. These samples demonstrate advanced persistence and defense evasion mechanisms, such as running as background services, and enhanced command and control capabilities through encrypted WebSocket connections. The…

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16 Dec

Most Parked Domains Now Serving Malicious Content

Information, Insights

Direct navigation — the act of visiting a website by manually typing a domain name in a web browser — has never been riskier: A new study finds the vast majority of “parked” domains — mostly expired or dormant domain names, or common misspellings of popular websites — are now configured to redirect visitors to sites that foist scams and malware. A lookalike domain to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center website, returned a non-threatening…

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11 Dec

CISA Releases 12 Industrial Control Systems Advisories

Attacks, Insights, Malware

CISA released 12 Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Advisories. These advisories provide timely information about current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits surrounding ICS.  ICSA-25-345-01 Johnson Controls iSTAR ICSA-25-345-02 Johnson Controls iSTAR Ultra ICSA-25-345-03 AzeoTech DAQFactory ICSA-25-345-04 Siemens IAM Client ICSA-25-345-05 Siemens Advanced Licensing (SALT) Toolkit ICSA-25-345-06 Siemens SINEMA Remote Connect Server ICSA-25-345-07 Siemens Building X – Security Manager Edge Controller ICSA-25-345-08 Siemens Energy Services ICSA-25-345-09 Siemens Gridscale X Prepay ICSA-25-345-10 OpenPLC_V3 ICSMA-25-345-01 Grassroots DICOM (GDCM) ICSMA-25-345-02…

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11 Dec

2025 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses

Attacks, Insights, Malware

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in collaboration with the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI), operated by the MITRE Corporation, has released the 2025 Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses. This annual list identifies the most critical weaknesses adversaries exploit to compromise systems, steal data, or disrupt services.  Prioritizing the weaknesses outlined in the Top 25 is integral to CISA’s Secure by Design and Secure by Demand…

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09 Dec

Microsoft Patch Tuesday, December 2025 Edition

Information, Insights

Microsoft today pushed updates to fix at least 56 security flaws in its Windows operating systems and supported software. This final Patch Tuesday of 2025 tackles one zero-day bug that is already being exploited, as well as two publicly disclosed vulnerabilities. Despite releasing a lower-than-normal number of security updates these past few months, Microsoft patched a whopping 1,129 vulnerabilities in 2025, an 11.9% increase from 2024. According to Satnam Narang at Tenable, this year marks…

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09 Dec

Opportunistic Pro-Russia Hacktivists Attack US and Global Critical Infrastructure

Attacks, Insights, Malware

CISA, in partnership with Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, and other international partners published a joint cybersecurity advisory, Pro-Russia Hacktivists Create Opportunistic Attacks Against US and Global Critical Infrastructure. This advisory, published as an addition to the joint fact sheet on Primary Mitigations to Reduce Cyber Threats to Operational Technology (OT) released in May 2025, details that pro-Russia hacktivist groups are…

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06 Dec

Drones to Diplomas: How Russia’s Largest Private University is Linked to a $25M Essay Mill

Information, Insights

A sprawling academic cheating network turbocharged by Google Ads that has generated nearly $25 million in revenue has curious ties to a Kremlin-connected oligarch whose Russian university builds drones for Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Nerdify homepage. The link between essay mills and Russian attack drones might seem improbable, but understanding it begins with a simple question: How does a human-intensive academic cheating service stay relevant in an era when students can simply ask AI…

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04 Dec

SMS Phishers Pivot to Points, Taxes, Fake Retailers

Information, Insights

China-based phishing groups blamed for non-stop scam SMS messages about a supposed wayward package or unpaid toll fee are promoting a new offering, just in time for the holiday shopping season: Phishing kits for mass-creating fake but convincing e-commerce websites that convert customer payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google. Experts say these same phishing groups also are now using SMS lures that promise unclaimed tax refunds and mobile rewards points. Over…

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