Insights

26 Feb

Travel Update! The NIST CSF 2.0 is HERE…Along with Many Helpful Resources…

Insights

Credit: Natasha Hanacek, NIST The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) development process all started with Executive Order (EO)13636 over a decade ago, which called for building a set of approaches (a framework) for reducing risks to critical infrastructure. Through this EO, NIST was tasked with developing a “Cybersecurity Framework.” We knew that, to do this the right way, NIST would need to work alongside industry, academia, and other government agencies. This is exactly what we did—and have…

Read More
25 Feb

FBI’s LockBit Takedown Postponed a Ticking Time Bomb in Fulton County, Ga.

Information, Insights

The FBI’s takedown of the LockBit ransomware group last week came as LockBit was preparing to release sensitive data stolen from government computer systems in Fulton County, Ga. But LockBit is now regrouping, and the gang says it will publish the stolen Fulton County data on March 2 unless paid a ransom. LockBit claims the cache includes documents tied to the county’s ongoing criminal prosecution of former President Trump, but court watchers say teaser documents…

Read More
23 Feb

Updated: Top Cyber Actions for Securing Water Systems

Attacks, Insights, Malware

Today, CISA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) updated the joint fact sheet Top Cyber Actions for Securing Water Systems. This update includes additional resources—from American Water Works Association, the WaterISAC, and MS-ISAC—to support water systems in defending against from malicious cyber activity.  The fact sheet outlines the following practical actions Water and Wastewater Systems (WWS) Sector entities can take to better protect water systems from malicious cyber activity…

Read More
22 Feb

New Leak Shows Business Side of China’s APT Menace

Data Breaches, Information, Insights

A new data leak that appears to have come from one of China’s top private cybersecurity firms provides a rare glimpse into the commercial side of China’s many state-sponsored hacking groups. Experts say the leak illustrates how Chinese government agencies increasingly are contracting out foreign espionage campaigns to the nation’s burgeoning and highly competitive cybersecurity industry. A marketing slide deck promoting i-SOON’s Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) capabilities. A large cache of more than 500 documents…

Read More
22 Feb

CISA Adds One Known Exploited ConnectWise Vulnerability, CVE-2024-1709, to Catalog

Attacks, Insights, Malware

CISA has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. CVE-2024-1709 ConnectWise ScreenConnect Authentication Bypass Vulnerability CISA urges organizations to review the ConnectWise Security Bulletin and apply the necessary updates: ConnectWise ScreenConnect 23.9.8 security fix   These types of vulnerabilities are frequent attack vectors for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise. Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities established the…

Read More
21 Feb

CISA, EPA, and FBI Release Top Cyber Actions for Securing Water Systems

Attacks, Insights, Malware

Today, CISA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released the joint fact sheet Top Cyber Actions for Securing Water Systems. This fact sheet outlines the following practical actions Water and Wastewater Systems (WWS) Sector entities can take to better protect water systems from malicious cyber activity and provides actionable guidance to implement concurrently: Reduce Exposure to the Public-Facing Internet Conduct Regular Cybersecurity Assessments Change Default Passwords Immediately Conduct an…

Read More
20 Feb

Feds Seize LockBit Ransomware Websites, Offer Decryption Tools, Troll Affiliates

Information, Insights

U.S. and U.K. authorities have seized the darknet websites run by LockBit, a prolific and destructive ransomware group that has claimed more than 2,000 victims worldwide and extorted over $120 million in payments. Instead of listing data stolen from ransomware victims who didn’t pay, LockBit’s victim shaming website now offers free recovery tools, as well as news about arrests and criminal charges involving LockBit affiliates. Investigators used the existing design on LockBit’s victim shaming website…

Read More
15 Feb

CISA and MS-ISAC Release Advisory on Compromised Account Used to Access State Government Organization

Attacks, Insights, Malware

Today, CISA and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), Threat Actor Leverages Compromised Account of Former Employee to Access State Government Organization to provide network defenders with the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) utilized by a threat actor and methods to protect against similar exploitation. Following an incident response assessment of a state government organization’s network environment, analysis confirmed compromise through network administrator credentials of a former employee.…

Read More
14 Feb

U.S. Internet Leaked Years of Internal, Customer Emails

Data Breaches, Information, Insights

The Minnesota-based Internet provider U.S. Internet Corp. has a business unit called Securence, which specializes in providing filtered, secure email services to businesses, educational institutions and government agencies worldwide. But until it was notified last week, U.S. Internet was publishing more than a decade’s worth of its internal email — and that of thousands of Securence clients — in plain text out on the Internet and just a click away for anyone with a Web…

Read More
14 Feb

NIST Celebrates National Entrepreneurship Week

Insights

What is National Entrepreneurship (NatlEshipWeek) Week?  Celebrated February 10-17, 2024, “NatlEshipWeek is a congressionally chartered week dedicated to empowering entrepreneurship across the United States. The annual initiative was relaunched in 2017 as NatlEshipWeek to bring together a network of partners from Maui to Miami to educate, engage, and build equitable access to America’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.” Follow along online with #NatlEshipWeek. You can learn more about the initiative here: https://www.natleshipweek.org/about. Supporting Entrepreneurship is at the Heart of NIST’s…

Read More