CyberSecurity Updates

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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CISA Releases Guidance for Addressing Cisco IOS XE Web UI Vulnerabilities

Today, CISA, in response to active, widespread exploitation, released guidance addressing two vulnerabilities, CVE-2023-20198 and CVE-2023-20273, affecting Cisco’s Internetworking Operating System (IOS) XE Software Web User Interface (UI). An unauthenticated remote actor could exploit these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. Specifically, these vulnerabilities allow the actor to create a privileged account that provides complete control over the device.    CISA urges organizations running Cisco IOS XE Web UI to review CISA’s guidance…

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CISA Releases Fact Sheet on Effort to Revise the National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP)

Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a fact sheet on the effort to revise the National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP). Through the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), CISA will work to ensure that the updated NCIRP addresses significant changes in policy and cyber operations since the initial NCIRP was released. First published in 2016, the NCIRP was developed in accordance with Presidential Policy Directive 41 (PPD-41) on U.S. Cyber Incident Coordination…

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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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CISA, NSA, FBI, and MS-ISAC Release Update to #StopRansomware Guide

Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) released an updated version of the joint #StopRansomware Guide. The update includes new prevention tips such as hardening SMB protocols, revised response steps, and added threat hunting insights. Developed through the U.S. Joint Ransomware Task Force (JRTF), #StopRansomware Guide is designed to be a one-stop resource to…

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Oracle Releases October 2023 Critical Patch Update Advisory

Oracle has released its Critical Patch Update Advisory for October 2023 to address 387 vulnerabilities across multiple products. A cyber threat actor could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. CISA encourages users and administrators to review the Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory – October 2023 and apply the necessary updates.  

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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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Finland Charges Psychotherapy Hacker With Extortion

Finland on Wednesday charged a hacker, accused of the theft of tens of thousands of records from psychotherapy patients, with over 21,000 counts of extortion, the national prosecutor announced. “The suspect is held on remand and has denied being guilty of the offenses,” the National Prosecution Authority said in a statement. The prosecutor is seeking a seven-year prison sentence for the defendant, Aleksanteri Kivimaki, who was formerly identified as Julius Kivimaki. In the 2018 breach…

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The Fake Browser Update Scam Gets a Makeover

One of the oldest malware tricks in the book — hacked websites claiming visitors need to update their Web browser before they can view any content — has roared back to life in the past few months. New research shows the attackers behind one such scheme have developed an ingenious way of keeping their malware from being taken down by security experts or law enforcement: By hosting the malicious files on a decentralized, anonymous cryptocurrency…

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