News

News

• July 06, 2018 06 Jul'18

  Researchers discover Android apps spying on users' screens

  News roundup: Academic researchers discover Android apps secretly recording and sharing video of users' screens. Plus, an NSO Group employee lands in hot water, and more.

• July 06, 2018 06 Jul'18

  Risk & Repeat: Is AI-driven identity management the future?

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss Identiverse 2018 and how artificial intelligence is being applied to identity and access management.

• July 03, 2018 03 Jul'18

  RAMpage attack unlikely to pose real-world risk, expert says

  The RAMpage attack against the Rowhammer vulnerability in Android devices is theoretically possible, but it may be more academic than it is a practical concern, one expert said.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  Cyber attribution: Why it won't be easy to stop the blame game

  Infosec experts have argued that too much focus is put on cyber attribution, but moving away from publicly identifying threat groups and nation-states may be easier said than done.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  Risk & Repeat: U.S. government eyes offensive cyberattacks

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss the risks of the U.S. Cyber Command engaging in offensive cyberattacks against foreign adversaries.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  WebAssembly updates may cancel out Meltdown and Spectre fixes

  News roundup: Upcoming WebAssembly updates may undo the Meltdown and Spectre mitigations. Plus, FireEye denied claims it 'hacked back' China, and more.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  GlobalSign, Comodo launch competing IoT security platforms

  Rival certificate authorities GlobalSign and Comodo CA have strengthened their presence in the IoT security market with new platforms for connected devices.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  McAfee details rise in blockchain threats, cryptocurrency attacks

  McAfee's new 'Blockchain Threat Report' charts a dramatic rise in cryptomining malware and details four major attack vectors for cryptocurrency-related threats.

• June 29, 2018 29 Jun'18

  Have I Been Pwned integration comes to Firefox and 1Password

  With new Have I Been Pwned integration, Firefox and 1Password users will be able to learn if their email addresses have been compromised in any known data breaches.

• June 28, 2018 28 Jun'18

  EFF's STARTTLS Everywhere aims to protect email in transit

  The EFF's new STARTTLS Everywhere initiative aims to secure email as it transits the internet between mail servers to prevent mass surveillance, as well as email spoofing.

• June 27, 2018 27 Jun'18

  TLBleed attack can extract signing keys, but exploit is difficult

  A new side-channel attack on Intel chips, named TLBleed, can extract signing keys. But the researcher who discovered it said users shouldn't worry, because it's not the next Spectre.

• June 26, 2018 26 Jun'18

  Ping adds AI-driven API protection with Elastic Beam acquisition

  Ping Identity increased its focus on API security with the acquisition of Elastic Beam, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to apply behavioral security on enterprise APIs.

• June 26, 2018 26 Jun'18

  New WPA3 security protocol simplifies logins, secures IoT

  Latest WPA3 security protocol update adds new features to the Wi-Fi access specification for simple and secure wireless access for individuals, as well as enterprises.

• June 25, 2018 25 Jun'18

  Accenture's Tammy Moskites on the cybersecurity gender gap

  Accenture's Tammy Moskites spoke with SearchSecurity at RSA Conference 2018 about the gender gap in the infosec industry and what can be done to close it.

• June 22, 2018 22 Jun'18

  Unprotected Firebase databases leaked over 100 million records

  Android and iOS mobile apps that use unprotected Firebase databases leaked over 100 million records that include PHI, financial records and authentication information.

• June 22, 2018 22 Jun'18

  No more selling mobile location data, promise carriers

  Sen. Ron Wyden got all major U.S. wireless carriers to promise not to sell mobile location data to third parties, but experts question the basic security practices in place.

• June 22, 2018 22 Jun'18

  China-based Thrip hacking group targets U.S. telecoms

  News roundup: China-based Thrip hacking group used legitimate tools to attack companies in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Plus, election officials didn't know about hacks, and more.

• June 21, 2018 21 Jun'18

  Accused CIA leaker charged with stealing government property

  The DOJ has officially charged the accused CIA leaker, Joshua Schulte, with theft of government property and gathering national defense information in the Vault 7 case.

• June 18, 2018 18 Jun'18

  Accenture's Tammy Moskites explains how the CISO position is changing

  Accenture's Tammy Moskites spoke with SearchSecurity at RSA Conference 2018 about the daunting challenges CISOs face today and how the position may be changing.

• June 18, 2018 18 Jun'18

  PyRoMineIoT cryptojacker uses NSA exploit to spread

  The latest malware threat based on the EternalRomance NSA exploit is PyRoMineIoT, a cryptojacker infecting IoT devices. But experts said the NSA shouldn't be held responsible for the damages.

• June 15, 2018 15 Jun'18

  EU institutes Kaspersky ban, calls software 'malicious'

  News roundup: Following a vote by the European Parliament to implement a Kaspersky ban in the EU, Kaspersky announced it would halt ties with the No More Ransom project and Europol.

• June 15, 2018 15 Jun'18

  FBI fights business email compromise with global crackdown

  U.S. federal agencies worked with international law enforcement in Operation Wire Wire to find and prosecute alleged cybercriminals conducting business-email-compromise scams.

• June 13, 2018 13 Jun'18

  Risk & Repeat: What do Google's AI principles mean for cybersecurity?

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss Google's new principles for artificial intelligence and how they may impact the use of AI for cybersecurity.

• June 13, 2018 13 Jun'18

  Spectre v4 fix and Windows DNS patch in June Patch Tuesday

  A Windows DNS patch for both desktops and servers headlines Microsoft's June 2018 Patch Tuesday, but the release also includes mitigations for Spectre v4 and more.

• June 13, 2018 13 Jun'18

  North Korea hacking threat still looms despite summit

  Despite a summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the threat of North Korean hacking and cyberespionage still looms large, according to experts.

• June 08, 2018 08 Jun'18

  New MalwareTech indictment adds four more charges

  The U.S. government added four new charges against Marcus Hutchins in the MalwareTech indictment, but questions have surfaced about the legal standing of the new charges.

• June 08, 2018 08 Jun'18

  Apple plans to disable Facebook web tracking capabilities

  News roundup: Apple wants to protect its users from Facebook web tracking with the next version of Safari. Plus, genealogy website MyHeritage suffers data breach, and more.

• June 06, 2018 06 Jun'18

  Apple iOS 12 USB Restricted Mode to foil thieves, law enforcement

  A rumored security feature, USB Restricted Mode, is making its premiere in Apple's iOS 12 and will protect users from brute-force passcode attacks by thieves and law enforcement alike.

• June 05, 2018 05 Jun'18

  Research claims 'widespread' Google Groups misconfiguration troubles

  Researchers from Kenna Security claim a Google Groups misconfiguration has exposed sensitive data for many organizations, but it is unclear just how widespread the issue might be.

• June 01, 2018 01 Jun'18

  Yokogawa Stardom vulnerability leaves hardcoded creds in ICS controllers

  A Yokogawa Stardom vulnerability leaves industrial control systems in critical infrastructure around the world at risk because of hardcoded credentials in the software.

• June 01, 2018 01 Jun'18

  SS7 vulnerabilities enable breach of major cellular provider

  News roundup: A major cellular network may have been compromised by exploiting SS7 vulnerabilities, according to reports. Plus, Kaspersky's lawsuits have been dismissed, and more.

• June 01, 2018 01 Jun'18

  Federal cybersecurity report says nearly 75% of agencies at risk

  The 'Federal Cybersecurity Risk Determination Report and Action Plan' shows the majority of federal agencies are at risk, and DHS suggests a lack of leadership may be to blame.

• May 31, 2018 31 May'18

  New Walmart CISO discusses protecting the world's largest retailer

  Walmart CISO Jerry Geisler talks about the retail giant's evolving cloud strategy, vulnerability management and risks the company is focused on across its environments.

• May 31, 2018 31 May'18

  Risk & Repeat: Are ICS threats being overblown or ignored?

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss dangers to critical infrastructure in the wake of a new report on the threat actors behind the Trisis malware.

• May 31, 2018 31 May'18

  Yahoo hacker sentenced to five years in prison for massive breach

  One of four Yahoo hackers was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the massive 2014 breach, which included accessing millions of sensitive email accounts.

• May 31, 2018 31 May'18

  Dragos' Robert Lee discusses latest ICS threats, hacking back

  In part two of this interview from RSA Conference 2018, Dragos CEO Robert Lee discusses the latest threats to industrial control systems and how those threats can be exaggerated.

• May 30, 2018 30 May'18

  It's GDPR Day. Let the privacy regulation games begin!

  GDPR Day -- May 25, 2018 -- has passed and enforcement is now accepting complaints against companies violating the terms of the EU's new privacy regulation.

• May 30, 2018 30 May'18

  Feds issue new alert on North Korean hacking campaigns

  The U.S. government claims two notable malware campaigns are the work of North Korean nation-state hacking group Hidden Cobra, also known as the Lazarus Group.

• May 29, 2018 29 May'18

  Threat hunting technology is on the rise, so are threats

  Detection of advanced threats is the top challenge for 55% of security operations centers, according to a new survey, as more companies explore threat hunting programs.

• May 25, 2018 25 May'18

  Creators of Trisis malware have expanded their ICS attacks

  News roundup: Dragos researchers say the group behind the Trisis malware has expanded its ICS attacks. Plus, Roaming Mantis malware now targets iOS devices, and more.

• May 25, 2018 25 May'18

  Dragos' Robert Lee explains why ICS security isn't all doom and gloom

  Dragos' Robert Lee talks with SearchSecurity at RSA Conference 2018 about why there are reasons to be optimistic about the state of ICS security, despite growing threats.

• May 24, 2018 24 May'18

  VPNFilter malware infects 500,000 devices for massive Russian botnet

  New malware, dubbed 'VPNFilter' by Cisco Talos, infects 500,000 devices and triggers action from Justice Department, which seized and sinkholed the botnet's domain.

• May 24, 2018 24 May'18

  Risk & Repeat: Breaking down the Efail flaws

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss the Efail vulnerabilities in PGP and S/Mime protocols, as well as the rocky disclosure process for the flaws.

• May 23, 2018 23 May'18

  Wicked botnet: Another Mirai variant targets connected devices

  Fortinet researchers uncovered a new variant of the Mirai malware, known as the Wicked botnet, which targets vulnerable IoT devices and uses multiple existing exploits.

• May 22, 2018 22 May'18

  Newly disclosed Spectre variant 4 brings more side channel concerns

  A new Spectre vulnerability was disclosed this week, adding to concerns about side channel attacks exploiting speculative execution in modern processors.

• May 22, 2018 22 May'18

  Recorded Future sheds light on Iranian hacking operations

  Recorded Future's Levi Gundert discusses how the Iranian government uses proxies and contractors to launch cyberattacks, and how its strategy presents challenges for the country.

• May 22, 2018 22 May'18

  North Korean hackers linked to Google Play spyware

  The 'Sun Team' group of North Korean hackers placed malicious apps in the Google Play store to target defectors and steal personal data such as photos, contacts and SMS messages.

• May 21, 2018 21 May'18

  Recorded Future: Iranian cyberattacks poised to resume

  Recorded Future's Levi Gundert explains why major cyberattacks against Western enterprises are expected to resume following the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

• May 18, 2018 18 May'18

  Telegrab malware threatens Telegram desktop users

  News roundup: Telegrab malware enables hackers to grab encryption keys and browser credentials from Telegram sessions. Plus, DHS released its new cybersecurity strategy, and more.

• May 17, 2018 17 May'18

  Securus hack exposes law enforcement customers of location tracking

  Following news that it provides near real-time location data to law enforcement without warrants, a Securus hack exposed information on those law enforcement customers.

• May 17, 2018 17 May'18

  Risk & Repeat: Why Ray Ozzie's Clear proposal isn't so clear

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss Ray Ozzie's solution for going dark, known as Clear, and what infosec experts are saying about it.

• May 17, 2018 17 May'18

  Risk & Repeat: Business email compromise on the rise

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss the rise in business email compromise activity based on new data from the FBI's 2017 Internet Crime Report.

• May 16, 2018 16 May'18

  Vault 7 leak suspect is a former CIA employee already in custody

  The U.S. government has identified a man already in custody on unrelated charges as the suspect in the Vault 7 leak, but it is unclear how much evidence supports the case.

• May 16, 2018 16 May'18

  Illumio: Subtle data manipulation attacks pose serious threats

  Illumio CTO P.J. Kirner discusses the threat of data manipulation and explains why subtle, hard to detect attacks could have devastating effects on enterprises.

• May 16, 2018 16 May'18

  Efail disclosure troubles highlight branded vulnerability issues

  The Efail disclosure process was one day away from completion, but attempts to generate hype for the vulnerabilities led to details leaking earlier than researchers intended.

• May 14, 2018 14 May'18

  Efail flaws highlight risky implementations of PGP and S/MIME

  The messy disclosure of the Efail flaws raised questions about the security of email encryption, while experts said S/MIME may be more at risk than some PGP implementations.

• May 14, 2018 14 May'18

  FBI: Business email compromise tops $676 million in losses

  Verizon's Data Breach Investigations Report indicates an increase in ransomware while the FBI's Internet Crime Report shows a downward trend, with business email compromise on the rise.

• May 11, 2018 11 May'18

  Georgia governor vetoes controversial cybersecurity bill

  News roundup: A controversial cybersecurity bill was vetoed by Georgia's governor this week after pressure from Microsoft and Google. Plus, IBM banned USB drives, and more.

• May 11, 2018 11 May'18

  Hardware debug documentation leads to widespread vulnerability

  A hardware debug bug, apparently caused by unclear Intel hardware architecture documentation, infested almost all major OSes, as well as leading virtualization software.

• May 10, 2018 10 May'18

  Android P security improves authentication trust and data privacy

  Android P security features, which were previewed at Google I/O, include notable improvements for data privacy and encryption and preventing malicious apps from spying on users.

• May 09, 2018 09 May'18

  Microsoft patches Internet Explorer zero-day 'Double Kill'

  Microsoft's Patch Tuesday for May includes fixes for two zero-day vulnerabilities under attack, including an Internet Explorer exploit known as Double Kill.

• May 09, 2018 09 May'18

  Google I/O's security and privacy focus missing on day one

  It's fairly easy to find stories sparking security and privacy concerns regarding a Google product or service — Search, Chrome, Android, AdSense and more — but if you watched or attended Google ...

• May 04, 2018 04 May'18

  Remote Android Rowhammer attack possible, but scope limited

  A new Android Rowhammer PoC proves an attack is possible, but an expert said the limited scope of affected devices and feasibility of performing the attack lessens the danger.

• May 04, 2018 04 May'18

  Facebook APIs used by tens of thousands of malicious apps

  News roundup: Researchers find tens of thousands of malicious apps use Facebook APIs and can access user data. Plus, AWS threatens to suspend Signal's use of the platform, and more.

• May 04, 2018 04 May'18

  AMD patches in testing with ecosystem partners

  The timeline for the AMD patches promised to fix chipset flaws disclosed in March is being criticized, but AMD said the patches are being tested by partners and are still on track.

• May 04, 2018 04 May'18

  Twitter bug exposes passwords of all 336 million users

  On none other than World Password Day, a Twitter bug was announced that led to the passwords of all 336 million users being stored in plaintext in an internal log.

• May 03, 2018 03 May'18

  Cybersecurity pervasiveness subsumes all security concerns

  Given the increased digitization of society and explosion of devices generating data (including retail, social media, search, mobile, and the internet of things), it seems like it might have been ...

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Windows NTFS flaw posted after disclosure gets nowhere

  Proof-of-concept code showing how an NTFS flaw can shut down Windows systems was published by a security researcher nine months after he disclosed it to Microsoft.

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Attackers seek Oracle WebLogic vulnerability after faulty patch

  The combination of a broken Oracle WebLogic vulnerability and available proof-of-concept exploit code has led threat actors to search for any servers that are at risk.

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Algorithmic discrimination: A coming storm for security?

  Following several RSA Conference 2018 talks on machine learning and AI, it's worth asking how algorithmic discrimination might manifest in the infosec industry.

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Phishing threats still dwarf vulnerabilities, zero-days

  Proofpoint research shows that while phishing attacks now require victims to take more steps, the success rate for such attacks hasn't declined and enterprises are still on the defensive.

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  DDoS-for-hire website taken down by law enforcement

  Webstresser.org, a popular DDoS-for-hire website, was taken down by several law enforcement agencies across the globe. Details are sparse, but arrests have reportedly been made.

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  Microsoft releases Spectre variant 2 microcode patches

  Microsoft released new fixes that include the Intel microcode patches for Spectre variant 2 to help protect users on Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016.

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  GDPR deadline: Keep calm and GDPR on

  With the GDPR deadline looming, companies may still be scrambling to do "something" about it, but with less than 30 days to go the best move for many may be to wait and watch, and perhaps just ...

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  SentinelOne CEO: Endpoint security market full of 'noise and confusion'

  In part two of the interview with SentinelOne CEO Tomer Weingarten, he discusses how niche products and venture capital investments have affected the endpoint security space.

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  Sexy, but stupid: Biometrics security requires balancing risks

  When it comes to biometrics, security coexists with stupidity, unless implementers take the time to understand the limits, according to Adam Englander at RSAC 2018.

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  Keycard vulnerability threatens millions of hotel rooms

  News roundup: Researchers found a keycard vulnerability that enabled them to enter millions of hotel rooms worldwide. Plus, Yahoo has been fined $35 million by the SEC, and more.

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  Philip Tully: AI cyberattacks, AI arms race are coming

  Malicious actors are working on AI cyberattacks and other ways to augment threat activity with AI. Philip Tully discusses how that can work and if enterprise security can keep pace.

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  SecureWorks warns of business email compromise campaign

  SecureWorks researchers uncovered an extensive business email compromise campaign targeting the maritime shipping industry, which may have cost organizations millions of dollars.

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  IXPs asked to mind their 'MANRS' to improve routing security

  The Internet Society expands its Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security, or MANRS, to IXPs as a means to protect the internet from route hijacking, leaks and IP address spoofing.

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  Philip Tully: AI models are cost prohibitive for some enterprises

  Philip Tully discusses the expensive and time-consuming work of building AI models and how those models can become the target of cyberattacks by malicious actors.

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  BGP routing security flaw caused Amazon Route 53 incident

  A BGP routing security flaw enabled unknown threat actors to steal cryptocurrency by hijacking internet routing and rerouting traffic to a phishing site in Russia.

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  Rachel Tobac: Social engineering attacks need real-world 2FA

  Rachel Tobac discusses how to train employees to avoid social engineering attacks and how individuals can keep themselves safe with awareness and by being 'politely paranoid.'

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Akamai touts network perimeter security shifts, zero-trust model

  As network perimeter security grows less practical, Akamai talks at RSA Conference about moving beyond firewalls to improve authentication with a zero-trust model.

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  Women in cybersecurity discuss hiring, advice and being mentors

  A panel of women cybersecurity professionals at the RSA Conference discussed ways to find the best job candidates, the best advice they've received and how to be better mentors.

• April 20, 2018 20 Apr'18

  Government hacking tactics questioned at OURSA

  The ACLU's Jennifer Granick took government hacking to task at the OURSA Conference this week, calling out mass surveillance techniques and the limited scope of search warrants.

• April 20, 2018 20 Apr'18

  Keeper Security forms vulnerability disclosure program with Bugcrowd

  Following its controversial lawsuit against an Ars Technica security reporter, Keeper Security has teamed with Bugcrowd on a formal vulnerability disclosure program.

• April 20, 2018 20 Apr'18

  Another misconfigured Amazon S3 bucket exposes 48M records

  News roundup: A misconfigured Amazon S3 bucket led to the exposure of 48 million records collected by a private data analytics firm. Plus, PCI SSC updated its cloud guidelines, and more.

• April 20, 2018 20 Apr'18

  Experts describe how hacking back can be done right

  A panel of experts at the RSA Conference all expressed support for the idea of hacking back against threat actors, but each offered caveats in hopes of minimizing collateral damage.

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  CrowdStrike unveils Meltdown exploit in unusual fashion

  At RSA Conference 2018, CrowdStrike demonstrated a new Meltdown exploit that can harvest sensitive data such as passwords even on systems that are patched.

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  Moussouris: Bug bounty programs need to avoid jumping the shark

  Bug bounty programs may seem to offer salvation at a bargain price for securing networks and systems, but Katie Moussouris offers tips for avoiding major pitfalls.

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  Schneier talks cyber regulations, slams U.S. lawmakers

  Speaking at RSA Conference 2018, Bruce Schneier slammed U.S. lawmakers and Facebook in discussions on internet security regulations and technology policy.

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  Passive DNS techniques can reduce DNS abuse

  Presenting at RSAC 2018, Farsight Security's Merike Kaeo explains how defenders can adopt passive techniques to reduce DNS abuse and stop attacks before they happen.

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  Paul Kocher weighs in on Spectre flaws, vulnerability disclosure

  At RSA Conference 2018, Paul Kocher, who co-discovered the Spectre flaws, discussed the chip vulnerabilities and explained why disclosure and mitigation efforts were so troubled.

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  IBM's new AI toolbox is designed to protect AI systems

  IBM has made a new open source AI toolbox that's designed to provide practical defenses for real-world AI systems based on how threat actors can attack AI models.

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  IBM's Cindy Compert cooks up a batch of GDPR preparation

  GDPR preparation, with practical tips and recipes, was on the menu at RSAC 2018, as IBM CTO Cindy Compert offered practical advice for compliance with the EU privacy regulation.

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  FedRAMP security requirements put a premium on automation

  Matt Goodrich, director for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, detailed FedRAMP security requirements and automation at RSA's Cloud Security Alliance Summit.

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  Risk & Repeat: Breaking down the Verizon DBIR 2018

  In this week's Risk & Repeat podcast, SearchSecurity editors discuss the '2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report' and its findings about ransomware, phishing and more.

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  Microsoft's Brad Smith urges action on nation-state cyberthreats

  At RSA Conference 2018, Microsoft President Brad Smith warned of nation-state cyberattacks and called on governments and the private sector to do more to address them.

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  Fidelis rolls out new active deception approach to security

  Active deception is set to be an important part of cloud defense, as Fidelis Cybersecurity adds active decoys to protect cloud assets in the enterprise.