Threats, Cyberattacks & Vulnerabilities
Top Stories
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Tip
29 Jul 2026
What to know about deepfake phishing simulation software
Deepfake phishing simulation software uses AI to probe organizational resistance to state-of-the-art social engineering attacks. Learn why they should be on CISOs' radar. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2026
OpenAI models escape containment, hack Hugging Face
In an unprecedented -- and unintended -- cyberattack, frontier AI models autonomously escaped their contained testing environment and breached another company's systems. Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2021
The wide web of nation-state hackers attacking the U.S.
Cybersecurity experts weigh in on what it means to be a nation-state hacker, as well as the activities and motivations of the 'big four' countries attacking the U.S. Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2021
Applus inspection systems still down following malware attack
Applus Technologies said it stopped a malware attack two weeks ago, but systems are still down as eight states are forced to extend vehicle inspection dates. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Apr 2021
Nation-state hacker indictments: Do they help or hinder?
While there are some benefits to filing criminal charges against nation-state actors, infosec experts say thus far, indictments haven't reduced cyber attacks. Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2021
FBI removes web shells from infected Exchange servers
The DOJ announced the FBI had successfully removed hundreds of web shells from computers impacted by ProxyLogon and related Exchange Server vulnerabilities. Continue Reading
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News
13 Apr 2021
NSA finds new Exchange Server vulnerabilities
Microsoft said it has not seen the new Exchange Server vulnerabilities being used in attacks against customers, but customers are still advised to patch immediately. Continue Reading
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News
13 Apr 2021
McAfee: PowerShell threats grew 208% in Q4 2020
McAfee's latest threat report showed a sharp increase in PowerShell threats between Q3 and Q4 2020, in part due to malware known as Donoff and a rise in ransomware detections. Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2021
Cring ransomware attacking vulnerable Fortigate VPNs
A vulnerability impacting Fortinet's Fortigate VPN, first disclosed and patched in 2019, is being exploited by Cring ransomware operators to extort bitcoin from enterprises. Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2021
Cisco: Threat actors abusing Slack, Discord to hide malware
The threat intelligence vendor released a new report on how threat actors are increasingly abusing popular collaboration applications like Slack and Discord during the pandemic. Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2021
CISA: APTs exploiting Fortinet FortiOS vulnerabilities
Three Fortinet FortiOS vulnerabilities that have been fully patched since last summer are being exploited by advanced persistent threat actors, according to the FBI and CISA. Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2021
Man indicted in Kansas water facility breach
While the attempted tampering of a Kansas water facility occurred more than two years ago, the Justice Department this week indicted a 22-year-old former employee. Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2021
CISA: U.S. agencies must scan for Exchange Server attacks
CISA has not said whether any federal agencies have been hit by Exchange Server attacks, but the directive requires them to use Microsoft's detection tools to identify threats. Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2021
DHS: Ransomware poses a national security threat
Ransomware is just one threat DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas discusses during an RSA Conference webcast on the cybersecurity challenges facing the U.S. Continue Reading
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News
30 Mar 2021
Mysterious Hades ransomware striking 'big game' enterprises
CrowdStrike reported Hades is tied to Evil Corp, but Awake Labs discovered a possible connection to Hafnium, a Chinese nation-state group behind initial Exchange Server attacks. Continue Reading
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News
24 Mar 2021
Nearly 100,000 web shells detected on Exchange servers
Although Microsoft reported a decrease in the number of vulnerable Exchange servers, new research shows a large amount of malicious web shells hiding inside networks. Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2021
'Black Kingdom' ransomware impacting Exchange servers
Both ransomware and scareware variants of Black Kingdom have been reported in attacks against vulnerable Exchange servers, but the reason for this remains unclear. Continue Reading
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News
19 Mar 2021
Acer hit by apparent attack from REvil ransomware group
Acer told SearchSecurity in a statement that it has 'reported recent abnormal situations observed to the relevant law enforcement.' However, it did not confirm a ransomware attack. Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2021
FBI IC3 report's ransomware numbers are low, experts say
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported a massive increase in financial losses from 2020 ransomware attacks, but infosec experts say the problem is worse than statistics say. Continue Reading
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News
17 Mar 2021
SolarWinds hackers stole Mimecast source code
The investigation into a stolen Mimecast-issued digital certificate is now complete, and the vendor said the initial intrusion was Sunburst malware in the SolarWinds Orion platform. Continue Reading
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News
16 Mar 2021
RiskIQ: 69,548 Microsoft Exchange servers still vulnerable
Security intelligence vendor RiskIQ found that 69,548 servers remained unpatched as of Sunday and are vulnerable to attacks, with nearly 17,000 servers located in the U.S. Continue Reading
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News
16 Mar 2021
Timeline of Microsoft Exchange Server attacks raises questions
Multiple security vendors reported that exploitation of the Microsoft Exchange Server zero-days began well before their disclosure, but researchers are at a loss to explain why. Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2021
DearCry ransomware impacting Microsoft Exchange servers
While only a small number of DearCry ransomware victims have been reported at this time, the infections have hit organizations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and beyond. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Mar 2021
After Oldsmar: How vulnerable is US critical infrastructure?
Following the highly publicized breach of a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Fla., industrial security experts discuss the state of critical infrastructure risk in 2021. Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2021
Cisco found cryptomining activity within 69% of customers
Cisco found cryptomining malware affected a vast majority of customers in 2020, generating massive amounts of malicious DNS traffic while sucking up precious computing resources. Continue Reading
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News
08 Mar 2021
Microsoft releases tools as Exchange Server attacks increase
Microsoft said it's seen increased Exchange Server attacks, as well as more threat actors beyond the Chinese state-sponsored Hafnium group conducting attacks. Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2021
Microsoft Exchange Server zero-days exploited in the wild
Both the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and National Security Agency advise patching the Exchange Server zero-days immediately. Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2021
Accellion FTA attacks claim more victims
More details have emerged about the Accellion FTA attacks since the December disclosure, including possible threat groups behind the breach and a growing list of victims. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Mar 2021
3 ransomware distribution methods popular with attackers
To prevent cyber attacks, understanding how they work is half the battle. Explore the most common ransomware distribution methods in this excerpt of 'Preventing Ransomware.' Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2021
Chinese threat group 'RedEcho' targeting Indian power grid
The Chinese nation-state actor's targets include 10 different Indian power sector organizations, but Recorded Future said there's no evidence RedEcho triggered blackouts. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Mar 2021
Malware researcher speculates on the future of ransomware
Abhijit Mohanta, author of 'Preventing Ransomware,' opines on the future of ransomware and discusses why this attack is favored among cybercriminals. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2021
Vastaamo breach, bankruptcy indicate troubling trend
The blackmailing of patients directly, as well as the resulting bankruptcy of Vastaamo Psychotherapy Centre, could single a shift in cyber crime tactics. Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2021
Senate hearing: SolarWinds evidence points to Russia
Executives from Microsoft and FireEye said that there was substantial evidence pointing to Russia's role in the SolarWinds attack and no evidence found leading anywhere else. Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2021
Dragos: ICS security threats grew threefold in 2020
A new report highlights the challenges facing ICS vendors today, including practices that are geared toward traditional IT and not designed for ICS security. Continue Reading
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News
22 Feb 2021
Chinese APT used stolen NSA exploit for years
Check Point's report details how a zero-day exploit credited to a Chinese nation-state threat group "is in fact a replica of an Equation Group exploit code-named 'EpMe.'" Continue Reading
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News
18 Feb 2021
White House: 100 companies compromised in SolarWinds hack
The White House discussed its response to the SolarWinds attacks, which so far have compromised nine federal agencies and approximately 100 private sector companies. Continue Reading
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News
17 Feb 2021
Wide net cast on potential Accellion breach victims
While Accellion fixed the zero-day vulnerability within 72 hours and said the breach affected 'less than 50 customers,' the attack's impact has expanded two weeks after the disclosure. Continue Reading
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News
17 Feb 2021
DOJ indicts additional WannaCry conspirators
The unsealed indictments accuse three individuals of being part of a hacking group, known as APT38 or Lazarus Group, within a North Korean military intelligence agency. Continue Reading
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Quiz
17 Feb 2021
Malware quiz: Test your knowledge of types and terms
Malware trends are constantly evolving, but older techniques are still often used in cyber attacks today. Test your knowledge of existing and emerging threats in this malware quiz. Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2021
Researcher used open source supply chain to breach tech giants
Security researcher Alex Birsan breached several major tech companies, including Microsoft and Apple, through a novel technique that manipulated open source supply chains. Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2021
Florida city's water nearly poisoned in TeamViewer attack
The intruder increased the quantity of sodium hydroxide in the water from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million briefly before a water plant operator fixed it. Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2021
Ninety percent of dark web hacking forum posts come from buyers
Positive Technologies built a picture of dark web hacking forums via data from the 10 active forums and over 8 million users, though the veracity of such posts remains unclear. Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2021
Microsoft, SolarWinds in dispute over nation-state attacks
The latest investigation updates from SolarWinds and Microsoft offer differing views on how nation-state threat actors compromised SolarWinds' environment. Continue Reading
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Podcast
05 Feb 2021
Risk & Repeat: Diving into the dark web
This week's Risk & Repeat podcast discusses the state of the dark web in 2021, how it has changed and what enterprises should know about the threats that exist there. Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2021
SolarWinds Office 365 environment compromised
SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna said nation-state threat actors first compromised a single email account and later gained access to the company's Orion platform environment. Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2021
SonicWall confirms zero-day vulnerability on SMA 100 series
After testing NCC Group's findings, SonicWall 'confirmed their submission as a critical zero-day in the SMA 100 series 10.x code, and are tracking it as SNWLID-2021-0001.' Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Feb 2021
The dark web in 2021: Should enterprises be worried?
SearchSecurity spoke with multiple experts to find out how the dark web has changed, what the security risks are for enterprises and the value of dark web monitoring services. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2021
DOJ charges suspect in NetWalker ransomware attacks
The Department of Justice launched a coordinated effort to disrupt the notorious ransomware operation, which has infected healthcare organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2021
Emotet taken down in global law enforcement operation
Ukraine's National Police said two citizens of Ukraine face up to 12 years in prison for their role in maintaining and operating Emotet, and other suspects have been identified. Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2021
Mimecast certificate compromised by SolarWinds hackers
Mimecast conducted an investigation after being alerted by Microsoft that a certificate for Microsoft 365 Exchange Web Services authentication was stolen by a sophisticated actor. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2021
SonicWall breached through 'probable' zero-day vulnerabilities
SonicWall's internal systems were breached, and the company is investigating its Secure Mobile Access (SMA) 100 series, a remote access product for SMBs, as a possible vector. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2021
FireEye releases new tool to fight SolarWinds hackers
The new tool, dubbed Azure AD Investigator, will help audit Microsoft 365 environments for techniques used by the nation-state actors behind the SolarWinds supply chain attack. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2021
Malwarebytes breached by SolarWinds hackers
Malwarebytes, which is not a SolarWinds customer, confirmed that nation-state actors used an entirely different vector to breach the antimalware vendor and access internal emails. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2021
FBI warns against vishing attacks targeting enterprises
Though the FBI vishing warning references attacks that began in December 2019, the alert is reminiscent of the Twitter social engineering attacks that took place last July. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2021
Tenable: Vulnerability disclosures skyrocketed over last 5 years
New research from Tenable shows a dramatic increase in vulnerability disclosures since 2015, as well as concerning data about data breaches, ransomware threats and unpatched bugs. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2021
Capitol building breach poses cybersecurity risks
While security experts are divided on the level of risk, they agree there is a potential for threats after rioters stormed the Capitol building and ransacked offices. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2021
SolarWinds confirms supply chain attack began in 2019
SolarWinds and CrowdStrike published updates Monday that added new information for the timeline of the supply chain attack and how threat actors first gained access. Continue Reading
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Podcast
08 Jan 2021
Risk & Repeat: SolarWinds attacks come into focus
This week's Risk & Repeat podcast discusses the fallout from the SolarWinds backdoor attacks as new victims and additional information have come to light. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2021
The SolarWinds attacks: What we know so far
The SolarWinds attacks have left a massive impact on security, tech and the world at large, and events are still unfolding nearly a month after the initial disclosure. Continue Reading
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News
05 Jan 2021
10 of the biggest cyber attacks of 2020
Here is a list of 10 of the largest cyber attacks of a pandemic-dominated 2020, including several devastating ransomware incidents and a massive supply chain attack. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Jan 2021
Ransomware 'businesses': Does acting legitimate pay off?
Ransomware gangs such as Maze have portrayed themselves almost like penetration testing firms and referred to victims as 'clients.' What's behind this approach? Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Dec 2020
What is bloatware? How to identify and remove it
Unwanted pre-installed software -- also known as bloatware -- has long posed security threats for computers and other devices. Here are strategies for how to detect bloatware and uninstall the potential threat. Continue Reading
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News
23 Dec 2020
Security measures critical for COVID-19 vaccine distribution
The COVID-19 vaccine supply chain is already under attack, which comes as no surprise to experts. The biggest potential threats, however, are still to come. Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2020
SolarWinds backdoor infected tech giants, impact unclear
Reports that technology giants were also affected by the SolarWinds backdoor malware have been confirmed by several major vendors, though there's no evidence they were breached. Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2020
CISA: SolarWinds backdoor attacks are 'ongoing'
A joint statement from the FBI, CISA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence says the SolarWinds backdoor attacks are 'ongoing' and have comprised federal agencies. Continue Reading
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News
16 Dec 2020
SolarWinds struggles with response to supply chain attack
Security researchers discovered the Orion DLL component containing the backdoor used was still present in updates on SolarWinds' website as recently as Monday night. Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2020
SolarWinds backdoor used in nation-state cyber attacks
Nation-state hackers conducted a supply chain attack on SolarWinds and planted a backdoor in software updates issued to customers such as FireEye and various government agencies. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Dec 2020
Technology a double-edged sword for U.S. election security
Technologies were weaponized to undermine the 2020 U.S. presidential election, but IT systems have also helped to identify fraud and verify results in a hotly contested election. Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2020
FBI, CISA warn of growing ransomware attacks on K-12 schools
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned that cyber attacks targeting K-12 schools are expected to continue through the 2020 - 2021 school year. Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2020
Forescout reports 33 new TCP/IP vulnerabilities
The lack of consistent updates (and the open source nature of the stacks) make the Amnesia:33 vulnerabilities difficult to fix as well as make it difficult to comprehend the full impact. Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2020
New Microsoft Teams RCE vulnerability also wormable
In his GitHub post, researcher Oskars Vegeris discussed Microsoft classifying the vulnerability as 'Important' rather than 'Critical,' despite it being exploitable via RCE. Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2020
Salesforce advised users to skip Chrome browser updates
Salesforce recommended users dealing with mixed content issues to skip Chrome upgrades or roll back to older versions of the browser, but the vendor later removed those steps. Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2020
Russian state-sponsored hackers exploit VMware vulnerability
The NSA issued a cybersecurity advisory warning government agencies to mitigate as soon as possible, as the vulnerability was disclosed and patched last week. Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2020
Updated Trickbot malware threatens firmware security
Despite recent takedown efforts, the operators behind the malicious botnet are back with a new module called 'TrickBoot' that detects UEFI/BIOS firmware vulnerabilities. Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2020
Ransomware attack shuts down Baltimore County schools
Ransomware incapacitated Baltimore County Public Schools' network just before Thanksgiving, but the school system said students' Chromebooks and Google accounts were not impacted. Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2020
Online education vendor K12 hit with ransomware, pays ransom
A spokesperson for K12 told SearchSecurity that based on the current status of the investigation, the attack did not affect student devices or school networks. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Nov 2020
What are the biggest hardware security threats?
Hardware security threats -- and strategies to overcome them -- are evolving as enterprises increasingly install autonomous capabilities for smart building and IoT projects. Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2020
Sophos: Ransomware 'heavyweights' demand sky-high payments
Sophos principal research scientist Chet Wisniewski explains the presence of 'weight classes' in ransomware and offers his thoughts on its future. Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2020
CrowdStrike: Ransomware hit 56% of organizations in last year
A new survey from CrowdStrike revealed more than half of 2,200 respondents' organizations were hit with a ransomware attack at least once in the past 12 months. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Nov 2020
How to use the Mitre ATT&CK framework for cloud security
Learn how to use the Mitre ATT&CK security framework to keep your enterprise cloud environment -- whether AWS, GCP, Azure, Azure AD or Microsoft 365 -- secure. Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2020
25,000 criminal reports: Vastaamo breach sets new precedent
The recent data breach at the Vastaamo Psychotherapy Centre in Finland shows threat actors are willing to threaten and extort patients directly, setting a dangerous new precedent. Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2020
Life after Maze: Is Egregor ransomware next?
Cybersecurity experts have noted similarities between newly discovered Egregor ransomware and the now-defunct Maze, but it's unclear whether the same threat actors are involved. Continue Reading
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News
09 Nov 2020
CISA: No election hacking, but plenty of misinformation
Election Day in the U.S. occurred with no evidence of cyber attacks or voting machine hacks, but CISA has its hands full with disinformation and conspiracy theories. Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2020
SaltStack discloses critical vulnerabilities, urges patching
The SaltStack vulnerabilities, disclosed Tuesday, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of the popular open source software. Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2020
Maze gang shuts down its ransomware operation
Maze ransomware has shut down, according to an announcement it posted Sunday, although some evidence suggests that Maze operators have resumed attacks under a different name. Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2020
FBI, CISA warn of impending ransomware attacks on hospitals
Trickbot and Ryuk ransomware actors are targeting hospitals and other healthcare providers, according to a joint cybersecurity advisory from the CISA and the FBI. Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2020
'Lives at stake': How ransomware impacts hospitals
Some ransomware gangs pledged to not target medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but hospitals are still getting hit. And the attacks affect more than just IT systems. Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2020
Iranian hackers pose as far-right group to threaten U.S. voters
The FBI said Russia and Iran have obtained voter information, and Iranian hackers have also been sending threatening emails to voters that appeared to be from a far-right group. Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2020
Microsoft: 94% of Trickbot's infrastructure disabled
In a new blog post, Microsoft said its legal takedown last week, which sought to decrease Trickbot activity, disabled the vast majority of the botnet's servers. Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2020
NSA issues advisory against Chinese state-sponsored hackers
Among the 25 vulnerabilities listed in the NSA advisory, numerous were critical and carried a CVSS score either at or close to 10, the highest possible. Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2020
Twitter hackers posed as IT staff, used VPN issues as a lure
A report by New York State's Department of Financial Services found that hackers breached Twitter's network by posing as IT support and obtaining credentials through vishing. Continue Reading
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News
13 Oct 2020
Trickbot takedown: Will it make a dent in ransomware attacks?
A court order allowed Microsoft and several partners to take down the Trickbot botnet, which is commonly used to deploy ransomware, but it's unclear how long the impact will last. Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2020
Hackers exploit Netlogon flaw to attack government networks
CISA issued an alert stating those government networks that were targeted by the APT were close to election systems and the activity may pose some risk to those systems. Continue Reading
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News
05 Oct 2020
Surge in ransomware attacks threatens student data
Ransomware attacks are not the only threats facing K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cybercriminals are stealing and exposing students' personal data as well. Continue Reading
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News
01 Oct 2020
Potential ransomware-related death still under investigation
German authorities say they are still investigating the death of a patient in connection with a ransomware attack on Düsseldorf University Hospital in Germany last month. Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2020
IBM: Ransomware attacks surged in Q2, ransom demands rising
IBM Security examined several concerning ransomware for this year, as well as an exponential increase in ransom demands and massive spike in attacks during the spring. Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2020
Microsoft detects Netlogon vulnerability exploitation in the wild
While Microsoft released a patch last month for the Netlogon flaw, the company said it detected threat actors using exploits for the critical vulnerability. Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
FBI: Disinformation attacks on election results 'likely'
Foreign threat actors and cybercriminals are "likely" to spread disinformation around 2020 election results through social media and also alter election-related websites. Continue Reading
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News
21 Sep 2020
Cyber attacks on schools increasing amid remote learning shift
The pandemic forced schools to make a quick transition to remote learning with little resources and weak security postures, and threat actors have increased their attacks. Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
Maze ransomware gang uses VMs to evade detection
A Sophos investigation into a Maze ransomware attack revealed that threat actors borrowed an attack technique pioneered by Ragnar Locker operators earlier this year. Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2020
Disinformation, mail-in ballots top election security concerns
While there have been no major cyberattacks this election season, threat actors are waging disinformation campaigns around hot-button issues like mail-in ballots. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2020
Intel patches critical flaw in Active Management Technology
Intel's Patch Tuesday featured four security advisories, including a critical flaw in Active Management Technology that could allow an attacker privilege escalation. Continue Reading