Threats, Cyberattacks & Vulnerabilities
Top Stories
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Feature
23 Oct 2026
Help desk deepfakes: Why CISOs must rethink verification
Protecting the help desk from deepfake threats doesn't necessarily mean deploying the latest detection tools. Prioritizing policy over detection can stop deepfakes in their tracks. Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2026
Max-severity GitLab flaw lets attackers run code on servers
A high-impact GitLab flaw lets unauthenticated attackers run code on self-managed servers. Every release since 2014 is affected. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2025
What is a stealth virus and how does it work?
A stealth virus is a computer virus that uses various mechanisms to avoid detection by antivirus software. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Aug 2025
How AI malware works and how to defend against it
AI malware is evolving faster than traditional defenses. Learn how attackers weaponize AI and how organizations can implement effective countermeasures. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2025
Black Hat news: Exposed vaults, firmware flaws, AI hacks
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Definition
04 Aug 2025
What is sensor data? Examples of sensors and their uses
Sensor data is the output of a device that detects, analyzes and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
01 Aug 2025
How to use the John the Ripper password cracker
Password crackers are essential tools in any pen tester's toolbox. This step-by-step tutorial explains how to use John the Ripper, an open source offline password-cracking tool. Continue Reading
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News
01 Aug 2025
News brief: Rise of AI exploits and the cost of shadow AI
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Jul 2025
How liveness detection catches deepfakes and spoofing attacks
Biometric liveness detection can stop fake users in their tracks. Learn how the technology works to distinguish real humans from deepfakes and other spoofing attacks. Continue Reading
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Definition
29 Jul 2025
What is an IoT gateway?
An IoT gateway is a physical device or software program that serves as the connection point between the cloud and internet of things devices, such as controllers, sensors and smart devices. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2025
News brief: SharePoint attacks hammer globe
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jul 2025
News brief: Cyberattack trends signal security arms race
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Guest Post
14 Jul 2025
Prompt injection attacks: From pranks to security threats
Prompt injection attacks manipulate AI systems to bypass security guardrails, enabling data theft and code execution -- yet they lack comprehensive defenses and CVE tracking. Continue Reading
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News
11 Jul 2025
News brief: Hafnium, Scattered Spider hackers arrested
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Jul 2025
Top 15 IoT security threats and risks to prioritize
Certain IoT security concerns, like botnets, are hard to forget, but others might not come to mind as easily, including DNS threats and physical device attacks. Continue Reading
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Video
30 Jun 2025
Ransomware: Examples, prevention and mitigating the damage
Top cybersecurity experts gathered to discuss the latest threats from ransomware and how organizations, large and small, can prevent or, at least, mitigate an attack. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Jun 2025
What is phishing? Understanding enterprise phishing threats
Phishing is a fraudulent practice in which an attacker masquerades as a reputable entity or person to trick users into revealing sensitive information. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jun 2025
12 smart contract vulnerabilities and how to mitigate them
Smart contracts execute tasks automatically when specific events occur, and they often handle large data and resource flows. This makes them particularly attractive to attackers. Continue Reading
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Guest Post
25 Jun 2025
Authorization sprawl: Attacking modern access models
Attackers exploit authorization sprawl by using legitimate credentials and SSO tokens to move between systems, bypassing security controls and deploying ransomware undetected. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Jun 2025
What is a SYN flood DoS attack?
A SYN flood attack is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on a computer server. This exploit is also known as a 'half-open attack.' Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Jun 2025
What is a cyberattack? 16 common types and how to prevent them
To stop cybercrime, companies must understand how they're being attacked. Here are the most damaging types of cyberattacks, how to prevent them and their effect on daily business. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2025
News brief: LOTL attacks, spoofed sites, malicious repositories
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
16 Jun 2025
Hydra password-cracking tool: How to download and use it for good
Ethical hackers, need help brute forcing passwords? Learn how to download and use the open source Hydra password-cracking tool with this step-by-step tutorial and companion video. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Jun 2025
Enumeration attacks: What they are and how to prevent them
User and network enumeration attacks help adversaries plan strong attack campaigns. Prevent them with MFA, rate limiting, CAPTCHA, secure code and more. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Jun 2025
12 common types of malware attacks and how to prevent them
More than one billion active malware programs exist worldwide. Is your organization prepared to prevent these 12 types of malware attacks? Continue Reading
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Definition
06 Jun 2025
What is cyber extortion?
Cyber extortion is a crime involving an attack or threat of an attack, coupled with a demand for money or some other response, in return for stopping an attack or preventing one from happening. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Jun 2025
What is the WannaCry ransomware attack?
WannaCry ransomware is a cyberattack that spread by exploiting vulnerabilities in earlier and unpatched versions of the Windows operating system (OS). Continue Reading
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Definition
30 May 2025
What is triple extortion ransomware?
Triple extortion ransomware is a type of ransomware attack in which a cybercriminal extorts their victim multiple times -- namely by encrypting data, exposing exfiltrated data and then threatening an additional third attack vector. Continue Reading
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News
30 May 2025
News brief: Week's top breaches stem from third-party attacks
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 May 2025
What is double extortion ransomware? How to defend your organization
Double extortion ransomware is a type of cyberattack that encrypts a victim's data, like in a traditional ransomware attack, while also adding a second attack vector of stealing that data. Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2025
News brief: Patch critical SAP, Samsung and chat app flaws now
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 May 2025
9 IoT training certifications to take your next career step
IoT training certifications offering skills in IoT development, networking and security can give tech experts an advantage, especially when IoT skills are in high demand. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 May 2025
15 of the biggest ransomware attacks in history
From attacks on private organizations and manufacturers to healthcare organizations and even entire countries, ransomware has done extensive damage in recent years. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 May 2025
4 lessons in the new era of AI-enabled cybercrime
Cyberattacks have evolved rapidly as GenAI use has become more widespread. An RSAC Conference 2025 panel shared what they've learned over the past two years. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Apr 2025
What is ransomware? Definition and complete guide
Ransomware is malware that locks and encrypts a victim's data, files, devices or systems, rendering them inaccessible and unusable until the attacker receives a ransom payment. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Apr 2025
What is crypto ransomware?
Crypto ransomware is a form of ransomware that uses cryptography to encrypt computer files so that the victim cannot access them. In exchange for the demanded ransom, the attacker claims it will tell the victimized business how to regain access to the stolen data. Continue Reading
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Definition
21 Apr 2025
What is a brute-force attack?
A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error hacking method cybercriminals use to decode login information and encryption keys to gain unauthorized access to systems. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Apr 2025
Top 5 ransomware attack vectors and how to avoid them
Protecting your organization against ransomware attack entryways could mean the difference between staying safe or falling victim to a devastating breach. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Apr 2025
The history and evolution of ransomware attacks
Ransomware creators have become more innovative and savvier as organizations up their defenses. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Apr 2025
8 types of ransomware, plus examples of attacks
There are eight main types of ransomware but hundreds of examples of ransomware strains. Learn how the ransomware types work and review notable attacks and variants. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Apr 2025
QR code phishing: 14 quishing prevention tips
Quishing is an offputting word for an on-the-rise attack method. Learn how to defend against it. Continue Reading
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Definition
08 Apr 2025
What is a side-channel attack?
A side-channel attack is a cybersecurity exploit that aims to gather information from or influence a system's program execution. It does this by measuring or exploiting indirect effects of the system or its hardware rather than directly targeting the program or its code. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Mar 2025
What is a hacker?
A hacker is an individual who uses computer, networking or other skills to overcome a technical problem. Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2025
News brief: China-linked APTs and Russian access broker
Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Mar 2025
3 types of deepfake detection technology and how they work
Think you're talking to your boss on Zoom? You might want to think again. Deepfake technology has already cost enterprises millions of dollars. Here's how to fight fire with fire. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Mar 2025
What is pharming?
Pharming is a scamming practice in which malicious code is installed on a PC or server, misdirecting users to fraudulent websites without their knowledge or consent. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Mar 2025
10 biggest data breaches in history, and how to prevent them
Did you know the biggest data breach in history exposed a whopping 3 billion user records? Don't make the same mistakes these companies did in the largest data breaches in history. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Mar 2025
What is a pass-the-hash attack?
A pass-the-hash attack is an exploit in which an attacker steals a hashed user credential and -- without cracking it -- reuses it to trick an authentication system into creating a new authenticated session on the same network. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Mar 2025
What is a rootkit?
A rootkit is a program or a collection of malicious software tools that give a threat actor remote access to and control over a computer or other system. Continue Reading
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Definition
03 Mar 2025
What is cyberstalking and how to prevent it?
Cyberstalking is a crime in which someone harasses or stalks a victim using electronic or digital means, such as social media, email, instant messaging (IM) or messages posted to a discussion group or forum. Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2025
Microsoft targets AI deepfake cybercrime network in lawsuit
Microsoft alleges that defendants used stolen Azure OpenAI API keys and special software to bypass content guardrails and generate illicit AI deepfakes for payment. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Feb 2025
What is a watering hole attack?
A watering hole attack is a security exploit in which the attacker seeks to compromise a specific group of end users by infecting websites that members of the group are known to visit. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Feb 2025
What is the NSA and how does it work?
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a federal government surveillance and intelligence agency that's part of the U.S. Department of Defense and is managed under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2025
FBI: Lazarus Group behind $1.5 billion Bybit heist
Researchers say the heist, in which North Korean state-sponsored hackers stole funds from a cold wallet, is the biggest theft in the history of the cryptocurrency industry. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Feb 2025
What is domain generation algorithm (DGA)?
A domain generation algorithm (DGA) is a program that generates a large list of domain names. DGAs provide malware with new domains to evade security countermeasures. Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2025
CrowdStrike: China hacking has reached 'inflection point'
In its 2025 Global Threat Report, CrowdStrike observed an increase in China's cyber capabilities, with a focus on espionage and 'pre-positioning' itself in critical environments. Continue Reading
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News
26 Feb 2025
NCC Group tracks alarming ransomware surge in January
NCC Group found ransomware activity in January surpassed previous monthly highs with 590 attacks, as one notorious gang experienced a notable resurgence. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2025
Black Basta ransomware leak sheds light on targets, tactics
VulnCheck found the ransomware gang targeted CVEs in popular enterprise products from Microsoft, Citrix, Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Confluence Atlassian and more. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2025
Dragos: Ransomware attacks against industrial orgs up 87%
Ransomware attacks continue to be a major pain point for industrial organizations, as the sector has historically struggled with vulnerability management. Continue Reading
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News
21 Feb 2025
Palo Alto Networks vulnerabilities exploited in chained attack
The cybersecurity vendor urges customers to take immediate action to mitigate recently disclosed vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited in the wild. Continue Reading
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Podcast
20 Feb 2025
Risk & Repeat: Salt Typhoon hasn't stopped hacking
Although the Salt Typhoon telecom breaches from last year appear to have been remediated, the Chinese state-sponsored threat group continues to target critical organizations. Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2025
CISA, FBI warn of Ghost/Cring ransomware attacks
Ghost is a China-based financially motivated ransomware group that has launched attacks against organizations in more than 70 countries -- including its own. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Feb 2025
What is an attack vector?
An attack vector is a path or means by which an attacker or hacker can gain access to a computer or network server to deliver a payload or malicious outcome. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Feb 2025
What is email spoofing?
Email spoofing is a form of cyber attack in which a hacker sends an email that has been manipulated to seem as if it originated from a trusted source. Continue Reading
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News
18 Feb 2025
Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS vulnerability exploited in the wild
Palo Alto Networks says threat actors used a publicly available PoC exploit in attack attempts against firewall customers with PAN-OS management interfaces exposed to the internet. Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Feb 2025
What are social engineering attacks?
Social engineering is an attack vector that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves psychological manipulation of people into breaking normal security procedures and best practices to gain unauthorized access. Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Feb 2025
What is a botnet?
A botnet is a collection of internet-connected devices -- including PCs, servers, mobile devices and internet of things (IoT) devices -- infected and controlled by a common type of malware, often unbeknownst to their owners. Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2025
Salt Typhoon compromises telecom providers' Cisco devices
Salt Typhoon's latest campaign exploits older vulnerabilities in Cisco edge devices to gain access to the networks of several telecom companies, including two based in the U.S. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Feb 2025
What is a denial-of-service attack?
A denial-of-service (DoS) attack is a security threat that occurs when an attacker makes it impossible for legitimate users to access computer systems, networks, services or other IT resources. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Feb 2025
What is cyber hijacking?
Cyber hijacking, or computer hijacking, is a type of network security attack in which the threat actor takes control of computer systems, software programs and network communications. Continue Reading
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News
11 Feb 2025
Apple zero day used in 'extremely sophisticated attack'
CVE-2025-24200 is a zero-day vulnerability that bypasses Apple's USB Restricted Mode in iPhones and iPads and was exploited in the wild against 'specific targeted individuals.' Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2025
Trimble Cityworks zero-day flaw under attack, patch now
CVE-2025-0994 is a high-severity deserialization vulnerability that enables remote code execution in unpatched versions of Cityworks enterprise asset management software. Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2025
Ransomware hits healthcare, critical services in January
Ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations in January reflect an increasing need for threat actors to adapt and get aggressive as defenders improve. Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2025
Zyxel won't patch end-of-life routers against zero-day attacks
Networking hardware vendor Zyxel has no plans to patch multiple end-of-life routers against new zero-day flaws and advises customers to replace affected devices entirely. Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2025
AMD, Google disclose Zen processor microcode vulnerability
AMD said CVE-2024-56161, which first leaked last month, requires an attacker to have local administrator privileges as well as developed and executed malicious microcode. Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2025
NSFocus: DeepSeek AI hit with 'well planned' DDoS attacks
Cybersecurity vendor NSFocus said AI startup DeepSeek endured multiple waves of DDoS attacks from attackers since its reasoning model was released Jan. 20. Continue Reading
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Podcast
30 Jan 2025
Risk & Repeat: DeepSeek security issues emerge
The introduction of DeepSeek's new generative AI models has been met with fervor, but security issues have created apparent challenges for the Chinese startup. Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2025
German police disrupt Cracked, Nulled cybercrime forums
Cracked and Nulled had a combined community of approximately 10 million users who used the sites to discuss cybercrime and sell malware and hacking tools. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jan 2025
Google details adversarial AI activity on Gemini
Google identified APTs from more than 20 nations misusing its Gemini AI chatbot but noted that threat actors were unsuccessful in finding novel techniques or vulnerabilities. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2025
DeepSeek claims 'malicious attacks' disrupting AI service
DeepSeek, which gained popularity recently for its AI platform, did not specify the cause of 'large-scale malicious attacks,' which continue to disrupt new account registrations. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2025
Apple zero-day vulnerability under attack on iOS devices
Apple said the zero-day vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-24085, affects its CoreMedia framework and 'may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 17.2.' Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Jan 2025
What is spyware?
Spyware is a type of malicious software (malware) that is installed on a computing device without the end user's knowledge. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2025
Former CSRB members largely silent on dismissal
The Cyber Safety Review Board was investigating recent attacks by Chinese state-sponsored threat actor Salt Typhoon when DHS terminated all advisory board memberships. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2025
DOJ indicts 5 individuals in North Korea IT worker scam
An unsealed indictment revealed threat actors working for North Korea tricked at least 64 U.S. businesses into hiring fake IT workers for financial and propriety data gains. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2025
Zero-day vulnerability in SonicWall SMA series under attack
SonicWall released a hotfix for a critical pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability in Secure Mobile Access 1000 products amidst reports of zero-day exploitation. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2025
Eclypsium finds security issues in Palo Alto Networks NGFWs
Eclypsium researchers stressed how essential supply chain security is as threat actors increasingly target and exploit vulnerabilities in firewalls, VPNs and other edge devices. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Jan 2025
What is hacktivism?
Hacktivism is the act of misusing a computer system or network for a socially or politically motivated reason. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2025
Threat actors abusing Microsoft Teams in ransomware attacks
Sophos researchers observed two separate threat campaigns in which attackers used Microsoft Teams to pose as IT support personnel and gain access to victims' systems. Continue Reading
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News
16 Jan 2025
Threat actor publishes data of 15K hacked FortiGate firewalls
Although the threat actor published the alleged stolen Fortinet FortiGate firewall data this week, the data is apparently tied to older zero-day exploitation from 2022. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Jan 2025
The mystery of the $75M ransom payment to Dark Angels
The Dark Angels gang stole 100 TB of data from a Fortune 50 company last year for a record-setting ransom payment. But the victim organization still hasn't disclosed those details. Continue Reading
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News
16 Jan 2025
ESET details UEFI Secure Boot bypass vulnerability
ESET researchers last year discovered an unsigned binary in a third-party UEFI application that could have been abused to bypass the Secure Boot process. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2025
FBI removes Chinese PlugX malware from 4,258 U.S. computers
The FBI did not inform individuals that it deleted PlugX malware from users' computers beforehand, citing the possibility of Chinese state-sponsored hackers making adjustments. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Jan 2025
What is password cracking?
Password cracking is the process of using an application program to identify an unknown or forgotten password that allows access to a computer or network resource. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2025
Attackers exploiting critical Fortinet zero-day vulnerability
Fortinet disclosed another zero-day vulnerability in its FortiOS and FortiProxy products days after Arctic Wolf detailed a threat campaign targeting the vendor's devices. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2025
CISA: BeyondTrust flaw CVE-2024-12686 exploited in the wild
BeyondTrust discovered the flaw last month while investigating breaches of a 'limited number' of SaaS customers at the hands of Chinese state-sponsored threat actors. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2025
Ivanti zero-day patching increases amid ongoing attacks
Recent scans conducted by the Shadowserver Foundation show many organizations have patched Ivanti instances vulnerable to CVE-2025-0282 over the last week. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2025
Mandiant links Ivanti zero-day exploitation to Chinese hackers
Mandiant warned users to be prepared for widespread exploitation of CVE-2025-0282 as Ivanti products have become a popular target for attackers in recent years. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2025
December ransomware attacks slam healthcare, public services
In December, one victim organization paid a $1.5 million ransom to restore services, while another continued to experience disruptions for more than one month following an attack. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2025
Critical Ivanti Connect Secure zero-day flaw under attack
Although Ivanti has seen exploitation of CVE-2025-0282 in only Ivanti Connect Secure instances, Ivanti Policy Secure and ZTA gateways are also vulnerable to the flaw. Continue Reading
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News
02 Jan 2025
Dozens of Chrome extensions hacked in threat campaign
Although data security vendor Cyberhaven disclosed that its Chrome extension was compromised on Dec. 24, additional research suggests the broader campaign could be months older. Continue Reading
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News
30 Dec 2024
10 of the biggest ransomware attacks in 2024
Ransomware attacks against U.S. organizations in 2024 disrupted healthcare systems, supply chains and government services and led to tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments. Continue Reading
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Podcast
23 Dec 2024
Risk & Repeat: The state of ransomware in 2024
Ransomware made major headlines in 2024, from the massive Change Healthcare attack to the creative takedown of the notorious LockBit ransomware-as-a-service gang. Continue Reading