Threats and vulnerabilities
Keeping up with the latest threats and vulnerabilities is a battle for any security pro. Get up-to-date information on email threats, nation-state attacks, phishing techniques, ransomware and malware, DDoS attacks, APTs, application vulnerabilities, zero-day exploits, malicious insiders and more.
Top Stories
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Tip
19 May 2025
AI model theft: Risk and mitigation in the digital era
Enterprises are spending big bucks on developing and training proprietary AI models. But cybercriminals are also eyeing this valuable intellectual property. Continue Reading
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Conference Coverage
16 May 2025
RSAC Conference 2025
Follow SearchSecurity's RSAC 2025 guide for insightful pre-conference insights and reports on notable presentations and breaking news at the world's biggest infosec event. Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2023
Cisco IOS XE instances still under attack, patch now
In the days since Cisco's initial disclosure, the networking giant found a second Cisco IOS XE zero-day as well as new evasion techniques being utilized by threat actors. Continue Reading
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Definition
24 Oct 2023
Plundervolt
Plundervolt is the name of an undervolting attack that targeted Intel central processing units (CPUs). Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Oct 2023
Top 10 tips for employees to prevent phishing attacks
Share this list of phishing techniques, detection and prevention tips, and best practices to help employees avoid falling victim to phishing schemes. Continue Reading
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News
19 Oct 2023
CISA, NSA, FBI publish phishing guidance
In its guidance, CISA focused on two primary goals of phishing attacks: obtaining login credentials, often via social engineering, and installing malware on target systems. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Oct 2023
Cybersecurity vs. cyber resilience: What's the difference?
Companies need cybersecurity and cyber-resilience strategies to protect against attacks and mitigate damage in the aftermath of a successful data breach. Continue Reading
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News
17 Oct 2023
Cisco IOS XE zero-day facing mass exploitation
VulnCheck said its public scanning for CVE-2023-20198 revealed that 'thousands' of internet-facing Cisco IOS XE systems have been compromised with malicious implants. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Oct 2023
Allowlisting vs. blocklisting: Benefits and challenges
Allowlisting and blocklisting are key components of access control. Learn the benefits and challenges of each approach and why a combination of the two is often the best strategy. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Oct 2023
SEO poisoning (search poisoning)
SEO poisoning, also known as 'search poisoning,' is a type of malicious advertising (malvertising) in which cybercriminals create malicious websites and then use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to cause the sites' links to show up prominently in search results, often as ads at the top of the results. Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2023
Cisco working on fix for critical IOS XE zero-day
Cisco designated the bug, CVE-2023-20198, with a CVSS score of 10 and said it was working on a patch, but advised customers to apply mitigations in the meantime. Continue Reading
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News
13 Oct 2023
Ransomware gang targets critical Progress WS_FTP Server bug
The vulnerability used in the failed ransomware attack, CVE-2023-40044, is a .NET deserialization vulnerability in Progress Software's WS_FTP Server with a CVSS score of 10. Continue Reading
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Answer
13 Oct 2023
What are the most important email security protocols?
Email was designed without security considerations. Email security protocols, including SMPTS, SPF and S/MIME, add mechanisms to keep messaging safe from threats. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Oct 2023
security awareness training
Security awareness training is a strategic approach IT and security professionals take to educate employees and stakeholders on the importance of cybersecurity and data privacy. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Oct 2023
Security posture management a huge challenge for IT pros
Enterprise Strategy Group's John Oltsik explains why executing security hygiene and posture management at scale remains an uphill battle for organizations, despite automation. Continue Reading
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News
04 Oct 2023
Critical Atlassian Confluence zero-day flaw under attack
Collaboration software vendor Atlassian urged customers with affected versions of Confluence Data Center and Server to apply patches for CVE-2023-22515 immediately. Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2023
Spyware vendor exploiting kernel flaw in Arm Mali GPU drivers
Arm Mali GPUs affected by CVE-2023-4211, which was discovered by Google researchers, include a wide range of Android phones as well as ChromeOS devices such as Chromebooks. Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2023
Ransomware disrupts hospitality, healthcare in September
Ransomware disclosures and reports last month were headlined by attacks on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, which proved costly to the Las Vegas hospitality giants. Continue Reading
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Definition
03 Oct 2023
security posture
Security posture refers to an organization's overall cybersecurity strength and how well it can predict, prevent and respond to ever-changing cyberthreats. Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2023
Openwall patches 3 of 6 Exim zero-day flaws
The Openwall Project urged users to upgrade to the latest version of Exim, but there have been timely patching struggles with the message transfer agent software in the past. Continue Reading
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Definition
02 Oct 2023
voice squatting
Voice squatting is an attack vector for voice user interfaces, or VUIs, that exploits homonyms -- words that sound the same, but are spelled differently -- and input errors -- words that are mispronounced. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Sep 2023
5 common browser attacks and how to prevent them
Browsers are critical components of any organization, especially with the rise of web apps. Security teams and users must, therefore, know how to avoid common browser attacks. Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2023
US, Japan warn China-linked 'BlackTech' targeting routers
CISA said BlackTech has targeted Cisco and other router makers by using a variety of tools and techniques to modify and even replace devices' firmware. Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2023
Cisco patches zero-day vulnerability under attack
Cisco said its Advanced Security Initiatives Group discovered the zero-day flaw while investigating attempted attacks on the vendor's Group Encrypted Transport VPN feature. Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2023
Clop MoveIt Transfer attacks affect over 2,000 organizations
According to research by security vendor Emsisoft, 2,095 organizations and 62,054,613 individuals have been affected by the Clop gang's attacks on MoveIt Transfer customers. Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2023
MSP shares details of Kaseya VSA ransomware attack, recovery
Progressive Computing was one of 60 victims of the Kaseya VSA ransomware attack in 2021. Now, a co-founder tells the story of discovery and recovery. Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2023
Apple issues emergency patches for 3 zero-day bugs
Apple said CVE-2023-41992, CVE-2023-41991 and CVE-2023-41993 -- all reported by Citizen Lab and Google researchers -- might have been exploited against versions of iOS before 16.7. Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2023
Okta: Caesars, MGM hacked in social engineering campaign
Identity management vendor Okta had previously disclosed that four unnamed customers had fallen victim to a social engineering campaign that affected victims' MFA protections. Continue Reading
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Podcast
19 Sep 2023
Risk & Repeat: MGM, Caesars casino hacks disrupt Las Vegas
This podcast episode compares the cyber attacks suffered by casino giants MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment in recent weeks and the fallout from them. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Sep 2023
How to remove ransomware, step by step
Prevention is key when it comes to ransomware infections. But there are ways to recover data if a device is compromised. Uncover four key steps to ransomware removal. Continue Reading
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News
19 Sep 2023
Veeam leads funding round for SaaS backup provider Alcion
Analysts say that while both Alcion and Veeam offer Microsoft 365 backup, there is enough difference in the products and enough need in the data protection market. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Sep 2023
How CIOs can build cybersecurity teamwork across leadership
Cross-departmental relationships are key to long-term business success. Discover why CIOs must focus on teamwork with these three C-suite roles for highly effective cybersecurity. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Sep 2023
triple extortion ransomware
Triple extortion ransomware is a type of ransomware attack where a cybercriminal extorts their victim multiple times, namely by encrypting data, exfiltrating data to expose and threatening a third attack vector. Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2023
Browser companies patch critical zero-day vulnerability
While attack details remain unknown, Chrome, Edge and Firefox users are being urged to update their browsers as an exploit for CVE-2023-4863 lurks in the wild. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Sep 2023
double extortion ransomware
Double extortion ransomware is a novel form of malware that combines ransomware with elements of extortionware to maximize the victim's potential payout. Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2023
Cisco VPN flaw faces attempted Akira ransomware attacks
Cisco said it became aware of 'attempted exploitation' last month and referenced an Aug. 24 security advisory saying its VPNs were under attack by the Akira ransomware gang. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Sep 2023
distributed ledger technology (DLT)
Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is a digital system for recording the transaction of assets in which the transactions and their details are recorded in multiple places at the same time. Continue Reading
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News
05 Sep 2023
Ransomware attacks on education sector spike in August
While data breach notifications for MoveIt Transfer customers continued to rise, August also saw ransomware ramp up against schools and universities as classes resumed. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Sep 2023
email security
Email security is the process of ensuring the availability, integrity and authenticity of email communications by protecting against unauthorized access and email threats. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Aug 2023
Malware vs. ransomware: What's the difference?
Ransomware is a type of malware, or malicious software. While all ransomware is malware, not all malware is ransomware. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Aug 2023
How to recover from a ransomware attack
With a ransomware recovery plan, organizations can act quickly to prevent data loss without descending into chaos. Learn the six steps to incorporate into your plan. Continue Reading
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News
30 Aug 2023
FBI, Justice Department dismantle Qakbot malware
The FBI operation, one of the largest U.S.-led botnet disruption efforts ever, included international partners such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Continue Reading
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Guest Post
30 Aug 2023
SEC cyber attack regulations prompt 10 questions for CISOs
New SEC regulations governing the disclosure of cyber attacks by public companies lead to 10 questions board members should ask their CISOs about managing cyber-risk. Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2023
Microsoft Teams attack exposes collab platform security gaps
Criminal and state-sponsored hackers are ramping up cyberattacks on instant messaging platforms and other workplace collaboration tools. Meanwhile, enterprises' readiness lags. Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2023
Mandiant reveals new backdoors used in Barracuda ESG attacks
Further investigations show threat actors were prepared for Barracuda Networks' remediation efforts, including an action notice to replace all compromised devices. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Aug 2023
Enterprise dark web monitoring: Why it's worth the investment
Getting an early warning that your data has been compromised is a key benefit of dark web monitoring, but there are many more. By knowing your enemies, you can better protect your assets. Continue Reading
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News
24 Aug 2023
FBI: Suspected Chinese actors continue Barracuda ESG attacks
The alert comes after Barracuda Networks issued an advisory stating that patches for CVE-2023-2868 were insufficient and all affected ESG devices need to be replaced. Continue Reading
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News
23 Aug 2023
Sophos: RDP played a part in 95% of attacks in H1 2023
While Sophos observed increasing activity around Active Directory and Remote Desktop Protocol abuse, it recommended simple mitigation steps can limit the attack surface. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Aug 2023
network vulnerability scanning
Network vulnerability scanning is the process of inspecting and reporting potential vulnerabilities and security loopholes on a computer, network, web application or other device, including firewalls, switches, routers and wireless access points. Continue Reading
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News
22 Aug 2023
Ivanti issues fix for third zero-day flaw exploited in the wild
CVE-2023-38035 is the latest Ivanti zero-day vulnerability to be exploited in the wild. The vendor has released a series of remediation recommendations. Continue Reading
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News
17 Aug 2023
CISA, vendors warn Citrix ShareFile flaw under attack
A vulnerability in the managed file transfer product that enterprises use is being actively exploited two months after Citrix released a fix. Continue Reading
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Podcast
17 Aug 2023
Risk & Repeat: Highlights from Black Hat USA 2023
Black Hat USA 2023 in Las Vegas covered several trends, such as generative AI and cloud security issues, as well as new vulnerabilities, including the Downfall flaw in Intel chips. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Aug 2023
How to use dynamic reverse engineering for embedded devices
In this excerpt from 'Practical Hardware Pentesting,' read step-by-step instructions on how to find vulnerabilities on IoT devices using dynamic reverse engineering. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Aug 2023
Why using ransomware negotiation services is worth a try
If stakeholders decide to pay ransom demands, using a ransomware negotiation service could improve the situation's outcome and lower the payout. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2023
Coalition looks to bridge gap between CISOs, cyber insurance
While carriers and CISOs agree cyber insurance has contributed to better security postures, Coalition said the relationship needs to stronger as threat evolve and intensify. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2023
Onapsis researchers detail new SAP security threats
At Black Hat 2023, Onapsis researchers demonstrated how attackers could chain a series of SAP vulnerabilities impacting the P4 protocol to gain root access to a target network. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2023
Google unveils 'Downfall' attacks, vulnerability in Intel chips
Google researcher Daniel Moghimi first reported CVE-2022-40982 and the resulting data leak attacks to Intel in August 2022, but it's taken nearly 12 months to disclose the flaw. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Aug 2023
insecure deserialization
Insecure deserialization is a vulnerability in which untrusted or unknown data is used to inflict a denial-of-service attack, execute code, bypass authentication or otherwise abuse the logic behind an application. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Aug 2023
8 vulnerability management tools to consider in 2023
Vulnerability management tools help organizations identify and remediate system and application weaknesses and more. Choose your tool -- or tools -- carefully. Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2023
MoveIt Transfer attacks dominate July ransomware disclosures
Traditional ransomware attacks took a back seat last month, as Clop operators continued to claim victims from the zero-day attacks on MoveIt Transfer customers. Continue Reading
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Podcast
03 Aug 2023
Risk & Repeat: Microsoft takes heat over Storm-0558 attacks
The Storm-0558 attacks have raised questions about Microsoft's response to a cloud flaw and a stolen MSA key that was used to compromise customer email accounts. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2023
CISA details backdoor malware used in Barracuda ESG attacks
CISA said Friday that 'Submarine' is a novel persistent backdoor used in attacks against Barracuda Email Security Gateway appliances vulnerable to CVE-2023-2868. Continue Reading
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Opinion
31 Jul 2023
Lenovo's latest heavy on flash, security for enterprise storage
Lenovo's concentration on QLC flash, hybrid cloud and ransomware protection in its latest hardware and software offerings should aid enterprise buyers. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jul 2023
Google: 41 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in 2022
While attackers increasingly exploited zero-day flaws last year, one of the most notable findings from the report emphasized how inadequate patches led to new variants. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jul 2023
How to avoid LinkedIn phishing attacks in the enterprise
Organizations and users need to be vigilant about spotting LinkedIn phishing attacks by bad actors on the large business social media platform. Learn how to foil the attempts. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2023
Ivanti EPMM zero-day vulnerability exploited in wild
A zero-day authentication bypass vulnerability in Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile was exploited in a cyber attack against a Norwegian government agency. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2023
Coveware: Rate of victims paying ransom continues to plummet
Incident response firm Coveware said 34% of ransomware victims paid the ransom in Q2 2023, a sharp decline from last quarter and an enormous decline from 2020 and 2019. Continue Reading
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Opinion
24 Jul 2023
IBM FlashSystem 5045 aids access to storage cyber resilience
As ransomware and other cyber attacks persist, enterprises should prioritize cyber resilience. IBM's FlashSystem 5045 improves accessibility for that protection. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Jul 2023
API keys: Weaknesses and security best practices
API keys are not a replacement for API security. They only offer a first step in authentication -- and they require additional security measures to keep them protected. Continue Reading
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Podcast
20 Jul 2023
Risk & Repeat: Are data extortion attacks ransomware?
Ransomware gangs are focusing more on data theft and extortion, while skipping the encryption of networks. But should these attacks still be considered ransomware? Continue Reading
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News
19 Jul 2023
Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway flaw exploited in the wild
Critical remote code execution flaw CVE-2023-3519 was one of three vulnerabilities in Citrix's NetScaler ADC and Gateway. Customers are urged to patch their instances. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jul 2023
Multiple Adobe ColdFusion flaws exploited in the wild
One of the Adobe ColdFusion flaws exploited in the wild, CVE-2023-38203, was a zero-day bug that security vendor Project Discovery inadvertently published. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Jul 2023
Ransomware case study: Recovery can be painful
In ransomware attacks, backups can save the day and the data. Even so, recovery can still be expensive and painful, depending on the approach. Learn more in this case study. Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Jul 2023
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 or remediating the attack. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jul 2023
XSS zero-day flaw in Zimbra Collaboration Suite under attack
A manual workaround is currently available for a cross-site scripting vulnerability in Zimbra Collaboration Suite, though a patch won't be available until later this month. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jul 2023
Microsoft: Government agencies breached in email attacks
While Microsoft mitigated the attacks and found no evidence of further access beyond the email accounts, the Outlook breaches raised questions for the software giant. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jul 2023
Russia-based actor exploited unpatched Office zero day
Microsoft investigated an ongoing phishing campaign that leverages Word documents to deliver malicious attachments to targeted organizations in the U.S. and Europe. Continue Reading
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Podcast
11 Jul 2023
Risk & Repeat: How bad is Clop's MoveIt Transfer campaign?
Clop's data theft and extortion campaign against MoveIt Transfer customers marks some of the most high-profile threat activity this year, but its success level remains unclear. Continue Reading
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News
11 Jul 2023
Clop's MoveIt Transfer attacks lead to mixed results
Clop's data theft extortion campaign against MoveIt Transfer customers has apparently compromised hundreds of organizations. But it's unclear how many victims have paid ransoms. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Jul 2023
How to map security gaps to the Mitre ATT&CK framework
Mapping security gaps to the Mitre ATT&CK framework enables SOC teams to prioritize, remediate and eliminate vulnerabilities before malicious actors exploit them. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jul 2023
Enterprise risk management should inform cyber-risk strategies
Cyber-risk doesn't exist in a vacuum. By understanding the broader enterprise risk management landscape, CISOs can make decisions that best serve the business. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jul 2023
CISA: Truebot malware infecting networks in U.S., Canada
CISA warned of Truebot attacks in a joint advisory alongside the FBI, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Continue Reading
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News
05 Jul 2023
June saw flurry of ransomware attacks on education sector
As the school year culminated, ransomware attacks surged across K-12 schools and universities, causing class disruptions and putting sensitive data at risk. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Jul 2023
WannaCry ransomware
WannaCry ransomware is a cyber attack that spreads by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system. Continue Reading
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News
30 Jun 2023
TSMC partner breached by LockBit ransomware gang
A cyber attack against Chinese systems integrator Kinmax led to the theft of TSMC proprietary data, which LockBit threatened to publish unless TSMC paid a $70 million ransom. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jun 2023
How API gateways improve API security
API gateways keep APIs secure by providing rate limiting, DDoS protection and more. Learn more about these benefits, along with API gateway security best practices. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2023
Apple patches zero days used in spyware attacks on Kaspersky
Two Apple zero days were used in the spyware campaign Kaspersky Lab named 'Operation Triangulation,' which was initially discovered on iOS devices of Kaspersky employees. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jun 2023
May ransomware activity rises behind 8base, LockBit gangs
LockBit was the most active group last month, but NCC Group researchers were surprised by 8base, which started listing victims from attacks that occurred beginning in April 2022. Continue Reading
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Podcast
20 Jun 2023
Risk & Repeat: More victims emerge from MoveIt Transfer flaw
CISA last week said several federal agencies suffered data breaches resulting from a MoveIt Transfer zero-day vulnerability, though it's unclear what type of data was stolen. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Jun 2023
Implement zero trust to improve API security
Not all organizations have an API security strategy in place. Using zero trust in API security is one way to protect APIs and reduce their changes of being attacked. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2023
Attackers discovering exposed cloud assets within minutes
Cloud security vendor Orca Security used honeypots to learn more about how threat actors compromise cloud resources such as misconfigured AWS S3 buckets and GitHub repositories. Continue Reading
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News
16 Jun 2023
U.S. government agencies breached via MoveIt Transfer flaw
CISA Director Jen Easterly said 'several' U.S. agencies suffered intrusions via their MoveIt Transfer instances, but have not seen significant effects from the attacks. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jun 2023
Use IoT hardening to secure vulnerable connected devices
IoT and industrial IoT innovation continue to thrive, but IoT device security continues to be an afterthought. Companies should harden connected devices to remain protected. Continue Reading
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Podcast
15 Jun 2023
Risk & Repeat: Mandiant sheds light on Barracuda ESG attacks
Barracuda Networks attempted to fix the critical ESG zero-day vulnerability, but a Chinese nation-state threat actor was able to maintain access on compromised devices. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jun 2023
State governments among victims of MoveIT Transfer breach
The Clop ransomware gang, which claimed responsibility for multiple data breaches tied to the MoveIT Transfer flaw, said it would delete data stolen from government agencies. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2023
Fortinet warns critical VPN vulnerability 'may' be under attack
Fortinet said the heap buffer overflow flaw might have been exploited already and warned that Chinese nation-state threat group Volt Typhoon would likely attack the vulnerability. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2023
Mandiant: New VMware ESXi zero-day used by Chinese APT
VMware said the ESXi flaw was 'low severity' despite being under active exploitation because it requires the attacker to already have gained root access on the target's system. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jun 2023
Benefits of risk-based vulnerability management over legacy VM
Risk-based vulnerability management not only offers a proactive way to identify vulnerable assets, but it also helps prevent alert fatigue and improve patch prioritization. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2023
MoveIT Transfer attacks highlight SQL injection risks
Security vendors say SQL injection flaws, like the zero-day vulnerability recently disclosed by Progress Software, can be challenging for companies to identify and resolve. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2023
Veeam execs examine backup and security blend, other trends
Veeam leaders break down how cybersecurity issues have changed the data protection conversation. The discussion also details future plans, such as in SaaS backup and potential IPO. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jun 2023
Cisco generative AI heads to Security Cloud, Webex
Cisco plans to release generative AI features in the Webex platform and Security Cloud this year. Together, the products tighten security for remote workers. Continue Reading
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Podcast
08 Jun 2023
Risk & Repeat: Moveit Transfer flaw triggers data breaches
Several organizations, predominantly in the U.K., have confirmed data breaches that stemmed from exploitation of the critical Moveit Transfer zero-day vulnerability. Continue Reading