At a glance.
- Port of Nagoya closes over ransomware attack.
- Mergers and acquisitions.
- Noteworthy US Federal contracts.
- Investments and exits.
- Executive moves.
- Company news.
- Labor markets.
Port of Nagoya closes over ransomware attack.
The Port of Nagoya, Japan's busiest ocean terminal, sustained a ransomware attack against the Nagoya Port Unified Terminal System on July 4th, BleepingComputer reports. Nikkei Asia says the issue came to light when a port employee noticed anomalies in his system. Investigation revealed the cause to be a ransomware infestation. The port authority is working to restore service and expects to have done so by tomorrow morning. In the meantime most container operations at the port have been suspended. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which remains under investigation.
Mergers and acquisitions.
Cisco has acquired the private broadband-network monitoring company SamKnows for an undisclosed price. NetworkWorld reports, “SamKnows technology will be integrated into Cisco’s ThousandEyes cloud-based network intelligence software that analyzes everything from the performance of local and wide-area networks to ISP, cloud, and collaboration-application performance to the health of the internet.”
Reveald and Epiphany Systems have completed their strategic merger which will operate under the Reveald name. AIthority explains, “The merger creates an innovative convergence of technology and expertise, well-equipped to assist security teams in protecting their organizations from ever-evolving cyber threats. Leveraging the AI-powered Epiphany platform, Reveald’s solutions integrate predictive AI with human expertise to deliver attack path identification, continuous monitoring, and rapid remediation. This approach minimizes risk, trims operational costs, and boosts operational efficiency through consistent and predictable maturity enhancements.”
The Information reported that, in February of 2023, Nvidia had acquired OmniML, a startup which developed methods to shrink machine learning models for implementation on devices rather than on a cloud architecture. The Information writes, “The acquisition could be a sign that the chipmaker, whose data-center server chips have fueled a recent AI boom and enabled chatbots including ChatGPT, wants to improve its separate AI chips for cars, industrial robots and drones.”
AIthority reports that Bitdefender announced its intention to acquire Horangi Cyber Security. Details of the price of acquisition have not yet been released.
Noteworthy US Federal contracts.
The US Army has awarded $36.7 million to Lockheed Martin in an Electronic Warfare Cyber System contract. “The Terrestrial Layer System (TLS) – Echelons Above Brigade (TLS-EAB) program, is designed as part of the multi-platform TLS family of systems specifically developed to support cross-platform collaboration to provide optimized and integrated Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Electronic Warfare (EW), and Cyberspace support operations to Joint All Domain Operational (JADO) enabled forces,” reported MeriTalk. As C4ISRNet reports, Locheed Martin won this contract over General Dynamics Mission Systems.
Investments and exits.
IP Fabric has announced that it has closed its Series B funding round, securing close to $25 million. One Peak led the funding followed by Senevo and Presto Ventures. Cision reports, “This will fuel IP Fabric's mission of making network assurance ubiquitous so that people, businesses, and governments can operate without the exponential risk of network failures or outages.”
Cyware reports that it has raised $30 million in Series C funding led by Ten Eleven Ventures. Advent International, Zscaler, Emerald Development Managers, Prelude (a venture practice at Mercato Partners), and Great Road Holdings also participated in the funding. Cyware writes, “The Series C financing comes as Cyware has experienced strong year-over-year growth propelled by robust market adoption, excellent customer retention, and extraordinarily large market access.”
Amazon Web Services announced that it would be investing $100 million in what has been dubbed the Generative AI and Machine Learning Center. CIO reports, “The new program will connect AWS AI and machine learning (ML) experts with enterprises to help them envision, design, and launch new generative AI products, services, and processes, the company said, adding that these applications can be targeted at industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services among others.”
Executive moves.
Alec Newell, former General Dynamics senior strategy and business development manager, has been named as NetCentrics’ new Business Development Vice President.
Quorum cyber named Paul Vasques as Vice President of Alliances and Partnerships.
Company news.
Microsoft’s OpenAI has picked London as its first out-of-US office. Computing writes, “The move aligns with Rishi Sunak's efforts to position Britain as a leading global hub for AI development.”
Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC was the victim of a third party data breach. TSMC told the Register that one of its third-party equipment suppliers, Kinmax, was the source of the breach. SecurityWeek quotes TSMC as stating, “At TSMC, every hardware component undergoes a series of extensive checks and adjustments, including security configurations, before being installed into TSMC’s system. Upon review, this incident has not affected TSMC’s business operations, nor did it compromise any TSMC’s customer information. After the incident, TSMC has immediately terminated its data exchange with this concerned supplier in accordance with the Company’s security protocols and standard operating procedures. TSMC remains committed to enhancing the security awareness among its suppliers and making sure they comply with security standards. This cybersecurity incident is currently under investigation that involves a law enforcement agency.”
Kinmax said in a statement, “The leaked content mainly consisted of system installation preparation that the company provided to our customers as default configurations. We would like to express our sincere apologies to the affected customers, as the leaked information contained their names which may have caused some inconvenience.”
Labor markets.
The Cipher Brief released an opinion piece which highlights the value of government agencies recruiting alumni from the Intelligence Community (IC). “Former employees of these agencies are still advancing the cybersecurity mission and shaping the field. A mathematician who once broke foreign cryptographic systems now researches quantum-safe cryptography in academia; a former intelligence analyst is disrupting malign nation-state cyber activity at a tech company; and alumni working in product management or customer-facing roles are building best-practice cybersecurity philosophies into products and the operationalization processes supporting them,” writes The Cipher Brief. “The allure of private sector compensation may keep alumni from returning as government employees, but a concerted alumni engagement strategy can leverage their rich experience to enhance national security in cyberspace, where private and public sector boundaries are increasingly blurred.”
The Cipher Brief put an emphasis on treating former employees as potential assets which, if recruited, could provide critical insights into the cybersecurity field. “Embrace former employees as potential assets, not counterintelligence threats. In addition to the necessary security outreach, such as reminders of lifelong obligations like pre-publication review, the government can also provide alumni with curricula to lead cybersecurity awareness programs and with training on recruitment. A collaborative effort between agencies and their alumni can tell the agency’s story or deepen public-private partnerships while protecting classified information and impropriety,” it writes. Hiring back the alumni isn’t the only option, as agencies could create an alumni outreach program which would allow for unclassified briefings, and networking opportunities. These networking groups could even help with recruiting new employees, as the alumni are likely in contact with many bright minded individuals who could be interested in working for the government.