Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Some Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Services Restored After Hourslong Global Outage (Wall Street Journal) The problems appeared to be linked to a change the company made to networking instructions for how the world accesses its systems, according to outside experts.
Facebook's services start coming back online after outage (CNN) Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all suffered outages midday Monday, according to public statements from the three Facebook services.
Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram are all experiencing outages (Quartz) The global outage comes in the midst of heightened scrutiny toward Facebook and its effects on users.
Why Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp All Went Down Today (Wired) The problem relates to something called BGP routing, and it took down every part of Facebook's business.
Facebook Is Crippled by Outages Across Apps, Employee Systems (Bloomberg) CTO says ‘networking issues’ knocked platforms offline. Social media company roiling from whistle-blower revelations.
Here’s What Facebook Says Triggered the Massive Outage on Its Apps (Bloomberg) Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram were down for hours on Monday. Mark Zuckerberg apologizes in wake of unprecedented downtime.
PSA: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp went down for 6+ hours; here's why [U] (9to5Mac) It's not just you: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were down for more than 6 hours around the world. Here's what you need to know...
Gone in Minutes, Out for Hours: Outage Shakes Facebook (New York Times) When apps used by billions of people worldwide blinked out, lives were disrupted, businesses were cut off from customers — and some Facebook employees were locked out of their offices.
Understanding How Facebook Disappeared from the Internet (Cloudflare) “Facebook can't be down, can it?”, we thought, for a second.
What is BGP, and how might it have helped kick Facebook off the internet? (The Verge) The tech that runs (and sometimes breaks) the internet.
What Happened to Facebook, Instagram, & WhatsApp? (KrebsOnSecurity) Facebook and its sister properties Instagram and WhatsApp are suffering from ongoing, global outages. We don't yet know why this happened, but the how is clear: Earlier this morning, something inside Facebook caused the company to revoke key digital records…
Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram are all experiencing outages (Quartz) The global outage comes in the midst of heightened scrutiny toward Facebook and its effects on users.
Chart Talk: Facebook outage impacted a third of the world (SeekingAlpha) Facebook (FB) is up after an outage yesterday the company says was caused by a configuration change to its backbone routers.
Millions of people rely on Facebook to get online. The outage left them stranded. (MIT Technology Review) For huge parts of the world, Facebook is synonymous with the internet.
AvosLocker ransomware gang to auction the data of victims who don't pay (The Record by Recorded Future) The operators of the AvosLocker ransomware gang have updated their website to create a system through which they plan to auction off the data of hacked companies that refuse to pay ransom demands.
1.5 billion Facebook users' personal information allegedly posted for sale (Newsweek) The information posted by hackers appeared to be legitimate, but there is reason to suspect that it might have been a scam.
Data of Over 1.5 Billion Facebook Users Sold on Hacker Forum (Privacy Affairs) Data on over 1.5 billion Facebook users is being sold on a hacking-related forum, enabling cybercriminals advertisers to target users.
Shakira, Elton John Among Stars Named in Pandora Papers (Bloomberg) Some had more than $10 million in offshore accounts
Foreign Money Secretly Floods U.S. Tax Havens. Some of It is Tainted. (Washington Post) Moguls and others linked to money laundering, corruption and worker exploitation chose U.S. over the world’s traditional tax havens.
Rogue Americans Stashed Assets Offshore Eluding Victims and Impeding Investigations (Washington Post) An alleged murderer, a mob associate and a child sex offender protected their U.S. wealth in Belize tax haven, records show
Expired Let's Encrypt Root Certificate Causes Problems for Many Companies (SecurityWeek) A root certificate used by Let’s Encrypt expired on September 30 and, despite being notified a long time in advance, many companies experienced problems.
PoC Exploit Released for macOS Gatekeeper Bypass (SecurityWeek) F-Secure has released proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code for a macOS Gatekeeper bypass that Apple patched in April this year.
Atom Silo ransomware actors use Confluence exploit, DLL side-load for stealthy attack (Sophos News) A new ransomware operator uses stealthy techniques, but borrows heavily from other players.
New Atom Silo ransomware targets vulnerable Confluence servers (BleepingComputer) Atom Silo, a newly spotted ransomware group, is targeting a recently patched and actively exploited Confluence Server and Data Center vulnerability to deploy their ransomware payloads.
Atom Silo ransomware operators target vulnerable Confluence servers (ZDNet) A weaponized exploit used by the cybercriminals was only disclosed in August.
Ministries of Foreign Affairs most targeted in the credential harvesting campaign (Atlas VPN) Some threat actors work for the state, and their job is to target other countries’ government administrations with cyberattacks. By doing so, hackers can steal sensitive classified information, which might be essential to the Ministries of the attacked country.
How corporate data and secrets leak from GitHub repositories (CSO Online) Attackers constantly search public code repositories like GitHub for secrets developers might inadvertently leave behind, and any tiny mistake can be exploited.
A major telecom company that partners with AT&T and Verizon said hackers had access to its system for over 5 years, exposing billions of texts (Business Insider) Syniverse, which is used by companies like AT&T and Verizon, revealed that hackers had been inside its system for years, affecting millions of users.
New Axis OS Security Research Aided by Transparent Design (Nozomi Networks) In this blog, we publish three new vulnerabilities (CVE-2021-31986, CVE-2021-31987, CVE-2021-31988) affecting all Axis devices based on the embedded Axis OS. This follows our earlier work on vulnerability research on IoT video camera platforms published here.
Pottawatomie County Fixing Systems After Ransomware Attack (SecurityWeek) Computer systems are being restored in Pottawatomie County are after hackers launched a ransomware attack on Sept. 17. The county resolved the attack by paying less than 10% of the hackers’ original demands
Pottawatomie Co. paid $71,000 to resolve cyber attack (JC Post) The cyberattack investigation of Pottawatomie County IT systems continues, and all County offices are open and serving the
Lewiston cyber attack underscores threat City paid $60K ransom only to be extorted again (Fillmore County Journal) This was not what Bobby Falcon had in mind for his third week on the job as Lewiston city administrator. He came in on the morning of July 22 to find his staff locked out of the city’s network, the only place where some of its most important files were stored. It was crippling.
After Cyber Attack, Classes Resume at Washington Adventist U (NBC4 Washington) The private university in Takoma Park, Maryland, said some sensitive data may have been exposed. News4’s Justin Finch reports.
Master of High Court apologises for DoJ data breach as services impacted (Eyewitness News) A legal practitioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the service at the Master's Office was already slow during the COVID-19 pandemic but the cyber breach had made the situation even worse.
Vulnerability Summary for the Week of September 27, 2021 (CISA) The CISA Vulnerability Bulletin provides a summary of new vulnerabilities that have been recorded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Vulnerability Database (NVD) in the past week. NVD is sponsored by CISA. In some cases, the vulnerabilities in the bulletin may not yet have assigned CVSS scores. Please visit NVD for updated vulnerability entries, which include CVSS scores once they are available.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
How to make sense of Microsoft’s upcoming mail security changes (Computerworld) Microsoft is cutting off some versions of Outlook from Microsoft 365 and Office 365 next month. And it plans more security moves a year from now that could affect how email is handled. Time to plan ahead.
Microsoft: Unsupported PCs May Not Get Windows 11 Security Updates (CRN) Microsoft is allowing PCs to install Windows 11 even if they don’t meet the minimum system requirements, but such PCs may not receive security updates, the company said.
Microsoft rolls out Windows 11 with refreshed look and feel (Computing) Windows 11 includes a redesigned Start menu, new user interface and an overhauled Microsoft Store
Trends
Scam messages are damaging your reputation (Callsign) Is your technology keeping your customers safe – or driving them away?
Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Explore. Experience. Share. (NIST) This week’s blog post highlighting Cybersecurity Awareness Month kicks off our series and is from NIST’s Dave Temoshok, Senior Advisor in the Information Technology Laboratory Applied Cybersecurity Division. In this post, Dave discusses how to “Be Cyber Smart” with passwords by using Multifactor Authentication best practices.
The State of App Security Report (Repair Outlet) A 2017 study found that there were over 2,200 attempted cyber attacks every day, boiling down to about 1 every 39 seconds. Given how much cybercrime has expanded since then, it’s probably safe to say this figure is now much higher.
Marketplace
Mandiant Confirms Name Change from FireEye, Inc. to Mandiant, Inc. (Mandiant) Mandiant, Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE), the leader in dynamic cyber defense and response, today announced that its corporate name change from FireEye, Inc. is now effective. The company has rebranded as Mandiant, Inc. and its Nasdaq common stock ticker symbol will change to MNDT from FEYE at the open of trading tomorrow, October 5, 2021.
Coalition Completes Acquisition of Attune Insurance (Coalition) Coalition offers comprehensive cyber insurance coverage, cybersecurity tools, and 24/7 incident response.
MasterPeace Solutions Acquires Full Suite Solutions (FSS), Brings Proven Business Model and Expertise to Northern Virginia (BusinessWire) MasterPeace Solutions announced its acquisition of Full Suite Solutions (FSS). They also added Jeanine Callahan as SVP of Technology Services.
New Cybereason Subsidiary Empowers U.S. Government Agencies to Detect Malicious Operations Faster (Cybereason) New Cybereason Subsidiary Empowers U.S. Government Agencies to Detect Malicious Operations Faster
Duality nabs $30M for its privacy-focused data collaboration tools, built using homomorphic encryption (TechCrunch) Duality, a startup founded by groundbreaking cryptographers and data scientists that is building tools to make it easier for companies to share data and collaborate with each other without compromising sensitive information, has raised some funding on the back of some significant early deals, inclu…
Panorays Closes $42 Million Series B Funding Round (Intelligent Insurer) The funding comes on the heels of 500% growth in its client base.
Cybersecurity M&A Roundup: 43 Deals Announced in September 2021 (SecurityWeek) The number of cybersecurity-related mergers and acquisitions announced in the past months has remained constant, with roughly 40 deals announced in September 2021 as well.
Attivo Networks Announces Commitment to Global Efforts Advocating for Cybersecurity and Online Behavior Change During Cybersecurity Awareness Month (Valdosta Daily Times) Attivo Networks today announced its commitment to Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held annually in October, by signing up as a 2021 Champion and joining a growing global effort to promote online safety and privacy awareness.
Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Proofpoint as the Global Email Security Market Leader for the Seventh Consecutive Year (Proofpoint) Proofpoint, Inc., a leading cybersecurity and compliance company, today announced it was awarded the 2021 Best Practices Global Market Leadership Award in Email Security by Frost & Sullivan.
Scandal-hit NSO Backs International Spyware Rules (International Business Times) Scandal-hit NSO backs international spyware rules
Lockton Financial Services Announces New Team to Lead Its Cyber Practice in the Pacific Region (Lockton) Lockton Financial Services Announces New Team to Lead Its Cyber Practice in the Pacific Region
Goodwin Boosts Data, Privacy, & Cybersecurity Team with Industry Leaders Omer Tene and Lore Leitner (Goodwin Law) Global law firm Goodwin announced today that Omer Tene and Lore Leitner will join the Data, Privacy & Cybersecurity practice as partners, resident in the firm’s Boston and London offices, respectively. Tene and Leitner will be joined by associates Josephine Jay and Annabel Loose in London.
SynSaber Announces Appointment of Michael Quigley as Chief Architect (BusinessWire) SynSaber, an industrial asset and network monitoring solution provider, announces software industry veteran Michael Quigley as Chief Architect
Ivanti Names Software Industry Veteran Jeff Abbott as New CEO and Strengthens Board with New Appointments (Ivanti) Appointments provide continuity for execution of Ivanti’s extraordinary strategic growth plans and mission of making the secure Everywhere Workplace possible for people and organizations globally
Products, Services, and Solutions
Microsoft Security's Afternoon Cyber Tea Podcast with Ann Johnson joins the CyberWire Network (PR Newswire) The CyberWire announced today that Microsoft Security's popular, long-running podcast, "Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson," is joining the...
NINJIO Now Available on VIZIO WatchFree+, VIZIO’s Free Streaming Service on SmartCast | NINJIO (NINJIO) NINJIO, an award-winning cybersecurity awareness training company, announced today that the NINJIO channel is now streaming on VIZIO (NYSE: VZIO) SmartCast TVs.
Sepio Systems Announces Integration with Guardicore Centra to Defend Tier-One Bank Against Newest Cyber Attacks (PR Newswire) Sepio Systems, the leader in Zero Trust Hardware Access (ZTHA), today announced that its flagship HAC-1 solution has been integrated with...
MSAB enables investigators to acquire mobile data from more devices while emphasizing the right to privacy for victims (GlobeNewswire News Room) MSAB, a world leader in mobile forensics, announces the third major XRY release for 2021. The updated mobile forensics solution for digital data recovery,...
Tanium Risk offers customers a real-time view of risk posture across their organization (Help Net Security) Tanium launched Tanium Risk to offer customers a comprehensive, near real-time view of risk posture across their organization.
Microsec.ai Launches First Solution to Deliver Agentless Runtime Protection for Multi-cloud Infrastructure as a Service (PR Newswire) Microsec.ai exited stealth today with the industry's first solution to deliver runtime protection for cloud-native applications that includes...
Visteon and BlackBerry Expand Efforts to Support Automotive Industry Transformation to Digital Cockpit Solutions (BlackBerry) Visteon Corporation and BlackBerry Limited today announced an expansion of their collaborative work to accelerate the deployment of digital cockpit solutions for automakers and suppliers around the world.
Coalfire FedRAMP 360 faster path to certification (Coalfire.com) From Strategy to Deployment, Managed Service Solution Accelerates Time-to-Market by 80%
ExtraHop Introduces New Proactive Threat Hunting and Network Assurance Services (ExtraHop) Expanded Reveal(x) Advisor services help organizations proactively manage cybersecurity hygiene and accelerate incident response
XSOC CORP's ‘XSOC Cryptosystem’ is Awarded FIPS 140-2 Certification (BusinessWire) XSOC CORP, a leading developer of extensible, secure, optimized cryptographic tools, platforms and protocols announced today that the NVLAP Lab testin
Qualys Offers Free Ransomware Risk Assessment & Remediation Service (WJHG) New service, leveraging analysis from Qualys researchers, delivers a ransomware focused, prescriptive plan with patch deployment to help organizations reduce risk
Infosec products of the month: September 2021 (Help Net Security) The featured infosec products this month are from: Attivo Networks, Absolute, Anomali, Alation, Cyware, Code42, Commvault, and more.
Typetec to offer Darktrace’s AI-powered security systems in Ireland (Silicon Republic) Irish IT company Typetec will implement and support Darktrace’s tools among its client base, alongside its existing cybersecurity offerings.
Darktrace technology named ‘AI Cyber Product of the Year’ at UK National Cyber Awards 2021 for second year (Cambridge Network) Darktrace, a global leader in cyber security AI, has announced that its Self-Learning AI has been named ‘AI Cyber Product of the Year’ at the National Cyber Awards 2021, for the second year in a row.
SEACOM selects NETSCOUT to offer managed DDOS services to customers in Kenya and South Africa | Africanews (Africanews) NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (Netscout.com), (NASDAQ: NTCT), a leading provider of security, service assurance, and business analytics, and Africa's leading broadband internet provider SEACOM (SEACOM.co.za), today
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
Raising the colors: Signaling for cooperation on maritime cybersecurity (Atlantic Council) Few industries are as critical to the global economy as the maritime transportation system (MTS). However, the efficient operation of the MTS is at risk, as the industry is increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. The MTS must work to raise its baseline for cybersecurity and better protect its actors from systemic cyber threats going forward.
The key trends in payment authentication. (Fime Group) Across both in-person and online payments, consumer demands have significantly increased.
Design and Innovation
DHS and NIST release post-quantum cryptography guidance (The Record by Recorded Future) The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology on Monday released a guide designed to help organizations prepare for risks introduced by advancements in quantum computing.
Clearview AI Has New Tools to Identify You in Photos (Wired) In an interview with WIRED, CEO Hoan Ton-That said the company has scraped 10 billion photos from the web—and developed new ways to aid police surveillance.
Academia
National University Redesignated as National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (National University) The nonprofit university is one of only six four-year institutions in California to receive the prestigious designation from the National Security Agency La Jolla, CA – October 4, 2021 – With October being cybersecurity awareness month nationwide, National University is proud to announce that the U.S. National Security Agency has extended the University’s designation as ...
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
Oxford Statement on International Law Protections in Cyberspace: The Regulation of Ransomware Operations (Just Security) In the past few months, nothing has reminded everyone of the etymology of the expression “computer virus” like ransomware.
EU blacklist on tax havens branded ‘a joke’ after Pandora papers leak – live (the Guardian) Follow the latest reaction and fallout from the biggest leak of offshore data
UK plans to invest £5 billion in retaliatory cyber-attacks (BleepingComputer) The United Kingdom has revealed plans to invest £5 billion in bolstering national cybersecurity that includes creating a "Cyber Force" unit to perform retaliatory attacks.
SEC toughening cyber enforcement (Business Insurance) The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will continue to pursue companies that breach securities laws by making inadequate cybersecurity disclosures, experts say.
Senate lawmakers introduce FISMA reforms, including cyber incident reporting for agencies, contractors (Federal News Network) The bill aims to ensure agencies and contractors are sharing information when they get hit by cyber attacks.
Hackers as Global Private Contractors is a Pandora’s Box You Do Not Want to Open (OODA Loop) The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) recently fined three former National Security Agency (NSA) hackers who worked as service contractors for a United Arab Emirates (UAE) cybersecurity company named DarkMatter. These three individuals were not the only former ex-U.S. Intelligence officers working for the company. DarkMatter employed more than a dozen former NSA hackers who would use the skills and techniques learned from the NSA to help the UAE target and compromise the phones and computers of its enemies. These “enemies” included human rights activists, journalists, and political rivals. At the core of this issue is the fact that these ex-intelligence operatives used cutting-edge cyber-espionage tools learned from their time in the U.S. Intelligence Community on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
Arizona launches cyber command center (Arizona Daily Star) The center was established to handle threats to state and local government computers.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Two 'Prolific' Ransomware Operators Arrested in Ukraine (SecurityWeek) Two alleged members of a “prolific” ransomware gang have been arrested in Ukraine. The group has not been named due to operational reasons.
World Leaders Deny Wrongdoing After Pandora Papers Leak (Daily News Brief) Several world leaders have denied wrongdoing after being included in one of the biggest leaks of financial documents from offshore companies. The Pandora - Daily News Brief
Leaders deny wrongdoing under the 'Pandora Papers' revelations (Euractiv) World leaders were on the defensive on Monday (4 October) after the release of millions of documents detailing how heads of state use offshore tax havens to stash assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Pandora Papers leak prompts calls for action in Asia (Seattle Times) Malaysia’s main opposition leader called Monday for information found in the Pandora Papers data leak to be discussed in Parliament, after learning the country’s former finance minister and several current officials might have been involved with offshore firms set up in tax havens.
Who are the firms at the heart of the Pandora Papers? (ICIJ) The leaked files come from 14 offshore service providers that help clients establish companies in secrecy jurisdictions.
Infographic: Where Politicians Are Named in The Pandora Papers (Statista Infographics) This chart shows the countries with the most politicians included in the Pandora Papers release.
Governments launch investigations after Pandora Papers show how elite shield riches (Washington Post) The Washington Post on Sunday published the first in a series of stories based on more than 11.9 million documents that expose a secretive financial universe that benefits the wealthy and powerful.
State Department says U.S. is reviewing findings from Pandora Papers (MSN) PANDORA-PAPERS/USA (URGENT):State Department says U.S. is reviewing findings from Pandora Papers
Pandora papers reveal South Dakota’s role as $367bn tax haven (the Guardian) Some trusts held in midwestern state linked to individuals or companies previously accused of misconduct overseas
India to investigate into 'Pandora Papers' leak: Finance Ministry (Times Now News) Stating that only ‘a few Indians’ have been named in the papers so far, the ministry said that investigations in cases of Pandora Papers leaks appearing in the media will be monitored through a multi-agency group
PM Imran Khan announces to investigate all Pakistanis involved in Pandora Papers (The Nation) Reacting to the shocking revelation of Pandora Papers, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan announced to investigate all Pakistanis involved in Pandora Papers.
Panama’s Pandora Papers snag Dominican leader (DominicanToday) The Presidency of the Dominican Republic issued a statement in which it clarifies several points about the companies of President Luis Abinader, after the president was mentioned in Panama’s Pandora Papers, a leak that exposes the secret wealth of world leaders and billionaires.
Pandora Papers: Ukraine leader seeks to justify offshore accounts (Al Jazeera) Files obtained by ICIJ claim Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his partners established a network of offshore companies in 2012.
Lebanon PM Mikati among officials named in Pandora Papers (Al Jazeera) Mikati and other political and financial officials among hundreds of Lebanese listed in the offshore leak.
Czech police promise to ‘act upon’ Pandora Papers, as revelations about prime minister become campaign topic (Washington Post) The Czech national police announced Monday that it will “act upon” the Pandora Papers, as the revelations emerged as an election campaign issue in the country and a potential challenge for Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who is up for reelection this week.
While his Country Struggles, Jordan's King Abdullah Secretly Splurges (Washington Post) The monarch has spent more than $100 million on lavish homes in the U.S. and Britain, newly revealed documents show
Pandora Papers: Uhuru Kenyatta's family's secret assets exposed (EMEA Tribune) The family of Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, that has dominated the country's politics since independence, secretly owned a network of offshore companies for decades, according to a huge
Irish Police Say Europol, Interpol Helped Dismantle Hackers’ Infrastructure (Wall Street Journal) After a May ransomware attack on the national health system, Irish investigators are still mum on its provenance, but say international help is ‘vital’ to addressing cybercrime.
Exclusive: Government Secretly Orders Google To Identify Anyone Who Has Searched A Name, Address And Telephone Number (Forbes) In 2019, federal investigators in Wisconsin were hunting men they believed had participated in the trafficking and sexual abuse of a minor.
Investors Say SolarWinds Was Warned Of Lax Cybersecurity (Law360) SolarWinds investors urged a Texas federal judge to keep their suit against the software company alive, citing how its internal cybersecurity expert had warned of "critical deficiencies" in its cybersecurity before a massive hack that impacted government agencies and private companies.
