Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Sinclair Broadcast Hack Linked to Notorious Russian Cybergang (Bloomberg) Evil Corp. said to change names to avoid 2019 U.S. sanctions. Broadcaster hit with new ransomware strain called Macaw.
Notorious Russian ransomware gang Evil Corp. reportedly hit Sinclair Broadcast Group (CyberScoop) Evil Corp., one of the most notorious and prolific Russian cybercrime groups in recent years with a leader who has been accused of working with Russian intelligence, was reportedly behind last weekend’s cyberattack on Sinclair Broadcast Group. The revelation, first reported by Bloomberg Wednesday, is noteworthy because the U.S. Treasury department sanctioned the group in December, 2o19, making any U.S. company’s transactions with it illegal.
‘Still No Email, Phones’: Sinclair TV Stations Remain Floored Two Days After Ransomware Attack (The Daily Beast) Sinclair Broadcast Group’s TV reporters told CNN their stations are non-operational two days on from the ransomware incident.
Olympus US hack tied to sanctioned Russian ransomware group (TechCrunch) The Macaw malware is linked to the U.S.-sanctioned Evil Corp.
WSJ News Exclusive | Ransomware Gang Masquerades as Real Company to Recruit Tech Talent (Wall Street Journal) A criminal organization believed to have built the software that shut down a U.S. fuel pipeline has set up a fake company to recruit potential employees, according to researchers
Nation-State APT Targets Afghans With New Toolset (SecurityWeek) Symantec is warning about a threat actor targeting multiple entities in South Asia, with a focus on Afghanistan - for data theft and cyberespionage.
Harvester: Nation-state-backed group uses new toolset to target victims in South Asia (Symantec Enterprise Blogs) Previously unseen attack group targets victims in the IT, telecoms, and government sectors in espionage campaign.
Political-themed actor using old MS Office flaw to drop multiple RATs (BleepingComputer) A novel threat actor with unclear motives has been discovered running a crimeware campaign which delivers multiple Windows and Android RATs (remote access tools) through the exploitation of CVE-2017-11882.
Malicious campaign uses a barrage of commodity RATs to target Afghanistan and India (Talos Intelligence) A blog from the world class Intelligence Group, Talos, Cisco's Intelligence Group
New Espionage Campaign Targets South East Asia (Symantec Enterprise Blogs) Unknown attacker using previously undocumented toolset targets defense, healthcare, and ICT sectors.
TA551 Uses ‘SLIVER’ Red Team Tool in New Activity (Proofpoint) Proofpoint researchers identified a new campaign from the highly active cybercrime actor known as TA551 using a legitimate “Red Team & adversary simulation Framework”. The new activity demonstrates a significant departure from the previously observed activity from this group. Proofpoint assesses with high confidence the new activity could lead to ransomware infections.
'LightBasin' hackers spent 5 years hiding on telco networks (SearchSecurity) LightBasin, a suspected Chinese APT operation, has been silently eavesdropping on traffic, according to CrowdStrike.
These stealth hackers avoid Windows but target Linux as they look to steal phone data (ZDNet) Dubbed LightBasin, the stealthy attack group appears to be an intelligence gathering operation, warn researchers.
Security is fast becoming the industry's biggest issue (TelecomTV) Mega hacking incidents are growing, scamming is on the rise and the end users of telecoms services are increasingly upset. In fact they’re mad as hell and they…
JavaScript Packing Found in More Than 25% of Malicious Sites (Dark Reading) Obfuscation techniques are extremely prevalent, data shows, but they can't be used as a single indicator of compromise because legitimate websites use them.
Social Analytics Platform’s Leak Reveals Data Scraping (SafetyDetectives) Intro
The Safety Detectives cybersecurity team, led by head researcher Anurag Sen, discovered an unsecured ElasticSearch server belonging to the social media an
How Hackers Hijacked Thousands of High-Profile YouTube Accounts (Wired) Google has shed light on a spate of attacks that turned creator channels into cryptocurrency scam livestreams.
Google unmasks two-year-old phishing & malware campaign targeting YouTube users (The Record by Recorded Future) Almost two years after a wave of complaints flooded Google's support forums about YouTube accounts getting hijacked even if users had two-factor authentication enabled, Google's security team has finally tracked down the root cause of these attacks.
Phishing campaign targets YouTube creators with cookie theft malware (Google) Google’s Threat Analysis Group tracks actors involved in disinformation campaigns, government backed hacking, and financially motivated abuse. Since late 2019, our team has disrupted financially motivated phishing campaigns targeting YouTubers with Cookie Theft malware.
Microsoft Warns of New Security Flaw Affecting Surface Pro 3 Devices (The Hacker News) Microsoft Issues a Security Warning for the Surface Pro 3 Devices
Using Discord infrastructure for malicious intent (Check Point Software) Research by: Idan Shechter & Omer Ventura Check Point Research (CPR) spotted a multi-functional malware with the capability to take screenshots,
Hackers are disguising their malicious JavaScript code with a hard-to-beat trick (ZDNet) Akamai might have found a better way to detect malicious obfuscated JavaScript code.
The return of digitally-signed rootkits (iTWire) Bitdefender has released findings on a newly discovered rootkit called FiveSys with a Microsoft-issued digital signature. This is not the first time that such an incident has taken place. Netfilter was discovered and reported on the G Data Blog in June of this year with a Microsoft-issued digit...
US-Based Candy Company Ferrara Suffers From Recent Ransomware Attack (Tech Times) Ferrara, the major US candy manufacturer experienced a ransomware attack recently. Here's the report on the latest security threat.
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Cyber Criminals Using Spoofed Unemployment Benefit Websites to Defraud US Public (FBI) The Federal Bureau of Investigation is issuing this announcement to alert and help the public recognize and avoid spoofed, or fake, unemployment benefit websites.
Black market traders cash in on fake COVID-19 vaccination records (ZDNet) The EU vaccine passport and CDC certifications are hot ticket items.
As Vaccine Mandates Spread, So Too Do Vaccine Scams (Avanan) Where there are vaccines, there will be scams.
Fraud: Charities warned to be extra vigilant over coming months (UK Fundraising) Charities lost almost £8.6 million to fraud in the last financial year, and the Fraud Advisory Panel is warning charities to be vigilant over the coming months, with opportunities and motives for fraud likely to rise with the economy under strain.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
Oracle's October 2021 CPU Includes 419 Security Patches (SecurityWeek) Oracle releases its latest quarterly Critical Patch Update (CPU), which includes a total of 419 security patches for vulnerabilities across the company’s portfolio.
Trends
The Ransomware Roll-up (Armis) During May 2021, Armis monitored the leak sites of 13 different ransomware gangs, collecting data about the volume, size, industry and supply chain of each victim.
Modern Ransomware Shake Up Banking, Government, Transportation Sectors in 1H 2021 (Trend Micro) Read about the impact of ransomware to critical industries in 1H, how modern ransomware operators gain initial access to organizations, and what decision-makers can do to defend against this menacing threat.
Corvus Insurance Reports the Ratio of Ransoms Demanded to Ransoms Paid is Steadily Declining (BusinessWire) Corvus Insurance, the leading provider of smart commercial insurance products powered by AI-driven risk data, today released findings from its inaugur
Mounting Skills Gap, Complex Threat Landscape Drive Surge in Corporate Security Learning (Skillsoft) Fall is in full swing, and for many, this marks a time for breaking out the flannel shirts, indulging in pumpkin-flavored everything, and raking endless piles of leaves. But for those in the information security community, Autumn – and October more specifically – brings to mind Cybersecurity…
Insider risk, slow cyberattack response among worries for security professionals (Security Magazine) The second Voice of SecOps report from Deep Instinct revealed that the average time elapsed before a company responded to a cyberattack was 20.9 hours globally. The report surveyed 1,500 cybersecurity professionals about their top cyber concerns.
Onfido Survey: Businesses Have Just 10 Minutes to Establish Trust Online or Risk Losing Customers (BusinessWire) Onfido and Okta survey: businesses have just 10 minutes to establish trust online or risk losing customers.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. Deliver Opening Remarks at the Criminal Division’s Cybersecurity Roundtable on ‘The Evolving Cyber Threat Landscape’ (US Department of Justice) Good afternoon. We gather together today for our fifth Criminal Division Cybersecurity Roundtable, and the need for our collective action against cyber threats has never been greater. Cyber threats
Marketplace
Tromzo Raises $3.1M From Innovation Endeavors and Over 25 Leading CISOs to Eliminate the Friction Between Developers and Security Teams (Tromzo) Tromzo, a developer-first application security management platform that helps AppSec teams find and fix their most critical vulnerabilities, today announced $3.1 million in seed funding. The round was led by Innovation Endeavors and more than 25 leading CISOs including Caleb Sima (Robinhood), Adam Glick (SimpliSafe), Steve Pugh (ICE/NYSE) who participated through Silicon Valley CISO Investments. Tromzo’s mission is to help eliminate the friction between developers and security.
Investors Bet Big on Attempts to Solve Encryption 'Holy Grail' (SecurityWeek) Venture capitalists are betting that hardware and software innovation is finally coming together to solve one of the “holy grails” of encryption.
Invicti Security Announces $625 Million Growth Investment Led by Summit Partners (PR Newswire) Invicti Security™, a global leader in application security testing, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement for a $625...
Security Firm Invicti Gets $625M To Drive Product Development (CRN) ‘This is a competitive marketplace. In order to win, we need to keep delivering better and better functionality and automation for our customers,’ Invicti President and COO Mark Ralls tells CRN.
Threat Detection Marketplace SOC Prime Raises $11 Million (SecurityWeek) Threat detection marketplace SOC Prime this week announced that it has raised $11 million in Series A funding.
HelpSystems Acquires PhishLabs to Continue Expansion of Cybersecurity Portfolio (HelpSystems) Digital Risk Protection platform delivers curated threat intelligence and complete threat mitigation across digital risk landscape
Hyperproof raises $16.5 Million Series A to expand its compliance operations and security assurance platform (WKYT) Hyperproof, a pioneer in SaaS based Compliance and Security operations, announced today that it has closed $16.5 million in Series A financing led by Toba Capital with participation from existing investors. Toba General Partner, Rajan Aggarwal, will join Hyperproof's board of directors. The company will use the new funding to continue rapid product innovation while further accelerating market adoption across a growing set of industries and use cases.
Plurilock to Acquire Assets of CloudCodes Software, Award Winning Cloud Security Provider (Yahoo Finance) CloudCodes is a leading cybersecurity and cloud security provider with a global customer base This transaction marks Plurilock's second acquisition in 2021Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2021) - Plurilock Security Inc. (TSXV: PLUR) (OTCQB: PLCKF) and related subsidiaries ("Plurilock" or the "Company"), an identity-centric cybersecurity solutions provider for workforces, has entered into definitive asset purchase agreements (the "Agreements") dated October 21, 2021 to a
Rhombus Systems Raises $10M Series A to Help Organizations Create Safer Spaces (PR Newswire) Rhombus Systems, a leader in cloud managed physical security solutions, is excited to announce a $10M round of funding led by Cota Capital with...
Organizations with Affiliate Networks and Franchises Drive SecZetta Q2 Revenue Growth (SecZetta) SecZetta, the leading provider of third-party identity risk solutions, today shared its business growth highlights for the second quarter of its 2022 ...
Will Google Cybersecurity Team Engage MSSP Partners? (MSSP Alert) New Google cybersecurity team emerges to protect governments, critical infrastructure facilities, enterprises & small businesses. Will MSSPs plug in?
Carbonite + Webroot unveils new A/NZ partner program (ARN) Carbonite + Webroot has revealed a new incentive program targeting partners in Australia and New Zealand.
Splunk launches 'partnerverse' programme to empower partners globally (Channel Life) The new Splunk Partnerverse Program is designed to enable the company’s network of more than 2,200 partners to expand technical expertise, demonstrate core competencies and showcase customer success.
Aveshka win on Cornerstone Task Order under CIO-SP3 (KLTV) Aveshka is proud to announce its recent win of Cornerstone, a Task Order under the Chief Information Officer – Solutions and Partners 3 (CIO-SP3) Small Business Contract with the National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC). Aveshka will perform the work under this vehicle in support of its Contractor Team Arrangement (CTA) with Automation Technologies Inc. (ATI).
Huawei’s U.S. Lobbying Spree Grows as Restrictions Remain (Bloomberg) Huawei Technologies Co. continued to bolster its lobbying operation in Washington even though a spending surge hasn’t dented restrictions on its ability to do business in the U.S.
Huawei Avoids Network Security Questions, Pushes 5G Innovation (Broadband Breakfast) Huawei’s CTO avoided questions about concerns over its network infrastructure security as countries ban its products.
We’re not a data company, we just make drones: DJI (DroneDJ) For the last five years, DJI has had a team of 30 devoted entirely to privacy and data security features of its products.
Cyberespionage with Benefits (Boston Review) In the high-tech culture of Tel Aviv, military-grade spying on civilians has become just another office job.
Seven years later, DHS set to roll out dramatic changes to system for hiring cyber pros (CyberScoop) Soon, a cybersecurity professional at the Department of Homeland Security could make as much money as the vice president of the United States, $255,800 — or more, up to $332,100, if they’re in a geographic market where that salary makes the offer competitive.
DHS cyber talent system set to go live with ‘around 150 positions’ next month (Federal News Network) CISA says the program will allow it to hire more cyber experts from non-traditional backgrounds.
Council Post: Five Keys To Planning Your Cybersecurity Career Path (Forbes) There are almost as many career paths as there are people.
Calendly Welcomes Former Salesforce and Ripple Tech Veteran Frank Russo as CISO (KY3) Calendly, the modern scheduling platform for high-performing teams and individuals, today announced the appointment of Frank Russo as its first chief information security officer (CISO). With over 20 years of security and infrastructure experience, Frank will oversee application security, infrastructure security, corporate security, privacy, and compliance to protect Calendly customers, partners, employees, systems and assets.
Power Moves: 10 fall tech hires and promotions around Baltimore (Technical.ly Baltimore) Check out moves at Longeviti, CodePath.org, Cerebro Capital, Delfi Diagnostics and more.
Top Cybersecurity Expert Ciaran Martin Joins Red Sift, Aims to Combat (PRWeb) One of the world’s top cybersecurity experts is joining forces with Red Sift, a leading provider of vital cybersecurity products, to raise awareness of cyberspace
Products, Services, and Solutions
Infosec Institute and CJHNetwork Partner to Reskill Workers Impacted by COVID-19 (Infosec) New program prepares diverse talent for Ireland’s most in-demand cybersecurity careers
ESET ramps up its consumer offering with new ESET HOME platform and ARM64 compatibility (ESET) Today, ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, launched a new version of its consumer offering, which includes ESET NOD32 Antivirus, ESET Internet Security and ESET Smart Security® Premium. Users of these products will now have access to ESET HOME available as a mobile app or web portal to manage the security of all their Windows and Android home devices from one seamless and convenient interface.
Tide's Breakthrough Cryptography Introduces 'Cyber Herd Immunity' to Protect Sensitive Data and Critical Infrastructure (BusinessWire) Deep Tech solution shifts security so that to breach even a single record, an attacker needs to break a global network of organizations, one at a time SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / October 20, 2021 / Tide Foundation, an award-winning deep tech cybersecurity start-up, is curing the cyber breach pandemic with the radical idea of delivering "cyber herd immunity" to any organization. Tide's unique decentralized design completely shifts the cyber
Mandiant Extends Frontline Expertise and Intelligence to Splunk Customers (BusinessWire) Mandiant and Splunk partner to help enterprise organizations validate their security stacks and defend against emerging threats.
Lacework and Snowflake Partner to Enable Better Cloud Security Analytics and Insights (PR Newswire) Lacework, the data-driven cloud security company and Snowflake, the Data Cloud company, today announced a product integration and go-to-market...
VAST Data Simplifies and Secures Universal Storage for the Cyber Era (BusinessWire) VAST Data, the storage software company breaking decades-old tradeoffs, today introduced VASTOS version 4, its Universal Storage operating system, whi
Now Available: Next-Gen Release of NetSTAR inCompass® Offers Revolutionary & Future-Proof Solution to Encrypted Web Classification (PR Newswire) NetSTAR, the global leader in OEM integrated solutions for URL, IP Address, and web application categorization and threat intelligence, today...
Itential Releases Latest Enhancements to its SaaS Platform, Enables En (PRWeb) Itential, the leader in network and cloud automation software, today announced at ONUG Fall 2021 the latest release to its cloud-native network automation platfor
ActualTech Media Launches Comprehensive Ransomware Education Hub - Ransomware.org (BusinessWire) ActualTech Media today announced the launch of Ransomware.org, a comprehensive online resource for ransomware education, preparedness, and recovery. T
Salt Security Introduces API Security Protection for GraphQL APIs (PR Newswire) Salt Security, the leading API security company, today announced new capabilities in its next-generation Salt Security API Protection Platform...
VAST Data Simplifies and Secures Universal Storage for the Cyber Era (BusinessWire) VAST Data, the storage software company breaking decades-old tradeoffs, today introduced VASTOS version 4, its Universal Storage operating system, whi
Introducing Datadobi Query Language (DQL) - A Unique Technology to Scan and Interrogate Petabyte-Scale Unstructured Data Lakes (Datadobi) Datadobi has developed Datadobi Query Language (DQL) to enhance the file system assessment service to optimize and organize data lakes internally. Learn more about managing unstructured data.
Targeted Security Awareness Training Delivers Large Return on Cybersecurity Investment (eMazzanti Technologies) NYC area cybersecurity expert explains the biggest threat to organizations and how to thwart hackers with security awareness training
Panorays Partners with Snowflake to Provide 3rd Party Security Risk Data (Panorays) Snowflake customers can now access Panorays’ third-party security risk management data on Snowflake Data Marketplace.
Cybersecurity Month: OTRS Group Focuses on Security Processes - OTRS Group (OTRS Group) October is Cybersecurity Month – from the European ENISA to the American CISA, global organizations are currently raising awareness about cyber threats through various campaigns and by highlighting solutions on how people and companies can reduce risks from cyberspace.
Cyolo Launches New Vault Feature to End Password Breaches (Cyolo) The new Cyolo Vault feature gives customers single sign-on into every system with full traceability across complex environments.
MITRE Engenuity Announces ATT&CK® Evaluations Call for Participation for Managed Services (PR Newswire) MITRE Engenuity™ today announced its first ever ATT&CK® Evaluations for Managed Services call for participation specifically designed for...
Dark Cubed Fact Sheet (Dark Cubed) Want to learn the basics of Dark Cubed? Download our fact sheet to find out how we enable MSP’s to deliver agentless, automated cybersecurity to SMB’s.
Sift Launches New API and Connectors to Create Single Source of Truth for Fintech Fraud Fighters (GlobeNewswire News Room) With Sift’s new tailored API enhancements and connectors for Know Your Customer services and Zendesk, fintech companies can protect against fraud while...
Gluware launches new security features for intelligent network automation (Light Reading) The capabilities in Gluware 4.2, the latest update to the company's intent-based, no-code/low-code automation suite, will enable enterprises to improve the implementation and maintenance of security and compliance by delivering an out-of-the-box solution with new applications.
BlueVoyant Partners with SentinelOne to Accelerate & Scale Endpoint Defense Against Advanced Cyber Attacks (WWNYTV) Partnership combines SentinelOne's Singularity Complete Suite with BlueVoyant's elite security operations expertise to enhance its outstanding Managed Detection and Response capabilities
Gabriel, TNS, and Rypplzz Join Forces to Enhance Crypto Security (GlobeNewswire News Room) A form of cyber fraud called “SMiShing” short for “short message service” phishing has increased by 700 percent in six months...
Veritran Becomes Entrust Technology Alliance Partner to Meet Critical Needs for the Financial Industry across the Americas (WWNYTV) Veritran, a leading global Low-Code Platform provider, today announced a technology alliance partnership with Entrust, a leading global provider of trusted identities, payments and data protection.
Forward Networks Wins "Enterprise Cloud Computing Software of the Year" Award in 2021 Mobile Breakthrough Awards Program (PR Newswire) Forward Networks, the industry leader in network assurance and intent-based verification, today announced that its Forward Enterprise platform...
Quest’s On Demand Audit Anomaly Detection Protects Hybrid Active Directory and Microsoft 365 from Ransomware Attacks (GlobeNewswire News Room) Solution monitors user activity across both on-premises Active Directory, as well as Azure AD and Microsoft 365, to detect potentially anomalous behavior...
oak9 Infrastructure-as-Code Security Platform Joins AWS Marketplace (BusinessWire) oak9, a leader in infrastructure-as-code (IaC) security, announced today that it has listed its product in a digital catalog with thousands of softwar
Cybrary Launches New Partnership with Check Point Software to Make Cybersecurity Training Accessible to All (PR Newswire) Cybrary, the world's leading online cybersecurity professional development platform, today announced a new partnership with Check Point...
Phishing Tackle introduce world’s first simulated smishing-as-a-service (Pressat) Giving organisations the tools to test and provide security awareness training across even more attack vectors.
SlashNext Launches Email Detection and Response for Google Workspace to Detect and Remove Targeted Spear Phishing with 99% Accuracy (PR Newswire) SlashNext, the leader in SaaS-based multi-channel spear-phishing and human hacking defense, today announced the SlashNext Email Detection and...
Netskope Launches Security Visionaries: A Podcast for Security Transformation (PR Newswire) Netskope, the SASE leader, today announced the debut of Security Visionaries, a new podcast for forward-thinking security and technology...
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
3 Qualifications Cyber Safety Review Board Members Must Have (Tenable®) Expertise in security forensics, technology development and aligning cybersecurity with business goals are essential to advising federal policymakers following significant cyber incidents.
Top official says cyber operations are ‘not just about the systems’ (Defense News) The department is examining how cyber can have a bigger impact outside its domain into areas such as the human and cognitive domains.
Microsoft, Intel and Goldman Sachs Team Up For New Supply Chain Security Initiative (Infosecurity Magazine) The Supply Chain Security group will bring in experts from across the tech sphere
Smartphone counterespionage for travelers (Help Net Security) If you’re traveling to a foreign country, especially one that’s hostile to your home country, here are five smartphone counterespionage tips.
FCC Robocall Mitigation Database FAQs (Neustar) Get the answers from our experts about the updated FCC robocall regulation and how service providers must handle unregistered carriers in the RMDB.
Chris Krebs weighs in on zero trust, FBI web shell removal (SearchSecurity) Former CISA director Chris Krebs spoke during a Gartner keynote about zero trust and the FBI's decision to silently remove web shells from Exchange servers.
Detections That Can Help You Identify Ransomware (Security Intelligence) Ransomware can't hide. X-Force IR found several common actions ransomware attackers take. Learn how to detect them within Windows event logs.
Building resilience will require compromise on efficiency (Nature Energy) As increasingly complex and optimized energy systems prepare to cope with a variety of risks including climate shocks and extreme weather events, a myopic focus on economic efficiency can significantly jeopardize critical energy services.
Academia
Optiv Announces Second Annual $40,000 Scholarship for Black, African American Identifying STEM Students (Optiv) As part of its ongoing commitment to diversity within the cyber and information security fields, Optiv is accepting applications for its second annual $40,000 scholarship for Black, African American identifying STEM students.
Meet the Man Hired to be Rutgers' First Cyber Warrior (TAPinto) Guy J. Albertini has taken on the role of Rutgers first associate vice president and chief information security officer.
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
SolarWinds was a cybersecurity wakeup call, says Microsoft's president (CNET) The attack shined a light on both the sophistication of Russian attackers and the connected nature of the software supply chain.
Microsoft Calls on Governments, Companies to Cooperate to Fight Cybercrime (Wall Street Journal) President Brad Smith said governments need to lead the way and tech companies should support them.
Coalition moves to boost critical infrastructure security (Australian Financial Review) Cyber attacks will be treated more like threats in the physical world, under changes to be considered by Parliament
Aussie cyber spies to control critical infrastructure during ransomware attacks (Cointelegraph) The new bill, if passed, will allow cyberwarfare operatives to take over control of critical infrastructure under attack.
‘Problematic’ critical infrastructure bill passes lower house (InnovationAus) Legislation allowing the government to take control of a company’s network as a “last resort” in the event of a cyberattack has sailed through the lower house despite a group of tech heavyweights labelling it “highly problematic”.
UK government launches information assurance unit for defence (ComputerWeekly.com) The Military Systems Information Assurance is aimed at developing alternatives to cryptology.
Commerce Department announces new rule aimed at stemming sale of hacking tools to Russia and China (Washington Post) The Commerce Department on Wednesday announced a long-awaited rule that officials hope will help stem the export or resale of hacking tools to China and Russia while still enabling cybersecurity collaboration across borders.
New U.S. Rule Would Limit Sales of Hacking Tools to Russia and China (Wall Street Journal) Export controls would aim to keep hacking tools out of the hands of malicious state actors and criminal gangs.
US govt to ban export of hacking tools to authoritarian regimes (BleepingComputer) The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) today announced export controls for software and hardware tools that could be used for malicious hacking activities.
Commerce Department rule to limit sale of offensive cyber tools to China, Russia (CyberScoop) The Commerce Department released a rule Wednesday aimed at stopping offensive cybersecurity tools made in the U.S. from falling into the hands of countries that use such software undermine human rights or national security. The new rule requires U.S. companies to obtain a license from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security before selling hacking tools to the governments and individuals in countries of national security concern, including China and Russia.
Commerce Announces Rule for Selling Hacking Tools to Foreign Governments (Nextgov.com) A new interim rule takes aim at Russia and China.
US to curb NSO Pegasus-like spyware with export rules (Register) Surveillance tech faces trade limits as America syncs policy with treaty obligations
House approves bill to strengthen IT supply chain following SolarWinds hack (TheHill) The House on Wednesday approved legislation to strengthen software and information technology supply chains at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and to help protect against attacks similar to last year’s Sol
House passes bills to secure telecommunications infrastructure (TheHill) The House on Wednesday approved multiple bipartisan bills aimed at securing U.S. telecommunications systems against foreign interference, in particular against threats from China.
Senators urge FCC to address surveillance threats to US telecom networks (Reuters) A group of five U.S. senators urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday to address surveillance threats posed by foreign firms providing services to U.S. telecommunications providers.
CISA Awards $2 Million to Bring Cybersecurity Training to Rural Communities and Diverse Populations (CISA) As part of its mission to recruit diverse cybersecurity talent and build the workforce of the future, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has awarded $2 million to two innovative organizations for development of cyber workforce training programs.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Russian Corruption Makes It Harder to Crack Down on Ransomware (Defense One) Hackers who learned skills in government service are branching out “for their own personal enrichment,” Pentagon cyber leader says.
Two Individuals Sentenced for Providing “Bulletproof Hosting” for Cybercriminals (US Department of Justice) Two Eastern European men were sentenced for providing “bulletproof hosting” services, which were used by cybercriminals between 2009 to 2015 to distribute malware and attack financial institutions and victims throughout the United States.
Eight Nigerians Charged with Conspiring to Engage in Internet Scams and Money Laundering from Cape Town, South Africa (US Attorney for the District of New Jersey) Seven Defendants are Leaders of Cape Town Zone of Neo Black Movement of Africa, also known as “Black Axe”
Prosecuting Project Raven: A New Frontier for Export Control Enforcement (Lawfare) The deferred prosecution agreements for three members of Project Raven charged with hacking on behalf of a foreign government seem to set a precedent for lenient treatment for this type of conduct. In reality, the case signals that the U.S. Department of Justice intends to crack down on this type of conduct using every tool available.
Mark Zuckerberg will be added to a Facebook privacy lawsuit. (New York Times) The District of Columbia case, which grew out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, could expose the chief executive to financial and other penalties.
Zuckerberg Targeted by D.C. Attorney General in Privacy Suit (Bloomberg) Racine sued Facebook in 2018 over Cambridge Analytica scandal. AG now says he’s adding chief executive officer as a defendant.
$5.2 billion in BTC transactions tied to top 10 ransomware variants: US Treasury (ZDNet) For the first half of 2021, almost $600 million was linked to ransomware payments thanks to reports filed by financial services firms.
Missouri Budget Officials Outline $50M Cost of Data Breach (SecurityWeek) Help for roughly 100,000 teachers whose Social Security numbers were made vulnerable in a massive state data breach could cost Missouri as much as $50 million, the governor’s office says
Navy Engineer and Wife Plead Not Guilty to Charges of Trying to Sell Nuclear-Submarine Secrets (Wall Street Journal) Jonathan Toebbe to remain in jail ahead of December trial; judge to rule on Diana Toebbe’s detention
The accused spy knew stealth was crucial from his work on submarines. He surfaced anyway. (Washington Post) For years, the aspiring spy had gone to remarkable lengths to protect his identity and evade detection.
The tech billionaire aiding the Facebook whistleblower (POLITICO) Support from eBay-founder-turned-tech-critic Pierre Omidyar is helping Frances Haugen take on one of the world's most powerful companies.
House Democrats say Parson "made up" $50 million price tag over data vulnerability (KOMU 8) House Budget Committee Democrats inquired Gov. Parson's claim that remedying the DESE vulnerability would cost taxpayers $50 million.
