Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Chinese cyber attack foiled: Power Ministry (The Hindu) In Mumbai, Anil Deshmukh said a preliminary Cyber Cell report on the power outage had been handed over to the State Energy Ministry.
Power Ministry Confirms Chinese State Sponsored Hackers Targeted Indian Power Centres, All Attacks Thwarted (Swarajyamag) The Union Power Ministry revealed on Monday (2 March) that state-sponsored Chinese hacker groups had targeted several Indian power centres, the Hindu reports.
Timely action avoids cyber attack on TS power systems (Telangana Today) Sources said a few electrical sub-stations were affected because of the hackers’ action.
Chinese hackers tried to block Telangana power supply: Central Electricity Authority (The Times of India) The Chinese hackers’ groups that allegedly targeted the power supply in Mumbai in October last year, also attacked the Telangana State Load Dispatch C
40 Telangana sub-stations attacked by Chinese malware (Business Today) Telangana SLDC, which manages power supply in the state, says state agencies have removed all malware in these substations after alert from central agency. They have strengthened firewall as well
RedEcho, ShadowPad — how Chinese hackers may have accessed critical Indian computer systems (ThePrint) NYT report suggests that last year's Mumbai power outage was caused by hackers linked to China. ThePrint looks at the different players involved & what could have happened.
Chinese cyber attack: Why Maharashtra should worry (India Today) India’s most industrialised state and financial hub is vulnerable to attacks like the one traced to a Chinese state entity
Mumbai Power Outage in October May Have Been Result of 'Cyber Sabotage': Anil Deshmukh (The Wire) The Maharashtra home minister said the the state's Cyber Cell's report found that 14 Trojan horses, a kind of malware, may have been introduced into the electricity board's server.
China rages as US report accuses it of cyber attack on India's power grid; mum on RedEcho (Republic World) China has refuted reports that it had initiated cyber attacks against India's power grid and also claimed that it is 'firmly opposed' to such practices.
Chinese hackers target Indian vaccine makers (Business Insurance) A Chinese state-backed hacking group has in recent weeks targeted the IT systems of two Indian vaccine makers whose coronavirus shots are being used in the country’s immunization campaign, cyber intelligence company Cyfirma told Reuters.
Cybersecurity Firm Claims Chinese Hackers Targeted Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech (The Wire) China's foreign ministry dismissed the allegations, describing Cyfirmia's allegations as "baseless speculation".
Beijing dismisses alleged Chinese hacking of Indian COVID-19 vaccine makers (CNA) China on Tuesday rejected an allegation by a cyber intelligence firm that a state-backed hacking group targeted the IT systems of two Indian ...
SolarWinds blaming intern is symptom of "security failures" (SC Media) Infosec experts criticized SolarWinds' former and current CEOs over blaming an intern for a leaked password.
ObliqueRAT returns with new campaign using hijacked websites (Talos Intelligence) Cisco Talos has observed another malware campaign that utilizes malicious Microsoft Office documents (maldocs) to spread the remote access trojan (RAT) ObliqueRAT.
ObliqueRAT Trojan now lurks in images on compromised websites (ZDNet) The malware has been upgraded in new campaigns across Asia.
'Ploutus' Malware Targets ATMs in Latin America (BankInfo Security) Older ATMs across Latin America are being struck by a new version of "jackpotting" malware, which can cause the machines to dispense cash. The malware,
Ryuk Ransomware With Worm-Like Capabilities Spotted in the Wild (SecurityWeek) A Ryuk ransomware variant observed in early 2021 is capable of lateral movement within the infected networks.
New 'Unc0ver' Jailbreak Uses Vulnerability That Apple Said Was Exploited (SecurityWeek) The new Unc0ver jailbreak, which works on a vast majority of iPhones, leverages a vulnerability that Apple said had been exploited before it released a patch in January.
HAFNIUM targeting Exchange Servers with 0-day exploits (Microsoft Security) Microsoft has detected multiple 0-day exploits being used to attack on-premises versions of Microsoft Exchange Server in limited and targeted attacks. In the attacks observed, threat actors used this vulnerability to access on-premises Exchange servers, which enabled access to email accounts, and install additional malware to facilitate long-term access to victim environments. Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) attributes this campaign with high confidence to HAFNIUM.
Operation Exchange Marauder: Active Exploitation of Multiple Zero-Day Microsoft Exchange Vulnerabilities (Volexity) Volexity is seeing active in-the-wild exploitation of multiple Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities used to steal e-mail and compromise networks. These attacks appear to have started as early as January 6, 2021.
Microsoft issues emergency patches for 4 exploited 0-days in Exchange (Ars Technica) Attacks are limited for now but may ramp up as other hackers learn of them.
Microsoft says China-backed hackers are exploiting Exchange zero-days (TechCrunch) The newly-disclosed threat actor operates out of China, but uses servers located in the U.S. to launch its attacks.
Microsoft: 4 Exchange Server Zero-Days Under Attack by Chinese Hacking Group (SecurityWeek) Microsoft releases emergency patches to provide cover for zero-day flaws in Microsoft Exchange that areunder attack by a Chinese cyber-espionage hacking group.
Gootkit malware creators expand their distribution platform (CSO Online) Its Gootloader component infects computers by hijacking Google search results to send victims to legitimate but compromised websites where malware lurks behind links.
Hackers Control Perl.com Domain Months Before Hijack (SecurityWeek) The Perl.com domain was hijacked in January 2021, but hackers seemingly took control of it four months prior.
Data Breach: Reputation Risk Intelligence Company Left 30TB Server Exposed (WizCase) The Wizcase CyberResearch Team, led by Ata Hakcil, have recently discovered a huge breach affecting Polecat, the UK leader in reputation intelligence, exposing 30TB of data and billions of records. Polecat, which successfully predicted the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential Election, had potentially conducted a similar set of research less than a week ...
Malaysia Airlines suffers data security 'incident' spanning nine years (ZDNet) Security breach compromises personal data of the airline's frequent flyer programme Enrich, including members' contact details and date of birth, at some point between March 2010 and June 2019, and reportedly involved a third-party IT service provider.
Malaysia Airlines hit by ‘data security incident’ via third-party IT service provider (Channel Asia) Malaysia Airlines has informed Enrich frequent flyer members of a “data security incident” via a third-party IT service provider.
Your personal data may have been compromised, Malaysia Airlines tells its frequent flyer members (Malay Mail) National carrier Malaysia Airlines informed members of its frequent flyer programme Enrich that there had been a “data security incident” at one of its third-party IT service providers. According to the airlines, the incident happened between a nine-year-period from...
Payroll giant PrismHR outage likely caused by ransomware attack (BleepingComputer) Leading payroll company PrismHR is suffering a massive outage after suffering a cyberattack this weekend that looks like a ransomware attack from conversations with customers.
Payroll/HR Giant PrismHR Hit by Ransomware? (KrebsOnSecurity) PrismHR, a company that sells software and services used by other firms to help more than 80,000 small businesses manage payroll, benefits, and human resources, has suffered what appears to be an ongoing ransomware attack.
JUST IN: Potraz warns of rising phishing scams (The Chronicle) Bulawayo's most popular daily newspaper
Universal Health Services Takes $67 Million Hit From Cyberattack (SecurityWeek) Healthcare services provider Universal Health Services (UHS) last week revealed that a cyberattack it fell victim to in September 2020 had an estimated financial impact of $67 million.
Backup Vulnerability: 4 Targets Hackers Might Utilize to Infiltrate Your Backup Solution (Channel Futures) Hackers are increasingly looking to exploit backup vulnerability.
Marriott hotel data leak and why travellers should know what’s going on (Breaking Travel News) Cybersecurity or information security is not the thing a lot of travellers think about. You’re about to leave on a well-deserved holiday, and the last thing you want is even more troubles to think of. However, that is not the case anymore. And if you want to truly be safe on your travels, cybersecurity will be one thing you will have to worry about. But why is that? In this article, let’s look at what happened at the Marriott hotel. And what does that mean for safe travels?
ICS Advisory (ICSA-21-061-03) MB connect line mbCONNECT24, mymbCONNECT24 (CISA) 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CVSS v3 7.8
ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low skill level to exploit
Vendor: MB connect line
Equipment: mymbCONNECT24, mbCONNECT24
Vulnerabilities: Improper Privilege Management, Server-side Request Forgery (SSRF), Cross-site Scripting, Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, Open Redirect, Insecure Default Initialization of Resource, PHP Remote File Inclusion, Use of Hard-coded Credentials, Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties
ICS Advisory (ICSA-21-061-02) Rockwell Automation CompactLogix 5370 and ControlLogix 5570 Controllers (CISA) 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CVSS v3 5.8
ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low skill level to exploit
Vendor: Rockwell Automation
Equipment: CompactLogix and ControlLogix controllers
Vulnerability: Improper Input Validation
ICS Advisory (ICSA-21-061-01) Hitachi ABB Power Grids Ellipse EAM (CISA) 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CVSS v3 5.5
ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low skill level to exploit
Vendor: Hitachi ABB Power Grids
Equipment: Ellipse EAM
Vulnerabilities: Cross-site Scripting, User Interface Misrepresentation of Critical Information
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
Multiple Security Updates Released for Exchange Server (Microsoft Security Response Center) Today we are releasing several security updates for Microsoft Exchange Server to address vulnerabilities that have been used in limited targeted attacks. Due to the critical nature of these vulnerabilities, we recommend that customers apply the updates to affected systems immediately to protect against these exploits and to prevent future abuse across the ecosystem.
Microsoft Releases Out-of-Band Security Patches for Exchange Server (Redmondmag) Microsoft on Tuesday released out-of-band security patches for Exchange Server to address multiple zero-day flaws that are currently being exploited in active attacks.
Microsoft announces passwordless authentication in Azure and updates to Teams and Outlook (Computing) Announcements made at Ignite 2021 event
Google Patches Critical Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Android (SecurityWeek) Google this week announced the release of patches for 37 vulnerabilities as part of the Android security updates for March 2021, including a fix for a critical flaw in the System component.
Google fixes second actively exploited Chrome zero-day bug this year (BleepingComputer) Google has fixed an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability in the Chrome 89.0.4389.72 version released today, March 2nd, 2021, to the Stable desktop channel for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.
New Chrome 0-day Bug Under Active Attacks – Update Your Browser ASAP! (The Hacker News) Google today rolled out fixes for yet another zero-day vulnerability in Chrome web browser that is being abused in the wild.
Researcher discovers and patches Linux kernel vulnerabilities (Security Magazine) Positive Technologies security researcher Alexander Popov has discovered and fixed five similar issues in the virtual socket implementation of the Linux kernel. These vulnerabilities could be exploited for local privilege escalation, as confirmed by Popov in experiments on Fedora 33 Server. The vulnerabilities, known together as CVE-2021-26708, have received a CVSS v3 base score of 7.0 (high severity).
Cyber Trends
Understand the Changing Threat Landscape of Email Security (Agari) Make sure you stay ahead of the curve. Download the full report today.
Over 50% Increase of Unique Cyber Threats in the Wild in 2020, Cymulate's Continuous Security Testing Report Reveals (PR Newswire) Cymulate, the only SaaS-based Continuous Security Validation platform to operationalize the MITRE ATT&CK® framework end-to-end, announced today...
Remote Desktop Protocol attacks surged by 241% in 2020 (Atlas VPN) Due to remote-work, employees started using Microsoft’s client software called remote desktop protocol (RDP), which is used to access corporate resources remotely. Cybercriminals immediately saw this as an opportunity to hack into the company’s systems.
The Countries in the World Most Sceptical About 5G (Prolifics Testing) Where people are most sceptical about 5G? We conducted thorough research into online searches surrounding the topic around the world.
50% Phishing Emails Seek Credential Theft, as Malware Delivery Declines (HealthITSecurity) Half of phishing attacks are designed for credential theft, while just 12 percent delivered a malware payload. Attacks are increasingly harder to detect as hackers easily change attack infrastructure.
1-in-5 Americans Had a Healthcare Provider Impacted By a Cyberattack a (PRWeb) 61% of consumers say they’re more worried today about ransomware taking their healthcare provider offline and being unable to provide them ca
Healthcare Sector Acts Quickly to Fix Flaws in Software, But Battles Security Debt, Veracode Research Reveals (Veracode) After a year marked by significant digital transformation for healthcare, developers and security professionals must scan more code and continue to remediate flaws quickly
Enterprises Report False Sense of Security with Cloud Access Control and IAM Policy Enforcement, According to New CloudSphere Report (Yahoo) CloudSphere today announced the findings of its new report "In the Dark: Why Enterprise Blind Spots are Leaving Sensitive Enterprise Data Vulnerable to Breaches," conducted by Dimensional Research. Report findings revealed that 32% of enterprises experienced unauthorized access to cloud resources, and another 19% were unaware if unauthorized access occurred. This was found to be largely driven by poor enforcement of identity and access management (IAM) policies in the cloud.
Marketplace
KnowBe4 Acquires MediaPRO, Expanding its Presence in the Security Awareness Training Market (PR Newswire) KnowBe4, provider of the leading security awareness platform, today announced it has acquired MediaPRO, a security and privacy training...
NightDragon Acquisition Corp. Announces Pricing of $300 Million Initial Public Offering (BusinessWire) NightDragon Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 30,000,000 SCALE units at a price of $10.0
Dave DeWalt: 'This is the highest threat environment we’ve ever had' (SC Media) SC Media sat down with the former FireEye and McAfee CEO to learn more about his company, NightDragon, and his investment targets.
SPAC Cybersecurity Merger: Tailwind, QOMPLX Tackle Microsoft Active Directory Security (MSSP Alert) Plus QOMPLX acquires Sentar & Tyche. Key QOMPLX ($QPLX) focus areas: Microsoft Active Directory security & risk analytics cloud services.
TPG-Led Investor Group Announces Combination of Thycotic and Centrify to Create a Leading Cloud Identity Security Vendor (BusinessWire) TPG Capital, the private equity platform of alternative asset firm TPG, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to combine Thycotic,
It’s Official: Centrify-Thycotic Merger To Form Identity Superstar (CRN) Private equity firm TPG Capital is bringing together privileged access management (PAM) powerhouses Thycotic and Centrify to create a leading cloud identity security vendor.
PayPal to Buy Crypto Custody Firm Curv: Sources (CoinDesk) PayPal is buying Curv, a firm that powers the secure storage of cryptocurrency, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
Twilio Makes a $750 Million Strategic Investment in Syniverse (Nasdaq) On Monday, Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) announced an extensive partnership and a $750 million strategic investment in Syniverse. Twilio will become a minority owner of Syniverse, which provides messaging, roaming and other communication services for mobile operators.
Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of Bridgecrew (Security Boulevard) Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, announced that it has completed its acquisition of Bridgecrew, a developer-first cloud security company. The acquisition will enable “shift left” security, with Prisma® Cloud becoming the first cloud security platform to deliver security across the full application lifecycle.
The Market Minute: When You Want Liquidity But Don’t Want To Wait For An IPO (Crunchbase News) For many startup employees, it often seems like the only options for liquidating their shares and receiving a payout for their equity in a company is to wait for that company to go public or be acquired.
Vislink Awarded $4 Million U.S. Department of Defense Order for Handheld Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Receiver Devices and Accessories (GlobeNewswire) Vislink (NASDAQ: VISL) (“the Company”), a global technology leader in the collection, delivery and management of high quality, live video and associated data in the broadcast, law enforcement and defense markets, announced today that it received an order valued in excess of $4 million from U.S. Department of Defense for the supply of handheld intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) receiver devices and accessories.
Google to Stop Selling Ads Based on Your Specific Web Browsing (Wall Street Journal) The Alphabet company said that it plans next year to stop using or investing in tracking technologies that uniquely identify web users as they move from site to site across the internet.
Zerto Customers Continue Expansion of Data Protection and Disaster Recovery-to-Cloud Technology in 2H 2020 (Zerto) Zerto Doubles Global Healthcare Business with New Customer Acquisitions; Doubles Global Footprint in Public Sector, Quadruples Footprint in EMEA Public Sector.
Cyber security firm Avast boosted by work-from-home trend (Reuters via Nasdaq) Cyber security company Avast AVST.L met market expectations with a 7.1% rise in organic revenue in 2020, driven by double-digit growth in its consumer direct desktop business as more people used its software when working from home in the pandemic.
Rapid7 reports headcount growth of nearly 20% (Boston Business Journal) The largest cybersecurity tech firm in Massachusetts grew its headcount by almost 20%, or more than 300 people, during the year of the pandemic. It's not the only local company adding positions.
O’Melveny Advises Elastic in Development of “Elastic License v2” (O’Melveny) O’Melveny advised Elastic, the company behind Elasticsearch and the Elastic Stack, in the development of the Elastic License v2 (ELv2), a simplified and more permissive license for users of Elasticsearch and Kibana.
Breaking Defense Announces Further Expansion With Networks and Cyber Reporter (Breaking Defense) Breaking Defense, the leading business media brand on the strategy, policy and technology of defense, is pleased to announce an exciting new development with the hire of Brad D. Williams as its new Networks and Cyber beat reporter.
The Chertoff Group Adds Two Industry Experts to its Growing Team of Se (PRWeb) The Chertoff Group, a global security advisory firm that enables clients to navigate changes in security risk, technology and policy, today announced the appoint
Darktrace strengthens board with appointment of Sir Peter Bonfield as Non-Executive Director (Cambridge Network) Darktrace, a leading autonomous cyber security AI company, has announced that Sir Peter Bonfield CBE, FREng has agreed to join the Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director.
Former DARPA Director Coleman Joins LookingGlass Advisory Board (GlobeNewswire) Leading Technology Executive to Help Guide Company’s Solutions Deployment
Snowflake names VMware veteran Jon Robertson as APJ boss (CTOvision.com) Data platform vendor Snowflake has appointed Jon Robertson as its president of Asia-Pacific and Japan. In the newly created role, Robertson is responsible for driving the adoption and expansion of Snowflake’s […]
Products, Services, and Solutions
Google to Offer Cyber Insurance From Allianz, Munich Re to Cloud Users (Insurance Journal) Google is teaming up with two global insurers to cover cyber breaches and related risks for businesses that use its cloud services, the first time a major
PerimeterX Winter 2021 Release: New Capabilities and Integrations (PerimeterX) PerimeterX Winter 2021 Release helps protect digital storefronts throughout the customer journey from home page to checkout. Learn about the new capabilities.
StorCentric Announces Nexsan Assureon Cloud Edition (Nexsan) Ideal for Protecting Data and Backups from Cyberattacks and Ransomware and Implementing Regulatory and Corporate Compliance
AU10TIX Launches SECURE.ME, a White Label Identity Verification Experience (PR Newswire) AU10TIX, the global leader in identity verification, has launched SECURE.ME, a white label experience designed to reduce integration...
The Free ImmuniWeb Community Edition to Offer Continuous Security Monitoring (ImmuniWeb) ImmuniWeb® Community Edition, designed for SMEs and small governmental entities, now provides free continuous security monitoring, phishing and Dark Web exposure detection.
Untangle introduces WireGuard VPN connectivity with SD-WAN Router 3.0 Release (PR Newswire) Untangle® Inc., a leader in comprehensive network security for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and distributed enterprises, today announced...
Ontic Further Strengthens Protective Intelligence Platform with Giant Oak AI-Driven Open and Deep Web Search Integration (Ontic) Empowers adverse media monitoring at scale in a single, automated, always-on platform
Silverfort Launches Unified Identity Protection Platform for Microsoft Azure Active Directory (BusinessWire) The Silverfort Unified Identity Protection platform allows customers to migrate all their hybrid assets, including non-web systems, into Azure AD.
Announcing General Availability of Curiefense (Reblaze) We’re delighted to announce the GA release of Curiefense—Reblaze’s new open source, cloud native web security platform.
Solutions Verticals Pricing Why Reblaze Resources Partners About TRY IT FREE GITHUB Reblaze Disrupts Web Security with Curiefense; Brings Open Source, Cloud Native Security to the Enterprise (Reblaze) New cloud native, open source platform protects organizations and mitigates threats
CyberKnight Becomes Sole Middle East Distributor for Netwrix and Stealthbits, now part of Netwrix (MENAFN) CyberKnight has extended its relationship with one of its technology partners - Stealthbits to become sole Middle East distributor for Netwrix, following Stealthbits’ recent merger with Netwrix, a company that makes data security easy.
Thycotic Announces Endpoint Privilege Management Solution for Unix/Linux (PR Newswire) Thycotic, provider of privileged access management (PAM) solutions for more than 12,500 organizations worldwide, including 25 of the Fortune...
WitFoo Announces Strategic Partnership with BLOKWORX (News Direct) MSSP leader to offer SIEM/SOAR as a service
New Net Technologies (NNT) Offers Solution to Secure Operational Technology Systems (PR Newswire) New Net Technologies (NNT), a leader in cybersecurity and compliance software, today announced a new feature set to their flagship product,...
Microsoft and NetMotion simplify remote device configuration, security (PRWeb) NetMotion, a provider of security solutions for the world’s growing remote workforce, today announced that Microsoft Endpoint Manager now includes NetMotion’s class
Device Authority launches KeyScaler for Azure Sphere in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace (Device Authority) Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to KeyScaler for Azure Sphere to take advantage of automated certificate lifecycle management
Intel Helps IntellectEU Fight Insurance Fraud with ClaimShare | Intel Newsroom (Intel Newsroom) IntellectEU has implemented Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX) to secure ClaimShare, its new insurance fraud detection platform.
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
Web application security testing - All you need to know - EC-Council Official Blog (EC-Council Official Blog) With over 2.5 million terabytes of data generated every single day [1], it is undeniable to predict that future business decisions will solely rely on these chunks of data. In order to fine-tune business processes and to know the behavior of customers, decision makers are already lining up a set of technologies and procuring solutions... Read More
Sleuths Read Old Booby-Trapped Letters Without Opening Them (Wired) People once folded their correspondence in intricate ways, known as “letterlocking,” to keep out snoops. A fancy new imaging technique sees right through it.
Research and Development
U.S. Unprepared for AI Competition with China, Commission Finds (Nextgov.com) Retaining any edge will take White House leadership and a substantial investment, according to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
Academia
Middlebury Institute Launches Cyber Collaborative (Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey) The new Cyber Collaborative at the Middlebury Institute will serve as a hub for cybersecurity activity across disciplines and degree programs and is led by Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies Professor Philipp Bleek.
Charting New Education Pathways to Fill the Cybersecurity Skills Gap (CSO Online) Fortinet’s NSE Training Institute has created education pathways, which allows individuals to navigate their educational journey from training to careers and helps organizations upskill employees to meet their changing needs.
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
Myanmar’s Military Deploys Digital Arsenal of Repression in Crackdown (New York Times) The generals who staged a coup last month use surveillance drones, iPhone cracking devices and hacking software, some of it from Western countries that bar sales of such technology to Myanmar.
China Is Not Ten Feet Tall (Foreign Affairs) How Alarmism Undermines American Strategy
More Zero-Days Have Been Linked to Private Companies Than Any Nation State (The Record by Recorded Future) The cybersecurity community has raised the alarm about the ever-increasing number of private companies selling offensive cyber capabilities
Workers at Canadian Spy and Cyber Agency Threaten to Strike (Wall Street Journal) A labor dispute is roiling a Canadian intelligence agency charged with cybersecurity and union organizers warn that a brain drain could amount to a national security risk.
The Cybersecurity 202: A new government watchdog report highlights urgent federal cybersecurity risks (Washington Post) Government agencies could have caught a massive Russian hacking campaign sooner if they had implemented urgent cybersecurity recommendations from the federal government's top watchdog.
Cybersecurity Failings Get Top Billing Among Lawmakers and Federal Watchdogs (The Record by Recorded Future) Federal cybersecurity is in a worse place than it was two years ago, with agencies failing to implement more than 750 recommended changes.
SolarWinds hack may lead to notification law, stronger cyber agency (Roll Call) Lawmakers from both parties, and tech companies, see a need for mandatory notification of government about data breaches and criminal hacks.
Recovering from SolarWinds Hacking takes 18 or More Months (Tech Times) Protection against cyberattacks is emphasized as a priority. US CISA worked through the holidays to help agencies hunt SolarWinds hackers out of their systems and salvage the data.
Wray hints at federal response to SolarWinds hack (TheHill) FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday hinted at the planned federal response to what has become known as the SolarWinds hack, stressing that confronting foreign attacks in cyberspace would be “a long, hard s
The Cybersecurity 202: Extremists flocking to encrypted apps could restart debate over law enforcement access (Washington Post) The recent shutdown of conservative-favored app Parler has sent throngs of President Trump's supporters to encrypted messaging apps – where some extremists are already organizing and calling for more violence to overturn the election results.
End-to-End Encryption With Backdoor – These Are The EU's Plans (Boxcryptor) End-to-end encryption with a backdoor? Cryptologist Christian Olbrich explains what to make of the EU Commission's proposals from a technical point of view.
Senate to get on the IT modernization bandwagon? (Federal News Network) The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee also included $650 million for CISA and $200 million for the USDS.
The Senate has never truly supported IT modernization and here’s what has to change (Federal News Network) New Senate leadership for Financial Services and Governmental Affairs could help break the 20-year IT modernization blockade.
FireEye's Mandia Sees Private Sector as Resource for CISA's New Threat Hunting Authority (Defense Daily) The private sector has a pool of resources, talent and experience that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will be able to tap into
Bringing New Money-Laundering Law Into Force Falls to Tiny Treasury Unit (Wall Street Journal) Among other things, FinCEN will have to create a registry of owners of anonymous shell companies, a task that will require a revamp of its creaky technology.
Empire State of Privacy: Recent Developments in New York’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Laws (New York Law Journal) This article outlines new rules that companies of all stripes will need to follow in the coming years in New York; discusses some of the privacy bills that may become law in 2021; and describes steps that companies can take now to respond to—and prepare for—these changes.
UPDATED: Va. becomes 2nd state with consumer data protection law (Virginia Business) Updated March 2: Gov. Ralph Northam signed the Consumer Data Protection Act on Tuesday. In a statement, sponsor Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax, said, “This is a huge step forward. By creating this omnibus bill, we take the lead in data privacy in the United States. This omnibus bill is clear, concise and holds companies accountable for…
Florida Aims To Mirror California’s CCPA With Proposed Data Privacy Legislation (JD Supra) Florida is currently considering data privacy legislation that would require covered businesses to implement comprehensive policies and procedures to...
U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee approves Burns to lead CIA (Reuters) The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee by a unanimous voice vote on Tuesday backed veteran diplomat William Burns to become President Joe Biden's Central Intelligence Agency director, Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic committee chair, said.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
DoJ Steps Up Investigation into NSO Group – Report (Infosecurity Magazine) DoJ Steps Up Investigation into NSO Group – Report. Lawyers probe WhatsApp for more technical details
