Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Iran says key Natanz nuclear facility hit by 'sabotage' (BBC News) The country's top nuclear official says a power outage at its Natanz site was "nuclear terrorism".
Iran Blames Israel for Attack on Nuclear Facility, Vows to Retaliate (Wall Street Journal) The attack on Iran’s main nuclear facility destroyed a number of centrifuges at a time when Washington and Tehran are seeking to resume talks over a deal that constrains the Islamic Republic’s potential to produce a nuclear weapon.
Blackout Hits Iran Nuclear Site in What Appears to Be Israeli Sabotage (New York Times) The power failure was described by Iran as “nuclear terrorism” as talks were underway in Vienna to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran Calls Natanz Atomic Site Blackout 'Nuclear Terrorism' (SecurityWeek) Iran's Natanz nuclear site suffered a problem Sunday, April 11, involving its electrical distribution grid just hours after starting up new advanced centrifuges that more quickly enrich uranium
Incident at Iran's Natanz facility a 'terrorist action,' nuclear chief says (CNN) Iran's Atomic Energy Organization condemned an incident at the Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday, calling it a "terrorist action," according to the Iranian telegram channel of the Revolution Guard Corps, or IRGC.
Microsoft: Malware gang uses website contact forms for distribution (The Record by Recorded Future) Microsoft said today it spotted a cybercrime operation abusing contact forms on legitimate websites to target companies and their workers in attempts to infect them with the IcedID malware.
Android malware found embedded in APKPure store application (BleepingComputer) Security researchers found malware embedded within the official application of APKPure, a popular third-party Android app store and an alternative to Google's official Play Store.
Official client for the APKPure Android app store compromised with malware (The Record by Recorded Future) The official client for APKPure, the second-largest Android app store after the Google Play Store, was compromised with malware this week, three security firms said on Friday.
Joker malware infects over 500,000 Huawei Android devices (BleepingComputer) More than 500,000 Huawei users have downloaded from the company's official Android store applications infected with Joker malware that subscribes to premium mobile services.
Critical Zoom vulnerability triggers remote code execution without user input (ZDNet) The researchers who discovered the bug have earned themselves $200,000.
Clubhouse data leak: 1.3 million scraped user records leaked online for free (CyberNews) An SQL database containing 1.3 million Clubhouse user records has been leaked for free on a popular hacker forum.
Clubhouse denies data breach report, says only publicly viewable info scraped (Live Mint) Paul Davison, said the claims were false during a town hall this past week, according to a report by The Verge.The data referred to was all public profile information, said Davison
Clubhouse CEO Denies Report Of Data Leak (PYMNTS) Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison said there was no user info leak, contrary to what had been previously reported.
Clubhouse CEO says user data was not leaked, contrary to reports (The Verge) The information was publicly available, according to the company
Personal data of 1.3m Clubhouse users leaked online after LinkedIn and Facebook also suffered data breaches (Business Insider) The leaked data of Clubhouse users includes names, social media profiles, and other details. It's the latest in a recent string of data breaches.
Data from 500M LinkedIn Users Posted for Sale Online (Threatpost) Like the Facebook incident earlier this week, the information — including user profile IDs, email addresses and other PII — was scraped from the social-media platform.
LinkedIn denies 500 million user data breach (The Record by Recorded Future) LinkedIn has formally denied a rumor that it suffered a devastating security breach that exposed the account details of more than 500 million of its registered users.
An update on report of scraped data (An update from LinkedIn) Members trust LinkedIn with their data, and we take action to protect that trust. We have investigated an alleged set of LinkedIn data that has been posted for sale and have determined that it is actually an aggregation of data from a number of websites and companies. It does include publicly viewable member profile data that appears to have been scraped from LinkedIn. This was not a LinkedIn data breach, and no private member account data from LinkedIn was included in what we’ve been able to review.
Access to Tata Communications servers sold after breach, hackers claim (OpIndia) As per two posts by hackers on a hackers' forum, they have gained access to Tata Communications servers and sold them. | OpIndia News
Paxful denies reports of customer data leak (Cointelegraph) “The employee data that the person claims to have was obtained illegally from a third party supplier that Paxful previously used," a spokesperson from Paxful said.
Upstox Tiptoes Around Data Breach Impacting 2.5 Mn Users, But Upgrades Security System (Inc42 Media) Upstox says it has upgraded its systems on the recommendations of a global cybersecurity firm after receiving claims of unauthorised access to its database
Upstox suffers hack, data of 25 lakh users for sale on dark web (MediaNama) Indian stockbroking app Upstox has suffered a data breach and KYC data of 25 million investors is listed for sale on the dark web.
Moneycontrol Resets Passwords En Masse After Alleged Data Breach Impacting 7 Lakh Users (Inc42 Media) Network18-owned financial portal Moneycontrol, which has reported extensively about data breaches affecting companies such as Upstox and Mobikwik, seems to…
Hackers steal Stanford students’ Poptropica passwords (The Stanford Daily) HUMOR: “But then I saw that my Poptropica password was compromised, too … needless to say I haven’t slept since.
TriHealth reports patient and employee data breach through law firm (WKRC) CINCINNATI (WKRC) - TriHealth is that some employee or patient information may have been breached through a law firm it uses in Columbus. There was a ransomware attack on Bricker & Eckler's email server, according to TriHealth. Some of the information included "personally identifiable and protected health information belonging to a select group of TriHealth employees and patients".
623M Payment Cards Stolen from Cybercrime Forum (Threatpost) The database was subsequently leaked elsewhere, imperiling consumers from the U.S. and around the world.
Massachusetts car inspections may not be available until April 17 following cyber attack (Masslive) The RMV estimates there are between 40,000 and 50,000 vehicles that may still have a March sticker and need an inspection.
Region of Durham falls victim to cyber attack (Toronto Star) Statement says incident "did not impact the region's core IT systems"
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
April 2021 Patch Tuesday forecast: Security best practices (Help Net Security) What can we expect from Microsoft and other vendors next week regarding security? We take a look in our April 2021 Patch Tuesday forecast.
Trends
Beware the rise of state-sponsored cyberattacks (Spectator) In November 2014, a glowing red skeleton appeared on the computer screens of executives at Sony Pictures Entertainment. ‘Hacked,’ began the accompanying message. It went on to explain that Sony data had been stolen and would be released to the world. ‘This is only the beginning,’ it warned. Gossipy emails about Angelina Jolie, licensing problems around the character of Spider-Man, and the script of the next James Bond film were all leaked online and lapped up by showbusiness reporters.
The Physical Impact of Manufacturing Cyber Threats (Mission Secure) Worldwide cyber-attacks against manufacturing companies are on the rise and are causing serious impact to physical control systems and facilities.
2021 Phishing Trends to Watch For (INKY) More than $4.2 billion was lost to cybercrime in 2020 and the cybercriminals are showing no signs of slowing down. Learn the top 5 trends to watch for and protect your business with the best email security solution available.
Munich Re’s 2020 Cyber Risk Report Sheds Light on Cyber Insurance Inadequacy (Risk & Insurance) The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the threat and likelihood of cyber security breaches for organizations, Munich Re's 2020 cyber risk report found. Despite the growing risk of cyber attacks, its insurance coverage products and services are still failing to catch up.
Check Point’s Mobile Security Report 2021: Almost Every Organization Experienced a Mobile-related Attack in 2020 (Check Point Software) By Oleg Mogilevsky, Product Marketing Manager, Threat Prevention In 2020, 97% of organizations faced mobile threats that used various attack vectors. 46%
Over 600,000 new malicious programs are registered daily in 2021 (Finbold) Finbold projects that about 604,059 new malware and potentially unwanted applications are registered daily in 2021 globally.
Survey: The State of Cybersecurity Training 2021 (TalentLMS Blog) Despite companies’ cybersecurity training efforts, 61% of employees failed a basic cybersecurity quiz, and COVID-19 has created new vulnerabilities.
Securing software development environments is top concern for security leaders, according to latest global survey (Argon Security) Today, CI/CD pipelines form the backbone of modern-day DevOps operations. Over the past few years, the software development industry has pivoted to a continuous integration and delivery...
North Korea stole $1B during cyber heists over past decade, study says (Breitbart) North Korea is connected to more than half of the world's top 10 financial hacking incidents and may have stolen about $1 billion since
These are the countries sending the most spam emails (ITProPortal) Some countries are more prolific than others when it comes to phishing.
More than a virus: pandemic and online security in the Baltic states (LSM) The Covid-19 pandemic has not only an impact on business and economy but also reshaped cyberspace. The increased use of digital technologies has become the “new normal“ in many organisations. This has created security blindspots for malicious actors that have set their sights also on the Baltics.
Marketplace
Record seed round brings Talon Cyber Security $26m (Globes) Israeli company Talon Cyber Security is developing security solutions designed for hybrid working.
Security Automation Firm Tines Raises $26 Million at $300 Million Valuation (SecurityWeek) Tines, an Irish company that provides no-code automation solutions for security and operations teams, has raised $26 million at a valuation of $300 million.
KnowBe4 Seeks $100 Million U.S. IPO (Seeking Alpha) KnowBe4 has filed to raise $100 million in a U.S. IPO, although the final figure may differ.
Veriff Secures $69M in Series B Funding to Combat Online Fraud, Making Identity Verification Hassle-Free (Veriff) An announcement of Veriff's Series B fundraising of $69 million, led by investment firms IVP and Accel.
DoControl Launches with $13.35M in Funding to Automate SaaS Data Access Controls (DoControl) Helps enterprises prevent data breaches on SaaS applications with minimal or no impact on business enablement
Darktrace reveals plan to float in London at the end of the month (Computing) The IPO is likely to value the cyber security firm at £2.5-3 billion
Cellebrite to List on Nasdaq Through SPAC (FinSMEs) Cellebrite DI Ltd., a US and Israel-based global provider of Digital Intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors, and TWC Tech Holdings II Corp. (Nasdaq: TWCT), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, entered into a definitive business combination agreement and plan of merger
Microsoft to Buy Nuance Communications for $19.7 Billion (Wall Street Journal) The two companies agreed to a $19.7 billion deal, including debt, in one of Microsoft’s biggest deals under Chief Executive Satya Nadella as the company looks to expand its range of software tools for its customers.
Coinbase’s Direct Listing To Drive ‘Wave Of Innovation’ In Cryptocurrency (Crunchbase News) Battery Ventures' Roger Lee says the listing will open the door to new, crypto-powered consumer apps expected to emerge in the next two years.
Boutique Firm Focused on Data Breaches Launches in the Netherlands (Legaltech News) The two founders named their new boutique firm seventytwo, a reference to the crucial first 72 hours after a company becomes aware of a cyber incident or breach.
Silicon Valley Revs Up for a ‘Hot Startup’ Summer (Wired) “Now is the time to start stepping on the gas,” as one prominent VC firm put it to founders.
Zoom zero-day discovery makes calls safer, hackers $200,000 richer (Malwarebytes Labs) White hat hackers demonstrated a Zoom vulnerability allowing a Remote Code Execution attack at the Pwn2Own event.
Researchers earn $1,2 million for exploits demoed at Pwn2Own 2021 (BleepingComputer) Pwn2Own 2021 ended with contestants earning a record $1,210,000 for exploits and exploits chains demoed over the course of three days.
eSentire Appoints Top Industry Executives to Leadership Team (StreetInsider.com) Bob Layton named Chief Channel Officer and Erin McLean named Chief Marketing Officer
Products, Services, and Solutions
New infosec products of the week: April 9, 2021 (Help Net Security) The featured vendors this week include: VMware, nFront Security, Privitar,
Darktrace transforms educational foundation’s cybersecurity posture - Intelligent CIO Europe (Intelligent CIO Europe) Computer-speed attacks like ransomware are launched at educational institutions on a regular basis and the sector is having to find ways to tackle them and fight back at the same speed. Richard Jenkins, Global Head of Security & Risk, International Baccalaureate, tells us how Darktrace Antigena has dramatically improved the institution’s cybersecurity posture and helped […]
Valley cybersecurity firms Datashield, Bishop Fox join forces to protect clients from virtual threats (Phoenix Business Journal) Phoenix-area firms Bishop Fox and Datashield recently announced a new cybersecurity partnership. Datashield's CEO Jimmy Treuting said the Valley is one of the best places in the country to find cyber talent — and both businesses are hiring.
This Data Privacy Filter Can Help Protect Your Small Business From Cybercrime (Entrepreneur) Small businesses are frequent cybercrime targets. Protect yours today.
Signal Adds Payments—With a Privacy-Focused Cryptocurrency (Wired) The encrypted messaging app is integrating support for MobileCoin in a bid to keep up with the features offered by its more mainstream rivals.
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
How to Remove Single Points of Failure from your Digital Infrastructure (CISO Mag) As we witness hackers taking over networks by becoming super-admins time and again, the cost of not removing single points of failure from your digital infrastructure could be fatal.
What the Titans of Industry Reveal about SolarWinds Attack (Aria Cybersecurity) ARIA Cybersecurity breaks down what was learned at the recent Senate hearing about the SolarWinds cyber attack, and how to prevent such attacks in the future.
NCSC: Using your pet’s name as a password is very stupid (ComputerWeekly) If your email password is still Rex, Rover or Mr Fluffles, it’s probably best to change it, the NCSC has said.
Death to 'Fluffy': Please Stop With the Pet Name Passwords (BankInfo Security) Pets, Sports Teams, Notable Dates and Family Member Names Predominate, Experts War
Incident response pros seek to prove due diligence after OFAC advisory (SC Media) Incident response experts are advocating for establishing better oversight and documenting due diligence when paying a ransomware actor.
Accellion Cyber Attack on the UC Network Prompts New Personal Safety Measures (UCSD Guardian) The University of California Office of the President sent out a UC-wide email to students, staff, and academics on April 2 to inform
Post-Ransomware Response: Victim Says 'Do the Right Thing' (BankInfo Security) Crisis communications: If your organization suffers a ransomware outbreak - despite its best cybersecurity efforts - is it ready to respond quickly and transparently? Experts have lauded the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for its response, saying it's a model for other victims to emulate.
Preventing cloud data leaks: four key actions city and county government organizations can apply to mitigate risk (American City and County) City and county governments are wary of mounting security risks, particularly for data they store in the cloud. Ransomware, phishing attacks and other cybersecu
Preventing cloud data leaks: four key actions city and county government organizations can apply to mitigate risk (American City and County) City and county governments are wary of mounting security risks, particularly for data they store in the cloud. Ransomware, phishing attacks and other cybersecu
Design and Innovation
Microsoft Open-Sources 'CyberBattleSim' Enterprise Environment Simulator (SecurityWeek) Microsoft's new 'CyberBattleSim' research toolkit supports the high-level abstract simulation of computer networks and cybersecurity concepts.
Academia
United States Naval Academy Team wins 2021 NSA Cyber Exercise (National Security Agency Central Security Service) NSA’s NCX is a year-round cyber education program culminating with an unclassified exercise designed to reinforce the learning principles gained in the classroom. NCX provides an integrated program at
NSA’s National Cyber Exercise Tests Teams’ Offensive and Defensive Skills (Homeland Security Today) The National Security Agency announced Thursday the kick-off of its 20th annual National Cyber Exercise (NCX), a three-day annual cyber competition that tests the offensive and defensive cybersecurity skills of participant teams from U.S. Service Academies and Senior Military Colleges as well as civilian interns from NSA’s cyber-focused development programs.
Newest Cyber Warriors Vie For Top NSA Trophy (Breaking Defense) Teams will face a series of rigorous challenges over three days as they compete to win the prestigious NCX trophy.
The Citadel faces West Point, Annapolis and other military schools in NSA cyber challenge (Post and Courier) Since 2001, NSA has hosted the team-against-team competition that tests teamwork, planning, communication and decision-making skills.
Grambling grad getting Louisiana's 1st cybersecurity degree (Westport News) A Grambling State University student is about to get...
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
In a quest to rein in its tech giants, China turns to data protection (CNBC) The slew of new regulations is seen as part of a broader effort by China to rein in the power of its internet giants such as Alibaba and Tencent.
Brussels Report: Trans-Atlantic Data Talks May Move at a Quicker Clip (Wall Street Journal) At the very least, European and U.S. officials are now saying they want to expedite negotiations for a new privacy deal, one all agree will be tough to reach.
Data Protection Developments in Europe – Supply Chain and Distribution (All About IP) In an increasingly interconnected world, preserving the free flow of data across borders is crucial to the prosperity of businesses operating in every
Experts call UN group consensus report on cyberspace ‘significant’ (IT World Canada) A Canadian expert warns some 'hostile' nations may still be able to hide cyberattacks and ignore alleged attribution
Why Biden Needs to Counter North Korea’s Cyber Crimes (The National Interest) Joe Biden has several tools by which he can respond to North Korea hacks that gain hard cash for the sanctioned regime.
Is Russia Preparing to Go to War in Ukraine? (Foreign Policy) Troop buildup near Ukraine’s border is the largest since 2014.
White House asks for additional $110 million in CISA funding to address cyber threats (CyberScoop) The White House on Friday asked Congress for $110 million in additional funding in 2022 to help the Department of Homeland Security shore up federal and state defenses in the wake of high-profile hacking operations.
Biden Looks To Up Cybersecurity Spending With Budget Plan (Law360) The Biden administration on Friday urged Congress to set aside more than $1.3 billion in funds to bolster the federal government's cybersecurity posture in the wake of a pair of massive cyberattacks suspected to have been orchestrated by foreign nation-states, including a requested $110 million boost for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security agency tasked with leading these efforts.
The U.S. Government Needs to Overhaul Cybersecurity. Here’s How. (Lawfare) In advance of the new Biden administration cybersecurity executive order, it’s time for the federal government to get proactive about cybersecurity.
The Intelligence Community’s Deadly Bias Toward Classified Sources (Defense One) Its willful blindness to publicly available information is hurting national security.
JAIC director: With flat budgets, turn to AI to save money (C4ISRNET) Artificial intelligence with business systems will improve cost savings that can be reinvested elsewhere.
DoD’s Newest Pushback Against Chinese Money In US Defense Industry (Breaking Defense) "The proactive, nefarious work coming from China and Russia in particular [will make US policymakers] “realize that we don't have control over everything that we think we have control over,” Tara Murphy Dougherty, CEO of Govini said
China Leads US In 3 Of 6 AI Areas: Bob Work (Breaking Defense) The US has a narrow edge in its talent pool, its hardware and its algorithms, but China is ahead in accumulating data, deploying applications, and integrating different functions.
Think twice before bringing back the COCOM export control regime (Defense News) Resuscitating the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls is a bad idea.
ICT Coalition Letter on Supply Chain Security (Telecommunications Industry Association) Dear Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Raimondo: The undersigned associations congratulate you on your confirmations and welcome the opportunity to work with you on the critical challenges and opportunities facing the information communications technology (“ICT”) sector. Chief among these are global efforts to enhance the security of the ICT ecosystem and maintain U.S. private sector leadership in international standards development.
A DoD definition of domestic extremism is on its way (Military Times) A working group will take on the next steps in the Pentagon's push to root out extremist ideology.
Defense Department denies being ‘thought police’ in launch of extremism study (Washington Examiner) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin launched a multipronged attack on extremism in the force Friday, his first action following a 60-day effort that gathered information from across the services in an effort to identify how the department will root out potentially dangerous actors such as those who were…
Rob Joyce begins as NSA’s Director of Cybersecurity (National Security Agency Central Security Service) Rob Joyce started as the National Security Agency’s new Director of Cybersecurity last week.
Biden administration plans to name former senior NSA officials to White House cyber position and head of CISA (Washington Post) The Biden administration plans on Monday to name a former senior National Security Agency official as the first national cyber director and another former NSA official to head the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency.
Biden to name former NSA deputy director to lead CISA: report (Fox News) John C. Inglis, the former deputy director of the National Security Agency, is expected to be tapped by President Biden to head the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency, according to a report late Sunday.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
US arrests suspect who wanted to blow up AWS data center (The Record by Recorded Future) The FBI has arrested on Thursday a Texas man who planned to blow up one of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in an attempt to "kill of about 70% of the internet."
FBI arrests man for plan to kill “70% of Internet” in AWS bomb attack (BleepingComputer) The FBI arrested a Texas man on Thursday for allegedly planning to "kill of about 70% of the internet" in a bomb attack targeting an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center on Smith Switch Road in Ashburn, Virginia.
A Far-Right Extremist Allegedly Plotted to Blow Up Amazon Data Centers (Wired) The FBI arrested the suspect in Texas after he purchased explosives from an undercover agent.
Serious and Organised Crime in the EU: A corrupting influence (Europol) Today, Europol publishes the European Union (EU) Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment, the EU SOCTA 2021. The SOCTA, published by Europol every four years, presents a detailed analysis of the threat of serious and organised crime facing the EU. The SOCTA is a forward-looking assessment that identifies shifts in the serious and organised crime landscape.
Covid results emails breach GDPR (Computing) Messages from the Department of Health and Social Care contain personally identifiable information, warns Kuan Hon
Facebook axes 16,000 groups for trading fake reviews after UK intervenes (Reuters) (Corrects headline, paragraph 1 to say Facebook "removes", not "suspends", 16,000 "groups", not "accounts")
Why Do Huawei’s “Inventions” Look Oddly Familiar? (Mind Matters) Huawei, the biggest global telecommunications provider, is credibly accused of industrial espionage and property theft across the globe.
Product liability for an IoT data breach (Lexology) With the number of connected devices set to rise as 5G takes off, manufacturers and distributors need to be alive to the fact that product liability…
‘Bro Culture’ at Camera Maker Verkada Pushed Profits, Parties (Bloomberg) Lax security emblematic of broader issues, former employees say; Verkada spokesman says company is tightening policies.
Online testing firm agrees to security audit after inquiry from senator (CyberScoop) A company whose software has been widely used to administer law school entrance exams during the coronavirus pandemic has agreed to an independent audit of the software after a U.S. senator raised cybersecurity concerns about the product.
Whistleblower Says Ubiquiti Lied About the Source and Extent of Its Data Breach To Protect Stocks (CPO Magazine) A security professional who participated in Ubiquiti’s last year’s data breach response blew the lid on an alleged coverup plot by the IoT devices manufacturer.
Forensic analysis of Hunter Biden laptop by ex-FBI agent finds 'no evidence' of fake data (Washington Examiner) A forensic analysis reportedly determined the data found on the laptop believed to belong to Hunter Biden appears to be authentic.
