Dateline Moscow, Kyiv, Brussels, London, and Washington: responding to Russia's threat to Ukraine.
NATO, the EU, the UK, and the UK respond to Russia. (The CyberWire) A soft coup and cyber operations are concerns, but the conversation over Russia's threat to Ukraine increasingly centers on the possibility of a conventional invasion.
Hackers behind cyber attack on Ukraine gov’t sites affiliated with Russian security services – Polish envoy (Ukrinform) The Polish government believes it was a group of hackers linked to the Russian secret services recently that recently attacked the websites of Ukrainian government agencies. — Ukrinform.
How a Russian cyberwar in Ukraine could ripple out globally (MIT Technology Review) Soldiers and tanks may care about national borders. Cyber doesn't.
Will the Ukraine Conflict Lead to More Global Cyber Attacks? (GovTech) Recent cyber attacks against Ukrainian websites have focused global attention on the potential for wider online conflict. So what are the new cyber threats and potential scenarios to be prepared for?
What You Need to Know About the Cybersecurity Risks In the Ukraine Conflict (Gizmodo Australia) In case you haven’t heard, Ukraine is in trouble: a spat between Russian and NATO-allied forces involving the country has...
Why this threat intelligence expert believes cyberattacks aren’t Ukraine’s biggest concern (The Record by Recorded Future) Dmitri Alperovitch, the former chief technology officer of CrowdStrike who co-founded the now $38 billion cybersecurity giant in 2011, says that while a Russian attack on Ukraine is almost certain, cyber will only play a supporting role.
Will Russia Attack Ukraine? (Foreign Policy) How Moscow, Washington, Kyiv, and Brussels are preparing for the possibility of war.
Military trainers, missiles and over 200,000 lbs of lethal aid: What NATO members have sent Ukraine so far (Washington Post) Ukraine is counting on the support of the United States and other Western nations to ward off a potential renewed invasion by Russia, which has massed some 100,000 troops near the former Soviet republic’s border. Moscow also recently moved forces into Belarus, Ukraine’s Kremlin-aligned neighbor, in what the Russians are portraying — to widespread Western skepticism — as a regular exercise.
Nato reinforces eastern borders as Ukraine tensions mount (the Guardian) Stoltenberg says ‘deteriorating security situation’ has led Nato allies to ready frigates, fighter jets and troops for ‘collective defence’
Biden Weighs Deploying Thousands of Troops to Eastern Europe and Baltics (New York Times) The president is also considering deploying warships and aircraft to NATO allies, in what would be a major shift from its restrained stance on Ukraine.
U.K. accuses Russia of scheming to install a pro-Kremlin government in Ukraine (Washington Post) The British government on Saturday accused Russia of organizing a plot to install a pro-Moscow government in Ukraine, as the Kremlin masses troops and materiel near the Ukrainian border in what Western officials fear is an impending military assault on the neighboring nation.
UK accuses Kremlin of trying to install pro-Russian leader in Ukraine (Reuters) Britain on Saturday accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine, and said Russian intelligence officers had been in contact with a number of former Ukrainian politicians as part of plans for an invasion.
Britain Says Moscow Is Plotting to Install a Pro-Russian Leader in Ukraine (New York Times) In a highly unusual public statement, backed by U.S. officials, London named the putative head of a potential puppet government but few other details.
What a ‘Minor’ Russian Incursion Into Ukraine May Look Like (Foreign Policy) Don’t expect Russian ground forces to try to hold territory.
Suspected Belarus ties to Ukrainian hacks complicate Biden’s quandary (swiftheadline) Biden is already getting pressure from lawmakers to hit Russia and its allies alike. “If Russia is behind the cyberattack against Ukraine, as I suspect is the case, they must be sanctioned immediately as is required by Congress,” House Foreign Affairs ranking member Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said in an email. “And the same should be […]
Blinken says Nato united on Ukraine as EU ministers prepare to meet (the Guardian) US secretary of state says Germans ‘share our concerns’ after navy chief’s comments rattle alliance
EU, US seek coordinated response to Russia over Ukraine crisis (France 24) The United States has ordered the families of its diplomats to leave Ukraine, as rising fears of a Russian invasion pushed Western officials to meet Monday in a bid to coordinate their response and c…
U.S. threatens use of novel export control to damage Russia’s strategic industries if Moscow invades Ukraine (Washington Post) The Biden administration is threatening to use a novel export control to damage strategic Russian industries, from artificial intelligence and quantum computing to civilian aerospace, if Moscow invades Ukraine, administration officials say.
US threatens sweeping export controls against Russian industries (TheHill) The U.S. is threatening to use sweeping export controls against key Russian industries if Moscow invades Ukraine, a senior administration official confirmed to The Hill.
US, Japan in 'close consultations' amid Russian tensions (TheHill) President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida committed to working closely together to deter Russian aggression against Ukraine but stopped short of announcing a coordinated response should Moscow take action against Kyiv, a senior adm
UK Foreign Sec to Putin: 'Massive cost' if Russia invades Ukraine - Breaking Defense (Breaking Defense) "What I would say as well, is that dealing with this immediate situation is of course, an absolute priority, but the free world," Liz Truss said, "also needs to work together to reduce economic dependence on Russia, to put in place the agreements that help countries have alternatives in terms of trade and investment."
U.S. orders departure of Ukraine embassy staff family members (Reuters) The United States on Sunday ordered the departure of family members of staff at its embassy in Ukraine, citing the continuing threat of military action from Russia.
Germany breaks with NATO allies to rebuff Ukraine's pleas for weapons (Newsweek) Defense minister Christine Lambrecht said weapons deliveries "would not be helpful."
Don’t Give Putin a Veto Over NATO Expansion (Bloomberg) Negotiating the future size and shape of the alliance would be tantamount to surrender.
Don’t believe Putin’s propaganda. Sanctions are hurting Russia. (Atlantic Council) International sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 in response to Moscow's attack on Ukraine continue to have a negative impact on the country's economy despite Kremlin efforts to claim otherwise.
Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Greek Parliament: Authorities probe hacking of 60 email accounts (Ειδήσεις - νέα - Το Βήμα Online) Operation of Parliament’s web mail was immediately suspended in order to protect users’ accounts and competent supervisory authorities were apprised of the incident. The Informatics Directorate is in direct, close cooperation with authorities.
TrickBot Bolsters Layered Defenses to Prevent Injection Research (Security Intelligence) The cyber crime gang that operates the TrickBot Trojan has been escalating activity. See how it operates in 'beautified' code.
Dark Souls exploit lets attackers take over your PC (Computing) A hacker hit a popular Twitch streamer to highlight the issue and draw developer attention
New MoonBounce UEFI bootkit can't be removed by replacing the hard drive (The Record by Recorded Future) Security researchers from Kaspersky said on Thursday that they had discovered a novel bootkit that can infect a computer's UEFI firmware.
Molerats Hackers Hiding New Espionage Attacks Behind Public Cloud Infrastructure (The Hacker News) Molerats Hackers Hiding New Espionage Attacks Behind Public Cloud Infrastructure
CISA adds 17 vulnerabilities to list of bugs exploited in attacks (BleepingComputer) This week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added seventeen actively exploited vulnerabilities to the 'Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.
Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (CISA) Download CSV version. Download JSON version. Download JSON schema.
Emotet Spam Attacks Use Hexadecimal, Octal IP Addresses (Decipher) The known tactic, which helps attackers sidestep detection, has been observed in spam messages that deploy Emotet.
Are embedded devices the next ransomware target? (TechCrunch) 2021 will be remembered as the year that ransomware gangs turned their attention to critical infrastructure, targeting companies built around manufacturing, energy distribution, and food production. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware alone resulted in the shutdown of 5,500 miles of pipeline over fear…
Dutch cybersecurity agency warns of lingering Log4j risks (BleepingComputer) In a warning issued on Thursday, the Dutch National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) says organizations should still be aware of risks connected to Log4j attacks and remain vigilant for ongoing threats.
Log4J: Attackers continue targeting VMware Horizon servers (ZDNet) VMware has urged customers to apply the latest guidance as a way to resolve vulnerabilities CVE-2021-44228 and CVE-2021-4504.
Log4J: Microsoft discovers attackers targeting undisclosed SolarWinds vulnerability (ZDNet) Microsoft said it discovered previously undisclosed issues with the SolarWinds Serv-U software while looking for Log4J vulnerabilities.
What Is the Blister Malware? Tips to Stay Protected (MUO) A malware campaign that hides malicious components as genuine executable files, Blister malware is both stealthy and destructive.
Cyber-attack on ICRC: What we know (International Committee of the Red Cross) Here are some answers to questions based on the latest information that we can share. We will continue to update this Q&A with new information based on the latest developments and update language for accuracy.1. What happened?One of our cyber partners detected an anomaly on ICRC servers that contained information relating to the global Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's Restoring Family Links services, in which we work across countries to reconnect people separated by war, violence, migration and other causes.
Anne Arundel Medical Center Notifies Patients Of Potential Email Breach (CBS Baltimore) The parent company of Anne Arundel Medical Center is notifying patients about an email security breach this past fall that might have compromised some of their confidential information.
Trends
Fraud Is On the Rise, and It's Going to Get Worse (Dark Reading) The acceleration of the digital transformation resulted in a surge of online transactions, greater adoption of digital payments, and increased fraud.
Celebrities go crypto, but are they winning the public over or putting them off? (The Drum) The Drum has previously delved into the murky world of cryptocurrency advertising and asked whether stricter regulation was needed. Now, as UK ad regulators plan for a crackdowns on crypto, YouGov’s Amelia Brophy takes a look at how effective the sector’s use of celebrities in marketing efforts have been so far.
Alles, was man zu Ransomware wissen sollte (IT Markt) Ransomware-Angriffe mit Lösegeldforderungen in Millionenhöhe sorgen immer wieder für Schlagzeilen. Cyberkriminelle verfeinern ihre Angriffe immer weiter und profitieren davon, dass Unternehmen immer noch allzu sorglos mit dem Schutz kritischer Daten und dem eigenen Netzwerk umgehen. Eine Bestandsaufnahme.
Marketplace
Cybersecurity firm Anonybit raises $3.5 million in funding round (Jerusalem Post) The funding will enable Anonybit to accelerate its work with embedded partners and enterprises in support of the growing need for greater data protection and enhanced digital security.
Fleet Raises $5M Backed by GitLab Founder to Make Device Management Open Source (GlobeNewswire News Room) Fleet, an open-source device management platform that helps developers, security teams, and...
BAE Explores Sale of NetReveal Fraud-Detection Arm (Bloomberg) U.K. defense firm is working with Lazard on possible disposal. NetReveal software tracks financial crime, helps evaluate risk.
How Did ID.me Get Between You and Your Identity? (Bloomberg Businessweek) Military veteran Blake Hall’s cybersecurity company has become the government’s digital gatekeeper. Its unproven estimate—$400 billion in pandemic unemployment fraud—is also very good for its business.
Lumen gets ready to rip out Huawei gear (Light Reading) 'It's layer one equipment that cannot be used to route or redirect customer traffic,' the company wrote in response to questions from Light Reading.
Tony Podesta made $1M lobbying Biden White House for China’s Huawei (New York Post) Well-connected Democrat Tony Podesta raked in $1 million last year lobbying the Biden White House on behalf of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.
Huawei paid Dem power broker Tony Podesta $1M to lobby Biden White House (Colorado Springs Gazette) High-profile Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta, whose firm collapsed under scrutiny during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, was paid $1 million by Huawei in 2021 as Beijing sought to soften the
Contrast Security Announces Commitment to Respect Data by Becoming a Data Privacy Week 2022 Champion (PR Newswire) Contrast Security, the leader in next-gen code security, today announced its commitment to Data Privacy Week by registering as a Champion....
Tips for leveraging ‘The Great Resignation’ to support cybersecurity talent (VentureBeat) Understaffed, overburdened cybersecurity analysts are facing an onslaught of attacks. Hiring the right cybersecurity talent can combat them.
Twitter Shakes Up Its Security Ranks as Peiter Zatko, Rinki Sethi Are Out (Ad Week) They joined the company in late 2020 as head of security, chief information security officer, respectively.
Cyberwrite lands Experian vet as CRO (Insurance Business) He will lead company's sales efforts and partnerships
Netography Expands Executive Team to Meet Strong Demand for Security for the Atomized Network (Netography) Netography has appointed Jennifer Leggio as Chief Marketing Officer and Joel Esler as Vice President of Threat Research.
Products, Services, and Solutions
New infosec products of the week: January 21, 2022 (Help Net Security) The featured infosec products this week are from: Axonius, GrammaTech, Kovrr, SpyCloud, and TAC Security.
1Password has plans to get companies to actually use one password (The Verge) 1Password plans to get into SSO with a different approach.
WhiteStar Communications, Inc. Launches SOCIETY: Secure Social Network (WhiteStar) NC Tech startup Launches new version of SOCIETY mobile app with, Secure Instant Messaging, Social Media Communities, and Secure File Transfer.
Guardicore and Medigate Provide Zero Trust-enabled Ransomware Mitigation (PR Newswire) Guardicore, the segmentation company simplifying Zero Trust enforcement and now part of Akamai, today announced a new technology integration...
EY enhances cyber services in Singapore, secures enterprise alliance with CrowdStrike (Channel Asia) EY is moving ahead with plans to enhance cyber risk management capabilities via specialised managed services in Singapore, underpinned by CrowdStrike.
Acronis unveils new enhanced partner program features (Acronis) For information about Acronis and Acronis' products or to schedule an interview, please send an email or get through to Acronis' representative, using media contacts.
Deepfence Launches New ThreatMapper Features to Stay One Step Ahead of the Security Vulnerabilities Curve (Business Wire) Deepfence, a pioneer in the emerging security observability and protection space, today announced the release of ThreatMapper 1.2.0, which offers sign
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
Satellite Operators Restore Critical Communications to Tonga After Volcanic Eruption (Via Satellite) Satellite operators and service providers Speedcast, Intelsat, and SES worked to restore emergency communications in Tonga after the recent volcanic
NSA: Securing Cloud-related PDFs shouldn’t mean sacrificing usability (Nextgov.com) The rise of editable Portable Document Files created a new avenue for attackers, but the right configuration can protect most systems without compromising functionality, NSA says.
Push to Explain What Software Contains Gains Steam After Log4j Flaw (Wall Street Journal) A software bill of materials is an old idea that has taken on new importance as a way to help avoid future hacking attempts.
How to Avoid Unwanted Photos on Social Media (Wall Street Journal) With nearly every social occasion tending to end up documented online, eventually, your image is bound to show up in some posts you don’t like. It isn’t unreasonable to ask friends to remove group selfies. Here’s how.
Log4j lesson: Cybersecurity defense isn’t just about tech (VentureBeat) Despite what most vendors and pundits will tell you, the answer to cyber attacks isn’t simply “buy more tools.”
Design and Innovation
Open Source Democratized Software. Now Let’s Democratize Security (The New Stack) Democratization of technology sparked a revolution in open source software innovation. Can cybersecurity walk that same path?
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
Australia, UK to 'fight back' against hostile states in cyber - minister (Reuters) Australia and Britain will "fight back" against cyber attacks from China, Russia, and Iran, defence minister Peter Dutton said ahead of consultations with Britain in Sydney.
MEPs adopt Digital Services Act with significant last-minute changes (Euractiv) A large majority of MEPs voted in favour of the Digital Services Act on Thursday (20 January), after plenary amendments introduced important changes to the text.
A different take on the NSO Group affair - opinion (Jerusalem Post) The recent NSO affair is an opportunity for the Foreign Affairs Ministry to prove its strategic value and to chart a new course by introducing ethical dimensions into Israeli foreign policy.
How the U.S. Messed Up Its New 5G Rollout: ‘It Wasn’t Our Finest Hour’ (Wall Street Journal) Longstanding disagreements between federal agencies over potential risks to aircraft remained unresolved in the days leading to the 5G debut.
Looking Beyond Biden's Binding Security Directive (Dark Reading) Implementing these and other security procedures will greatly improve the security posture of the United States and its private partners.
How the Biden administration is making gains in an uphill battle against Russian hackers (The Conversation) The US has made a dent in Russian cyber criminal gangs. But tensions with Russia and the shadowy nature of hacking keep the threat level high.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal decision to extradite him to U.S., Britain’s Supreme Court says (Washington Post) Britain’s Supreme Court on Monday gave Julian Assange permission to appeal the decision to extradite him to the United States to stand trial on espionage charges, giving the WikiLeaks founder another day in court in his long legal battle against his forced removal to America.
Julian Assange wins first stage of attempt to appeal against extradition (the Guardian) WikiLeaks founder is seeking to appeal against ruling that he can be sent to US to face espionage charges
How Israel’s intel helped Delhi cops crack crypto hacking case (The Times of India) Communication from a foreign intelligence agency to the Indian intelligence flagging crypto wallets being operated by al-Qassam Brigades, the military
Israel's attorney general orders probe into police spyware allegations (Reuters) Israel's attorney general has ordered an investigation into police surveillance tactics amid reports that law enforcement improperly used a disputed hacking tool.
Israeli police used NSO’s Pegasus to spy on local mayors, their relatives (CTECH) Police tapped phones of three heads of local authorities, whom law enforcement suspected of engaging in corrupt activity, but no evidence was found and no indictment filed; some were detained, with their homes searched
Police are not 'illegally spying' on Israelis, minister claims amid NSO scandal (Haaretz) After report that police used Pegasus spyware to spy on civilians, Public Security Minister Bar-Lev says all claims – except that the police are using 'advanced technology' – are untrue
Police minister denies illegal use of NSO spyware, acknowledges public mistrust (Times of Israel) Omer Barlev says investigations have found no wrongdoing after report alleged unlawful surveillance of Israelis, but says he's 'not surprised' police denials are being doubted
Police spyware use shows an alarming ends-justifies-the-means culture - comment (Jerusalem Post) Where do the police get off tapping phones of people not suspected of any concrete wrongdoing?
Indonesian Religious Organization Issues Executive Order Banning Use of Cryptography by the Country's Muslim Population (TittlePress) Indonesia’s Tarjih Council and Muhammadiyah Central Executive Tajdid have issued a fatwa (edict) stating the illegality of the…
Founder of The Infraud Organization hacking group arrested in Moscow — source (TASS) Three other purported hackers are under a house arrest
Russia Detains Four Infraud Cybercrime Members, Tass Reports (Bloomberg) Cyber ring is known to exploit stolen identities with malware. U.S. and Russia worked together on identifying gang members.
FSB detains administrator of UniCC carding forum (The Record by Recorded Future) The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested the administrator of the UniCC carding forum and one of the members of the Infraud cybercrime cartel.
Cyber pros: Don’t revel in REvil’s downfall just yet (ComputerWeekly.com) The arrests of REvil’s alleged kingpins is a welcome step, but as with any disruption to cyber criminal activity, it is never wise to assume law enforcement action means the threat has passed entirely
After ransomware arrests, some dark web criminals are getting worried (ZDNet) Analysis of dark web chatter suggests that some ransomware affiliates worry law enforcement might come for them next.
Merck wins cyber-insurance lawsuit related to NotPetya attack (The Record by Recorded Future) A New Jersey court has ruled in favor of Merck in a lawsuit the pharmaceutical company filed against its insurer, Ace American, which declined to cover the losses caused by the NotPetya ransomware attack.
Court orders YouTuber to stay off Roblox (Polygon) Roblox YouTuber Ruben Sim accused of leading ‘cybermob’ on the game platform
Labour: MI5 has proof Arron Banks had Information Commissioner under surveillance (Computing) Labour MP Liam Byrne alleged that the surveillance was ordered by Brexit backer Arron Banks
Doctoral student at Israel's Technion arrested for contact with foreign agent (Haaretz) 40-year-old Haifa resident who once worked for the Environmental Protection Ministry is on house arrest and barred from leaving the country through May
The Broken Trust Files: State Department Diplomat's Sexual Liaison with a Spy...in a Car (ClearanceJobs) On this day, a senior foreign service officer was sentenced to prison for mishandling classified information and unreported foreign contacts, but there is so much more to the story...
