Dateline Moscow and Kyiv: Russia's campaign against civilian targets intensifies.
Ukraine at D+229: Russia escalates a terrorist strategy. (CyberWire) Russia is conducting indiscriminate attacks against civilian targets (which are both soft and, especially, stationary) with an evident goal of making Ukraine "whine" and "howl." Russian cyberattacks continue at a low nuisance level.
Ukraine at D+228: Ukraine advances; Russia hits civilian targets. (CyberWire) Ukrainian special operations and partisans strike at Russian rear areas as conventional forces continue to make gains. Russia strikes back with missile strikes against apartment buildings. Starlink service is reported to have been interrupted along the line of contact.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 229 (Al Jazeera) As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 229th day, we take a look at the main developments.
Ukraine war latest: Fresh strikes targeting energy sites leaves Lviv without power - follow live (The Telegraph) Fresh Russian strikes targeting energy sites have left parts of the city of Lviv without power.
Ukraine war latest: Fresh strikes targeting energy sites leaves Lviv without power - follow live (The Telegraph) Fresh Russian strikes targeting energy sites have left parts of the city of Lviv without power.
‘This only unites us’: defiance as deadly strikes bring war back to Kyiv (the Guardian) Series of missiles shatter several months of calm but normal life quickly returns amid the destruction
Belarus's Lukashenko warns Ukraine, deploys troops with Russia (Reuters) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday he had ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near Ukraine in response to what he said was a clear threat to Belarus from Kyiv and its backers in the West.
Russia-Ukraine war live: Nato ‘closely monitoring’ Russia’s nuclear forces, says alliance chief (the Guardian) Jens Stoltenberg says any deliberate attack against allies’ critical infrastructure would trigger ‘united and determined response’
No signs Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapon, says GCHQ boss (the Guardian) UK spy chief says Kremlin does not appear to be engaged in preliminary steps despite Putin’s threats
Threat looms of Kyiv invasion as Putin’s troops mass on Belarus border (The Telegraph) Russia’s staunchest ally gives strongest indication yet that it will deploy troops against its neighbour Ukraine
Kremlin war hawks demand more devastating strikes on Ukraine (AP NEWS) Moscow's barrage of missile strikes on cities all across Ukraine has elicited celebratory comments from Russian officials and pro-Kremlin pundits, who in recent weeks have actively criticized the Russian military for a series of embarrassing setbacks on the battlefield .
Russian forces ‘running and panicking’ during eastern retreat (Al Jazeera) Villagers describe withdrawal as most Russian soldiers fled but others were caught in Ukrainian attacks.
Russia blasts Kyiv, other Ukrainian cities in deadly strikes (Military Times) The morning strikes sent Kyiv residents back into bomb shelters for the first time in months.
In Kyiv, the strikes shattered what had become a relative sense of calm. (New York Times) Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s capital on Monday came after months in which the fighting had shifted to other parts of the country.
Live Updates: Putin Says ‘Mass Strike’ on Ukraine Is Revenge for Bridge Attack (New York Times) After missiles hit at least 10 Ukrainian cities, President Vladimir V. Putin warned in a televised address that “no one should have any doubt” that Russia will defend itself.
Deadly strikes are just 'first episode' of response to Crimea attack, says Medvedev
(The Telegraph) Russia's retaliatory mass strikes across Ukraine were only the "first episode" of Moscow's planned response to the attack on the bridge to Crimea, said former President Dmitry Medvedev, claiming it had become necessary for Russia to 'dismantle' Ukraine.
With Attacks on Ukraine, Putin Gives Hard-Liners What They Wanted (New York Times) A sharp shift toward deadly strikes signaled that domestic pressure over Russia’s flailing war effort had escalated to the point where Vladimir Putin felt a decisive show of force was necessary.
Russian people turning on Vladimir Putin and his war, UK spy chief says (The Telegraph) Head of GCHQ says public are realising president ‘has badly misjudged’ conflict and also raises concerns over China's ‘military might’
Biden Condemns ‘Utter Brutality’ of Russian Strikes on Civilians (Bloomberg) US, allies face pressure to give advanced weapons to Ukraine. Putin threatens more strikes after missile barrage hits cities.
Biden promises Ukraine 'advanced air defense systems' after Russian missile strikes | CNN Politics (CNN) President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday after a deluge of Russian missiles targeted cities across Ukraine, condemning the strikes and pledging continued US security assistance "including advanced air defense systems."
We’re counting on Britain to help protect our skies, says Zelensky after strikes on Kyiv (The Telegraph) Ukrainian president urges allies to provide missile defence systems as European Commission says Russian attacks are ‘war crimes’
Putin is showing the world what terrorism really looks like (The Telegraph) This kind of terror bombing is a sign of weakness, reminiscent of the way Hitler reacted to looming military defeat in 1944
‘Everything has gone’: liberated Ukrainians on rebuilding Kharkiv (the Guardian) After months of terror and death, residents pick up the pieces of their former life in frontline Saltivka
Russia unleashes deadly strikes on cities across Ukraine after Crimea bridge attack (NBC News) President Vladimir Putin announced in a televised address that his military had launched the strikes as revenge for a blast that damaged the bridge connecting Russia and annexed Crimea over the weekend.
Kyiv, other Ukraine cities hit as Putin orders revenge for Crimea bridge (Reuters) Russia fired cruise missiles at cities across Ukraine during rush hour on Monday morning, killing civilians and knocking out power and heat, in what President Vladimir Putin declared to be revenge for Ukrainian attacks including on a bridge to Crimea.
Attacks on Kyiv may be to Ukraine’s tactical advantage (The Telegraph) Volodymyr Zelensky must now make it impossible for the international community to turn a blind eye to the atrocities of this war
Putin blames Kyiv for attack on strategic Crimea bridge (Washington Post) President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Sunday of orchestrating the attack on a key Russian link with occupied Crimea, injecting new, heightened stakes into a calamitous episode that Ukrainian leaders touted as proof of their ability to prevail in its war with Russia.
Vladimir Putin: Crimea bridge explosion was ‘terrorist act’ by Ukraine’s secret service (The Telegraph) Russian president makes first comments about Saturday’s explosion in unscheduled 33-second video address on Sunday night
Crimea bridge blast damages key Russian supply route; 3 dead (AP NEWS) An explosion caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia on Saturday, damaging a key supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine.
Explosion hits Crimean Bridge, damaging Russian supply route to Ukraine (Washington Post) A giant explosion ripped across the Crimean Bridge, a strategic link between mainland Russia and Crimea, in what appeared to be a stunning blow early Saturday morning to a symbol of President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions to control Ukraine.
Explosion on 12-Mile Crimea Bridge Kills 3 (New York Times) The blast, on the sole bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, disrupted an important supply line for Russian troops and was an embarrassing blow to the Kremlin.
Ukraine: Russian strikes kill 17 following bridge attack (AP NEWS) A Russian missile barrage that crumbled apartment buildings and houses in Ukraine's city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 17 people and wounded dozens, Ukrainian officials said Sunday as Moscow strained to enforce its takeover of illegally annexed territory.
Putin’s bridge of dreams explodes in flames (Washington Post) It was a media extravaganza, Putin-style. At the lead of a small truck convoy, Russian President Vladimir Putin drove an orange dump truck flying Russian flags across a portion of the Crimean Bridge in 2018, proudly inaugurating a 12-mile colossus of steel and concrete connecting the Crimean Peninsula he illegally annexed from Ukraine to mainland Russia. At the end of the ride, he was met with cheers and applause.
Impact of Kerch bridge blast will be felt all the way to the Kremlin (the Guardian) Vladimir Putin opened road section in 2018 and Moscow had threatened reprisals if it was attacked
Pressure on Putin grows as his ‘jewel in the crown’ bridge to Crimea is blown up (the Guardian) The Kerch bridge, symbol of Russia’s occupation of the Crimean peninsula, was hit at dawn the day after the president’s birthday
Why blowing up the Crimea bridge is a double blow for Putin (The Telegraph) Until now an attack on the Kerch bridge seemed unthinkable - for both practical and political reasons
How Ukrainians, targeting by drone, attacked Russian artillery in Kherson (Washington Post) The discovery was made by two Ukrainian soldiers staring wide-eyed at their laptop screens, set up in the trunk of their SUV. They sat on a makeshift bench, the large plastic case for their drone. What they were looking at was some 25 miles away, deep into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Russian soldiers left for dead after heavy defeat in Lyman ‘cauldron’ (The Telegraph) An estimated 1,500 Russian troops die in battle after Ukraine recaptures city that has been left in ruins by months of vicious fighting
Partisan Movement In Occupied Territories Intensifying - Defense Intelligence (Ukrainian News) In the temporarily occupied territories there is a powerful partisan movement, and over time it will only intensify.
Ukrainian officials reportedly say there have been 'catastrophic' Starlink outages in recent weeks (Business Insider) A coordinator for Starlink donations said SpaceX may have been preventing Russia from using the technology and didn't know the regions had been freed.
Frontline Ukraine troops are reportedly enduring Starlink outages (Engadget) The lack of internet access is said to be hampering efforts to drive back Russian forces..
Elon Musk’s foray into geopolitics has Ukraine worried (The Economist) His Starlink internet service has been crucial to the war effort
Elon Musk needs to clarify Ukraine's reported Starlink outages: Kinzinger (Newsweek) Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines have been facing outages when trying to use internet terminals, according to a report.
Kremlin, shifting blame for war failures, axes military commanders (Washington Post) Russian Ground Forces Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, who over a 44-year military career was best-known for scorched-earth tactics in campaigns he led in Syria and Chechnya, was named overall operational commander of the war in Ukraine in April. He lasted about seven weeks before being dismissed as part of what appeared to be a wider shake-up in response to heavy losses and strategic failures.
Russia names air force general to lead its forces in Ukraine (Reuters) Russia's Defence Ministry on Saturday named Air Force General Sergei Surovikin as the overall commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, Moscow's third senior military appointment in the space of a week.
Russia appoints notorious general to lead Ukraine offensive (the Guardian) Sergei Surovikin appointed on same day as explosion on Kerch bridge that has dealt blow to Vladimir Putin
Russia Names Overall Commander Of Forces Fighting In Ukraine As Losses Mount (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) With its forces struggling against a dramatic Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia's Defense Ministry on October 8 named General Sergei Surovikin as the new overall commander of Kremlin forces engaged in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin makes ‘brutal and corrupt’ general new military chief (The Telegraph) General Sergei Surovikin, infamous for shooting Moscow protesters in 1991, is latest candidate to take charge of failing Ukraine invasion
Putin directly confronted by key ally over progress of Ukraine war, says US intelligence (The Telegraph) Official reportedly raised concerns over mismanagement of Russian troops in Ukraine
Defeat on the battlefield poses a fatal risk to Putin personally (The Telegraph) Russia itself seems at risk of disintegration: incipient signs of conflict are showing up inside the Russian elite as the blame game starts
Putin laying groundwork for possible nuclear attack, Zelensky says (The Telegraph) Ukrainian leader Volodomyr Zelensky has said that he believed Moscow was laying the groundwork for a possible nuclear attack.
The difference between now and the Cuban Missile Crisis (The Telegraph) Russia's leaders were at least acting rationally in 1962 whereas today Vladimir Putin seems to be trapped in his own rhetoric
Never underestimate Putin’s appetite for bloodshed (The Telegraph) Even Russian media is growing concerned, with one newspaper warning against “sparking nuclear war and complete strategic isolation”
Biden's 'Armageddon' talk edges beyond bounds of US intel (AP NEWS) President Joe Biden’s warning that the world is at risk of a nuclear “Armageddon” was designed to send an unvarnished message that no one should underestimate the extraordinary danger if Russia deploys tactical nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine , administration officials said Friday.
Biden’s ‘Armageddon’ warning wasn’t based on new intelligence, US says (the Guardian) US president made most outspoken remark on threat of wartime nuclear weapons when speaking at a fundraiser on Thursday
Biden's nuclear warning not based on new intelligence but opens a window into real worries inside the White House (CNN) President Joe Biden's stark warning Thursday night that the world faces the highest prospect of nuclear war in 60 years was not based on any new intelligence about Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions or changes in Russia's nuclear posture, multiple US officials told CNN.
‘Armageddon’ warning reflects Biden’s instincts about Putin (Washington Post) The president’s stark comments were not prompted by Russia’s on-the-ground actions, aides say
A Russian Tactical Nuke Wouldn’t Confer Much Battlefield Advantage, Experts Say (Defense One) But the environmental and health effects would be enormous and long-lasting.
Why Ukraine’s battlefield wins are raising fresh questions for Biden (The Hill) Ukraine’s success on the battlefield in recent weeks has led to a ripple of fresh decisions facing the Biden administration around how to best support the country as its war against Russia shifts, …
Ukraine’s Allies Can’t Get Arms Fast Enough as Stockpiles Shrink (Bloomberg) With defense spending a lower priority for years, it could take time for contractors to make up the gulf between supply and demand.
Ukraine Wants to Be NATO’s Friend—With Benefits (Foreign Policy) Spearheaded by a former NATO chief, the Kyiv Security Compact would put Western security guarantees in writing—but it might be too much for Washington to…
Can Vague U.S. Threats Deter Russia From Using Nukes? (Foreign Policy) Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Ukrainian territories raises the risk of nuclear confrontation, but it’s unclear whether Washington’s rhetoric will stop him.
US Is Defeating Putin in the War of Coercion. That’s Dangerous. (Bloomberg) Russia and NATO haven’t come into direct conflict, but only because so far both sides have wanted it that way.
Vladimir Putin turns 70 - but he’s not in the mood to celebrate (The Telegraph) State TV removes video of pupils congratulating the Russian president, as parties discouraged by the Kremlin for fear of making him look old
Russian ally cancels Russian-led military drill on its land (POLITICO) The Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan did not explain why.
A Distracted Russia Is Losing Its Grip on Its Old Soviet Sphere (New York Times) Russia’s domination of Central Asia and the Caucasus region is unraveling as the Kremlin focuses on the war in Ukraine — and border violence is flaring.
The War in Ukraine Is Decimating Russia’s Asian Minorities (Diplomat) Putin’s “partial mobilization” is continuing a brutal legacy of colonization – as well as resistance – among the country’s minority groups.
Putin’s Most Loyal Balkan Client (Foreign Policy) Hard-line Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has given the Russian president a firm foothold in the Balkans.
'War crime:' Industrial-scale destruction of Ukraine culture (AP NEWS) The exquisite golden tiara, inlaid with precious stones by master craftsmen some 1,500 years ago, was one of the world’s most valuable artifacts from the blood-letting rule of Attila the Hun, who rampaged with horseback warriors deep into Europe in the 5th century.
Ukraine's newest weapon: special Himars rockets that can devastate huge areas in one blast (The Telegraph) M30A1 missiles spotted in the field are thought to have been included in the US's latest package of military aid
Poland joins regional cyber defense center in Lithuania – ministry (Baltic Times) Poland will become a fifth country to join the Regional Cyber Defense Center (RCDC), which operates as a branch of the National Cyber ...
Europe’s new ‘Iron Lady’ Kaja Kallas says the West mustn’t negotiate with Putin (The Telegraph) Estonia's PM, who calls Margaret Thatcher ‘an inspiration’, has also told Russians fleeing his draft they cannot seek asylum in her country
Indian minister says Ukraine war serves no one's interests (ABC News) India’s External Affairs minister says Russia’s war on Ukraine “does not serve the interests of anybody.”
Ukraine and EU explore deeper cyber collaboration (ComputerWeekly) A Ukrainian delegation has met with officials from the EU’s ENISA cyber agency to explore deeper cooperation on cyber security issues.
„Wir müssen wachsam bleiben“ (Tagesspiegel) Liisa Past ist seit August Cyberdirektorin im estnischen Ministerium für Wirtschaft und Kommunikation. Im Interview spricht die Cybersicherheitsexpertin über russische Cyberattacken und was DDoS-Angriffe mit Vertrauen zu tun haben.
Sweden seizes evidence at Baltic Sea pipeline leak site (AP NEWS) Sweden’s domestic security agency said Thursday that its preliminary investigation of leaks from two Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea “has strengthened the suspicions of serious sabotage” as the cause and a prosecutor said evidence at the site has been seized.
German Navy launches Baltic Sea mission after two explosions (Express.co.uk) Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany on the bed of the Baltic Sea, were ruptured last month with the culprits yet to be formally identified.
Who really blew up the Nord Stream pipeline? (The Telegraph) The blasts which wrecked the network taking Russian gas to Germany have been blamed on various players – we assess the possible instigators
Here’s how the Nord Stream gas pipelines could be fixed (MIT Technology Review) The first step will be figuring out the extent of the damage. Then the difficulties really begin.
Attack on German Rail Network ‘Targeted, Professional,’ Police Say (Bloomberg) Cables were deliberately cut at two different locations. No one has claimed the attack and no suspects indentified.
An act of sabotage shut down parts of Germany's rail system for hours this weekend (NPR.org) Officials say a key train communications system was compromised, stranding passenger and cargo trains across the northwest of the country on Saturday.
Germany rail chaos could have been caused by Russia, says MP (The Telegraph) Communications cables were cut at two sites on Saturday, forcing rail services in the north to be halted by ‘sabotage’
Sabotage blamed for major disruption on Germany’s rail network (The Telegraph) There is speculation Russia could be behind the cutting of crucial communications cables after attacks on gas pipelines
No sign that foreign state was behind German rail sabotage, police say (Reuters) German police said it had not excluded political motives in the suspected sabotage of communication cables on Germany's rail network on Saturday but that there was no sign of any involvement by a foreign state or terrorism.
Germany Won’t Rule Out Foreign Country Role in Rail Sabotage (Bloomberg) Severed cables in two locations disrupted train travel. Government says coordinated attack was no coincident.
Germany's cybersecurity chief faces dismissal, reports say (Reuters) German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to dismiss the country's cybersecurity chief due to possible contacts with people involved with Russian security services, German media reported late on Sunday, citing government sources.
German cybersecurity chief investigated over Russia ties (ABC News) The head of Germany’s national cybersecurity agency is under scrutiny over reports of ties to Russian intelligence
German Cybersecurity Chief to be Sacked Over Alleged Russia Ties: Sources (SecurityWeek) Germany is planning to fire Arne Schoenbohm, the head of the BSI national cyber security agency, after reports he had contacts with Russian intelligence services, government sources said.
US Airport Websites Hit by Suspected Pro-Russian Cyberattacks (SecurityWeek) DDoS attacks hit the airport websites of several major US cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and St Louis.
Hackers knock some U.S. airport websites offline (Washington Post) Airports in Los Angeles and Atlanta were among those affected. Officials say there was no effect on operations
Hackers took down U.S. airport web sites, Department of Homeland Security confirms (USA TODAY) The Russian government, perhaps using private-sector private hacker groups as it often does, is the most likely suspect, according to one expert.
Pro-Russian hackers claim responsibility for taking down US airport websites (Computing) Killnet asked hackers to flood the servers running US airport websites with junk requests
US airports' sites taken down in DDoS attacks by pro-Russian hackers (BleepingComputer) The pro-Russian hacktivist group 'KillNet' is claiming large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against the websites of several major airports in the U.S., making them unaccessible.
Pro-Putin goons target US airport websites with DDoS flood (Register) How's that boot taste?
Russian Sanctions Instigator Lloyd’s Possibly Hit by Cyber-Attack (Infosecurity Magazine) The insurance market has detected “unusual activity” and turned off its systems
Lloyd's of London reboots network after suspicious activity (Register) Is it Putin? Is it the Norks? Is it a bored teenager? Roll the dice
Colorado.gov Back Online After Cyber Attack (GovTech) Colorado restored its state web portal home page and is working with state and federal partners to investigate the incident. Other sources have named pro-Russian hackers, Killnet, as the perpetrators.
Defending Ukraine: SecTor session probes a complex cyber war (IT World Canada) It was a quick, but for a packed room of delegates attending a SecTor 2022 session in Toronto, an eye-opening 20-minute tutorial that explored the litany of Russian cyberattacks in Ukraine and what has been done to prevent them since the war broke out on Feb. 23. The presentation on Wednesday from John Hewie, national
Two Russians sail 300 miles to Alaska to avoid military draft (The Telegraph) The pair have requested asylum in the US after arriving by boat on a remote island in the Bering Sea
A Sneak Preview of a Better Russia (Foreign Policy) Imagining the post-Putin government that Russians—and the world—deserve.
Life under Russian Occupation: A Conversation with Katerina Sergatskova (Wilson Center) For those living under the Russian occupation in Ukraine, life has turned into a daily struggle and search for food, water, and medicine. Izabella Tabarovsky talked with the Ukrainian war reporter and editor in chief of Zaborona Ekaterina Sergatskova about the skills needed to survive the occupation, Russian war crimes, and what Ukrainian journalists need the most to do their work.
Why gains from Ukraine grain deal will not end Middle East’s food security crisis (Arab News) As food-insecure households in the Middle East, Africa and Asia continue to pay a high price for a war raging thousands of miles away, forces beyond the control of any single government or international authority are compounding the problem. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, and the resultant blockade of the latter’s southern Black Sea ports, skyrocketing food prices raised the specter of increased hunger and malnutrition in many countries.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the Marshall Plan relevant again (Washington Post) George C. Marshall was doubtless moved to be equated with George Washington. As Harvard University granted the secretary of state an honorary law doctorate on June 5, 1947, its citation called him “a soldier and statesman whose character and ability brook only one comparison in the history of this country.”
Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
2 killed as demonstrations around Iran enter 4th week (AP NEWS) Anti-government demonstrations erupted Saturday in several locations across Iran as the most sustained protests in years against a deeply entrenched theocracy entered their fourth week.
Sygnia First to Link Two Ransomware Groups to Larger Chinese Threat Actor, Dubbed ‘Emperor Dragonfly’ (Business Wire) Sygnia's report reveals that attacks led by Night Sky and Cheerscrypt ransomware groups originated from the same threat actor, 'Emperor Dragonfly.'
Chinese Cybercriminal Gangs Collude on Ransomware (Security Boulevard) A Sygnia report concluded that ransomware attacks attributed to two separate cybercriminal gangs linked to China were, in fact, emanating from the same
FBI and CISA Publish a PSA on Information Manipulation Tactics for 2022 Midterm Elections (CISA) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CISA have published a joint public service announcement that:
Foreign Actors Likely to Use Information Manipulation Tactics for 2022 Midterm Elections (CISA | FBI) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are raising awareness of the potential threat posed by attempts to manipulate information or spread disinformation in the lead up to and after the 2022 midterm elections.
Researchers Detail Malicious Tools Used by Cyberespionage Group Earth Aughisky (The Hacker News) Researchers have outlined the increasingly sophisticated malware tools employed by a cyber espionage group called Earth Aughisky.
NCC Warns About Blackbyte Ransomware Security Threat (Leadership News) The Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) has flagged a high-impact threat to Windows operating system,
Foreign Actors Likely to Use Information Manipulation Tactics for 2022 Midterm Elections (CISA | FBI) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are raising awareness of the potential threat posed by attempts to manipulate information or spread disinformation in the lead up to and after the 2022 midterm elections.
Mustang Panda Abuses Legitimate Apps to Target Myanmar Based Victims (BlackBerry) The BlackBerry Research & Intelligence Team recently uncovered a campaign by an advanced persistent threat (APT) group called Mustang Panda that is leveraging the PlugX malware family to target the Southeast Asian state of Myanmar.
Meta says it detected more than 400 malware apps targeting users’ Facebook login information (The Hill) Facebook’s parent company Meta said on Friday that it has detected more than 400 malware apps this year designed to steal users’ Facebook login information. The apps, which were listed on the Googl…
Meta warns 1 million Facebook users who installed password-stealing apps (Engadget) Meta is warning 1 million Facebook users that their account information may have been compromised by third-party apps from Apple or Google’s stores.
Hackers behind IcedID malware attacks diversify delivery tactics (BleepingComputer) The threat actors behind IcedID malware phishing campaigns are utilizing a wide variety of distribution methods, likely to determine what works best against different targets.
A Visualizza into Recent IcedID Campaigns: (Team Cymru) In this blog post we examine recent trends in IcedID / BokBot campaigns, looking at activity for a one-week period in September 2022.
Unpatched Zero-Day RCE Vulnerability in Zimbra Collaboration Suite (Rapid7) CVE-2022-41352 is an unpatched remote code execution vulnerability in Zimbra Collaboration Suite discovered in the wild due to active exploitation.
Unpatched Zimbra flaw under attack is letting hackers backdoor servers (Ars Technica) The flaw has been under attack since at least early September.
Hackers exploiting unpatched RCE bug in Zimbra Collaboration Suite (BleepingComputer) Hackers are actively exploiting an unpatched remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS), a widely deployed web client and email server.
Researchers Warn of Unpatched, Actively Exploited Zimbra Flaw (Decipher) Zimbra has published mitigations against the actively exploited flaw (CVE-2022-41352) in Zimbra Collaboration Suite; however, it has yet to issue a fix.
LofyGang Group Linked to Recent Software Supply Chain Attacks (Infosecurity Magazine) The group focuses on utilizing open-source software for malicious purposes
LofyGang hackers built a credential-stealing enterprise on Discord, NPM (BleepingComputer) A threat group using the name 'LofyGang', operating since 2020, is considered responsible for creating and distributing over 200 malicious packages on multiple code hosting platforms, including GitHub and NPM.
LofyGang Distributed ~200 Malicious NPM Packages to Steal Credit Card Data (The Hacker News) A hacker group called LofyGang distributed nearly 200 trojanized packages on the NPM open source repository that steals credit card information.
What is DirtyCred and how can it be mitigated? (CrowdStrike) DirtyCred is a new Linux kernel exploitation technique which allows Kernel UAF vulnerabilities to swap a credential structure on the Kernel heap memory to escalate privileges to root.
Ongoing abuse of legitimate security tools pose threat to healthcare, HHS warns (SC Media) The Department of Health and Human Services Cybersecurity Coordination Center detailed a number legitimate security tools most often abused by threat actors, like Cobalt Strike and PowerShell. Mitigation measures, however, are not as straightforward as patching or applying set security measures.
Emotet Rises Again With More Sophistication, Evasion (Dark Reading) An analysis of the malware and its infection strategies finds nearly 21,000 minor and 139 major variations on the malware — complexity that helps it dodge analysis.
VMware report exposes Emotet malware’s supply chain (VMware News and Stories) The VMware Threat Analysis Unit™ has released insights learned from Emotet’s most recent resurgence in hopes that organizations can better understand and defend themselves against this resilient malware.
Internet traffic route protection is broken, study claims (Register) RPKI is supposed to verify network routes. Instead, here's how it could be subverted
Shadow APIs hit with 5 billion malicious requests (Help Net Security) Unmanaged and unprotected APIs, commonly referred to as shadow APIs, are among the top threat challenging the industry.
Darkweb market BidenCash gives away 1.2 million credit cards for free (BleepingComputer) A dark web carding market named 'BidenCash' has released a massive dump of 1,221,551 credit cards to promote their marketplace, allowing anyone to download them for free to conduct financial fraud.
COVID-19 was an all-you-can-eat buffet for social engineers (SC Media) Researchers have known for years that the COVID-19 pandemic served as an effective staging ground for phishing attacks and other social engineering lures. Now, new research released by Proofpoint sheds more light on just how much of a magnet it was, outperforming other major world events and attracting everyone from cybercriminal groups and fraudst...
Binance-linked blockchain hit by $570 million crypto hack (Reuters) A blockchain linked to Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, has been hit by a $570 million hack, a Binance spokesperson said on Friday, the latest in a series of hacks to hit the crypto sector this year.
Hackers steal at least $100 million from Binance-linked blockchain (The Record by Recorded Future) The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance lost at least $100 million in a hack on Thursday, the company disclosed Thursday.
Hackers Target SingTel’s Dialog Unit After Huge Optus Breach (Bloomberg) Consulting company Dialog’s staff, client data breached. Earlier hack exposed details of 9.8 million Optus customers.
Singtel-owned Dialog IT discloses security incident (CRN Australia) States “fewer than” 20 clients and 1,000 staff potentially affected.
2K Says Users' Private Data Was Stolen and Sold in Data Breach (CBR) According to 2K, a security breach by an unknown third party led to customers' personal information being stolen and put up for sale online.
Patient information uploaded to internet after Pinnacle Health cyber-attack (Stuff) Much of the data stolen from general practices in several regions has now been made public, chief executive confirms.
Toyota discloses data leak after access key exposed on GitHub (BleepingComputer) Toyota Motor Corporation is warning that customers' personal information may have been exposed after an access key was publicly available on GitHub for almost five years.
Fake adult sites push data wipers disguised as ransomware (BleepingComputer) Malicious adult websites push fake ransomware which, in reality, acts as a wiper that quietly tries to delete almost all of the data on your device.
BD Totalys™ MultiProcessor-Hardcoded Credentials (BD) This notification provides product security information and recommendations related to the use of hardcoded credentials in specific versions of BD Totalys™ MultiProcessor. BD has voluntarily reported this vulnerability to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAOs) where BD participates, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (H-ISAC).
State Bar of Georgia Confirms Data Breach Following Ransomware Attack (SecurityWeek) The State Bar of Georgia was hit by a ransomware attack earlier this year and the organization has now confirmed that member and employee information was compromised.
CommonSpirit hospital chains hit by ransomware, patients are facing problems (Security Affairs) CommonSpirit, one of the largest hospital chains in the US, suffered a ransomware cyberattack that impacted its operations. Common Spirit, one of the largest hospital chains in the US, this week suffered a ransomware cyberattack that caused severe inconvenience to the facilities and to patients The alleged security breach led to delayed surgeries, hold-ups in […]
Tech execs left CommonSpirit before IT upheaval (Becker's Hospital Review) At least five IT executives exited CommonSpirit Health in the months leading up to an IT security incident that began disrupting care in early October, including the chief digital and information officer.
BNB Chain Ecosystem Update (BNB Chain Blog) An official response to recent events from the BNB Chain team.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
October 2022 Patch Tuesday forecast: Looking for treats, not more tricks (Help Net Security) Todd Schell from Ivanti offers his October 2022 Patch Tuesday forecast, and discusses all the important developments from September 2022.
Fortinet warns admins to patch critical auth bypass bug immediately (BleepingComputer) Fortinet has warned administrators to update FortiGate firewalls and FortiProxy web proxies to the latest versions, which address a critical severity vulnerability.
Fortinet says critical auth bypass bug is exploited in attacks (BleepingComputer) Fortinet has confirmed today that a critical authentication bypass security vulnerability patched last week is being exploited in the wild.
Fortinet Warns of New Auth Bypass Flaw Affecting FortiGate and FortiProxy (The Hacker News) Fortinet has privately warned its customers about a new authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2022-40684) affecting FortiGate and FortiProxy.
Customer Guidance for Reported Zero-day Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server (Microsoft Security Response Center) Microsoft is investigating two reported zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, and Exchange Server 2019. The first one, identified as CVE-2022-41040, is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability, and the second one, identified as CVE-2022-41082, allows Remote Code Execution (RCE) when PowerShell is accessible to the attacker.
Microsoft Issues Improved Mitigations for Unpatched Exchange Server Vulnerabilities (The Hacker News) Microsoft has released an improved mitigation method to prevent exploitation attempts against recently disclosed unpatched Exchange server Flaws.
Why October security patch is crucial for Android users? (mint) CERT-In says that multiple vulnerabilities exist in Android OS that could be exploited by an attacker to gain elevated privileges, access sensitive information and cause denial of service conditions on the targeted phone.
Trends
More and more ransomware is just data theft, no encryption (Register) It's not like the good old days with iffy cryptography and begging for keys
Security chiefs fear ‘CISO scapegoating’ following Uber-Sullivan verdict (The Record by Recorded Future) CISOs are split on whether Wednesday’s conviction of Uber’s former security chief Joe Sullivan will have more wide-ranging consequences for people in their position.
Sullivan verdict sends shockwaves through the security industry (Security Infowatch) The Uber CSO’s conviction stemming from a cyber-breach cover-up has put many Chief Security Officers and C-Suites on notice
1 in 5 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) Work More Than 25 Extra Hours Per Week (Tessian) UPDATED: CISOs in 2022 are working even more extra hours than they did in 2021. Read our latest research to find out why...
The downside of cybersecurity overconfidence (SC Media) Take all the right steps to protect the network, but remain skeptical and above all – think like a hacker.
A C-Suite united for a cyber-ready future (PwC) Future-ready businesses need senior leaders to be united on cybersecurity at all times. Check the 2023 PwC global survey of 3,500 executives.
2022 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study (Deloitte Insights) Explore the latest in postpandemic cybersecurity and how to address the cybersecurity talent gap in this biennial 2022 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study.
Key takeaways from ESET Threat Report T2 2022 (WeLiveSecurity) In this video, Tony Anscombe offers a look back on the key trends and developments that shaped the cyberthreat landscape from May to August of this year.
APIs, the new threat (Professional Security) APIs, the new threat. Professional Security magazine online APIs essential read for everyone in the security industry.
Cybersecurity Survey of State CISOs Identifies Many Positive Trends (PR Newswire) Deloitte and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today released their 2022 Cybersecurity Study, "State...
91 percent of cybersecurity pros reported mental health challenges: Sekuro survey (CRN Australia) With more than half citing poor workplace culture, management styles.
Ada Lovelace Day - celebrating women role models (Computing) Computing celebrates Ada Lovelace Day, the second Tuesday in October when the achievements of women working in STEM are recognised and celebrated.
Marketplace
Cybersecurity Funding Continues Slide In Q3 (Crunchbase News) For the fourth straight quarter, funding to VC-backed cybersecurity startups decreased, indicating the sector is not immune to the pullback.
Cyberinsurance Startup Elpha Secure Raises $20 Million (SecurityWeek) Elpha Secure raises $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Canapi Ventures, to help small and midsize businesses better defend against cyberattacks.
Stairwell Announces $45M Series B Funding Round (PR Newswire) Stairwell, a company that empowers security teams to outsmart any attacker, today announced a $45M Series B capitalization. The funding round...
Edison Partners Leads USD $30M Investment in Field Effect (Business Wire) Edison Partners leads USD $30M investment in global cyber security company, Field Effect.
Pradeo acquires Yagaan, strengthens its cybersecurity services unification strategy (Help Net Security) Pradeo, a global leader in mobile fleet and application security enters into exclusive negotiations for the acquisition of Yagaan, an application security
HII and Markesman partner for defense cybersecurity solutions (NYSE:HII) (SeekingAlpha) HII (HII) announced Monday a mentor-protégé joint venture with Markesman Group to support the Department of Defense’s cyber mission. Named Tuple, the venture is aimed to leverage...
Allurity acquires CSIS Security Group to expand its services into new markets (Help Net Security) Allurity has acquired the leading Danish service provider CSIS Security Group A/S (“CSIS”) to strengthen its presence in Northern Europe.
Capgemini Acquires Financial IT Services, Business Intelligence Consultancies (ChannelE2E) Quorsus and Braincourt acquisitions designed to boost Capgemini’s regulatory compliance and data science services.
Council Post: Planning A Merger Or Acquisition? Make Sure To Plan Your Cyber Asset Management Strategy First (Forbes) A well-designed cyber asset management strategy can help organizations not only navigate the complexities of a fresh merger or acquisition but optimize the newly expanded organization’s IT operation on an ongoing basis.
CounterCraft secures cyber defense contract (Intelligence Community News) On October 6, Spain-based CounterCraft announced that it has been awarded a sole-source contract from the U.S. government, with a ceiling of more than $26MM, allowing the entire U.S. Department of Defense and federal government access to its innovative deception technology for active cyber defense.
Optus was set to dine out on its success. Then the hack happened (The Sydney Morning Herald) The country’s second-largest telecommunications company has become a case study in how a corporate problem can become a political maelstrom.
Did hacked-Optus deploy its global cybersecurity giant to protect its Australian customers? (The Online Citizen Asia) The Online Citizen Asia Did hacked-Optus deploy its global cybersecurity giant to protect its Australian customers? Australia
Google's finally talking about its Mandiant acquisition – here's what they said (Yahoo) Google (GOOG, GOOGL) is finally sounding off on its blockbuster $5.4 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Mandiant, expressing the extent of the company's ambitions in the sector.
CrowdStrike’s George Kurtz has a plan (Protocol) Today: how CrowdStrike thinks it can take a larger share of the enterprise IT budget, how the Biden administration plans to prevent China from getting advanced chip technology, and how Chinese researchers are planning to get around those restrictions.
Getvisibility Ramps up Global Expansion as It Opens New San Francisco Office (Business Wire) Getvisibility – which has developed an AI-powered platform for data classification and governance – announces opening of a new San Francisco office.
ForgeRock names Netskope's Reno Maglitto as new ANZ channel chief (CRN Australia) Replaces Chris Plewa, who joined GitHub.
Zscaler Announces Resignation of Amit Sinha as President; Sinha to Remain on the Board of Directors (Yahoo) Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS), the leader in cloud security, today announced that Amit Sinha has accepted a CEO position at a privately-held technology company and will resign from Zscaler effective October 21, 2022. Dr. Sinha will continue his role as a member of the company's Board of Directors. Functions of R&D, Cloud Operations and Customer Support that reported to Dr. Sinha will now report directly to Jay Chaudhry, Chairman and CEO. “I'd like
Coalfire hires women to CFO, general counsel roles (Front Range) Coalfire Systems Inc., a Westminster cybersecurity firm, has hired two women to serve as its new chief financial officer and general counsel. Aparna Dasai Williams, the firm's new top lawyer, joins Coalfire from e-commerce shipping platform Shippo, where she built the corporate...
Products, Services, and Solutions
Panel on Hidden Figures of Cyber Skills Gap added to CyberWire's Annual Women in Cybersecurity Reception (PR Newswire) CyberWire, announced today the addition of a new industry-led workforce panel discussion to kick off its annual Women in Cybersecurity...
New infosec products of the week: October 7, 2022 (Help Net Security) The featured infosec products this week are from: HashiCorp, Legit Security, LiveAction, LogRhythm, Pentest People, and Verica.
Indians WhatsApp users are frustrated with spam from brands like Xiaomi, Tata Neu, Flipkart, Reliance Ajio (Rest of World) Revenue pressures forced WhatsApp to turn to e-commerce, and now the company is contending with a plague of spammers.
CRITICALSTARTⓇ Announces Enhanced Threat Detection and Response Capabilities to Support Microsoft Defender for Servers (PR Newswire) Today, Critical Start, a leading provider of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) cybersecurity solutions, announced the upcoming availability...
Udacity Launches Cybersecurity for Business Leaders Program to Address Top Enterprise Threats (PR Newswire) Udacity, the digital talent transformation platform, today announced the launch of its Cybersecurity for Business Leaders Program, designed to...
Omada Named "Overall ID Management Solution Provider of the Year" in 2022 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards Program (PR Newswire) Omada A/S ("Omada"), a global leader of Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), today announced that it has been named the winner of the...
Notabene SafePII prevents phishing attacks in sensitive compliance systems (Help Net Security) Notabene launched SafePII, an end-to-end Encrypted Escrow Service for personally identifiable information (PII).
Power Grid Corporation ties up with IISc to tackle cybersecurity challenges (ETTelecom.com) Power Grid Corporation CMD K Sreekant said cybersecurity in transmission and grid operations is critical in today's digital era.
Kolide can help you nail audits and compliance goals with endpoint security for your entire fleet (Graham Cluley) Many thanks to the great folks at Kolide, who have sponsored my writing for the past week. Do you know the old thought experiment about the AI designed to make paper clips that quickly decides that it…
eSentire Names Spire Solutions as its Exclusive Value-Added… (eSentire) Read more about eSentire’s exclusive partnership with Spire Solutions, a preferred cybersecurity solutions provider and top value-added distributor, who is now offering its channel partners eSentire MDR and Incident Response services.
NetSPI Introduces Deployment-Inclusive Blockchain Security Services (PR Newswire) NetSPI, the leader in enterprise penetration testing and attack surface management, today announced its new deployment-inclusive blockchain...
How to Protect Yourself If Your School Uses Surveillance Tech (WIRED) Colleges and K-12 campuses increasingly monitor student emails, social media, and more. Here’s how to secure your (or your child’s) privacy.
Endor Labs Joins Race to Secure Software Supply Chain (SecurityWeek) Silicon Valley startup Endor Labs has closed a $25 million seed-stage funding round to build a dependency lifecycle management platform to secure software supply chain.
Kaspersky expands its Cyber Immune offering for Internet of things (IoT) protection with new Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 (African Business) Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 is the company’s latest Cyber Immune product for organisations embracing digital transformation, helping them to
BigID Wins “Compliance Software Solution of the Year” in 6th Annual CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards Program (PRWeb) BigID, the leading data intelligence platform for privacy, security, and governance, today announced that it has been awarded “Compliance Software Solution of th
Control Plane for Machine Identity Management (Venafi) Venafi introduces the control plane for machine identity management. Read on to find out more.
Gigamon Delivers Pivotal Advancements Across Deep Observability Pipeline With GigaVUE 6.0 Release (Business Wire) Gigamon, the leading deep observability company, today announced an expansive set of new capabilities to the Gigamon Hawk Deep Observability Pipeline.
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite (NSA) The Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite (CNSA Suite) will provide new algorithms for those customers who are looking for mitigations to perform, replacing the current Suite B algorithms.
Improving Cybersecurity — A Call for Introspection (Security Magazine) When it comes to taking responsibility for cybersecurity, a little introspection can go a long way in maximizing collective cyber defenses.
Family affair: US Army pursues synced electronic warfare systems (C4ISRNet) TLS-BCT, TLS-EAB and MFEW-AL each serve their own purpose. But what military and industry officials emphasize is their battlefield synergy.
How do you protect your systems? Cultivate an insider threat (Register) Challenge your people to try to break into your systems, and see how interesting life gets for your colleagues
NSA’s National Cryptologic Museum Celebrates Ribbon Cutting Ahead of Grand Opening (Hstoday) The new-look museum features layouts, displays and never-before-seen artifacts that played critical roles in protecting our nation’s national security.
Design and Innovation
New collaboration to tackle cybersecurity issues in power transmission systems (India Science Wire) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and the Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID) at IISc have entered into a partnership to establish the POWERGRID Centre of Excellence in Cybersecurity in Power Transmission and Grid Operation.
Research and Development
CSIRO opens applications for R&D program for small-to-medium sized cybersecurity firms (CRN Australia) “Innovate to Grow” to provide free research and development support.
$637,000 Awarded to improve recovery of critical systems after cyber attacks (EurekAlert!) The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, located within the National Security Agency, awarded $637,223 to Brajendra Panda, a professor of computer science and computer engineering, to improve recovery methods for critical infrastructure systems following a cyber-attack.
Chicago scientists are testing an unhackable quantum internet in their basement closet (Washington Post) Quantum research at a University of Chicago lab could help prevent hacking and connect a future web of supercomputers
The Physically Unclonable Function Delivers Advanced Protection (Electronic Design) Download the PDF of the fourth chapter of the “The Cryptography Handbook.” It takes a detailed look at the physically unclonable function, or PUF, which generates a unique key to support crypto algorithms and services.
Academia
Danville Community College expands its NSA-accredited cyber defense program (Cardinal News) The school unveiled a new Cyber Center, which will offer in-person and online cybersecurity courses for students.
Creating the future cybersecurity workforce (ASU News) Cybersecurity is critical to national security, and ASU is filling the need through hands-on experience, innovative education and world-class research.
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
New Zealand Needs Dedicated Minister For Cyber Security (Scoop News) Australasia’s largest cyber security provider says New Zealand needs to act now and appoint a dedicated Minister for Cyber Security as cyber threats and attacks increase around the globe. One of the latest cyber-attacks in New Zealand has seen
Danish Power Outage Raises Concern About Infrastructure Security (Wall Street Journal) The Danish island of Bornholm suffered a power outage amid mounting calls for heightened security measures to protect Europe’s critical infrastructure.
Our response to Russian cyber-attacks is feeble (Times) Few readers will be familiar with Titan Rain, Moonlight Maze, SolarWinds and WannaCry, but they are the online counterparts of Dunkirk, Pearl Harbor and D-Day —
Sick of data leaks, Indonesians are siding with a hacker who exposed 1.3 billion SIM card details (Rest of World) Breaches are so common in Indonesia that citizens jokingly call it an “open-source country.”
National Security Memorandum on Partial Revocation of Presidential Policy Directive 28 (The White House) The Executive Order of October 7, 2022 (Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities), establishes enhanced safeguards for United States signals intelligence activities that supersede the safeguards for personal information collected through signals intelligence established by Presidential Policy Directive 28 of January 17, 2014 (Signals Intelligence Activities) (PPD-28).
Biden's Privacy Shield 2.0 order unlikely to satisfy EU (Register) Also, Albania almost called in NATO over cyber attacks, and Facebook warns of account-stealing mobile apps
New EU-US data transfer pact may fall short of what EU wants, Max Schrems says (Computing) There is no sign that the US mass monitoring will alter in practice
Biden’s Privacy Order Slaps a Band-Aid on the EU-US Data Crisis (WIRED) A new executive order tries to reassure Europeans that their data is safe on US soil, despite government surveillance.
The Biden administration issues sweeping new rules on chip-tech exports to China (Protocol) The Biden administration rolled out new, wide-ranging export controls on the chips and equipment U.S. companies are able to sell to China.
U.S. tries to hobble China chip industry with new export rules (Reuters) The measures could be the biggest shift in U.S. policy toward shipping technology to China in decades, and could force companies that use U.S. technology to cut off support for some of China's leading factories and chip designers.
Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office Releases Annual Report on the Insurance Industry and Request for Information on Potential Federal Insurance Response to Catastrophic Cyber Incidents (U.S. Department of the Treasury) The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) last week released its Annual Report on the Insurance Industry. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), FIO must report annually to the President and Congress on the state of the insurance industry and any other information deemed relevant or requested.
Federal government considers sharing costs for ‘catastrophic’ cyber incidents (The Hill) As cyberattacks continue to rise, the federal government is contemplating whether it should step in to help private insurance companies cover some of the costs related to severe cyber incidents. Th…
Hillicon Valley — Feds consider sharing cyber costs (The Hill) The federal government has asked stakeholders in the cyber industry whether it should help cover some of the costs tied to ‘catastrophic’ cyber incidents. Meanwhile, some on the left are…
After Log4J US lawmakers rush to secure open source software (Computing) The bipartisan Securing Open Source Software Act is a positive development for open source software everywhere
What $1B in cybersecurity funding can mean for US state, local governments (Help Net Security) How do you best spend a cybersecurity budget you have long been hoping you’d get? SLT governments are starting to ask themselves.
Crypto regulation are on the front burner this week (Washington Post) Watch for new global rules for cryptocurrency, used by criminals to profit off cyber attacks
Cyber 101 - U.S. Cyber Command History (U.S. Cyber Command) Computer experts recognized in the 1960s that there was a pressing need to protect computers and the data they contain. That urgency increased with incidents of hacking, cyberespionage attempts, and
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Delivers on Strengthening America’s Cybersecurity (The White House) The Biden-Harris Administration has brought a relentless focus to improving the United States’ cyber defenses, building a comprehensive approach to “lock our digital doors” and take aggressive action to strengthen and safeguard our nation’s cybersecurity, including: Improving the cybersecurity of our critical infrastructure. Much of our Nation’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the…
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
The Supreme Court and social media platform liability (Brookings) John Villasenor examines the unintended consequences of the Supreme Court's decision on the future of Section 230
Steele dossier source heads to trial, in possible last stand for Durham (Washington Post) Former president Donald Trump said that special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s 2016 Russia probe should “reveal corruption at a level never seen before in our country.”
Analysis | Politics are a problem in spyware investigation, committee chairman says (Washington Post) A report from the European committee is due Nov. 8.
Leaked documents reveal Mexico’s military spied on journalists, covered up sexual abuse (Aztec Reports) Following the cyber-attack on Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA), in which thousands of classified documents were leaked to investigative journalists by hacking collective Guacamaya, news outlets have published stories uncovering human rights violations committed by the military, including spying on journalists and activists, and the cover-up of sexual abuse accusations.
Criminal Allegations Against Israeli-linked Spyware, Ex-intel Commander in Greek Hacking Scandal (Haaretz) Investigative journalist Thanasis Koukakis was under surveillance by Greece. Now he’s decided to take Intellexa, the firm behind the Predator spyware allegedly used against him, and its owners to court
Indictment Says Ex-NSA Worker Thought He Was Helping Russia (US News) Court documents say a former National Security Agency employee from Colorado charged with espionage thought he was sending classified information to Russia when he was talking to an undercover FBI agent.
Hackers Target Eager Homebuyers With a Dumb Scam That Keeps Working (Bloomberg) Criminals have found a novel way to intercept wire transfers for down payments. Can a small team of Secret Service agents prevent your worst real estate nightmare?
Authorities make first arrests connected to major Optus data breach (Starts at 60) Following the recent large-scale data breach that left millions of Optus customers across the country at an increased risk of having their personal information stolen, Australian Federal Police (AFP) have charged a Sydney man for allegedly attempting to misuse stolen Optus customer data in a text message blackmail scam.
The Uber Data Breach Conviction Shows Security Execs What Not to Do (WIRED) Former Uber security chief Joe Sullivan’s conviction is a rare criminal consequence for an executive’s handling of a hack.
Dutch employee fired by U.S. firm for shutting off webcam awarded €75,000 in court (NL Times) A remote employee of a U.S. business who was fired for refusing to leave his webcam on while he was working was awarded roughly 75,000 euros by a Dutch court for wrongful termination. The resident of Diessen, Noord-Brabant, was hired by the the Rijswijk branch of Chetu Inc., a software development company headquartered in Miramar, Florida.
