Dateline Moscow, Kyiv, London, and Washington: Hacktivism, sanctions, and a possible explanation for (relative) restraint.
Ukraine at D+74: Victory Day (but not for this war). (The CyberWire) President Putin's Victory Day speech doubles down on denazification and preemptive defense of the Motherland, but announces no new directions. More sanctions have been imposed on Russia, and hacktivists on both sides continue nuisance-level actions.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: List of key events day 75 (Al Jazeera) As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 75th day, we take a look at the main developments.
Putin Invokes World War II Nazi Fight to Justify Invasion (Bloomberg) Russian leader accuses West of provoking Kremlin into action. Russian invasion has stalled after more than 10 weeks.
Live Updates: Putin Defends His War in Ukraine (New York Times) The Russian leader praised his forces but made no major announcements in a defiant speech at the annual Victory Day parade that marks the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Russian Victory Day live: Putin spouting 'fairytale claims' about being forced to invade Ukraine, says Wallace (The Telegraph) Vladimir Putin is spouting "fairytale claims" when falsely alleging that Nato is preparing for an invasion of Russian land, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said.
Vladimir Putin defends war, ignores "Ukraine" in Victory Day parade speech (Newsweek) "There was a threat that was growing day by day. We had do something…it [invasion] was the only right solution we could take," Putin said.
Russia marks WWII victory overshadowed by Ukraine (AP NEWS) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday sought to cast Moscow’s military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies and a necessary move to ward off a potential aggression.
Putin's speech decoded: The address was utterly empty of new ideas – but that was not the point (The Telegraph) Russian President stops short of declaring all-out war during underwhelming Victory Day parade, but the option remains on the table
Russian forces may soon be forced out of artillery range of Kharkiv: report (Newsweek) The assessment by the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine was making gains in an important phase of the battle in the eastern Donbass region.
Ukrainian counterattacks are pushing Russian artillery out of range of Kharkiv (Guardian) The successful pushback around Ukraine's second-biggest city is an embarrassment for Moscow ahead of planned Victory Day parades
Ukraine troops retreat from Popasna, Luhansk governor confirms (Reuters) Ukrainian troops retreated from the eastern Ukrainian city of Popasna, the governor of Luhansk region said on Sunday, confirming previous reports that it had been taken.
Ukraine Fights for Besieged Mariupol as Russia Marks Key Date (Wall Street Journal) Russian and Ukrainian forces engaged in strikes and counteroffensives ahead of Moscow’s Monday commemoration of World War II, with Kyiv bracing for possible heavy attacks or a stepped-up mobilization effort by Vladimir Putin.
"Everything shook": Last civilians leave Ukraine steel mill (AP NEWS) Pale and drawn, the last civilians sheltering in bunkers beneath a sprawling steel mill in the decimated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol arrived late Sunday night in Zaporizhzhia, the first major Ukrainian city beyond the frontlines.
‘We’re so sorry’: Mariupol steel plant evacuees feel relief, grief (Military Times) The steel plant has a maze of more than 30 bunkers and tunnels spread out over its 11 square kilometers (4 miles), and each bunker was its own world.
Nyet Again! Another Russian Navy Ship Hit by Ukrainian Cruise Missile. (SOFREP) Ukraine is claiming that a Russian Navy frigate has been struck by a Neptune cruiser missile of the type that hit the cruiser Moskva last month off the Crimean coast. Unlike the aged Moskva, the Admiral Makarov is the latest design of Russian warship and has only been in service for a few years.
The Russian Frigate ‘Admiral Makarov’ Might Be The Juiciest Target In The Black Sea (Forbes) After the dramatic sinking of the missile-cruiser Moskva by a Ukrainian missile battery on April 14, the Russian Black Sea Fleet is down to just three major surface combatants. The best and most important of them might be the new missile-frigate 'Admiral Makarov.'
Ukraine: 3 Russian ships by Snake Island destroyed with Bayraktar drone - report (Jerusalem Post) Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion.
Small Drones Are Giving Ukraine an Unprecedented Edge (Wired) From surveillance to search-and-rescue, consumer drones are having an unprecedented impact on Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
'Invincible' Russian tank equipped with exploding armour destroyed by Ukrainian troops (The Telegraph) Russia debut its T-90M tank 'Breakthrough-3' in combat for the first time during its invasion of Ukraine but analysts are underwhelmed
Russia drops bomb on Ukrainian school sheltering 90 people: Governor (Newsweek) Around 30 people were rescued from the rubble and two were found dead before the search was called off until Sunday, officials said.
As Russia marks annual Victory Day, Ukrainians scarred by war reject defeat (Washington Post) From Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv to its southern port of Mariupol, Monday will be a day of dread.
As Putin prepares for Victory Day, WWII veterans in Kyiv beg for mercy (Newsweek) Veterans who fought alongside Russians against Nazi Germany have urged Vladimir Putin to release Ukrainians from a besieged steel plant in Mariupol.
Putin’s choices filled with peril on eve of Victory Day parade (the Guardian) After repeated military setbacks, the Russian president will have to repackage the conflict to keep his people on-side
Putin’s Next Power Play Is a Parade (Foreign Policy) The Russian leader is expected to use his country’s upcoming World War II Victory Day celebration to stir up support for the bungled war in…
Putin's soldiers feel disposable, want to leave Ukraine war: Report (Newsweek) "And they treat us here really tough in general...," a soldier said in an intercepted call. "We want to leave, but they don't let us."
Putin has little to show in Ukraine with 3 days to Victory Day parade (Newsweek) On Monday, Russia celebrates Victory Day, its annual commemoration of the end of World War II. But the war in Ukraine might dampen the festivities.
Zelensky spells out key condition for peace talks with Putin (Newsweek) The Ukrainian president demanded a Russian withdrawal to pre-invasion positions as a pre-condition for any negotiations.
Russia and Ukraine's "war of attrition" has begun, says European official (CBS News) An official from a Western-allied country outlined a number of factors likely to play into how long the conflict will last.
One Village at a Time: The Grinding Artillery War in Ukraine (New York Times) The advances by the Ukrainian army in the north have been modest, but they are emblematic of both sides’ strategy: maneuvering artillery to gain territory.
As war grinds on, the definition of victory remains murky (Washington Post) Public support in the United States and allied countries is critical to the outcome on the battlefield, officials say
Russia spending an estimated $900 million a day on Ukraine war (Newsweek) Russia's invasion of Ukraine is reportedly costing Moscow hundreds of millions of dollars a day.
Russian state TV analyst urges "military socialism" amid Ukraine invasion (Newsweek) Konstantin Sivkov suggested the government control "all strategic resources...like land, factories and everything else" in a video viewed widely Saturday.
'Full-blown war? We don’t have the reserves, the pilots or the planes' (The Telegraph) Russian state TV has been allowing experts to voice objections to all-out war in recent weeks
A Potemkin Military? Russia’s Over-Estimated Legions (CEPA) An unhealthy obsession with numbers can explain the West’s misreading of Russia’s military capabilities. There’s no other explanation of this overestimation
Russia’s ultimate political survivor faces a wartime reckoning (Washington Post) Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a fixture of Russian political life since the Soviet Union’s fall, could be on the hook for military failures
Pentagon reviewing hundreds of industry proposals in effort to rapidly arm Ukraine (Defense News) Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said Friday the influx of proposals will help mitigate supply chain issues, speed up production lines and address strategic objectives in the region.
Training, Weapons, Intel: The US Military's Slow Slide Toward Confrontation with Russia over Ukraine (Military.com) In early March, defense officials avoided even confirming the first Stinger missiles were being sent to Ukraine amid concerns of escalating the conflict as Russian troops marched toward Kyiv, and defense analysts counted the days until Russian President Vladimir Putin would likely control the government of his next-door neighbor.
The Ukrainians have broken through Putin’s barrier of fear. So must faint-hearts in the West (The Telegraph) Talk of 'off-ramps' and 'golden bridges' no longer apply to a leader who sees only ever-greater violence as the way forward
Putin and Xi are accelerating their push against democracy. Here's how the US can fight back. (Atlantic Council) The democracies of the world need to team up against Russia's and China's joint promotion of illiberalism.
Putin’s Orange Obsession (Foreign Affairs) How a twenty-year fixation drove a disastrous war.
For Vladimir Putin, the sinister cult of victory is all that is left | Kirill Martynov (the Guardian) Today on Russia’s Victory Day, the Guardian and other European news organisations are publishing articles by the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta
Putin "isolated" himself ahead of Ukraine invasion: Ex-Trump adviser (Newsweek) Fiona Hill cited his isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the reasons behind his decision to go to war.
Countering the Kremlin: America must not wait for European unity (Atlantic Council) Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine marks the culmination of Russia’s long campaign to corrupt Europe. The EU condemns the war while at the same time sponsoring it, writes Olexander Scherba.
"Let's take out Putin": Graham doubles down on Ukraine war "off-ramp" (Newsweek) Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned Sunday that "if Putin's still standing after all of this, then the world's going to be a very dark place."
Russian War Report: Belarus launches “combat preparedness test” (Atlantic Council) The Belarusian military began unannounced combat drills, the Kremlin drops the term "denazification," and a Latin American RT influencer resigns.
"I'm in Russia fighting Putin's corruption—I want Ukraine to win" (Newsweek) We risk jail time and the possibility of physical and psychological repression.
Russia’s chief diplomat in Scotland condemns Ukraine invasion in social media post (The Telegraph) Screenshot of now-deleted post shows Andrey Yakovlev backing Western support for Ukrainian forces, but consulate says account was hacked
Pro-Russian Hackers Hit German Government Sites, Spiegel Says (Bloomberg) Pro-Russian hackers carried out cyberattacks on German government websites and politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party-affiliated site, Der Spiegel reported, citing an official investigation.
Tracking Cobalt Strike Servers Used in Cyberattacks on Ukraine (IronNet) On April 18, 2022, CERT-UA published alert #4490, which describes a malicious email campaign targeting Ukraine. The email attempts to deploy a Cobalt Strike beacon on the victim's system through the use of a MS Office macro.
Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels promote narrative that Poland will annex western Ukraine (Medium) Narrative relies on forged documents and fake images of billboards in Poland
U.S. Treasury Takes Sweeping Action Against Russia’s War Efforts (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Designations Include Financial Executives, Weapons Manufacturer, and State-Controlled Television Stations New Prohibitions Ban Services Critical to Russia’s Wartime Effort
U.S. targets Russian TV stations in new sanctions (Axios) The move will cut off three of Russia's top TV stations from American advertising dollars.
Former Estonian president on defending against Russian cyberattacks (The Record by Recorded Future) nia is sounding the alarm that, even if after Russia’s war on Ukraine comes to end, the U.S. and the rest of the world cannot ignore the threat posed by Moscow.
Colonial Pipeline was cyber wake-up call; Ukraine war is escalator (Yahoo) One year ago, the Colonial Pipeline was hit by a disruptive ransomware attack forcing it to shut down operations for nearly a week. The incident, which caused gas shortages in several states as fuel prices spiked, was a major wake-up call for critical industries to start taking cyber threats seriously and invest more in cybersecurity. However,…
Russia is quietly wielding its cyber weapons as its military struggles in Ukraine (Business Insider) Russia's cyber capabilities haven't been as visible as it conventional forces in Ukraine, but the US has labeled Moscow a persistent cyber threat.
May 01 – May 07 Ukraine – Russia the silent cyber conflict (Security Affairs) This post provides a timeline of the events related to Russia invasion of Ukraine from the cyber security perspective. Below is the timeline of the events related to the ongoing Russia invasion that occurred in the previous weeks: May 06 – Anonymous and Ukraine IT Army continue to target Russian entities The Anonymous collective and […]
Intel leaks show US success in Ukraine — but come with risks (The Hill) The Biden administration’s decision to step up aid to Ukraine is paying real-world dividends, providing not only the weapons to battle Russian forces but also the intelligence that’s he…
US intelligence told to keep quiet over role in Ukraine military triumphs (the Guardian) CIA veterans advise successors against ‘unwise’ intelligence boasts that could trigger escalation from Russia
Pentagon denies helping Ukraine sink Russian ship Moskva (Al Jazeera) The sinking of Russia’s flagship Moskva missile cruiser last month was a high-profile failure for its military.
German thinkers’ war of words over Ukraine exposes generational divide (the Guardian) Group in favour of supplying Kyiv with weapons noticeably younger than those of opposing view
Sweden Hasn't Gone to War Since Napoleon Was Alive, But Russia Has it Preparing for Another One (Military.com) Sweden and its neighbors have watched Russian military activity warily in recent years, particularly in the Arctic.
Everything to know about Sweden and Finland joining NATO (Newsweek) Russia has repeatedly warned of military escalation and even the potential use of nuclear weapons if the two countries join the Trans-Atlantic alliance.
Chinese Tech Giants Quietly Retreat From Doing Business With Russia (Wall Street Journal) Firms are pulling back under pressure from U.S. sanctions and suppliers but stay mum in face of warnings from Beijing.
UK sanctions Russian microprocessor makers, banning them from ARM (BleepingComputer) The UK government added 63 Russian entities to its sanction list on Wednesday. Among them are Baikal Electronics and MCST (Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies), the two most important chip makers in Russia.
Google Play now blocks paid app downloads, updates in Russia (BleepingComputer) Google is now blocking Russian users and developers from downloading or updating paid applications from the Google Play Store due to sanctions, starting Thursday.
As Calls to Leave Russia Continue, Some U.S. Tech Firms Opt to Stay (Wall Street Journal) Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the country was an attractive source of tech talent. ‘We cannot abandon our team in Russia,’ says the CISO of U.S.-based bitcoin marketplace.
U.S. Targets Russian Media, Bank Executives With New Sanctions (Wall Street Journal) The Biden administration announced new sanctions targeting Russian state-controlled media and banking executives, a ban on Americans providing accounting and management-consulting services and new export controls targeting the country’s industrial sector.
G7 to phase out Russian oil, U.S. sanctions Gazprombank execs over Ukraine war (Reuters) Group of Seven (G7) nations committed on Sunday to ban or phase out imports of Russian oil and the United States unveiled sanctions against Gazprombank executives and other businesses to punish Moscow for its war against Ukraine.
Putin's Ukraine adventure is starting to grate on Russia's most profitable industry | Opinion (Newsweek) Whatever Russian President Vladimir Putin decides, Russia will be weaker and less wealthy as a result.
Making Putin pay: Russia must finance the rebuilding of post-war Ukraine (Atlantic Council) Making Putin pay: Russian assets currently frozen in the West could potentially be used to finance the rebuilding of post-war Ukraine but this will require both creativity and political will from Western leaders.
Big Pharma faces a cliff edge with the ongoing crisis in Ukraine (The Telegraph) Ukraine contributes to the testing of hundreds of clinical trials each year – drug development faces an uncertain future
‘Vladimir Putin’s superyacht’ seized in Italy (The Telegraph) Italian economy minister signs decree freezing any movement of the Scheherazade, a huge vessel thought to be worth £500 million
Europe's tourist hotspots mourn lack of big-spending Russians (The Telegraph) The reverberations of the Ukraine conflict are being felt across Europe’s tourism hubs as they face acute financial losses
Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
'Don't try anything stupid against Taiwan': Hacker group Anonymous warns China (WION) Hacker group Anonymous, which is primarily known for its cyberattacks, has warned China not to do anything ''stupid'' against Taiwan. The decentralised international activist hacked Chengdu Chinese Communist Party (CCP) website to display the threat. In the post, a photo of a person wearing a black hoodie and a Guy Fawkes mask can be seen and it includes the logo of Anonymous.
Roe vs Wade: Hacker collective Anonymous warn US Supreme Court against overturning law (WION) The hacking group Anonymous has warned the United States Supreme Court against overturning the famous Roe v. Wade decision, claiming that if it does, it would "get burned."
Anonymous said the Supreme Court and Republicans should "expect" vengeance if they overturn the Roe vs Wade ruling in a tweet released Tuesday.
In 1973, the Supreme Court declared that governments lacked the authority to prohibit abortions and that a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy in the first three months of pregnancy was unalienable.
Caramel credit card stealing service is growing in popularity (BleepingComputer) A credit card stealing service is growing in popularity, allowing any low-skilled threat actors an easy and automated way to get started in the world of financial fraud.
RCE exploit created for critical F5 BIG-IP bug (Computimg) 'Patch ASAP!' say researchers
Malware Dubbed NetDooka Via Part of Pay-Per-Install Service (Cyber Security News) PrivateLoader, a pay-per-install (PPI) malware service has been flecked circulating a new and sophisticated malware framework dubbed, "NetDooka." Malware like this has the capability of giving the attackers full control over the devices they infected.
NetDooka Framework Distributed via PrivateLoader Malware as Part of Pay-Per-Install Service (Trend Micro) This report focuses on the components and infection chain of the NetDooka framework. Its scope ranges from the release of the first payload up until the release of the final RAT that is protected by a kernel driver.
More than $2 million stolen from DeFi platform MM.Finance (The Record by Recorded Future) MM.Finance announced this week that hackers managed to steal $2 million worth of digital assets in a Domain Name System (DNS) attack.
Conti ransomware claims to have hacked Peru MOF – Dirección General de Inteligencia (DIGIMIN) (Security Affairs) Conti Ransomware gang claims to have hacked the Peru MOF – Dirección General de Inteligencia (DIGIMIN) and stolen 9.41 GB. The Conti ransomware gang added the Peru MOF – Dirección General de Inteligencia (DIGIMIN) to the list of its victims on its Tor leak site. The National Directorate of Intelligence is the premier intelligence agency […]
AGCO ransomware attack disrupts tractor sales during U.S. planting season (Reuters) U.S. agricultural equipment maker AGCO Corp said on Friday a ransomware attack was affecting operations at some of its production facilities, and dealers said tractor sales had been stalled during the crucial planting season.
US Agricultural Machinery Manufacturer Hit with Ransomware Attack (Industry Week) Does a recent donation to a Ukranian relief fund hold a clue as to the origins of the attack?
Agricultural equipment maker AGCO reports ransomware attack (The Record by Recorded Future) In a notice to shareholders, the tractor company did not specify the nature of the ransomware or the attackers.
Looking Back at the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Incident (GovTech) In early May 2021, the world was shocked into attention by a ransomware attack that brought down gas lines. What have we learned — or not — one year later?
Analyzing BlackByte Ransomware's Go-Based Variants (Zscaler) In this post, Zscaler ThreatLabz analyzes two variants of the Go-based implementation of BlackByte ransomware. Read more.
10GB Database Exposing VPN Users Dumped (for Free) on Telegram (vpnMentor) 21 million records were leaked on Telegram, exposing the email addresses and hashed passwords of the users of several VPNs.
Heroku Shares Details on Recent GitHub Attack (SecurityWeek) Platform-as-a-service company Heroku this week shared additional details on an April cyberattack that resulted in unauthorized access to multiple customers’ GitHub repositories.
Salesforce-owned Heroku faces backlash over handling of stolen user credentials (The Record by Recorded Future) Popular cloud platform Heroku set off a wave of criticism this week when it forcibly reset some user passwords in response to a data breach.
Some South Florida hospitals came under cyberattacks. Here’s what you need to know (Miami Herald) A group of hospitals in Miami-Dade and Broward, including North Shore Medical Center and Palmetto General Hospital, lost computer or phone service for an undisclosed period in April due to a cyberattack at one of the nation’s largest for-profit hospital companies, Tenet Healthcare Corporation.
State Bar notifies 1,300 people identified in data breach (San Diego Union-Tribune) The State Bar of California has begun notifying individuals whose names appeared in more than 322,000 confidential attorney discipline records published online in a massive data breach
Belton Police Department computer systems target of malware attack (KSHB) The Belton Police Department announced Friday the department’s computer systems recently suffered a malware attack.
565 Schools, Over 1M Students in NY Impacted by Illuminate Data Breach, NYSED Says; 2nd Colorado District Notifies Parents (THE Journal) The New York State Education Department says 565 schools in the state — including over 1 million current and former students — were among those whose private student data was compromised during a January cyberattack on Illuminate Education’s systems, and officials have opened an investigation, NYSED told THE Journal.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
Exploits created for critical F5 BIG-IP flaw, install patch immediately (BleepingComputer) Security researchers are warning F5 BIG-IP admins to immediately install the latest security updates after creating exploits for a recently disclosed critical CVE-2022-1388 remote code execution vulnerability.
Check your gems: RubyGems fixes unauthorized package takeover bug (BleepingComputer) The RubyGems package repository has fixed a critical vulnerability that would allow anyone to unpublish ("yank") certain Ruby packages from the repository and republish their tainted or malicious versions with the same file names and version numbers.
Avast, AVG release security updates for decade-old vulnerability (The Record by Recorded Future) Sentinel One disclosed two vulnerabilities – tracked as CVE-2022-26522 and CVE-2022-26523 – affecting the “Anti Rootkit” driver in security products from Avast and AVG.
Trends
From Russian rain to Chinese storm (The Hill) A decoupling between China and the U.S. and its allies may not be an impossible task, but the consequences will be of an entirely different order than the already very considerable consequences of …
Ethiopia says records 5,856 cyber attacks in nine months (Capital Business) Ethiopia recorded 5,856 cyberattacks in the first nine months of the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year, which started on July Kenya breaking news | Kenya news today |
Marketplace
Magnet Forensics Acquires Cybersecurity Software Firm Comae Technologies (Dark Reading) The company will continue the development of Comae’s memory analysis platform and seek to incorporate its capabilities into existing solutions
Zero Trust VPN Company Tailscale Raises $100 Million (SecurityWeek) Zero trust enterprise VPN provider Tailscale this week announced that it has closed a $100 million Series B funding round that brings the total raised by the company to $115 million.
Kaseya CEO assures Datto partners brand is 'going nowhere' following acquisition (CRN) Fred Voccola tells CRN what his integration strategy is and how it will affect Datto partners
Cybersecurity Companies Deliver Mixed Earnings (Wall Street Journal) Increased cyberattacks have helped fuel demand, companies say, but the Ukraine conflict and supply-chain problems have created challenges for some.
6 Indian origin cybersecurity startups that are redefining digital security landscape (YourStory.com) With increasing digital adoption and rise of cyberattacks, the demand for cybersecurity startups is bound to grow. Here is a list of recently funded cybersecurity startups making great strides in the sector.
Google's cloud group forms Web3 team to capitalize on booming popularity of crypto (CNBC) Google is quickly adding cloud talent as it chases Amazon and Microsoft. The latest focus is building tools to help companies run distributed applications.
Amazon's Shuttering of Alexa Ranking Service Hits Cybersecurity Industry (SecurityWeek) Amazon has shut down the Alexa ranking service and, while it may not be immediately obvious, the decision does have some impact on the cybersecurity industry.
Matt Hayden Joins GDIT as VP of Cyber Client Engagement (Hstoday) Hayden will be responsible for fostering trusted relationships with industry partners and key cyber executive government leadership.
Netskope appoints David Fairman as company’s first CIO APAC and Japan (Digital Nation) To take on CIO role in addition to CSO duties.
New boss for listed global cyber security group (TheBusinessDesk) Mike Maddison is currently head of EY's cyber security, privacy, and trusted technology practice for EMEA
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
NIST updates guidance for defending against supply-chain attacks (BleepingComputer) The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released updated guidance on securing the supply chain against cyberattacks.
Developments in phishing and how to protect your business (SecurityBrief New Zealand) Phishing, the practice of sending malicious emails to encourage users to perform actions that benefit an attacker, is a key security concern for modern businesses due to its prevalence and impact.
Design and Innovation
Gula Tech Foundation’s June 2022 $1,000,000 Grant Competition Finalists (Gula Tech Adventures) Gula Tech Foundation announces the finalists for the $1,000,000 “Incorporating Cyber Expertise in Corporate Governance” competitive grant.
Tech Giants Unite in Effort to Scrap Passwords (SecurityWeek) Apple, Google, and Microsoft plan to expand support for a passwordless sign-in standard from the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium.
Academia
WVU students participate in international cyber defense exercise (WV MetroNews) Assistant professor says cyber warfare is a legitimate concern.
Texas A&M student team present research findings on cyber challenges to USCYBERCOM (U.S. Cyber Command) On April 28, five second year graduate students from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University provided their Spring 2022 Capstone out-brief to senior U.S. Cyber Command
Angelo State University expanding cybersecurity presence (San Angelo Standard-Times) Angelo State University has been selected to help operate a regional center that will provide local governments with cybersecurity support.
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
Mandiant CEO: False-flag ops a red line for nation-states (Register) NSA director says he doesn't know of a 'big one' that was successful
South Korea’s intelligence agency joins NATO’s cyber defense center as first in Asia (Nation Thailand) South Korea’s National Intelligence Service became a member of a cyberdefense center for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the state agency said on Thursday.
China Not Happy With South Korea Joining NATO Cyber Defense Center (SecurityWeek) China is apparently not happy that South Korea has joined NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).
India’s battle with Pegasus tells a bigger tale of tech laws (Register) Stallled law satisfies few and has even been identifed as likely to damage growth
China orders livestreaming platforms to step up oversight of underage users (Reuters) China on Saturday ordered internet platforms to step up governance of how under-18s use their livestreaming services as part of an ongoing regulatory crackdown on the booming sector.
Spanberger Cybercrime bill is signed into law (NBC 29) President Biden just signed 7th District Representative Abigail Spanberger’s cybercrime bill into law.
Cyber Command creates forum with industry to share threat information (FedScoop) U.S. Cyber Command has created a collaborative program with the private sector to share insights and information about critical cyber threats in an effort to further bolster national cybersecurity. The program, dubbed “Under Advisement,” involves members of the command’s elite cyber national mission force (CNMF) — which is responsible for tracking and disrupting specific nation-state […]
CISA’s First Graphic Novel Series Tackles Greatest Terrorism Threat to U.S.: Misinformation (OODA Loop) DHS calls it MDM, “mis- dis- and mal-information,” and according to the Feb. 7th National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin - February 07, 2022 (which is released quarterly), it is the greatest terrorism threat to the U.S. It is time to move away from a pure analysis of the problem and to start testing tools and formats for mounting an American-style psychological defense and addressing the failures in our cognitive infrastructure.
What is DHS' Disinformation Governance Board? - WSGW 790 AM & 100.5 FM (WSGW 790 AM & 100.5 FM) Watch Video: What we know about the new DHS advisory board that targets disinformation The Department...
Opinion | Pull the Plug on the Disinformation Governance Board (Wall Street Journal) Pull the plug now on Homeland Security’s Disinformation Governance Board.
Indiana Amends Data Breach Notification Law (Lexology) Indiana passed HB 1351 in March 2022, amending Indiana’s data breach notification law. Indiana’s breach notification law, as currently drafted…
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Reward Offers for Information to Bring Conti Ransomware Variant Co-Conspirators to Justice (United States Department of State) The Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10,000,000 for information leading to the identification and/or location of any individual(s) who hold a key leadership position in the Conti ransomware variant transnational organized crime group. In addition, the Department is also offering a reward of up to $5,000,000 for information leading to […]
US offers $15 million reward for info on Conti ransomware gang (BleepingComputer) The US Department of State is offering up to $15 million for information that helps identify and locate leadership and co-conspirators of the infamous Conti ransomware gang.
US State Department offering $10 million reward for information about Conti members (The Record by Recorded Future) The US State Department is offering $10 million for any information that leads to the identification or location of people connected to the notorious Conti ransomware gang.
US Sanctions First Virtual Currency Mixer: Blender.io (GovInfoSecurity) Virtual currency mixer Blender.io has been sanctioned by the U.S. for enabling North Korea to conduct "malicious cyber activities and money-laundering of
U.S. Treasury Issues First-Ever Sanctions on a Virtual Currency Mixer, Targets DPRK Cyber Threats (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Additional Lazarus Group Virtual Wallet Addresses Identified
Cyber-related Designation; North Korea Designation Update (U.S. Department of the Treasury) The following entity has been added to OFAC's SDN List: BLENDER.IO (a.k.a. @BLENDERIO_ENGLISH; a.k.a. @BLENDERIO_RUSSIAN; a.k.a. @MADEAMAZE_BOT; a.k.a. BLENDERIO)...
U.S. adds cryptocurrency mixer Blender to sanctions list over alleged North Korea links (Reuters) The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on virtual currency mixer Blender, accusing it of being involved in one of the largest cryptocurrency heists on record and being used by North Korea, the U.S. Treasury Department said.
US Treasury issues first-ever sanctions against a cryptocurrency mixer (Engadget) The US Treasury has issued its first sanctions against a digital currency mixer, accusing Blender of helping North Korea launder crypto..
Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit seeking to lift Twitter ban (CNBC) A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by former President Donald Trump seeking to lift his ban from Twitter.
Oregon Faces Class-Action Lawsuit After Vaccine Data Release (The Lund Report) A state employee sued the Department of Administrative Services after it inadvertently released the vaccination status of more than 40,000 state employees.