Dark Angels ransomware group received a $75 million payment.

Summary

By the CyberWire staff

At a glance.

Dark Angels ransomware group received a $75 million payment.
Phishing campaign abused Proofpoint email relay servers.
Average cost of a data breach rises to $4.88 million.

Dark Angels ransomware group received a $75 million payment.

Zscaler's ThreatLabz 2024 Ransomware Report found that the Dark Angels ransomware group received a $75 million payment from a single victim, nearly double the amount of the next highest known ransom payment ever made. The Dark Angels group typically focuses on a single large company at a time, in contrast to other ransomware gangs' opportunistic approaches. Zscaler notes, "The Dark Angels ransomware group’s strategy of targeting a small number of high-value companies for large payouts is a trend worth monitoring. Zscaler ThreatLabz predicts that other ransomware groups will take note of Dark Angels’ success and may adopt similar tactics, focusing on high-value targets and increasing the significance of data theft to maximize their financial gains."

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Phishing campaign abused Proofpoint email relay servers.

Proofpoint has disrupted a campaign that abused its email protection platform to send an average of three million "perfectly spoofed" phishing emails per day, the Register reports. The company says a single threat actor exploited weak configurations in Proofpoint enterprise customers’ email infrastructures to impersonate Disney, Nike, IBM, Coca-Cola, and other major companies. Guardio Security, which discovered the campaign, notes that all the phishing emails were DKIM-signed and SPF-approved. The campaign ran from January to June 2024. The phishing emails were designed to trick users into handing over their credit card information.

Proofpoint stated, "The commonality shared between all the customers whose email infrastructures were being abused was a modifiable configuration setting that allowed outbound messages to be relayed from Microsoft 365. Spammers can therefore abuse any email infrastructure that allows messages to be relayed from email hosting services through their infrastructure. This specific email routing configuration abused by the spammer allowed outbound messages to be sent from a customer’s Microsoft 365 tenant for relay through their infrastructure, but it did not limit the Microsoft tenants allowed to relay."

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Average cost of a data breach rises to $4.88 million.

IBM has published its annual Cost of a Data Breach Report, finding that the average cost of a breach has reached $4.88 million, a ten percent increase from the previous year. The report states, "Business disruption and post-breach customer support and remediation drove this cost spike. When asked how they’re dealing with these costs, more than half of organizations said they are passing them on to customers."

70% of breached organizations said the incidents caused significant or very significant disruptions. Only twelve percent of the surveyed organizations had fully recovered, and the recovery process took more than 100 days in every case.

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Notes.

Today's issue includes events affecting , and the United States.

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

Average data breach cost jumps to $4.88 million, collateral damage increased (Help Net Security) IBM released its annual Cost of a Data Breach Report revealing the global average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million in 2024.

Trump Campaign Crypto Scam: Unveiling the Phishing Plot (VERITI) Uncovering a phishing scam targeting Trump's supporters using crypto donations. Learn how to spot fraudulent sites and stay protected. Stay informed and vigilant.

Marketplace

Global Investors Double Down on Software Supply Chain Security with $20M Strategic Investment in Lineaje (BusinessWire) Prosperity7 Ventures, Neotribe, and Hitachi Ventures to support global expansion and technological advancement in the face of increasing cybersecurity threats and regulatory compliance needs

Clutch Security Launches With $8.5M in Seed Funding to Revolutionize the Way Modern Organizations Secure and Manage Their Non-Human Identities (BusinessWire) Funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners will enable Clutch to expand its team and bring its product to a broader market

Securonix Appoints Kash Shaikh as President and Chief Executive Officer (BusinessWire) Seasoned Enterprise Technology Executive with Fortune 50 Experience Brings a Distinguished Record of Driving Profitable Growth Across Software, SaaS, and AI Infrastructure Markets

Products, Services, and Solutions

Trend Micro Stops Deepfakes and AI-Based Cyberattacks for Consumers and Enterprises (PR Newswire) /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced new innovations in its enterprise platform and...

Technologies, Techniques, and Standards

Enhancing Name Screening with AI and Large Language Models. (The CyberWire) In the evolving realm of financial crime compliance, identity and name screening remains a critical yet challenging task for financial institutions. High false positive rates, poor data quality, and an expanding list of sanctioned entities and individuals complicate the process, often resulting in significant operational inefficiencies. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) offer a groundbreaking solution.

Legislation, Policy, and Regulation

Bipartisan Senate bill would promote cybersecurity apprenticeship programs (CyberScoop) The legislation aims to grow the cyber workforce under a Department of Labor-managed grants program for apprentices.

Industry Events

For a complete running list of events, please visit the Event Tracker.

Events

Insider Risk Management Program Evaluation & Optimization Training Course (Laurel, Maryland, USA, Jul 29 - 30, 2024) This highly sought after and very comprehensive training course, will ensure that the Insider RIsk Program Manager / Insider Threat Program (ITP) Manager and other key stakeholders that support the ITP, have the Core / Advanced Knowledge, Blueprint, Resources needed for developing, managing or optimizing a program. Students will be provided with an ITP Management Toolkit that provides an abundance of educational resources, templates and checklists for ITP development, management and optimization. Our student satisfaction levels are in the exceptional range. The Insider Threat Defense Group is so confident about our training courses that they come with a money back training guarantee.

Unpacking the 2024 Ransomware Landscape: Insights and Strategies from ThreatLabz (Virtual, Aug 22, 2024) This live discussion on the latest findings from the Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Ransomware Report highlights the most targeted industries and regions, the dynamics behind a ransom payout, emerging ransomware families, and predictions for 2025. Register now.

SecureWorld Manufacturing & Retail Virtual Conference (Virtual, Aug 28, 2024) Join with cybersecurity professionals for training and information sharing through an interactive online experience. Earn 6 CPE credits learning from nationally recognized industry leaders. The agenda offers 12+ educational presentations, including panel discussions, breakout sessions, and keynotes. Connect with your peers in the Networking Lounge, enter to win prizes, and see demos and resources from top solution vendors in the Exhibitor Hall.

SANS Network Security Las Vegas 2024 (Las Vegas (and virtual), Nevada, USA, Sep 4 - 9, 2024) At SANS Network Security 2024, choose from 41 interactive courses with hands-on labs. Practice your skills and compete against your peers during NetWars Tournaments, and network with your instructor and industry colleagues in real-time. Each course includes electronic and printed books, and several courses align with GIAC certifications!

Jailbreak Brewing Company Security Summit (Laurel, Maryland, USA, Sep 6, 2024) Join some of the world's best security researchers as they talk about disinformation; the misleading and deliberate deception in today's connected world, both from the technical and policy sides at the only computer security event held at a production brewery. Attendance is limited to 150 to keep the Security Summit small and encourage conversation between speakers, attendees, and sponsors. Tickets include breakfast, lunch, and an awesome time to chat with fellow security experts. Come participate in the talks, the conversation, and the beer!

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Daily Briefing for 07.30.24

At a glance.

Dark Angels ransomware group received a $75 million payment.

Phishing campaign abused Proofpoint email relay servers.

Average cost of a data breach rises to $4.88 million.

Notes.

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

Marketplace

Products, Services, and Solutions

Technologies, Techniques, and Standards

Legislation, Policy, and Regulation

Events