Verizon releases 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report. JP Morgan discloses breach.

Summary

By the CyberWire staff

At a glance.

Verizon releases 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report.
JP Morgan discloses breach.
R programming language patches high-severity flaw.
Ex-NSA employee sentenced to 21 years in prison for attempted espionage.

Verizon releases 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report.

Verizon has released its Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) for 2024, finding that ransomware and related extortion attacks were responsible for 32% of all breaches last year. Additionally, exploitation of vulnerabilities as an initial access point tripled last year compared to 2022, accounting for 14% of breaches. The researchers note, "This spike was driven primarily by the increasing frequency of attacks targeting vulnerabilities on unpatched systems and devices (zero-day vulnerabilities) by ransomware actors. The MOVEit software breach was one of the largest drivers of these cyberattacks, first in the education sector and later spreading to finance and insurance industries."

The report also notes that "[m]ost breaches (68%), whether they include a third party or not, involve a non-malicious human element, which refers to a person making an error or falling prey to a social engineering attack."

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JP Morgan discloses breach.

JP Morgan has disclosed a data breach that affected more than 451,000 individuals, Cybernews reports. The bank said in a notification to the Maine Attorney General's office that a software issue gave three of its employees access to information they weren't entitled to see, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, payment and deduction amounts, and in some cases bank routing and account numbers. The company is offering two years of Experian identity theft protection to affected customers, adding that there's been no indication of data misuse so far.

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Cybercrime knows no bounds, and a united front is our strongest defense. At RSA Conference™ 2024, May 6 – 9, we unite in San Francisco as a cybersecurity community, fostering learning, networking, idea exchange, and exploration of cutting-edge innovations. Join us as we face the future of cybersecurity head on. Learn more and register.

R programming language patches high-severity flaw.

The open-source R programming language has patched an arbitrary code execution vulnerability (CVE-2024-27322), BleepingComputer reports. The R language is frequently used for statistical computing and data visualization. Researchers at HiddenLayer discovered the flaw, noting that "the exploitation of a code execution vulnerability in R can have far-reaching implications across multiple verticals, including but not limited to vital government agencies, medical, and financial institutions."

Ex-NSA employee sentenced to 21 years in prison for attempted espionage.

Former NSA employee Jareh Sebastian Dalke has been sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to leak classified information to someone he believed to be a Russian agent, the Register reports. The individual he was in contact with turned out to be an undercover FBI employee.

The US Justice Department said in a press release, "On or about Aug. 26, 2022, Dalke requested $85,000 in return for all the information in his possession. Dalke claimed the information would be of value to Russia and told the FBI online covert employee that he would share more information in the future, once he returned to the Washington, D.C.-area. Dalke subsequently arranged to transfer additional classified information in his possession to the purported Russian agent at Union Station in downtown Denver. Using a laptop computer and the instructions provided by the FBI online covert employee, Dalke transferred five files, four of which contained Top Secret [National Defense Information]."

Notes.

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

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

Experimental Morris II worm can exploit popular AI services to steal data and spread malware (Computing) Researchers have created the first known generative AI worm, capable of spreading through interconnected AI systems and potentially wreaking havoc on a massive scale.

New Latrodectus malware attacks use Microsoft, Cloudflare themes (BleepingComputer) Latrodectus malware is now being distributed in phishing campaigns using Microsoft Azure and Cloudflare lures to appear legitimate while making it harder for email security platforms to detect the emails as malicious.

Qantas Airways Says App Showed Customers Each Other's Data (GovInfoSecurity) Australia's Qantas Airways has confirmed suffering a data breach after its app began inadvertently exposing customers' data to other customers. While the airline

Trends

Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (Verizon) Learn about the latest trends in real-world security incidents and breaches—to help protect your organization and help you evaluate potential updates to your security plan.

Brace for Pressure: DataGrail Reports Worldwide Surge in Data Privacy Requests (DataGrail) DataGrail’s 2024 Privacy Trends Report shows 246% boost in privacy requests since 2021 as consumers seek to clear personal data online Data Privacy request cost to businesses increases 36%, estimated to reach $881,000 per year, per one million identities SAN FRANCISCO – May 1, 2024-- Ahead of the RSA conference, DataGrail (Booth #243), a leader

Marketplace

Google now pays up to $450,000 for RCE bugs in some Android apps (BleepingComputer) Google has increased rewards for reporting remote code execution vulnerabilities within select Android apps by ten times, from $30,000 to $300,000, with the maximum reward reaching $450,000 for exceptional quality reports.

Products, Services, and Solutions

Snyk Launches AppRisk Pro, Developer First Application Security Posture Management Solution Leveraging AI to Prioritize Remediation | Snyk (Snyk)

Qmulos Enhances Q-Compliance Platform, Adds Support for CMMC Level 3 Requirements, NERC CIP, OSCAL Interoperability, NIST 800-53 Rev. 5 Migration Capabilities, and Creates Technical Add-Ons for OpenShift and Microsoft Azure (PR Newswire) /PRNewswire/ -- Qmulos, a next-generation compliance, security, and risk management automation provider, today announced significant updates to its flagship...

Skyhawk Security Harnesses AI to Launch, Automated Cloud Native CTEM Solution (GlobeNewswire News Room) Skyhawk Security announces its Continuous Threat Exposure Management solution at RSA Conference....

Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement

Carmakers lying about requiring warrants before sharing location data, Senate probe finds (The Record) Only five of 14 queried auto manufacturers require a warrant or court order before giving law enforcement connected car owners’ location data, an investigation found.

Hacker who blackmailed psychotherapy patients sentenced to six years in prison (The Record) Aleksanteri Kivimäki, formerly known by the first name Julius and the hacker handle Zeekill, was convicted on all charges relating to the hack of Helsinki-based Vastaamo.

Industry Events

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

Events

Spring 2024 CISSP Study Group presented by ISSA Central MD (Columbia, or virtual, Maryland, USA, Feb 20 - May 1, 2024) Our Study Group fosters a learning environment to better absorb and understand the material. This is much better than the alternative of cram it in and regurgitate it on a test immediately following. Our approach simply makes the information more useful and easier to interpret! You can attend each session in-person in Columbia, MD, or attend virtually on line.

SANS Baltimore Spring 2024 (Baltimore (and virtual), Maryland, USA, Apr 28 - May 3, 2024) At SANS Baltimore Spring 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!

RSAC Party for Marketers (Ticket Needed) (San Francisco, CA, USA, May 5, 2024) Join us from 5:30 - 7:30pm at the enchanting Novela San Fran, a literature-themed bar, located in the heart of San Francisco. This unique venue sets the perfect backdrop for a night of networking, celebration, and inspiration before the big week ahead! It's an ideal spot to unwind and connect with fellow marketing professionals before diving into the exciting week ahead at RSAC 2024.

World’s Top 50 Innovators 2024 (London, England, UK, May 8 - 10, 2024) We are thrilled to invite you to join us at one of the most prestigious events in the tech calendar, the World’s Top 50 Innovators 2024! Get ready to embark on an incredible journey of inspiration, creativity, and breakthrough technologies that will shape the future. Innovation is the driving force behind progress, and once again it’s time to celebrate the companies that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Come and join us to learn what’s on the horizon, understand the bigger picture, and celebrate world-firsts and sensational achievements in the high-tech sectors. The format will be a series of Codex Talks, each of which is a concise presentation, lasting 15 minutes (or less), in which the speaker addresses a challenging question faced by their technology or industry today, and ends with a bold prediction for the future.

SANS Security West San Diego 2024 (San Diego (and virtual), California, USA, May 9 - 14, 2024) At SANS Security West San Diego 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!

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Daily Briefing for 05.01.24