Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Kaspersky And FireEye Security Products Cracked By Researchers (International Business Times) As the world becomes ever more digital, it is a great time to be in the cybersecurity business with everything from our cars to our most critical infrastructure being controlled by computers and therefore at risk of attack
Researcher discloses zero-day vulnerability in FireEye (CSO) The researcher says that there are three other undisclosed flaws, and each one is for sale
Researcher to FireEye: If you're not paying, I'm not talking (CSO) Hermansen will let FireEye sit in silence until they implement a paid bug bounty or rewards process
Gloves on as Googler deposits foul zero-day on Kaspersky lawn (Register) Global patch makes for laborious long weekend
Zero-day vulnerabilities reportedly found in Kaspersky and FireEye security products (Graham Cluley) Sounds like it's going to be a busy few days for R&D and PR departments at least two security companies
TVSPY — Threat Actor Group Reappears with Teamviewer Malware Package (Damballa) TVSPY is a malware that takes advantage of a vulnerability in Teamviewer software version 6, a legitimate tool used for remote PC administration
Mozilla's bug tracking portal compromised, reused passwords to blame (CSO) Attacker used compromised Bugzilla account to obtain details on Firefox flaws
Security Alert: Over 142 Million Legitimate Websites Could Deliver Ransomware Because of Script Injection Compromise (Heimdal Security) Heimdal Security has observed an increase in malicious scripts injected into legitimate websites that redirect Internet users to the Neutrino exploit kit server when accessed
Seagate wireless hard drives open wide to attack (Help Net Security) Several Seagate wireless hard-drives have been found to be affected by multiple vulnerabilities
An Example of Common String and Payload Obfuscation Techniques in Malware (IBM Security Intelligence) I've recently investigated malware that we received from a customer
Sinking into the iOS Quicksand Vulnerability (TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog) Our investigation on the iOS Quicksand vulnerability (designated with CVE-2015-5749) leads us to the conclusion that this security gap, despite its serious risks to confidential data, is difficult to exploit due to its required specific conditions
The Promise of Pwned Android is Fulfilled (PC Magazine) Hackers have already been exploiting Android's vulnerable mobile remote support tools
Sexy sock puppets seduce security suckers (Register) Eager types 'endorse' LinkedIn infosec probers wearing models' photos as avatars
'Why I fell victim to a LinkedIn scam — and why I would do so again tomorrow' (Graham Cluley) A number of fake LinkedIn accounts have been used to target security researchers
How Security Awareness Can Prevent Romance Fraud (Infosec Institute) Today, in the age of the Internet, looking for an online love affair is a normal everyday practice
Ashley Madison, Why Do Our Honeypots Have Accounts On Your Website? (TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog) She is 33 years old, from Los Angeles, 6 feet tall, sexy, aggressive, and a "woman who knows what she wants", according to her profile. She is intriguing. However, her intrigue doesn't end there: her email address is one of Trend Micro's email honeypots. Wait— what?
Porn used as lure for mobile ransomware attacks, Zscaler warns (ComputerWeekly) Adult Player app is the latest example of a growing list of mobile ransomware
ReverbNation — Colossal Data Breach at Music Firm (Check & Secure) Another day, another breach
Anonymous Knocks Down Zimbabwe Herald Website (HackRead) Zimbabwe government's websites are apparently in great danger yet again since the infamous hacktivist group is using DDoS this time to get its message through
Beware! A Nigerian group targeting Indian firms in payment scam (First Post) FireEye has discovered an active online payment-diversion campaign which targets small and medium businesses in non-English-speaking countries, including India
The American Library Association Lost Control Of Their Facebook Page This Weekend (TechCrunch) Getting hacked is bad news… unless you'e a bunch of librarians
Customers of UK's Metro Bank targeted by Twitter fraudsters (We Live Security) When Metro Bank opened its doors five years ago, it was reportedly the first new high street bank to launch in the UK for over 150 years
A Close Look at PayPal Overpayment Scams That Target Craigslist Sellers (Internet Storm Center) My hope is that when people become familiar with the tactics employed by scammers, they will be less likely to get ripped off
Driverless cars vulnerable to paralysis through laser hack attack (V3) Hackers can paralyse a driverless car by exploiting its laser navigation systems and sensors to trick it into thinking it will collide with another car, person or obstacle, according to security research
First Report of Simulated Human Being Hacked — But Don't Panic (Tripwire: the State of Security) Yes, simulated humans exist
The Business Of Fraud (TechCrunch) When you visualize a hacker, what do you see?
Cyber War: a guide to state-sponsored digital assaults (Catch) Not a month goes by without reports of a new cyber attack
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
Chrome Suddenly Crashing On Startup? Comodo Releases Fix (News for Shoppers) "Google Chrome has stopped working" If you just got that message when opening your Chrome browser, you're not alone
Cyber Trends
End-to-end encryption is key for securing the Internet of Things (Help Net Security) The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the hottest buzzwords these days
Black Hat survey reveals a disconnect between losses and security program focus (CSO) The Black Hat study focused on the concerns of practitioners, including how they actually spent their times and the losses that they incurred
Money can't buy you love or security (ITSecurity) Every year we spend tons more money on security
Inside threats enable vast majority of cybercrimes (Betanews) No less an authority than colorful cybersecurity pioneer John McAfee firmly believes that the now infamous hack of the US-based Ashley Madison sex-cheating website was an inside job
Security Focus Shifts to Detection (InfoRiskToday) Gartner's Pingree: market emphasis now on detection, response
APT Attacks Will Seek Smaller Targets (InfoRiskToday) Gartner's Ahlm: SMBs beware — launching targeted attacks getting easier
Cyber Security — Getting the Message (Team Cymru) There is a concept in the health and safety industry known as 'sign blindness'
Marketplace
Cyber liability insurance must for entrepreneurs (Business Standard) Extent of cover will depend on volume, sensitivity of data with the company
Survey: Legal Security Spending on the Rise (Legaltech News) The ILTA and InsideLegal survey noted that security management is now seen as the biggest challenge facing legal IT departments
IT Security Applications Will Drive Growth in Enterprise Adoption of Biometrics Technology During the Next 10 Years, According to Tractica (BusinessWire) Enterprise biometrics devices and software licenses to reach 142 million annually by 2024
Global cyber weapon market growing at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2015 to 2021 (Whatech) A cyber weapon is an information technology (IT)-based system consisting of hardware, software, and communication medium that is designed to damage operations or structures of other information technology-based system
Funding into security increases as hacks show no let up (PE Hub) So long as high-profile hacking events and security breaches occur, funding into cyber security companies will also continue to rise
Startup Spotlight: BitSight Technologies' Risk Management (eSecurity Planet) BitSight Technologies helps companies manage risks associated with third-party suppliers with a ratings service modeled on those offered by credit bureaus
BlackBerry agrees to acquire EMM competitor Good for $425M in cash (FierceMobileIT) Despite financial troubles that are forcing it to cut jobs, BlackBerry has enough cash in hand to acquire Good Technology for $425 million
Microsoft Confirms Purchase Of Cloud Security Firm Adallom (TechCrunch) Microsoft announced this morning that it purchased cloud security firm Adallom
HP looking to sell off its cyber security unit: Report (First Post) Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) is exploring a sale of computer network security solutions unit TippingPoint ahead of a corporate split later this year, according to people familiar with the matter
Building a New Silicon Valley in a Post-Soviet Dictatorship (Wired) With Riga in the rearview mirror, the bus plods north. Latvia's flat pine forests flash past under low grey clouds, but Oleg Kuryan, seated towards the back, is interested in neither
Trident Capital Cybersecurity Announces Sean Cunningham, Formerly of Intel Capital, Joins as Managing Director (Marketwired) Cunningham — listed as a top cyber investor by market analyst firm CB Insights — will utilize deep marketing and sales expertise to help build cybersecurity startups
WatchGuard boosts exec ranks (CSO) WatchGuard® Technologies has boosted their global executive team with three new appointments
Products, Services, and Solutions
Webroot takes aim at IoT with new security toolkit (SecurityWatch) Webroot has launched a security toolkit to help protect the internet of things, with cloud-based, real-time threat intelligence
SolarWinds adds threat intelligence feed to its SIEM software (NetworksAsia) SolarWinds has introduced the addition of a threat intelligence feed to SolarWinds Log & Event Manager, a security information and event management (SIEM) product designed for resource-constrained IT organizations
HyTrust Claims Advances In Virtual Data Center Ops (InformationWeek) VMware security partner HyTrust has been pushing new steps in virtual machine and virtual network operations, including role-based access
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
Cyber Intelligence: Competitive Intelligence By Any Other Name… (SecurityWeek) The current environment around cybercrime is quickly becoming a forcing function that's causing businesses to begin evaluating how they're doing cybersecurity across the board
The Real Inhibitors of Risk Management (SecurityWeek) Over the past two years, risk management has gained a lot of attention in the media and among practitioners
COSO–Guided Cybersecurity: Risk Assessment (Wall Street Journal) As cyber risk continues to be a critical topic of discussion in the C-suite and boardroom, organizations should consider how to adapt cyber security strategies, processes and technologies to meet this significant and constantly evolving threat
Four Non-Technical Measures for Mitigating Insidious Insiders (Dark Matters) Even the best technology will be useless if the non-technical basics aren't correct
Cloud Security: You can't protect what you can’t see (Trend Micro: Simply Security) Last time we discussed how the shared responsibility model works to enhance your overall security
Sun Tzu-as-a-Service: How to protect the hybrid cloud (TechRepublic) The hybrid cloud brings unique security challenges to the enterprise
Encrypted Communication Has Never Been Easier — Security Never More Challenging (Blogs of War) Just over two years ago I decided to spend some time digging into an emerging class of encryption tools that were making a solid run at simplifying the notoriously cumbersome use of PGP
Hunting for IOC's with ioc-parser (Internet Storm Center) Threat intelligence became a hot topic for a while
The Cost of Poor Test Data Management (Information Security Buzz) If there's one thing that's going to make a business sit up and listen — it's money, especially when it comes to avoidable fines
Cognitive Research: Learning Detectors of Malicious Network Traffic (Cisco Blogs) Malware is constantly evolving and changing
HDD firmware: Hacking in the dark (HP Security Research Blog) In light of the recent publicity around malware that can remain persistent in hard drive firmware, it seems reasonable to seek a better understanding of what actually happens inside the hard drive
Rudra: Framework for automated inspection of network capture files (Help Net Security) In this podcast recorded at Black Hat USA 2015, Ankur Tyagi, Malware Research Engineer at Qualys, talks about Rudra, a framework for automated inspection of network capture files
Enterprise IT Security Compliance In Five Simple Steps (Lifehacker) Maintaining IT security is a constant struggle for enterprises in both the public and private sectors
Design and Innovation
Apple Reportedly Staffs Up Machine Learning Team (TechCrunch) Apple is trying to hire at least 86 artificial intelligence and machine learning experts
Research and Development
DB Networks Issued Structured Data Extraction Patent (IT Business Net) Latest patent covers extraction of layer 7 database traffic information
Academia
UT San Antonio wins DHS grant for info sharing standards (Federal Times) While the Senate is expected to take up information sharing this fall, the Department of Homeland Security is moving ahead with preparations for the Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAOs)
Cybersecurity: 6 schools with the right stuff (FCW) For all of the finger-pointing and blame-shifting that followed the massive hacks of the Office of Personnel Management, lawmakers and officials agree on this much: The federal government needs more cybersecurity professionals
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
China Continues Its Crackdown On VPN Services (TechCrunch) China is showing no sign of letting up on internet users who seek to hurdle its censorship system after it began imposing new restrictions on a popular censorship avoidance service in the country
EU, U.S. clinch data-sharing deal for security, terrorism cases: document (Reuters via Yahoo! News) The European Union and the United States have clinched a deal protecting personal data shared for law enforcement purposes such as terrorism investigations
America And United Kingdom To Participate In Cyber Attack War Games (Daily News) First exercise scheduled for later part of the year
How The Rules Of Cyber Engagement Have Changed (TechCrunch) A series of recent breaches at United Airlines, Anthem and, most recently, Sabre Corp. and American Airlines are reportedly tied to state-sponsored cyber attackers
Cyber crime: states use hackers to do digital dirty work (Financial Times) A new breed of sophisticated hacker is emerging as one of the most worrisome digital adversaries for western intelligence chiefs: cyber privateers
State Department Wants to Compile Cybersecurity 'Playbook' (Nextgov) The State Department, fresh off the heels of a highly publicized cyberintrusion, is picking industry's brain for tactics to block and perhaps strike back at hackers, according to new contracting documents
As the U.S. government faces cyber attack, 'there's no playbook' for fighting back (PCWorld) Nice nations don't retaliate, but the more hackers steal, the harder it is to maintain that stance
Redacted: This is how the government 'informs' you about critical software flaws (Russia Today) The US government has released a document describing the process it undertakes when deciding whether or not to inform the public about critical vulnerabilities it discovers in software. However, important details remain redacted
On Cyber Information Sharing, It's the Medium Not the Message (Council on Foreign Relations) When Senators return to Washington, DC this fall, they will take up work on legislation to make it easier for companies to share cybersecurity information with each other and with the government
Is It Time to Appoint a Data Security Czar? (RAND Blog) The increasingly alarming news about government-held data security breaches should cause Americans to seriously question whether the U.S. government at all levels is doing everything it could — and should — to protect the data it collects
More info on OPM breach insurance fails to comfort skeptics (Federal Times) Federal employees have been disappointed in breach protection company CSID's response to the first hack of Office of Personnel Management's network
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Internet of Things Will Lead to Complex Legal Questions (Legaltech News) The issue of risk management is 'potentially enormous' with the IoT and it will pop up in 'unexpected ways'
The mission and capabilities of the FBI Cyber Division (CSO) Ira Winkler and Araceli Treu Gomes interviewed Donald Good, deputy assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, after his presentation at the Black Hat CSO Forum
Delayed European Legal Opinion On Facebook NSA/PRISM Coming Later This Month (TechCrunch) A European legal opinion regarding Facebook's alleged data-sharing co-operation with the NSA/PRISM dragnet surveillance program that's due to be issued by the Advocate General (AG) of Europe's top court is now slated to be delivered on September 23
Edward Snowden attacks Russia rights curbs, would prefer to go home (Live Mint) The whistleblower described restrictions on the Internet as part of a wider problem in Russia
Second Review Says Classified Information Was in Hillary Clinton's Email (New York Times) A special intelligence review of two emails that Hillary Rodham Clinton received as secretary of state on her personal account — including one about North Korea's nuclear weapons program — has endorsed a finding by the inspector general for the intelligence agencies that the emails contained highly classified information when Mrs. Clinton received them, senior intelligence officials said
Has Twitter traced escaped Mexican drug baron 'El Chapo' to Costa Rica? (Naked Security) There's been quite a buzz in the media lately about Twitter geolocation
Norwegian Pirate Party provides DNS server to bypass new Pirate Bay blockade (Ars Technica) Pirate Party fights back against court-ordered blockade of file-sharing sites
Hacking Team Tried to Sell Smartphone Viruses to South Florida Cops (Miami New Times) Back in early July, an Italian-based company called Hacking Team — which had been criticized for profiting by selling malware to regimes with poor human rights records — was itself ironically hacked
Arrests Tied to Citadel, Dridex Malware (KrebsOnSecurity) Authorities in Europe have arrested alleged key players behind the development and deployment of sophisticated banking malware, including Citadel and Dridex
Ex-Tesla worker charged with posting confidential material on Web (Reuters) A former Tesla Motors engineer has been charged in federal court with felony computer intrusion