Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Wikileaks' Cache of Alleged CIA Files Includes Unredacted Names (Motherboard) Although Wikileaks has redacted portions of the cache, and explained why, some names can be found in the dump.
Assange: CIA had lost control of its cyberweapon documents (CSO Online) Information about purported CIA cyberattacks was "passed around" among members of the U.S. intelligence community and contractors before it was published by WikiLeaks this week, Julian Assange says.
Next WikiLeaks worry: the release of the code (USA TODAY) Security experts fear the worst if WikiLeaks releases the computer code for the cyberweapons.
WikiLeaks: We’ll Work With Software Makers on Zero-Days (KrebsOnSecurity) When WikiLeaks on Tuesday dumped thousands of files documenting hacking tools used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, many feared WikiLeaks would soon publish a trove of so-called “zero days,” the actual computer code that the CIA uses to exploit previously unknown flaws in a range of software and hardware products used by consumers and businesses. But on Thursday, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange promised that his organization would work with hardware and software vendors to fix the security weaknesses prior to releasing additional details about the flaws.
Julian Assange Says WikiLeaks Will Help Tech Companies Stop CIA Snooping (WIRED) The big question is if and when Julian Assange follows through on his latest blockbuster promise.
WikiLeaks will share CIA hacking details with companies, but can they use it? (CSO Online) WikiLeaks plans to share details about what it says are CIA hacking tools with the tech companies so that software fixes can be developed. But will software companies want it?
How the CIA’s Hacking Hoard Makes Everyone Less Secure (WIRED) By keeping dozens of its spying tools secret, the CIA may have left billions of people open to being hacked.
Spy Agency Warns WikiLeaks Dump Designed to Damage US Intelligence (VOA) Concern also mounting at White House, which vows to ‘go after people who leak classified information'
WikiLeaks' Vault 7: CIA Gives a Free Lesson in Personal Cyber Security (CircleID) CIA Hacking Tools are the Biggest "So What" of 2017: WikiLeaks' newly released Vault 7 trove is a tantalizing study in how one of the world's premiere intelligence agencies hacks devices.
Newer car tech opens doors to CIA attacks (CSO Online) The revelation that the CIA has looked into hacking vehicles, possibly for the purpose of assassinations, flies in the face of a presidential order requiring U.S. agencies to reveal flaws to manufacturers to protect Americans.
Ga. Experts: Cyber Risks Detailed In Leak Are The New Normal (WABE) WikiLeaks just released thousands of pages it says details how the CIA spies on people using their smartphones, smart TVs and other devices.
Lawmakers Concerned C.I.A. Leaks Could Impact National Security (WJLA) The launch of a full investigation into the leak of a secret C.I.A program is bringing more assurance those documents released on Wikileaks are indeed authentic.While the White House isn’t saying much, concerns about potential harm are becoming more clear.
Wikileaks' Vault 7: What Are 'Zero Day' Vulnerabilities? (Benzinga) A lot of terms on cyberhacking are thrown around these days, especially after the Wikileaks report regarding software tools the CIA used to break into smartphones, computers and...
Azerbaijan: Activists targeted by ‘government-sponsored’ cyber attack (Amnesty International) Azeri human rights activists, journalists and political dissidents have been the targets of a fraudulent and sustained ‘spear phishing’ campaign using emails and Facebook chat, apparently aimed at gaining access to their personal information and private communications, said Amnesty International in a new report launched today.
False Friends: How Fake Accounts and Crude Malware Targeted Dissidents in Azerbaijan – Amnesty Insights (Medium) Rasul Jafarov is a prominent lawyer and human rights defender in Azerbaijan. In mid-October 2016, he received an unexpected phone call.
Did cyber attacks slow down North Korea’s missile progress? (NK PRO) On March 6, 2017, the New York Times published an article arguing that the United States had deployed cyber attacks against North Korea’s missile tests. The article implied that these attacks might have succeeded in causing the failure of several North Korean missile tests, stating: “The North’s missiles soon began to fail at a remarkable pace. Some […]
New Linux Malware Exploits CGI Vulnerability (TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog) by Jeanne Jocson and Jennifer Gumban Linux has long been the preferred operating system for enterprise platforms and Internet of Things (IoT) manufacturers. Linux-based devices are continually being deployed in smart systems across many different industries, with IoT gateways facilitating connected solutions and services central to different businesses. In connection to their widespread use, we’ve...
Danes targeted by malware spread through Dropbox (CSO Online) Earlier this week, Danish-speaking users were hit by malware spread through Dropbox, but the company responded quickly to shut down the attack
Report: Combatant commands vulnerable to cyber attacks (FCW) Despite making progress against cyber red teams, military combatant command missions are coming up short in defending against nation-state adversaries in training exercises.
Zero Days Have Staying Power (Threatpost) A look at 200 zero day vulnerabilities reveals key details on longevity, value and how long it takes to create one after a software vulnerability has been identified.
Zero-days? Sexy, sure, but crap passwords and phishing are probably more pressing (Register) Security experts poke holes in RAND vulnerability study
We're Secure: Digicel Denies Security Breach (Caribbean360) Telecommunications company Digicel insists its network is safe, reliable and secure, following a claim that Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister may have had some of his text messages and emails intercepted.
Are you customer of a firm that’s been breached? Look out for more attacks (Naked Security) Customers of the UK telecoms provider TalkTalk have found themselves targeted by scammers – and the advice applies to other firms too
Warning over Apache Struts 2 remote-code execution vulnerability seen being exploited in the wild (Computing) Apache users urged to update ASAP as evidence emerges of increasingly widespread attacks.
Apache Struts bug is under attack, patch now (InfoWorld) Due to the Jakarta Multipart parser in Apache Struts mishandling Content-Type headers, an attacker can remotely execute code on vulnerable systems
Uber Rides Can Expose Key Company Data, Appthority Says (Xconomy) Businesses may want to limit their employees’ use of Uber’s ride-hailing service to protect secrets such as merger discussions and the medical conditions o
640,000 Decrypted PlayStation Accounts Being Sold on DarkWeb (HackRead) Researchers are claiming that Dark Web marketplaces may be disappearing after the cyber attack by Anonymous on 10,000 websites last month but as far as hac
Trojan Android App Bullies Google Play Users Into Giving It 5 Stars (Dark Reading) Users who download Music Mania get pounded by ads until they say uncle.
Security Fail: Hackers Drawn to Energy Sector's Lack of Controls (NewsFactor) Oil and gas companies, including some of the most celebrated industry names in the Houston area, are facing increasingly sophisticated hackers seeking to steal trade secrets and disrupt operations.
Cybercrime in West Africa: Poised for an Underground Market (Trend Micro and Interpol) In some regions of the world, it is a fact that cybercriminal underground markets where criminals sell and/or buy products and services for committing cybercrime exist. But when the phrase “cybercriminal underground market” is uttered, Africa probably would not come to mind.
The West African cybercriminal ecosystem is unlike any other (Help Net Security) While there is still not an actual underground marketplace, cybercrime is pervasive in the West African region. Specifically, scamming operations.
Inside the world of Ghana's internet fraudsters (BBC News) Internet fraudsters in Ghana have their own subculture called the Sakawa boys renowned for partying and conspicuous consumption.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
Google Patched Hundreds of Android Security Flaws in March Update (HackRead) Google is busy in updating its Android OS with the third and probably the largest security patch update that the company will be releasing this year. March
Privilege Escalation Flaw Patched in Schneider Wonderware (Threatpost) Schneider Electric patched a vulnerability in the Tableau Server running in its Wonderware analytics and visualization platform that could allow an attacker to elevate privileges.
Waratek makes virtual patch available for new Struts 2 vulnerability CVE-2017-5638 (Yahoo! Finance) Waratek, the virtualization-based application security company, is offering a Virtual Patch for customers to address a new high severity vulnerability announced this week that exposes organizations using the Struts 2 framework to any general code injection
Cyber Trends
New voke Research Highlights Need for Secure Operations Automation to Close Gap Between Security and Operations Teams (Businesswire) New research from analyst firm voke finds 82% of discovered breaches occurred due to patches pending for months or years, highlights need for secure o
The Connected Toy Conundrum Is Beginning to Boil (Security Week) The prediction business is a tricky thing. You can be right, but until you are proven right, you’re either early or wrong. Being early feels just like being wrong—up until the moment you are right.
A Look Back at RSA 2017: 3 Things I Wish I Saw Less Of (Security Week) Every year, the RSA Conference is an exciting opportunity to get the security industry together to debrief on the past year and look ahead toward how we can ensure more security in the coming months.
Banks spend on IT security is 3x higher than non-financial organisations (Information Age) New research from Kaspersky Lab has revealed the extent to which financial institutions are under pressure to ramp up security
5 cybersecurity predictions for FSI (Networks Asia) Fortinet offers the Top 5 Cybersecurity Threat Predictions for the financial services industry in 2017.
UK Code is Least Secure, Report Finds (Infosecurity Magazine) UK sits bottom of the league table for code security, while financial institutions have worst code overall, Cast report reveals
Marketplace
WikiLeaks Generates Tailwinds for Small-Cap, Tech Stock Qualys (TheStreet) This week's release of U.S. spy secrets by WikiLeaks is yet another indication that cyber security firms will enjoy a bonanza of business. This small-cap is especially appealing.
CISO Transiting From IT Head To Risk Compliance Enabler (CXO Today) With the sophistication of cyber crime syndicates touching new heights, it is imperative for organizations think security beyond an IT issue.
Cisco Live: Attackers have gotten professional about security – so why aren’t more businesses doing the same? (CSO) CSOs that take a reactive approach to security are setting themselves up to fail in the face of attacks from an increasingly agile and professional cybercrime industry, warned speakers at a packed Security Innovation Day that helped to kick off the Cisco Live! 2017 conference in Melbourne.
In Cybersecurity, 'Sales Engineers' Rake in Higher Salaries Than Tech Workers (Dark Reading) Stop coding, start selling, and you could earn 50 percent more.
Cradlepoint Raises $89M to Advance Overlay Network Security (eWeek) Cradlepoint raises $89M in a Series C to grow its cloud managed network overlay service that can help manage and protect devices and organizations.
CrowdStrike Accelerates Significant Growth and Momentum in APAC Region (Yahoo! Finance) CrowdStrike Inc., the leader in cloud-delivered endpoint protection, today announced triple-digit growth in the Asia Pacific region and the appointment of Andrew Littleproud as vice president of APAC.
Google tries to beat AWS at cloud security (CSO Online) New tools that protect enterprise applications running on Google Cloud Platform may help take the spotlight away from AWS and Microsoft Azure
Google adds cloud customers, nabbing Verizon from Microsoft (Information Management) Selling a package of products is the firm's attempt to lure customers from its larger competitors.
Fortscale Named to CRN's "20 Coolest SIEM and Threat Detection Vendors" List (Businesswire) Fortscale Security Ltd., the innovator in machine learning-based user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) for security, today announced that CRN has
Radware Named Top Provider of Managed Security Services in 13th Annual 2017 Info Security PG’s Global Excellence Awards® (Businesswire) Radware ®, a leading provider of cyber security and application delivery solutions, announced today that Info Security Products Guide, a leading information security research ...
IBM QRadar Named as a Leader in Security Analytics Platforms by Independent Research Firm (Yahoo! Finance) IBM Security (NYSE: IBM ) today announced IBM QRadar , the company's security intelligence platform, has been named a "Leader" and received the ...
Tenable Network Security hires seasoned tech execs to lead revenue, marketing (Technical.ly Baltimore) The Columbia-based cybersecurity company just named its first Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. They each bring experience with Silicon Valley.
Trend Micro hires former Darktrace country manager Peter Hewett as its new channel director (CRN Australia) Formerly country manager for Darktrace.
Products, Services, and Solutions
New infosec products of the week: March 10, 2017 (Help Net Security) Here's a collection of interesting new products from Adaptiva, Arsenal Recon, Getac, High-Tech Bridge, ioSafe, Veriato and Waterfall Security.
CyberGRX Unveils World’s First Third-Party Cyber Global Risk Exchange (BusinessWIre) CyberGRX, provider of the most comprehensive third-party cyber risk management platform, today unveiled the world’s first cyber risk assessment
Imperva Wins Best Web Application Solution at SC Awards 2017 (Businesswire) Imperva Web Application Firewall (WAF) solutions, SecureSphere WAF and Incapsula WAF, won the Trust Award for best Web Application Solutions at the SC
Thales in deal to provide transparent critical information encryption to BT customers worldwide (VanillaPlus) Thales, a provider of critical information systems, cybersecurity and data security, announced a new global agreement with communications services and solu
Catch emerging strains of ransomware with RansomFree (Help Net Security) Yoel Eilat, Senior Product Manager at Cybereason, talks about RansomFree – free, anti-ransomware protection software, which works on PCs running Windows.
Facebook to listen out for posts from people vulnerable to suicide (Naked Security) Scheme rolling out in the US will refer posts flagged by algorithms to human beings for response
Twitter tests a feature that warns users of profiles with ‘potentially sensitive content’ (TechCrunch) Twitter confirmed it's testing a new feature that flags users' profiles as potentially including "sensitive content." When you click on one of these..
Bolstering security across Google Cloud (Google) Today at Google Cloud Next '17 we launched Identity-Aware Proxy, Data Loss Prevention API, general availability of Key Management System and Security Key enforcement and more.
Darktrace finds more attacks, cuts response time, saves money for Blackhawk Network (Network World) Blackhawk Network gets better visibility into threats with Darktrace Enterprise Immune System, more productivity out of its security analysts and saves money by getting rid of multiple other security platforms.
Kaspersky launches a perfume to help punters sniff out security threats (Inquirer) We sure can smell something
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
After CIA leak, Intel Security releases detection tool for EFI rootkits (CSO Online) Intel Security has released a tool that allows users to check if their computer's low-level system firmware has been modified and contains unauthorized code.
Blog: Time for cyber risk rethink as new data laws loom (Scottish Legal News) Martin Sloan explains why data risk compliance should be at the top of the boardroom agenda. A recent survey by BAE Systems revealed confusion within many organisations as to who should be responsible for dealing with their response to a cyber-attack. The survey, which obtained responses from over 1,000 IT managers and C-suite executives from across …
Want to improve risk management? Do the basics (CSO Online) Managing security takes time and focus, but “reasonable” efforts will yield significant results, a cybersecurity panel said Wednesday at Boston College.
Cybersecurity: Step One is Collaboration (Power Engineering) Cybersecurity affects many aspects of our society, but perhaps none as significantly as that of power generation.
Automated Next Gen Cybersecurity Will be Based on Intent (Security Week) Implementing intent-based network security (IBNS) takes planning, consideration, and incremental implementation
How to patch your security blind spots (Help Net Security) Despite a lack of foresight about how data protection and security will evolve, organizations have the opportunity to assess their own blind spots.
How to Avoid Becoming the Next Data Breach Headline (Palo Alto Networks Blog) Danielle Kriz shares how to avoid becoming the next data breach headline.
DevSecOps: Building continuous security into IT and app infrastructures (Help Net Security) In this podcast recorded at RSA Conference 2017, Chris Carlson, VP of Product Management, Cloud Agent Platform at Qualys, talks about DevSecOps. Instead of
Deep packet inspection: The smart person's guide (TechRepublic) This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about deep packet inspection, the practice of sniffing web connections to reveal sensitive user data and fend off cyberattacks.
How to lower your company’s risk of a cyber attack (Orlando Business Journal) When Donald Trump mused during the first presidential debate that the culprit behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee could be “somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds,” he may have echoed a common stereotype of the hacker as couch potato.
Intellipedia Is Wikipedia for Spies, But Could Have Been So Much More (WIRED) Yes, the intelligence community crowdsources, too.
Design and Innovation
Teaching robots to trust (TechCrunch) Robots have begun to play an increasing role in life and death scenarios, from rescue missions to complex surgical procedures. But the question of trust has..
Research and Development
Unisys, Data61 announce security partnership (MICE & BTN) IT firm Unisys and Australia’s CSIRO's Data61 are collaborating on a data analytics solution for automated security risk assessment “capable of detecting potential border security risks posed by travellers, visa applicants, cargo and parcels”.
Academia
Raytheon to Sponsor Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition; Dave Wajsgras Comments (GovCon Executive) Raytheon will sponsor a national cybersecurity competition for college students from more than 220 s
Want a Career in Cybersecurity? Find Out Which Degrees Can Get You There (HackRead) Demand for cybersecurity professionals is high. This is set to continue growing for the foreseeable future and the salaries on offer are generally on the h
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
After WikiLeaks' CIA dump, China tells U.S. to stop spying (CSO Online) China today asked the U.S. government to stop spying on it, its first reaction to WikiLeaks' disclosure this week of a trove of CIA documents.
CIA hacking shows need for cyber rules (Global Times) WikiLeaks exposes US double standard
Peter Dutton talks up 'homeland security' agency, including Asio and federal police (Guardian) Australia’s immigration minister says mega-department would break down intelligence silos but it’s opposed by attorney general George Brandis
Coming to Terms with the Snooper's Charter (Infosecurity Magazine) The ISPA exists and the IT sector will need to comply with it
China mulls national cryptocurrency in race to digital money (Naked Security) Governments getting involved in cryptocurrencies is a tricky line to walk – so is China doing the right thing give its fraught history with Bitcoin users?
U.S. Digital Service Co-Founder To Stay On (Nextgov) Haley Van Dyck is re-joining the agency.
Uncle Sam May Want You for Cyber War (Military.com) Fears of an "electronic Pearl Harbor" have been with us for years, and cyber security threats grow more profound by the day.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
How Post-Nixon Reforms Created Today's Spy Agency Monsters (Reason.com) The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) unleashed demons that now seem beyond the government's control.
US spies still won’t tell Congress the number of Americans caught in dragnet (Ars Technica) Electronic surveillance programs Prism, Upstream hang in the congressional balance.
Parsing Clapper (National Review) What he said was probably true, but what he didn’t say was more revealing.
FBI Director Addresses Cyber Security Gathering (Federal Bureau of Investigation) James Comey discussed the current cyber threat landscape, the FBI’s efforts to stay ahead of the threat, and the importance of strong private sector partnerships at the Boston Conference on Cyber Security.
Technology Plays Role in Every Aspect of Crime, Europol Says (Infosecurity Magazine) From the highest levels of organized crime to burglary, criminals are using technology more than ever, Europol report warns
Microsoft allies with Chile government to fight cybercrime (BNamericas) BNamericas is the business intelligence tool for Latin America with data, news, analysis and events to identify job opportunities, projects, companies and contacts
Software results in mistaken arrests, jail time? No fix needed, says judge (Ars Technica) "Clerical errors… will occur regardless of the case management system used by the court."
Could Cyber Command help the military's harassment issues? (The Stack) Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green testifies before hearing that legal recourse is so limited, Cyber Command should be considered as prosecutorial option.
Woman's disturbing story of blackmail shows the dangers of spear phishing (Comparitech) [Note: this article contains disturbing language.] Spear phishing can happen to anyone, as one woman learned when an imposter on Facebook stole all of her accounts and blackmailed her for sexual favors.
The Great Physical Bitcoin Robbery (Motherboard) How do you steal bitcoin, when it's on a coin?
UK Based Carder Boasts Decades of Experience (Wapack Labs) Wapack Labs Analyst is following an established carder who lives in the northwest region of England. He actively posts on various hacker/ca...
