Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
NSA, FBI expose Russian intelligence hacking tool: report (Reuters) The U.S. National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation have exposed a sophisticated Russian hacking tool, they said on Thursday in a rare public report offering new insight on Russia's arsenal of digital weapons.
This NSA, FBI security advisory has four words you never want to see together: Fancy Bear Linux rootkit (Register) From Russia, with love
NSA and FBI expose Russian 'Drovorub' malware used to target Linux systems (Computing) The malware is being deployed in real-world attacks by hackers working for Russian military intelligence unit, they state
U.S. Releases Cybersecurity Advisory On New 'Drovorub' Russian Malware (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI released an advisory on cybersecurity on August 13 warning about previously undisclosed Russian malware.
Linux Hackers Threaten National Security Say FBI And NSA (Forbes) The FBI and NSA have warned of a threat to national security posed by Russian military Linux hackers.
FBI and NSA expose new Linux malware Drovorub, used by Russian state hackers (ZDNet) The FBI and NSA issue joint security alert containing technical details about new Linux malware developed by Russia's military hackers.
NSA, FBI Warn of Linux Malware Used in Espionage Attacks (Threatpost) A never before seen malware has been used for espionage purposes via Linux systems, warn the NSA and FBI in a joint advisory.
NSA discloses new Russian-made Drovorub malware targeting Linux (BleepingComputer) The National Security Agency is warning about espionage operations from the Russian Intelligence Directorate (GRU) using a previously undisclosed Linux malware toolset called Drovorub.
NSA, FBI publicize hacking tool linked to Russian military intelligence (CyberScoop) The National Security Agency and the FBI are jointly exposing Russian malware that the Russian military hackers uses in its cyber espionage operations.
CactusPete hackers go on European rampage with Bisonal backdoor upgrade (ZDNet) The APT is attacking banks and military organizations in Eastern Europe.
CactusPete APT Hones Toolset, Resurfaces with New Espionage Targets (Threatpost) The APT is becoming more sophisticated over time.
XCSSET Mac Malware: Infects Xcode Projects, Performs UXSS Attack on Safari, Other Browsers, Leverages Zero-day Exploits (TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog) We have discovered an unusual infection related to Xcode developer projects. Upon further investigation, we discovered that a developer’s Xcode project at large contained the source malware, which leads to a rabbit hole of malicious payloads. Most notable in our investigation is the discovery of two zero-day exploits: one is used to bypass the System Integrity Protection(SIP) read feature on macOS, another is used to abuse the development version of Safari.
Expired certificate led to an undercount of COVID-19 results (BleepingComputer) An expired certificate and outage led to an undercounting of COVID-19 cases reported in California after 250,00-300,000 lab results were prevented from being uploaded to California's CalREDIE reporting system.
Smart Lock vulnerability can give hackers full access to Wi-Fi network (HackRead) The vulnerability exists in the August smart lock Pro + Connect model which hasn’t been fixed despite continuous alerts from Bitdefender security researchers to the vendor.
vBulletin Zero-Day Surfaces Online Following A Failed Patch (Latest Hacking News) The latest vBulletin zero-day emerged out of failed patch to a previous bug allowing PHP remote code execution. Patch deployed again.
Over 43,000 Phishing Emails Slip Through NHS Filters (Infosecurity Magazine) Health service at risk as staff battle COVID-19
GCHQ: Don’t Fall For ‘Celebrity-Backed’ Investment Scams (Infosecurity Magazine) NCSC has already taken down 300,000 URLs connected to such scams
BU community data stolen in Blackbaud cyber attack (Daily Free Press) Boston University sent an email Saturday notifying potentially affected members of the community about a data security breach from May.
Plymouth Passport Office’s pitiful password privacy (Graham Cluley) If you're going to lean a flipchart against a window, you had better make sure you haven't scrawled any passwords on it first…
CREST: We are investigating NCC Group certification cheat sheet scandal – and not with NCC personnel (Register) Infosec cert body looking into it as under-fire firm starts its own probe
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
Windows Defender deletes Citrix components mislabeled as malware (BleepingComputer) Citrix released an advisory on Thursday about troublesome Windows Defender definition updates that break Delivery Controllers and Cloud Connectors running Microsoft’s antivirus.
Cyber Trends
New Illumio Report Reveals Zero Trust Is Critically Important to Enterprises but Vastly Underutilized (GlobeNewswire) Findings underscore the important role Zero Trust plays in an organization’s overall cybersecurity posture
FortiGuard Labs Reports Cyber Adversaries Are Exploiting the Global Pandemic at Enormous Scale (GlobeNewswire) Cyber Criminals Targeting Remote Work to Gain Access to Enterprise Networks and Critical Data
2020 Healthcare Data Breach Report (CI Security) Reports of healthcare breaches to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) have declined sharply during the first half of 2020, according to a new report released by CI Security.
Why Risk Management Solutions Are The Future Of Charity Cyber Security (Charity Digital) We examine the catastrophic impact a data breach can have on a charity – and how one leading charity found a way to mitigate the risk
[Study] 52% of People Aren’t Concerned With Payment App Security... (Money Crashers) Find out consumers’ responses to their security when it comes to payment apps.
What Is the Real Cost of a Data Breach? New Report Indicates It's About $4 Million to $9 Million for SMEs (CPO Magazine) How do security measures stack up against the total cost of data breaches? A new Ponemon study offers some useful data on the savings from security automation and incident response.
A simple telephony honeypot received 1.5 million robocalls across 11 months (ZDNet) Researchers say that most campaigns take place in short-burst storms and that answering a robocall doesn't mean you'll be targeted more often in the future.
Marketplace
Palantir Plans Direct Listing for Late September (Bloomberg) Palantir Technologies Inc. is planning to go public through a direct listing of its shares in late September, according to people familiar with the matter.
Keeper Security raises $60 million to protect companies from data breaches (VentureBeat) Keeper Security, a startup developing encryption and data breach prevention solutions for businesses, has secured $60 million in venture capital.
Demand for VPNs surges over TikTok ban fears (The Telegraph) Donald Trump's executive order may be pushing young people toward using software that shares more data with China than TikTok
Bytedance in talks with Asia's richest man to invest in TikTok (The Telegraph) Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries began conversations with Bytedance late last month, according to a new report
TikTok Deal Could Challenge Microsoft CEO’s Light Touch on Acquisitions (Wall Street Journal) If Microsoft prevails in its bid to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations from Beijing-based ByteDance, the software giant is likely to have to take a more hands-on role than it has with previous acquisitions.
BAE Systems awarded $85M contract to secure transfer of government's sensitive information (Help Net Security) The U.S. AFRL has awarded BAE Systems a five-year $85M contract to deliver and manage secure networks across essential government agencies.
Re/insurers must evolve alongside cybersecurity landscape: Allianz (ReinsuranceNe.ws) There has been an increase in fears around the potential for cyber security incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for re/insurers
The Most In-Demand Technology Jobs (Prolifics Testing) Which technology jobs are most in-demand across Europe, and which technology roles are Brits most interested in? Prolifics Testing found out.
Expanded EMEA Team Achieves Significant Sales Growth, Drives Continued Cloud Adoption (Exabeam) More than half of new business generated from cloud-based SIEM and MSSPs FOSTER CITY, Calif., Aug. 13, 2020[...]
TAG Hires Former Citigroup Head of Threat Intelligence, Danielle Meah, as Director of Threat Intelligence (StreetInsider.com) The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), a self-regulatory advertising industry initiative to fight criminal activity in the digital advertising supply chain, today announced the hiring of Danielle...
Venable Picks Up Ex-FTC Atty For Privacy Practice (Law360) Venable LLP has convinced a privacy and cybersecurity expert with more than two decades of experience under his belt to make the jump from WilmerHale in order to bolster the firm's forces in Washington, D.C.
Products, Services, and Solutions
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Keysight Earns New Security Certifications for Network Packet Broker Portfolio (BusinessWire) Keysight Earns New Security Certifications for Network Packet Broker Portfolio
Fortinet introduces the world’s first hyperscale firewall (DataQuest) Fortinet announced the world’s first hyperscale firewall, FortiGate 4400F, setting new milestones for Security Compute Ratings to deliver unparalleled performance, scalability and security in a single appliance to meet escalating business needs.
Fortinet unveils secure SD-WAN for Multi-Cloud (Manila Standard) Networking and security teams are constantly trying to maintain a balance between security, complexity, and application experience.
New infosec products of the week: August 14, 2020 (Help Net Security) The featured infosec products this week are from the following vendors: CyberSaint, Ericom Software, KoolSpan, RSA and SonicWALL.
Claroty and Check Point Software Tech collaborate on IIoT (The Internet Of All Things) The technical alliance gives enterprises and critical infrastructure operators the real-time cybersecurity and
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
CISA Releases Document Suite Exploring the Value of Federated ICAM in Different Public Safety Scenarios (CISA) Today, CISA released the Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) Value Proposition Suite of documents in collaboration with SAFECOM and the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
Cyber Threats: The Bogeyman Cometh (T&D World) Growing cyber threats to critical U.S. T&D infrastructure are not hallucinatory bogeymen we can ignore.
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Free Iran Virtual Summit shows positive power of cyberspace (Security Magazine) The internet has become a powerful force for global interconnectivity and democratization. What’s more, the internet has introduced new methods for collective mobilization, such as “e-rebellions” and virtual protests. The global pandemic has accelerated the use of cyberspace as a powerful venue for individuals, groups, and nations to share ideas, engage, mobilize, and challenge authoritarian states in an impactful way.
Webcast: What Can Docker Do for Me? (Black Hills Information Security) Are you tired of spinning up an entire OS in a VM just to run a tool? Have you ever struggled to install a program you needed? When was the last time you spent hours troubleshooting a complex install process or resolving dependency conflicts? We’ve certainly experienced each of these problems ourselves. But since we […]
Design and Innovation
Bracing for election day, Facebook rolls out voting resources to US users (TechCrunch) Eager to avoid a repeat of its disastrous role as a super-spreader of misinformation during the 2016 election cycle, Facebook is getting its ducks in a row. Following an announcement earlier this summer, the company is now launching a voting information hub that will centralize election resources f…
Google steps up efforts to protect US election from disinformation (Deccan Chronicle) The move comes amid a coordinated effort by online platforms to curb the spread of disinformation and thwart efforts to manipulate voters.
Research and Development
Researchers seek to develop small, low-cost, and energy-efficient cryptography for IoT trusted computing (Military & Aerospace Electronics) CHARIOT eyes low-cost, low-footprint, post-quantum cryptographic techniques that use minimal energy use for IoT devices in vehicle and wearable uses.
Here’s the Theme Driving the US Army’s New Communications Tech (Defense One) Pilot programs are seeking ways to keep battlefield data flowing despite the enemy’s best efforts.
Academia
LSUS opens cyber lab with cutting edge technology and gaming (KTBS) LSUS opened the doors to its new cyber lab equipped with gaming, multiple computer and hologram stations on Thursday.
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
State-backed hacking, cyber deterrence, and the need for international norms (Help Net Security) As time passes, state-backed hacking is becoming an increasingly bigger problem, with the attackers stealing money, information, and more!
Hack-and-Leak Operations and U.S. Cyber Policy (War on the Rocks) Editor's Note: This is a companion article to an essay published in the Texas National Security Review, our sister publication. On Nov. 27, 2019,
The Simulation of Scandal: Hack-and-Leak Operations, the Gulf States, and U.S. Politics (Texas National Security Review) Four hack-and-leak operations in U.S. politics between 2016 and 2019, publicly attributed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, should be seen as the “simulation of scandal" — deliberate attempts to direct moral judgement against their target.
The U.S. Was Set to Send an Ambassador to Belarus. Then Came the Crackdown. (Foreign Policy) Lawmakers threaten to block the confirmation of the first U.S. envoy to Belarus in over a decade. But others say an ambassador is needed now…
Belarusian police raid Uber and Yandex offices in Minsk (ZDNet) Protesters fear police forces might have been looking for rides and location data from the two ride-hailing companies in order to identify who participated in anti-government demonstrations.
Maximum Pressure May Bring Iran Back to the Table After All (Foreign Policy) Combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is struggling to stay afloat.
Australian government wants power to run cyber-response for businesses under attack (Register) Ponders giving 'em immunity too for countermeasures up to hacking back.
In the New Cold War, Deindustrialization Means Disarmament (Foreign Policy) Chinese security threats offer the chance to rethink the U.S. economy.
Pompeo, in Slovenia, pushes 5G security, warns about China (Times Daily) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Slovenia on Thursday to make the case for high-speed wireless networks that bar Chinese companies like Huawei.
Ban on Chinese products starts today despite confusion over acquisition rule (Federal News Network) The interim rule requires agencies to add a provision prohibiting vendors from using certain Chinese telecommunications products.
Techwar: Tiktok US ban may include app stores, ads (TechNode) Growing worldwide suspicion of Chinese tech and data privacy practices have led to one hit after another for Tiktok, and not the viral video kind.
WSJ News Exclusive | Corporate America Worries WeChat Ban Could Be Bad for Business (Wall Street Journal) More than a dozen major U.S. multinational companies raised concerns in a call with White House officials about the potentially broad scope and impact of Mr. Trump’s executive order targeting WeChat.
Fed Says It's Testing Distributed Ledgers, Digital Currencies (Law360) The Federal Reserve is actively testing distributed ledger technologies and experimenting with digital currencies as it works toward the potential development of a central bank digital currency, board member Lael Brainard said in a speech on Thursday.
NCSC Helps Federal Agencies Enact Telecom Supply Chain Restrictions; NCSC Director William Evanina Quoted (Executive Gov) The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) has launched an effort to brief federal
Ex-DHS officials urge department to double down on its cybersecurity work (CyberScoop) The Department of Homeland Security has been the face of some of the Trump administration’s most fiercely criticized policies, from aggressively rounding up migrants to detaining protesters …
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Dating, Gaming, Bitcoin Mining Apps Now Banned from Marines’ Government Phones (Military.com) The message hit days before President Trump vowed to ban the China-linked TikTok video-sharing app over security concerns.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Justice Department Acts To Shut Down Fraudulent Websites Exploiting The Covid-19 Pandemic (United States Department of Justice) The United States Department of Justice announced today that it has obtained a Temporary Restraining Order in federal court to combat fraud related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The enforcement action, filed in Tampa, Florida, is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts prioritizing the detection, investigation, and prosecution of illegal conduct related to the pandemic. The action was brought based on an investigation conducted by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in coordination with the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security.
Global disruption of 3 terror finance cyber-enabled campaigns (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) These three terror finance campaigns all relied on sophisticated cyber-tools, including the solicitation of cryptocurrency donations from around the world. The action demonstrates how different
Chainalysis in Action: Department of Justice Announces Takedown of Two Terrorism Financing Campaigns with Help from Blockchain Analysis (Chainalysis) Today, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the disruption of two terrorism financing campaigns that utilized cryptocurrency donations (and a third that didn’t), following a multi-agency investigation conducted by the FBI, HSI, and IRS-CI.
U.S. Seizes Fake Website, Cryptocurrency Assets From Terrorist Groups (Wall Street Journal) The U.S. said it seized millions of dollars in cryptocurrency assets and a fake website purporting to sell protective gear in an operation targeting the financial underpinnings of three terrorist groups.
U.S. seizes millions in cryptocurrency meant for terror groups, Justice Dept. says (Washington Post) The Justice Department announced Thursday it had seized millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency meant to fund terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, in what law enforcement officials called an unprecedented crackdown against terrorist fundraising on social media.
ISIS Allegedly Ran a Covid-19 PPE Scam Site (Wired) The Justice Department says that an agent of the terrorist organization operated FaceMaskCenter.com, in part of a series of cryptocurrency-related complaints.
Real Businesses Snared in Hunt for Coronavirus Loan Scammers (Wall Street Journal) Efforts to root out scammers in the $670 billion Paycheck Protection Program and $374 billion Economic Injury Disaster Loan program are sweeping up legitimate borrowers.
Senators Ask FTC to Investigate TikTok Data Collection (Wall Street Journal) Two U.S. senators have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate TikTok’s data collection practices after a Wall Street Journal article showed that the company covertly collected data on millions of users through a method that appeared to violate Google’s policies.
TikTok and its employees prepare to fight Trump over app ban (AP NEWS) TikTok and its U.S. employees are planning to take President Donald Trump's administration to court over his sweeping order to ban the popular video app, according to a lawyer preparing one of the...
Zoom Faces More Legal Challenges Over End-to-End Encryption (Threatpost) The video-conferencing specialist has yet to roll out full encryption, but it says it's working on it.
Amid cyber crime surge, Haryana to have Cyber Response Centers in each district (The Statesman) The DGP said Haryana Police will soon be upgrading its network of cyber crime as the State government had recently approved six new cyber crime police stations, one each at Rohtak, Hisar, Karnal, Ambala, Rewari and Faridabad.
Oracle and Salesforce targeted in €10bn GDPR lawsuit backed by profit-making litigation fund (Register) Case to be filed in the Netherlands and London
Calif. Justices Clarify Rules On Facebook Data Subpoenas (Law360) The California Supreme Court laid out a road map Thursday for trial courts to determine when Facebook and other third parties must hand over private user information in criminal proceedings, but held off on deciding whether the federal Stored Communications Act shields Facebook from such subpoenas.
Analysis: Did Barclays Go Too Far in Monitoring Employees? (BankInfo Security) The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report analyzes why Barclays is being investigated for allegedly spying on its employees. Also featured: How the pandemic is
Cancer Patients Agree To $8M, Monitoring In Data Breach Deal (Law360) Patients of cancer treatment center operator 21st Century Oncology sought approval Wednesday of a settlement that would provide at least $12.5 million in benefits and up to $3.75 million to class counsel to end multidistrict litigation over a data breach that compromised millions of patients' personal information.
Wawa Aims To Toss Financial Institutions' Data Breach Suit (Law360) Wawa Inc. has called on a Pennsylvania federal court to toss a consolidated proposed class action from three credit unions over a data breach at the convenience store chain, saying they can't pursue negligence claims since losses related to the incident are governed by contracts dealing with credit and debit card transactions.
Naval officer who worked at StratCom charged with leaking secrets to Russian contact (Omaha.com) A 22-year Navy veteran who once served at StratCom is accused of sending an email containing classified information to a Russian national.
Defense seeks leniency for ‘Satanist’ Fort Riley soldier in bomb plot (Army Times) A former Army infantry soldier described by prosecutors as a Satanist who hoped to overthrow the U.S. government endured a lifetime of victimization, isolation and trauma that led him to become involved with online extremist groups, his defense attorney argued Thursday in a motion seeking lenient punishment.
City falls victim of ‘phishing’; Hamilton staffer allegedly swiped funds (Hamilton Spectator) Management aims to carry out auditor’s recommendations to strengthen protocols