Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Mossad, Shin Bet probing major hack of crypto-CEOs – report (The Jerusalem Post) Neither the Prime Minister’s Office, the Shin Bet, the Mossad nor the Israel National Cyber Directorate had responded to a Jerusalem Post request for comment by press time.
Foreign Actors Focused on US Elections and Spreading COVID-19 Lies, Official Says (Voice of America) U.S. officials who analyze and combat disinformation aimed at undermining democracies say foreign actors are now focusing on two topics: spreading falsehoods about coronavirus vaccine development and the U.S.
Facebook, Twitter dismantle global array of disinformation networks (Reuters) Facebook Inc <FB.O> and Twitter Inc <TWTR.N> said on Thursday they had taken down more than a dozen disinformation networks used by political and state-backed groups in multiple countries to deceive users on their platforms.
Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (About Facebook) We're publishing our findings about 10 networks — six operations we removed in September, most of which we already announced, and four new operations that we removed since October 1.
Disclosing networks to our state-linked information operations archive (Twitter) Today we are disclosing five distinct networks of accounts to our archive of state-linked information operations.
Thai army denies Twitter disinformation campaign after takedowns (Reuters) Thailand's army on Friday denied using nearly a thousand Twitter accounts blocked by the social media company, which said they were linked to the army and had targeted the political opposition.
Cheerleading Without Fans: A Low-ImpactDomestic Information Operation by the Royal Thai Army (Stanford Internet Observatory) On October 8, 2020, Twitter announced the takedown of 926 accountstargeting Thai Twitter users in a domestic information operation.
Twitter takes down Thai army IO network (Bangkok Post) Facebook and Twitter have taken down more than a dozen disinformation networks, including more than 900 Twitter accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, that they said were used by political and state-backed groups in multiple countries to deceive users.
Allison Hanes: Shutting down the dangerous agents of disinformation (Montreal Gazette) Facebook has taken aim at a major source of false information about COVID-19 in Quebec as cases continue to rise. Will it help or hurt?
Russia-Linked Hackers Targeting Russian Industrial Organizations (SecurityWeek) A previously unknown threat actor linked to Russia has been targeting Russian industrial organizations in an espionage campaign
Kaspersky Researchers Spot Russia-on-Russia Cyber-Espionage Campaign (Dark Reading) Steganography-borne malware used to spy on industrial targets in Russia.
Microsoft Warns of Android Ransomware Abusing Notification Services (SecurityWeek) Microsoft has warned users of a new and sophisticated Android ransomware that abuses notification services to display the ransom note
US County Election Websites (Still) Fail to Fulfill Basic Security Measures (McAfee Blogs) In January 2020, McAfee released the results of a survey establishing the extent of the use of .GOV validation and HTTPS encryption among county
Emotet rated September’s ‘most popular’ malware (ComputerWeekly) The current resurgence of Emotet is attracting attention as governments issue new warnings and cyber criminals rush to exploit the chaotic US election.
Phishing kits as far as the eye can see (SANS Internet Storm Center) If you’ve never delved too deep into the topic of phishing kits, you might – quite reasonably – expect that they would be the sort of tools, which are traded almost exclusively on dark web marketplaces.
Blox Tales #16: IRS COVID Relief Phishing (Armorblox) This blog will focus on a credential phishing email that claimed to contain an important document about COVID relief funds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Clicking the link in the email led readers to a SharePoint form that asked for email credentials, social security numbers, driver license numbers, and tax numbers.
Amid an Embarrassment of Riches, Ransom Gangs Increasingly Outsource Their Work (KrebsOnSecurity) There's an old adage in information security: "Every company gets penetration tested, whether or not they pay someone for the pleasure." Many organizations that do hire professionals to test their network security posture unfortunately tend to focus on fixing vulnerabilities hackers could use to break in. But judging from the proliferation of help-wanted ads for…
Rise in mercenary hacking groups and cyber espionage (Security Magazine) As the 2020 U.S. presidential election nears, there has been a rise in mercenary hacking groups and cyber espionage. Some say this a direct result of the current administrations’ increasingly isolationist global foreign policy, and that the U.S.’ status in the global cyber domain should be a major discussion point before November.
The State of Ransomware 2020: Key findings from Sophos & Malwarebytes (Infosec Resources) Introduction Ransomware has become one of the most common and well-known threats to cybersecurity. 2020 saw a notable increase in ransomware attacks
North American Governments Hit Hardest by Rise in Ransomware Attacks (PCMAG) Ransomware is out of control in 2020, and those most likely hit by an attack are governments and small businesses that are ill-equipped to protect themselves.
55 New Security Flaws Reported in Apple Software and Services (The Hacker News) Researchers analyzed several Apple online services for three months and found as many as 55 vulnerabilities, 11 of which are critical in severity.
Sophisticated new Android malware marks the latest evolution of mobile ransomware (Microsoft Security) We found a piece of a particularly sophisticated Android ransomware with novel techniques and behavior, exemplifying the rapid evolution of mobile threats that we have also observed on other platforms.
So you thought your personal data was deleted? Not so fast (WeLiveSecurity) Here's why it may be impossible to delete your personal information from Houseparty and other social media services – despite privacy legislation!
Scholar: Taiwan's new eID a juicy target for Chinese hackers (Taiwan News) 'It is erroneous and ignorant to say that the security of the cards is unquestionable because they sport TSMC chips': NCKU professor
Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R Series (CISA) 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CVSS v3 8.6
ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low skill level to exploit
Vendor: Mitsubishi Electric
Equipment: MELSEC iQ-R Series
Vulnerability: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
2. RISK EVALUATION
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could result in a denial-of-service condition due to uncontrolled resource consumption.
Johnson Controls Sensormatic Electronics American Dynamics victor Web Client (CISA) 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CVSS v3 7.1
ATTENTION: Low skill level to exploit
Vendor: Sensormatic Electronics, LLC, a subsidiary of Johnson Controls
Equipment: American Dynamics victor Web Client
Vulnerability: Improper Authorization
2.
eSewa data breached! A hacker releases nearly two dozen eSewa users’ details including passwords (My Republica) Denying data breach, eSewa blames third party sites for ‘phishing scams’
Wisepay: School payments service hit by cyber-attack (Yahoo News) The firm is used by parents for cashless school meal top-ups or exam fees.
ACMC computer systems still offline after apparent cyber attack (Star Beacon) Ashtabula County Medical Center has spent two weeks offline after being hit by an apparent cyberattack. The computer systems were still down Wednesday, hospital officials said.
Massachusetts school district shut down by ransomware attack (BleepingComputer) The Springfield Public Schools district in Massachusetts has become the victim of a ransomware attack that has caused the closure of schools while they investigate the cyberattack.
Implications of the Chowbus data leak revealed (Includes interview) (Digital Journal) A threat actor has hacked into the Chowbus food delivery service and emailed links to the stolen data to all customers. An expert looks into the issue and implications for clients.
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
QNAP fixes critical flaws that could lead to device takeover (BleepingComputer) QNAP has addressed two critical security vulnerabilities in the Helpdesk app that could enable potential attackers to take over unpatched QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) devices.
Cyber Trends
Hackers Eye Their Next Targets, From Schools to Cars (Wall Street Journal) Systems that are secure today may not be tomorrow. Here’s what cybersecurity experts say could be a future focus for attacks.
Cyber teams are getting more involved in M&A (Help Net Security) Despite economic uncertainty amidst a global pandemic, 55% anticipate that virtual dealmaking will be the preferred platform in the future.
Shifting Global Data Protection Regulations Create Uncertainty for Businesses (Intsights) Privacy Shield, a popular mechanism allowing US companies to transfer and store EU personal data, is down and out. A draft
of China’s controversial new data privacy law is in. The UK is out of the EU, which impacts GDPR. Brazil’s new data protection
plan is officially in. And Californians vote in November to toughen the nation’s strictest data protection rules. Confused?
New research indicates over two thirds of businesses experienced increase in endpoint and IoT security incidents in the past 12 months (GlobeNewswire) Malware, insecure networks, and remote access top list of concerns as organisations embracing home working and hybrid IT face growing cyber threats
Is Your Org Supporting Employee Cybersecurity Skills Growth? (BusinessInsights) Is Your Org Supporting Employee Cybersecurity Skills Growth?
Why are certain employees more likely to comply with information security policies than others? (Help Net Security) Information security policies not grounded in the realities of an employee's work responsibilities expose orgs to risk of data breaches.
Marketplace
Virsec Expands Leadership Team With Appointment of Jim Sortino as Vice President of US Sales (BusinessWire) Virsec, the industry leader in protecting critical applications during runtime, today announced the appointment of Jim Sortino as VP of U.S. Sales. So
IBM to split into two as it reinvents itself (BBC News) The world's first big computing giant wants to focus on higher-margin businesses like the cloud and AI.
IBM spins off Global Technology Services managed infrastructure services unit (CRN Australia) Services behemoth to split into two by 2021.
IBM Jettisons Legacy Services To Focus On Hybrid Cloud (The Next Platform) Today, the Gerstner era of International Business Machines is over, and the Krishna era is truly beginning, as Big Blue is spinning out the system
Cisco layoff talk builds as longtime execs accept early retirement offers (CRN Australia) After releasing restructuring plan to cut more than US$1b in costs.
Facebook Just Forced Its Most Powerful Critics Offline (Vice) "Nothing says 'free speech' quite as much as a multibillion-dollar corporation with a global monopoly getting its critics shut down."
Cloud Security Company Accurics Raises $20 Million (SecurityWeek) Cloud security company Accurics raised $20 million across seed and Series A funding rounds in the past six months
Cellebrite to Stop Selling Its Digital Intelligence Offerings In Hong Kong & China (PR Newswire) Cellebrite, the global leader in Digital Intelligence (DI) solutions for public and private sectors, announced today that effective immediately...
Israeli Cellebrite halts phone-hacking services to Hong Kong and China (The Jerusalem Post) The change comes after new US regulations restricting technology and other exports, meant to curb Beijing's acquisition of technology under civilian pretenses.
Samsung on the upswing thanks to 5G, Huawei (Light Reading) Samsung said it recorded significant jumps in its overall operating profit and sales, which many attributed to gains in 5G and share from Huawei.
Apple pays $288,000 to white-hat hackers who had run of company’s network (Ars Technica) Hacker team led by 20-year-old finds 55 vulnerabilities, 11 of them critical.
Singtel launches 5G SA trial network for Singaporean enterprises (RCR Wireless News) Since the launch of 5G Garage with Ericsson and Singapore Polytechnic in January 2019, Singtel said it had developed ten 5G use cases
Verizon opens new 5G Innovation Hub in Illinois (Light Reading) Verizon said its newest 5G Innovation Hub is now open at the University of Illinois Research Park.
Meet Forescout’s New CEO, Greg Clark: CRN Exclusive (CRN) Greg Clark and Michael DeCesare talked with CRN about what the change in leadership means for Forescout.
Gilman Louie Named LookingGlass Cyber Solutions CEO in Series of Exec Moves (ExecutiveBiz) Gilman Louie, chairman of the board of LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, has been named CEO of the compa
BDO appoints new cyber security partner (Accountants Daily) BDO Australia has appointed a new cyber security partner as it looks to bolster its offering and meet increased demand in a post-COVID environment.
Products, Services, and Solutions
New infosec products of the week: October 9, 2020 (Help Net Security) The featured products this week are from the following vendors: Checkmarx, Apricorn, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, Venafi and
Acuant Announces Facial Recognition Software Awarded Elite iBeta Compliance/PAD Level One and Two (PR Newswire) Acuant, a leading global provider of identity verification, today announced that Acuant FaceID provides facial recognition with liveness...
FireEye's mandiant launches its new SaaS threat intelligence suite (TechGraph) Leading intelligence-led security company, FireEye has announced the launch of Mandiant Advantage – a SaaS threat intelligence suite on Tuesday. In a statement issued, FireEye said, “The suite offered by mandiant solutions will combine its threat intelligence with data from the frontlines of its industry-leading cyber incident response engagements, delivered through an easy-to-use management platform.” […]
BlackBerry, Cylance Partner Programs Unify In ‘A Really Huge Win For The Customer’ (CRN) BlackBerry Cylance unveiled a new partner program that is focused on keeping what was good about the old program, and helping partners protect sales through a new deal registration site.
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
How social networks are preparing for a potential October hack-and-leak (CNET) Four years ago, Russia's hack-and-leak operation paved the way for QAnon's rise. Social networks say they're better prepared this time around.
Tactical Advice for SMBs on Data Protection, Backups and Disaster Recovery (Infrascale) We live in a dangerous world. Cyberattacks such as ransomware, malware, and phishing threats put your mission-critical data and devices at risk. So do disasters, whether they be human-caused (both malevolent and unintentional) or natural. Data that is not properly protected, backed up and recoverable, is a serious – and sometimes existential – problem for […]
8 tips to tighten up your work‑from‑home network (Naked Security) You don’t have to be an IT guru to beef up your cybersecurity at home. Sometimes it’s enough to ask yourself, “Which bits can I turn off?”
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The Essentials of Healthcare Cybersecurity (Modern Healthcare) Shena Seneca Tharnish joined Comcast Business Services as VP, Cybersecurity Product Management in late February 2017. In Shena’s time at Comcast Business, she has developed a Cybersecurity Product Framework that drives the commercial product roadmap.
Voter beware: US tells public how to avoid election mischief (AP) The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency have issued a series of advisories in recent weeks aimed at warning voters about problems that could surface in the election — as well as steps Americans can take to counter the foreign interference threat.
Six ways blockchain will impact the telecoms industry (Telecoms Tech News) As the telecoms industry nears the new era of 5G and disruption, organisations need to focus on innovation and how to continue competing in the sector.
Scale Up Threat Hunting to Skill Up Analysts (Dark Reading) Security operation centers need to move beyond the simplicity of good and bad software to having levels of badness, as well as better defining what is good. Here's why.
Research and Development
An AI Pioneer Wants His Algorithms to Understand the 'Why' (Wired) Deep learning is good at finding patterns in reams of data, but can't explain how they're connected. Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio wants to change that.
Data Science Professor Receives $1.25 Million from Department of Defense (University of Arkansas News) Justin Zhan develops algorithms to enhance computational speed and efficiency of applications requiring massive amounts of streaming data.
Academia
CSUSB receives national cybersecurity designation & $10.5 million grant (Security Magazine) The National Security Agency (NSA) has chosen Cal State San Bernardino to be a leader of its core workforce development initiative, selecting it for a $10.5 million grant and naming the university’s Cybersecurity Center as the Community National Center for Cybersecurity Education.
This prestigious designation illustrates CSUSB’s continued prominence as the premier institution of higher education for cybersecurity education and took effect Sept. 18, 2020.
UofL to launch health care cybersecurity curriculum with $6.3 million from National Security Agency (Lane Report) The University of Louisville will develop a curriculum to increase cybersecurity talent specifically focused on health care
Notre Dame Preparatory School's Fighting Irish Wins The Governor's High School Cyber Challenge (PR Newswire) High school teams from across Michigan came together virtually for the finals of the Governor's High School Cyber Challenge, a cybersecurity...
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
NATO Chief Calls for New Strategy on Cyber, China (SecurityWeek) NATO needs a new strategic concept adjusted to the global rise of new technologies, terrorism and China to replace a plan developed a decade ago
Huawei: MPs claim 'clear evidence of collusion' with Chinese Communist Party (BBC News) A parliamentary inquiry says the UK may need to remove firm's 5G kit two years earlier than planned.
Parliamentary Defence Committee says there's evidence Huawei is colluding with Chinese government (Computing) Removal of Huawei equipment from UK infrastructure should be speeded up, report recommends
Someone finally outright accused Huawei of collusion with the Chinese state (Fortune) The accusations from a U.K. committee was missing a key element, however: actually detail.
Proposed Changes to the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act (Lexology) Key amendments to the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act would take into account technological advances, new business models, and global…
Africa to harmonise laws for data protection, digital economy (The Guardian Nigeria News) Nigeria and other African nations have developed a framework that would harmonise laws on data protection and digital economy across the continent. Lead, Regulations, Monitoring and Compliance, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Olufemi Daniel, revealed this during the Investigations, Compliance, and Ethics (ICE) September final series by Udo Udoma and Belo-Osagie Law Chambers. […]
DOJ bans use of grant funds for certain foreign-made drones (TheHill) The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced Thursday that it had issued new guidance banning the use of agency grants to purchase drones and other unmanned aerial systems from foreign groups
US Attorney General announces "Cryptocurrency: An Enforcement Framework" report (CoinGeek) U.S Attorney General William P. Bar has just announced that the Cyber-Digital Task Force has published the "Cryptocurrency: An Enforcement Framework" report
U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr Announces Publication Of Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework (MondoVisione) Attorney General William P. Barr announced today the release of “Cryptocurrency: An Enforcement Framework,” a publication produced by the Attorney General’s Cyber-Digital Task Force.
DHS closes in on new compensation rules for cyber talent (FCW) An emerging cyber talent hiring system at DHS awaits new payroll rules, said the agency's top IT officials.
Canada has ‘clearly fallen behind’ other countries in privacy law, says privacy commissioner (IT World Canada) Canada's Privacy Commissioner says Canada's privacy laws are severely outdated
California Privacy Proposal Divides Privacy Advocates As Vote Nears (Wall Street Journal) A privacy proposal on the ballot in California next month has divided advocates as voters in the state appear poised to pass what could become the new de facto standard for the U.S.
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
U.S. Appeals Injunction Against TikTok Ban (New York Times) Trump administration officials have said the Chinese-owned app presents a security risk to American users.
What OFAC’s Ransomware Advisory Means for US Companies (Marsh) OFAC advisory on ransom payment sanctions is critical information for every business: what you need to know and how to reassess ransomware incident response plans.
Justices wary of upending tech industry in Google v. Oracle Supreme Court fight (CNBC) The Supreme Court heard arguments in Google v. Oracle on Wednesday, a blockbuster case concerning copyright law's applications to computer code.
A data disaster is looming for every business - and our snooping laws are to blame (ZDNet) A top EU court has found that some mass surveillance methods are unlawful. This could jeopardize the free flow of data once the UK leaves the bloc.
Former eBay workers plead guilty to cyberstalking campaign against couple (Reuters) Two former eBay Inc workers pleaded guilty on Thursday to participating in an extensive cyberstalking campaign against a Massachusetts couple whose online newsletter was viewed by top executives as critical of the e-commerce company.
Hacker Who Helped Islamic State to Remain in US Prison (SecurityWeek) A computer hacker who gave the Islamic State group personal data of more than 1,300 U.S. government and military personnel will remain in a federal prison after a judge rejected his request for compassionate release.
Judge Orders Twitter To Unmask FBI Impersonator Who Set Off Seth Rich Conspiracy (NPR) A federal judge has ordered Twitter to reveal the identity of an anonymous user who allegedly forged an FBI document to spread a conspiracy theory about the killing of DNC staffer Seth Rich in 2016.
Uber breach case a ‘watershed moment’ for CISOs’ liability risk (CSO Online) An upcoming case to determine whether the former Uber CSO failed to report a breach puts the legal liabilities of being a CISO in the spotlight. CISOs have a few options to minimize that risk.
OCC fines Morgan Stanley $60 million for 2016 data breach (American Banker) The regulator found that the financial services company failed to take precautions in disposing of hardware that contained sensitive customer information.
Hospital system to pay Iowa $38,895 after 2014 data breach exposes patient information (KCRG) Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, inc. has agreed to pay $5 million to states, including $38,895 to Iowa, following a 2014 data breach that exposed its patients' personal information.
Centripetal Networks v. Cisco Systems (Global Legal Chronicle) Kramer Levin won a major patent litigation case on behalf of Centripetal Networks Inc. in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. he Court …
Michigan kidnapping plot, like so many other extremist crimes, foreshadowed on social media (Washington Post) In June, one of the suspects in the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to the relative privacy of a Facebook group to make clear his brewing hatred.
CPS Under Fire Again After Data Breach Cases Jump 18% (Infosecurity Magazine) CPS Under Fire Again After Data Breach Cases Jump 18%. Prosecution service suffers scores of “severe” incidents
Google is giving data to police based on search keywords, court docs show (CNET) Court records in an arson case show that Google gave away data on people who searched for a specific address.
To Tell The Cyber-Truth: DHS OIG Report Reveals Details On Government Contractor Suspension After Cyberattack And Data Breach (JD Supra) In June 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) suspended a government contractor, Perceptics, LLC, after it suffered a highly publicized...
Former Labor leader accuses Liberals of data leak (The Sydney Morning Herald) Michael Daley has accused the Liberals of leaking the details of John Barilaro’s driving record.
Ex-Judge To Mediate Law Firm Data Breach Fight (Law360) A former Missouri state judge and federal prosecutor has been appointed to mediate a dispute over allegations by an insurance company that Warden Grier LLP mishandled a 2016 cyberattack that exposed private information.
