Avast's CCleaner PC cleaning utility

Avast: Stolen VPN Credentials Led to CCleaner Attack Redux

Jeremy Kirk • October 23, 2019

Avast's CCleaner utility is popular - with attackers. For the second time in two years, the company says it believes CCleaner was the intended targeted of a carefully plotted intrusion executed between May and October.

Global Compliance

Stung by Takedowns, Criminals Tap Distributed Dark Markets

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Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Facebook Shuts Misleading Accounts Ahead of 2020 Election

Apurva Venkat • October 22, 2019

Facebook has removed four networks - three from Iran and one from Russia - after its investigation revealed they were spreading misinformation regarding politics and news related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The action is part of a larger effort by the social media firm to clamp down on abuse.

Cybercrime

NordVPN Says Server Compromised Due to Misconfiguration

Jeremy Kirk • October 22, 2019

Virtual private network provider NordVPN says an error by its Finish data center provider allowed an attacker to gain control of a server, but it says its broader service was not hacked. One security expert, however, says the attacker would have had "God mode" on one VPN node.

Governance

Zappos' Offer to Breach Victims: A 10 Percent Discount

Jeremy Kirk • October 21, 2019

Zappos is close to settling a long-running class action lawsuit filed by consumers over a 2012 data breach. The online shoe and clothing retailer's proposed compensation would be a 10 percent discount on a future online purchase. A federal judge has granted preliminary approval to the deal.

Cybercrime

Assange Denied Delay for US Extradition Hearing

Scott Ferguson • October 21, 2019

A British judge has denied WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's request to delay a five-day hearing, slated to begin Feb. 25, on whether he should be extradited to the United States to face espionage charges.

Cybercrime

Malicious Tor Browser Fleeces Darknet Users of Bitcoins

Akshaya Asokan • October 18, 2019

ESET researchers have uncovered a new cybercriminal scheme that uses a trojanized version of the Tor browser for stealing bitcoins from darknet users. So far, the scam has netted about $40,000 in virtual currency, the security firm says.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Fresh Privacy Legislation Would Jail CEOs for Violations

Suparna Goswami • October 18, 2019

New legislation introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., would "bring meaningful punishments for companies that violate people's data privacy, including larger fines and potential jail time for CEOs," he says. But can Congress agree on a privacy law?

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Russia-Linked Cyber Espionage Group APT29 Remains Active

Apurva Venkat • October 18, 2019

While the Russian-linked hacking group known as The Dukes, Cozy Bear and APT29 in recent years appeared to have gone somewhat quiet, researchers from ESET report that the hackers have been targeting various European embassies and ministries as part of what the security firm dubs "Operation Ghost."

Cybercrime

Darknet Markets: As Police Crack Down, Cybercriminals Adapt

Nick Holland • October 18, 2019

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report discusses the shutdown of DeepDotWeb. Plus, dealing with breach fatigue and the Pitney Bowes ransomware attack.

Cybercrime

Cybercrime Tool Prices Continue to Rise on Darknet Sites

Akshaya Asokan • October 17, 2019

The prices for specific types of cybercriminal tools on darknet sites continue to rise, according to a recent analysis by security firm Flashpoint. Payment card and passport data remain the most sought-after commodities on these forums, research shows.

Cybercrime

Phorpiex Botnet Behind Large-Scale 'Sextortion' Campaign

Apurva Venkat • October 17, 2019

Scammers are using the notorious Phorpiex botnet as part of an ongoing "sextortion" scheme, according to Check Point researchers. At one point, the botnet was sending out over 30,000 spam emails an hour and the attackers made about $110,000 in five months, researchers say.

3rd Party Risk Management

Robotic Process Automation: Security Essentials

Suparna Goswami • October 17, 2019

Robotic process automation aims to use machine learning to create bots that automate high-volume, repeatable tasks. But as organizations tap RPA, they must ensure they take steps to maintain data security, says Deloitte's Ashish Sharma.

Application Security

How 'Zero Trust' Better Secures Applications and Access

Jeremy Kirk • October 17, 2019

Organizations are accepting that the network perimeter no longer serves as the "ultimate defense" and thus adapting zero-trust principles, including least privilege, based on the understanding that they may already have been compromised, says Darran Rolls of SailPoint.