The Ransomware Files, Episode 3: Critical Infrastructure

Jeremy Kirk • December 9, 2021

Cybersecurity experts are worried about attacks and ransomware directed at the 70,000 water and wastewater facilities in the U.S. In November 2020, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District was infected with the Ryuk ransomware. Fortunately, its operational technology systems were unaffected, and it recovered.

Audit

The Ransomware Files, Episode 2: Bridging Backup Gaps

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Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

Google TAG Disrupts Blockchain-Enabled Botnet

Mihir Bagwe • December 8, 2021

A botnet operation called Glupteba has been disrupted by Google's Threat Analysis Group. The botnet targeted more than 1 million Microsoft Windows users in the U.S, India, Brazil and Southeast Asia. Also, Google has filed a lawsuit against two Russians alleged to be the botnet's operators.

3rd Party Risk Management

Nordic Choice Hotels, SPAR Stores Are Latest Attack Victims

Prajeet Nair • December 8, 2021

Two separate, massive cyber incidents recently occurred. One has disrupted services at 200 Nordic Choice Hotels in Europe, and the other - a cyberattack on a major supplier - has caused around 300 SPAR stores to temporarily close in the UK.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Canada Busts Suspect Tied to 'Multiple Ransomware Attacks'

Mathew J. Schwartz • December 8, 2021

Canadian police have arrested Matthew Philbert on suspicion of being tied to multiple ransomware and malware attacks that amassed domestic victims. Separately, a U.S. indictment charges Philbert with perpetrating an attack against the state of Alaska that breached personal and medical information.

Application Security

ISMG's King Appointed to Forbes Technology Council

Tom Field • December 8, 2021

Steve King, director of cybersecurity advisory services for ISMG's CyberTheory, has just been appointed a member of the Forbes Technology Council. He discusses the role, his passion for Zero Trust and new initiatives to expect from CyberTheory in 2022.

Breach Notification

Maryland Health Dept. Systems Still Affected by Incident

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • December 7, 2021

While the Maryland Department of Health's public website is operational again after a weekend network security incident, certain systems continue to be offline. Officials are asking employees not to use state-issued computers as state authorities and law enforcement agencies investigate.

Breach Notification

Attack Wipes 25 Years' Worth of Data From Local Electric Co.

Dan Gunderman • December 7, 2021

An electric cooperative serving two western Colorado counties says a cyberattack first detected Nov. 7 has disabled billing systems and wiped out 20 to 25 years' worth of historic data, leaving the utility operating under limited functionality, according to the company and local reports.

Active Defense & Deception

Microsoft Gets Court Order to Disrupt Chinese Cyber Ops

Prajeet Nair • December 7, 2021

A U.S. federal court in Virginia has paved the way for Microsoft to disrupt the activities of China-based hacking group Nickel. Microsoft will target websites that the threat actor uses to gather intelligence from government agencies, think tanks and human rights organizations.

Active Defense & Deception

'We're Hitting Ransomware Groups,' US and Allies Confirm

Mathew J. Schwartz • December 7, 2021

It's no surprise that as some ransomware-wielding criminals have been hitting healthcare, pipelines and other sectors that provide critical services, governments have been recasting the risk posed by ransomware not just as a business threat but as an urgent national security concern.

3rd Party Risk Management

Kafdrop Flaw Puts Data of 'Major Global Players' at Risk

Rashmi Ramesh • December 6, 2021

A security flaw in Kafdrop, an open-source user interface and management interface for distributed event-streaming platform Apache Kafka, has exposed data of "major global players ... in healthcare, insurance, media and IoT," a report by cybersecurity company Spectral says.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

Nearly $200 Million Stolen in BitMart Crypto Exchange Hack

Dan Gunderman • December 6, 2021

Nearly $200 million has reportedly been stolen from the cryptocurrency exchange BitMart, one of the top centralized crypto exchanges by volume, according to China-based blockchain analytics firm PeckShield, which tracked the heist beginning Saturday.

3rd Party Risk Management

Microsoft Teams’ New Feature Sparks Security Concerns

Soumik Ghosh • December 6, 2021

A new Microsoft Teams feature makes it possible for employees to communicate with people outside the organization and vice versa through Teams. Security researchers believe the new update potentially opens up avenues for threat actors to target organizations through phishing attacks.

Electronic Healthcare Records

Medical Workers Plead Guilty to PHI Access-Related Crimes

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • December 6, 2021

A medical biller in Florida and an emergency medical technician in New York have each pleaded guilty in two separate federal cases involving the criminal misuse of patient information. One case involved healthcare fraud and identity theft, and the other criminal HIPAA violations.