Fancy Bear phishes in think tanks. Lazarus Group takes a swipe at Russian organizations. New decryptor for GandCrab. Citizen Lab and Novalpina discuss NSO Group. Ryuk’s lousy help desk.
In today’s podcast, we hear that Microsoft has disclosed a Fancy Bear sighting, snuffling around Atlanticist think tanks in Europe. Ukraine says, in effect, see, we told you so. Speaking of bears, it seems that North Korea’s Hidden Cobra may be...
International cyber conflict: India and Pakistan; Australia and China. Rietspoof malware. Microsoft ejects cyptojackers from its store. NCSC may go easy on Huawei. Parliament criticizes Facebook.
In today’s podcast, we hear of a small flare in cyber conflict between India and Pakistan. Australian political parties as well as Parliament subjected to attempted cyberattacks. A new strain of malware is being distributed through messaging apps. Microsoft...
Seedworm digs Middle East intelligence — Research Saturday
Researchers at Symantec have been tracking Seedworm, a cyber espionage group targeting the Middle East as well as Europe and North America. The threat group targets government agencies, oil & gas facilities, NGOs, telecoms and IT firms. Al Cooley...
GandCrab notes. Make tests, not bans, says GSMA. Content moderation. Takedown of inauthentic accounts. Influence operations. Happy birthday, GCHQ.
In today’s podcast, we hear that GandCrab has been scuttling through unpatched holes. Independent testing as an alternative to banning specific vendors as security risks. Big Tech gets some Congressional scrutiny over content moderation. Facebook takes down inauthentic accounts working to...
Former Air Force counterintelligence specialist indicted on charges of spying for Iran. Where’s the stolen Equifax data? Two alleged Apophis Squad clowns indicted.
In today’s podcast we hear that US prosecutors have unsealed the indictment of a former US Air Force counterintelligence specialist on charges she conspired to commit espionage on behalf of Iran. The US Treasury Department announces further sanctions on...
China says it had nothing to do with the Parliament hack in Australia. Notes on Patch Tuesday. Shlayer and GreyEnergy malware analyzed. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day—act accordingly.
In today’s podcast, we hear that China has denied involvement in the Australian Parliament hack. Patch Tuesday notes. A new strain of Shlayer malware is out. A look at GreyEnergy. Reactions to the destructive VFEmail attack. And thoughts on St. Valentine’s Day, with advice,...
VFEmail attacked, infrastructure wiped. EU considers a response to APT10. US Executive Order on AI is out. GPS jamming threat. Stryker hack. Shadow IT in the Corps.
In today’s podcast, we hear that VFEmail has sustained a devastating, data-destroying attack. The EU considers whether it should, can, or will make a coordinated response to China’s APT10. A US Executive Order outlines a strategy to maintain superiority in artificial...
Cryptojackers gone wild. Attempted hack of Australia’s Parliament investigated. Huawei security concerns continue. Russia tests Internet autarky. Prosecutors investigate alleged blackmail.
In today’s podcast, we hear that clipper malware has been ejected from Google Play. A different cryptojacker is kicking its competitors out of infected machines. Australian authorities continue to investigate the attempted hack of Parliament, with Chinese intelligence services as the...
Trends and tips for cloud security — Research Saturday
The team at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 recently published research tracking trends in how organizations are addressing cloud security, along with tips for improvement. Ryan Olson is VP of threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks, and he joins...
Australia’s Federal Parliament has a cyber incident. DHS warns of third-party spying. Legit privacy app tampered with. Credit Union phishing. Bezos vs. Pecker. FaceTime bounty. Seal scat.
In today’s podcast, we hear that Australia is investigating an attempted hack of its Federal Parliament. The US Department of Homeland Security warns that spies are working through third parties to get to their targets. Spyware is bundled in...
Social engineering and the power of brands. Insecure check-ins? APT10 is quiet but not gone. MacOS Keychain bug. Assessment of Chinese device manufacturers continues.
In today’s podcast, we hear about social engineering, with a few new twists. Some airlines may be exposing passenger data with insecure check-in links. APT10 may be lying low, for now, but the US Department of Homeland Security expects...
APT10 stays busy. More skepticism about Huawei (and ZTE, for that matter). No foreign “material effect” on US midterms. Reverse RDP risk. IIoT bug found. RSA Innovation Sandbox finalists.
In today’s podcast, we hear that Chinese threat group APT10 seems to have been busy lately, and up to its familiar industrial espionage. More governments express skepticism about Chinese manufacturers. The US report on election security is out: influence...
ExileRAT versus Tibet. SpeakUp backdoors Linux. Facebook bans Myanmar militias. Norway sees a threat in Huawei. Westminster gets hacked? Bangladesh Bank sues over SWIFT caper.
In today’s podcast, we hear that ExileRAT is targeting Tibet’s government-in-exile. The SpeakUp backdoor afflicts many varieties of Linux systems. Facebook bans ethnic militias in Myanmar from its platform. Norway’s PST intelligence service says that Huawei constitutes a security risk, and China says...
Tracking the impresario behind Collection#1. OceanLotus and a new downloader. CookieMiner malware afflicts Macs. Huawei’ prospects. Influence ops. Extortion by bluff.
In today’s podcast, we hear that Collection#1 looks like the work of an aggregator who goes by the name of “C0rpz.” OceanLotus is working with a new downloader. CookieMiner malware is poking around in Macs. Huawei continues to receive harsh security...
Online underground markets in the Middle East — Research Saturday
Researchers at Trend Micro recently published their look inside online underground marketplaces in the Middle East and North Africa, where criminals are buying and selling malware, laundering money and event booking their next discount vacation. Jon Clay is director...
Can you really sniff out gas station card skimmers with your phone?
A viral post suggests (wrongly) that card skimmers always use Bluetooth. Anyway, just looking at nearby Bluetooth names doesn't help much...
Canada Helping Australia Determine ‘Full Extent’ of Hack
Canada's electronic eavesdropping agency said Wednesday it is working with Canberra to try to determine the scale of computer hacking on Australia's parliament and political parties just months from an election.
read more
Researcher: Not Hard for a Hacker to Capsize a Ship at Sea
Maritime transport still contributes in an important way to the world’s economy, with on-time shipments influencing everything from commodities availability and spot pricing to the stability of small countries. Unfortunately, capsizing a ship with a cyberattack is a relatively...
30 years in: My, how SC and security have changed
1989. Acid wash jeans, Bon Jovi and the compassionate conservatism of the Reagan Era were actually, unironically popular. The Berlin Wall fell, free elections were held in the then Soviet Congress of Deputies, Vaclev Havel became president of Czechoslavakia,...
WinPot ATM Malware Resembles a Slot Machine
A piece of malware targeting automated teller machines (ATMs) has an interface that looks like a slot machine, Kaspersky Lab reports.
Dubbed WinPot, the malware was initially detected in March last year, targeting the ATMs of a popular vendor to...
