The RSA Conference will be held next week at San Francisco's Moscone Center (Photo: Mathew Schwartz/ISMG)

Dell to Sell RSA to Private Equity Firm for $2 Billion

Scott Ferguson • February 18, 2020

Dell Technologies has agreed to sell its RSA security division to private equity firm Symphony Technology Group in an all cash deal worth more than $2 billion, the companies announced Tuesday. The news comes on the eve of the annual RSA Conference in San Francisco, which starts Monday.

Account Takeover

FTC Shutters Hundreds of 'Fake' Websites

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Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Ransomware Attack Hit US Natural Gas Facility

Ishita Chigilli Palli • February 19, 2020

A ransomware attack on a U.S. natural gas compression facility led to a two-day shutdown of operations, according to an alert from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Governance

Coronavirus Update: Tips for Travel

Tom Field • February 19, 2020

Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 75,000 people and led to over 2,000 deaths. But business travelers should avoid panic, says pandemic expert Regina Phelps, who offers preventive health tips for those headed to international events, such as the RSA 2020 conference.

Cybercrime

Unpatched VPN Servers Hit by Apparent Iranian APT Groups

Scott Ferguson • February 18, 2020

Unpatched Fortinet, Palo Alto and Pulse Secure VPN servers, as well as Citrix gateways, continue to be targeted by hackers, who are exploiting critical flaws to install backdoors inside corporate networks. Security firm ClearSky warns that apparent Iranian APT attackers are the latest to join the fray.

Events

RSA Conference 2020 Preview

Tom Field • February 18, 2020

"The Human Element" is the theme of the RSA Conference 2020, but there are plenty of technology-rich topics in store for attendees, including session tracks that focus on election security, open source tools, product security and anti-fraud. Britta Glade, a conference director, previews the event.

Application Security

Cybersecurity Plan for 2020 US Election Unveiled

Akshaya Asokan • February 17, 2020

The U.S. Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency has released its cybersecurity plan for the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, outlining the agency's role as a facilitator that will assist federal, state and local agencies in protecting critical election infrastructure.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

IBM Exits RSA Conference 2020 Over Coronavirus Worries

Mathew J. Schwartz • February 17, 2020

With IBM and seven other sponsors withdrawing from next week's RSA Conference 2020 - as worries over the China-centered outbreak of the coronavirus continue - will others follow suit?

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

US Charges Huawei With Stealing Trade Secrets

Ishita Chigilli Palli • February 14, 2020

The U.S. Justice Department has filed new charges against Huawei and several of its subsidiaries, plus its CFO, accusing them of engaging in a conspiracy to steal trade secrets from American companies.

Governance

Senator Calls for Creation of Federal Online Privacy Agency

Apurva Venkat • February 14, 2020

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is proposing the creation of a new federal agency dedicated to protecting online privacy, taking that task away from the Federal Trade Commission.

Application Security

MIT Researchers: Online Voting App Has Security Flaws

Akshaya Asokan • February 14, 2020

MIT security researchers have published a paper that describes several security flaws in Voatz, a smartphone app used for limited online voting during the 2018 midterm elections. But the maker of the app contends the research is flawed.

Application Security

Analysis: Indictments in Equifax Hack

Nick Holland • February 14, 2020

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report analyzes the indictments of four Chinese military officers in connection with the 2017 Equifax data breach. Also featured: Advice on implementing NIST's new privacy framework; lessons learned in a breach disclosure.

Events

RSA Conference 2020: ISMG Spotlights Security Leaders

Scott Ferguson • February 14, 2020

Information Security Media Group, a premier media partner at the annual RSA Conference, will conduct over 200 video interviews at this year's event with cybersecurity thought leaders, executives, CISOs and sponsors.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

US Has Evidence of Huawei Backdoor: Report

Ishita Chigilli Palli • February 13, 2020

As the U.S. ramps up pressure on its allies to ban equipment from Chinese manufacturer Huawei from their 5G networks, U.S. officials now say they have evidence that the firm has created a backdoor that allows it to access mobile phone networks around the world, the Wall Street Journal reports.