Photo: NordVPN

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

FIN7 Gang Returns With New Malicious Tools: Researchers

Latest

Application Security

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.

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.

Governance

Analysis: Draft CCPA Regulations Fail to Clarify Ambiguities

Suparna Goswami • October 22, 2019

Draft regulations to carry out the California Consumer Protection Act do not go far enough to clarify ambiguities in the law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020, says privacy attorney Sadia Mirza of the law firm Troutman Sanders, who encourages organizations to submit comments on the proposed regs.

Governance

Clinton Email Probe Cites 38 for Violations

Scott Ferguson • October 21, 2019

The State Department's years-long review of former Secretary Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server found that although 38 current or former department officials violated government security policies, there was no "persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information."

Cybercrime

Russian Hackers Coopted Iranian APT Group's Infrastructure

Mathew J. Schwartz • October 21, 2019

Turla, an advanced persistent threat group with apparent ties to Russia, seized attack infrastructure and tools used by OilRig, an Iranian APT group, U.K. and U.S. intelligence agencies have jointly reported. They say Turla used the coopted infrastructure to conduct its own reconnaissance and attacks.

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.

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

Healthcare E-Commerce Site Breach Undetected for Years

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 18, 2019

A North Carolina-based healthcare organization has reportedly discovered that malicious code had been contained on its e-commerce site for three years, sending consumers' payment information to unauthorized individuals.

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

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.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Open Cybersecurity Alliance: In Pursuit of Interoperability

Geetha Nandikotkur • October 17, 2019

Eighteen technology companies have formed the Open Cybersecurity Alliance to foster the development of open source tools to improve interoperability and data sharing between cybersecurity applications. But some observers say getting all players to agree on a common platform will be challenging.