Wallpaper left on a system crypto-locked by Black Basta, which is suspected of being a stand-alone Conti spinoff (Source: Cybereason)

After Conti Ransomware Brand Retires, Spinoffs Carry On

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 24, 2022

The Conti ransomware group officially pulled the plug on its operation in May. But experts say the group's activities have continued in the form of numerous already-launched subsidiaries or spinoffs, which appear to include Alphv/BlackCat, AvosLocker, Black Basta and HelloKitty, among others.

Customer Identity & Access Management (CIAM)

Russia's Cyber Offensive Against Ukraine Continues Nonstop

Latest

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Ransomware Gang Uses Log4Shell

Prajeet Nair • June 24, 2022

Ransomware group AvosLocker made use of unpatched VMWare Horizon applications to hack into an unidentified organization’s systems, says analysis from Cisco Talos. The race between systems administrators and hackers to patch the Log4j vulnerability is ongoing.

Endpoint Security

Aura Lays Off 70 Staff After Raising $350M Over Past Year

Michael Novinson • June 24, 2022

Aura has laid off 70 employees as a result of customer acquisition strategy changes just a year after raising $350 million. The layoffs came about as a result of an agreement inked with MetLife earlier this year that made it Aura's exclusive go-to-market partner for the employee benefits channel.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Attackers Use Log4Shell to Hack Unpatched VMware Products

Mihir Bagwe • June 24, 2022

Watch out for APT and state-sponsored hackers using the Log4Shell vulnerability to gain unauthorized entry into unpatched VMware Horizon Systems and Unified Access Gateway servers, says a joint advisory from CISA and the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

'When, Not If': Crafting Cyber Resilience Plans That Work

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 24, 2022

To excel at cybersecurity incident response, start with planning, preparation and, ideally, regular tabletop exercises, say Kevin Li, CISO for MUFG Securities Americas, and Rocco Grillo, managing director of Alvarez & Marsal's Disputes and Investigations Global Cyber Risk Services practice.

Cybercrime

Rising Fraud in the Digital Age: Detect, Prevent and Respond

Anna Delaney • June 24, 2022

Mark Read, head of data breach solutions for TransUnion in the UK, shares insights on the current data breach landscape, including how businesses should respond to a data breach in order to reduce its impact. "The most successful responses often include the offer of a remediation solution," he says.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Russian Cyberattacks on Ukraine Underscored By Microsoft

Mihir Bagwe • June 23, 2022

A report from the company behind the world's most ubiquitous operating system depicts active cyber scrimmage between Russia and Ukraine and Russia and a slew of other countries. Fighting it is the work of private-public collaboration, Microsoft President Brad Smith writes.

Endpoint Security

Federal Authorities Warn of Cardio Product Security Flaws

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • June 23, 2022

A popular line of portable electrocardiographs contains vulnerabilities that allow hackers to execute commands and access sensitive information, federal authorities warn. Device manufacturer Hillrom Medical has released a patch and coordinated disclosure with CISA.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Cybercrime: Conti Ransomware Retools After Backing Moscow

Anna Delaney • June 23, 2022

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report investigates the reboot of ransomware group Conti, which supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It also discusses why paying ransomware actors is a "business decision" and how to respond to the talent shortage in the financial sector.

Cloud Security

Cloudflare Outage Whacks 19 Data Centers for Global Traffic

Michael Novinson • June 22, 2022

A massive Cloudflare outage that left many of the world's most popular websites inaccessible for 75 minutes was caused by a network configuration change gone awry. The change was meant to increase resilience in 19 of Cloudflare's busiest data centers that handle much of the global traffic.

Events

Why Diversity Is the Defender's Greatest Weapon

Anna Delaney • June 22, 2022

CISO Patricia "Patti" Titus says the cybersecurity sector is "still struggling" with the diversity and inclusion it requires. "The things we do really impact all of our end users, employees and customers," she says, so you need "the broadest skill set possible when you're making decisions."

3rd Party Risk Management

Techniques to Improve Supply Chain Confidence

Anna Delaney • June 22, 2022

Former ISACA board chair Rob Clyde shares highlights from ISACA's "Supply Chain Security Gaps: A 2022 Global Research Report," in which 25% of respondents say they experienced a supply chain attack last year, and offers recommendations for assessments and testing of software.

Cloud Security

Zscaler Posture Control Correlates, Prioritizes Cloud Risks

Michael Novinson • June 22, 2022

Zscaler is unveiling a posture control offering that allows customers to address everything from unpatched vulnerabilities in containers and VMs to excessive entitlements and permissions. The tool combines CSPM and CIEM with native IAC and vulnerability and patch management capabilities.