In this weekly update, four editors at Information Security Media Group delve into key 2023 cybersecurity issues, spotlighting efforts by the Biden administration, proposed U.S. healthcare cybersecurity laws, and crucial upcoming dates for the information security community.
Educational institutions are prime targets for ransomware and other cyberattacks due to their open nature and troves of sensitive data, requiring continuous investment in cyber defenses and strong security practices, said Steve Zuromski, CIO at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts.
Hacks on healthcare sector entities reached record levels in 2023 in terms of data breaches. But the impact of hacks on hospital chains, doctors' offices and other medical providers - or their critical vendors - goes much deeper than the exposure of millions of health records.
All has not been quiet on the malicious cybersecurity front this year, thanks to constant cybercrime innovation, cyberattacks and cyberespionage, and malicious or inadvertent data breaches. Here are 12 notable incidents and trends of 2023 and their implications for the bigger cybersecurity picture.
Scammers are stealing hotels' log-in credentials for online travel site Booking.com and targeting their customers, experts warn. In many cases, attackers use Booking's own messaging system to contact customers and request their payment card data, they say.
Researchers have discovered an underground offering with the codename "Prolific Puma," which since 2020 has been the "largest and most dynamic" cybercrime link-shortening service on the market. Attackers use it to better target victims with phishing campaigns, scams and malware.
A recent attack by a Russian ransomware-as-a-service group that stole the personal information of 2.5 million patients of McLaren Health Care has triggered at least three proposed federal class action lawsuits in recent days, claiming the healthcare company failed to protect patient privacy.
Hotel and casino giant MGM Resorts says the recent hack attack against it cost $110 million in lost revenue and mitigation expenses. The publicly traded company expects to recoup losses and costs to date via cyber insurance. MGM Resorts says that its investigation remains ongoing.
What do "bank transfer request.lnk" and "URGENT-Invoice-27-August.docx.lnk" have in common? Both are the names of malicious files being sent as part of a phishing campaign attributed to the Qakbot botnet group that has continued despite law enforcement disrupting Qakbot's operations in late August.
UNC3944 and BlackCat have taken over the headlines with a new wave of high-profile ransomware attacks on casinos and other industries, continuing an upward trend of damaging attacks impacting global organizations.
A financially motivated criminal syndicate that mainly operates in Telegram and underground forums has expanded its criminal arsenal to deploy ransomware and other intrusion capabilities on various cloud applications, warn Mandiant researchers.
Hotel and casino giant Caesars Entertainment paid approximately half of an initial $30 million ransom demand to attackers who infected its systems with ransomware, according to news reports. The attackers appear to be with the same group that hit MGM Resorts.
To some extent, ransomware has become like COVID-19 - a threat we all need to learn to live alongside. But Aaron Bugal, field CTO of Sophos, says there is still much that security and technology leaders can do to reduce their risk by addressing activity that often precedes a ransomware attack.
Booking and reservation systems, as well as slot machines, hotel room door locks, ATMs and more remain offline at multiple MGM Resorts properties as the publicly traded casino hotel giant battles "a cybersecurity issue" that one group of security researchers has tied to a ransomware group attack.
Has the cry of the Qakbot come to an end? While the pernicious, multifunction malware fell quiet last week thanks to Operation "Duck Hunt," lucrative cybercrime operations have a history of rebooting themselves. Rivals also offer ready alternatives to ransomware groups and other criminal users.
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