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Cybersecurity

Online Is the New Frontline against Crime, according to U.K. Assessment

Today the U.K.’s National Crime Agency released its 2021 National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime, sharing the national government’s understanding of threats posed by organized criminals. The report stresses that criminals have increasingly turned to online environments to commit crimes at scale and avoid detection, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report focuses a significant amount of its attention on cyber threats in particular, especially ransomware.

Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity in Small Manageable Chunks

Much has been said about the new Executive Order (EO 14028), Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, released earlier this month (covered in the Security & Resilience Update for May 13, 2021). And if you have had time to read the EO, then feel free to move to the next write-up. However, those of us who haven’t reviewed it and what it could mean beyond federal networks, may find a series by aDolus Inc.

FBI FLASH: Conti Ransomware

The FBI has published a TLP:WHITE FLASH report on Conti ransomware, which it indicates has impacted healthcare and first responder networks. The report also notes that Conti has affected municipalities in the last year. It states Conti typically both encrypts servers and workstations and steals files, selling or publishing the stolen data to a public site if the ransom isn’t paid. The report provides additional technical details and indicators and asks partners for any information that can be shared.

Cybersecurity Resilience – Security Audits

We all dread them; we all need them – security audits. They can take multiple forms, but without security audits we are unable to measure cybersecurity improvements and many deficiencies may never be brought to light. Security audits involve evaluating or analyzing people, processes, and technology surrounding the security aspects of an organization. Likewise, as organizational networks and cyber threats are constantly changing, security audits should be performed regularly to assess if current controls and processes sufficiently reduce risk against the ever-changing threat landscape.

IT Security Configuration - Active Directory

If your utility uses Microsoft Windows in a networked environment, there’s a near 100% chance you use Active Directory (AD) to centrally administer domains, machines, users, and groups. And like many legitimate tools, if not securely configured, can be a threat actor’s dream for gaining a foothold and hiding in plain sight within your environment. Using AD tactics is nothing new for threat actors, but two recent very large-scale compromises – SolarWinds and Microsoft Exchange – emphasize the importance of securing AD. When is the last time you reviewed your AD configurations?

CISA Resource on Mitigating the Impacts of Doxing on Critical Infrastructure

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published an Insights document intended for critical infrastructure on doxing, which it defines as the internet-based practice of gathering an individual’s personally identifiable information (PII) – or an organization’s sensitive information – from open source or compromised material and publishing it online for malicious purposes.

Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report (2021 DBIR)

Pardon the lack of fanfare that this report deserves, but this serves as an FYI that arguably the most heralded cybersecurity industry report, the Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, affectionately known as the “DBIR,” was released this morning. According to Verizon, the Verizon Business 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report (2021 DBIR) examines more breaches than ever before. Some of the high-level findings include:

FBI PIN: Spear Phishing Attack Directing Recipients to Download Fake Windows Application Impersonating a Financial Institution

The FBI has published a Private Industry Notification (PIN) advising that it in a recent spear phishing campaign, cyber actors impersonated a U.S.-based financial institution’s brand in an attempt to get recipients to download a Windows application unaffiliated with the financial institution. The unknown cyber actors tailored the campaign to spoof the financial institution through registered domains, email subjects, and an application, all appearing to be related to the institution. This product provides a threat overview and series of recommended mitigations.

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