An affiliate of the LockBit ransomware gang has been sentenced to almost four years in jail after earlier pleading guilty to charges of cyber extortion and weapons charges. 34-year-old Mikhail Vasiliev, who has dual Russian and Canadian nationality, was arrested in 2022 as part of a multinational law enforcement investigation into LockBit that...

What Is a Host-Based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS)? A host-based intrusion detection system, or HIDS, is a network application that monitors suspicious and malicious behavior, both internally and externally. The HIDS’ job is to flag any unusual patterns of behavior that could signify a breach. By bringing this activity to the team’s attention,...

Protecting sensitive data and other assets requires an organization to be adaptable and stay informed on things like the digital landscape and threat trends. While some aspects of security are within an organization’s control, it can be extremely difficult to manage all of the risks and vulnerabilities that are likely to arise. Security...

Historically, cyber-attacks were labor-intensive, meticulously planned, and needed extensive manual research. However, with the advent of AI, threat actors have harnessed their capabilities to orchestrate attacks with exceptional efficiency and potency. This technological shift enables them to execute more sophisticated, harder-to-detect attacks at...

Using security tools to monitor activities on IP based endpoints and the resulting changes that occur pose one of the most formidable challenges to security and regulatory compliance efforts, thanks to its potential to disrupt established security measures and protocols. Compliance frameworks, such as PCI DSS and NIST 800-53/SI-7, require...

If you have been optimistically daydreaming that losses attributed to cybercrime might have reduced in the last year, it's time to wake up. The FBI's latest annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report has just been published and makes for some grim reading. According to the IC3 report, online fraud hit record losses in 2023, with the...

Energy efficiency and availability is a major concern for all countries and governments. The electric grid is a vital sector, and any malfunctions will create ripple effects on any nation’s economy. As the grid is heavily dependent on cyber-enabled technologies and a vast chain of suppliers, contractors, and partners, the ability to safeguard the...

In 2024, transformation is reshaping industries, and the financial sector stands at a crucial juncture. The Softcat Business Tech Priorities Report, a comprehensive survey encompassing over 4,000 customers across various sectors, sheds light on this transformation. Significantly, cybersecurity has emerged as the paramount concern for financial...

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks occur when adversaries overwhelm a connected target’s resources, aiming to make it unavailable. Learning the best strategies to protect from DDoS attacks is critical to energy grid cybersecurity. A well-planned DDoS attack on the grid could halt essential services, cause substantial disruptions to...

In today's expanding cyber threat landscape, infiltrating a system goes beyond unauthorized access or malware installation. To achieve their ultimate objectives, cybercriminals need to maintain an undetected presence in the system or network to control or extract data according to their needs. Command and Control attacks, also known as C&C or C2...

In the intricate realm of cybersecurity, the relentless surge of cyber threats demands a constant reassessment of defensive strategies. Amidst this dynamic landscape, a subtle yet indispensable player takes center stage — Security Configuration Management (SCM). This blog embarks on an insightful journey into the critical role played by SCM in the...

Agriculture, a fundamental aspect of human civilization, plays an important role in global economic stability, contributing 4% to the global GDP. This sector not only provides food, but also supplies vital raw materials for various industries and drives economic development through job creation and trade facilitation. As we observe a technological...

The most recent book that we’ve read over here is Black Hat GraphQL: Attacking Next Generation APIs written by Dolev Farhi and Nick Aleks. The book is described as being for, “anyone interested in learning how to break and protect GraphQL APIs with the aid of offensive security testing.” As someone who works primarily with REST APIs, I was...

Tripwire's February 2024 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft, ConnectWise, and Google. First on the patch priority list are patches for ConnectWise ScreenConnect, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Windows SmartScreen, and Microsoft Windows Internet Shortcut files. These CVEs (CVE-2024-1709, CVE-2024...

What's happened? The US government warned healthcare organizations about the risk of being targeted by the ALPHV BlackCat ransomware after a surge in attacks. I thought ALPHV BlackCat had been taken down by the cops? Well remembered. Shortly before Christmas, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had disrupted the gang's operations...

The financial services sector faces unprecedented cybersecurity challenges in today's digital age. With the industry being a prime target for cybercriminals, understanding and adhering to cybersecurity regulations has never been more crucial. This article delves into the labyrinth of cybersecurity regulations affecting financial services,...

What is the greatest cyber risk in the world right now? Ransomware? Business Email Compromise? Maybe AI? Well, the last one is pretty close. According to the World Economic Forum, misinformation and disinformation are the most severe global risks of the next two years. In their Global Risks Report 2024, the WEF posited that the post-pandemic world...

Cybersecurity is a pressing topic of concern for most organizations today, as any amount of sensitive data or digital assets can present a security risk. Understanding the digital landscape, threat trends, and the way they change over time is an essential step in defending against cyberattacks. It can be daunting for any organization to stay in the...