What's going on? A cybercriminal group calling itself BlackSuit has claimed responsibility for a series of ransomware attacks, including breaches at schools in central Georgia . And earlier in the year, a zoo in Tampa Bay was targeted by the same hacking gang. Meanwhile, liberal arts college DePauw University in Indiana says that it was recently targeted, and a "limited amount of data on specific...

Identity theft is like a thief in the night; it can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. It is a real threat to everyone. We live in a time where so much personal information is stored online, which allows cybercriminals to steal it and use it for their gain. A Federal Trade Commission report shows that over 1 million people fell victim to identity theft in 2022. The most common types of...

The holiday season is just around the corner; a time of joy and celebration. However, threat actors anticipate this joyous season as much as it is by many festive revelers. In fact, cybercriminals tend to be particularly active during the holiday season, taking advantage of the distractions that come with it. The holiday season tends to witness an increase in successful attacks affecting both...

It’s the small vines, not the large branches, that trip us up in the forest. Apparently, it’s no different in Healthcare . In November, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a Mitigation Guide aimed at the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector. In the midst of current hybrid cloud security challenges, hyper-distributed environment considerations, an AI...

It is easy to assume that security tools are effectively configured right out of the box, so to speak. This scenario is all too common and can lead to severe consequences, such as data breaches if an organization implements software solutions with improper security configurations. A misconfiguration is “an incorrect or suboptimal configuration of an information system or system component that may...

Over sixty credit unions across the United States have been taken offline following a ransomware attack at one of their technology providers - demonstrating once again the damage that can be caused by a supply-chain attack . There are a few moving parts here, so here’s a quick summary: Trellance - A provider of solutions and services used by credit unions, and the parent company of FedComp...

Tripwire's November 2023 Patch Priority Index (PPI) brings together important vulnerabilities for Microsoft. First on the patch priority are patches for Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) that resolve elevation of privilege, remote code execution, and spoofing vulnerabilities. Next on the patch priority list this month are patches for Microsoft Office and Excel that resolve 3 remote code execution...

As the holiday shopping season kicks in, many are eager to secure early bird discounts and offers, preparing for the festive season. The convenience and speed of mobile devices has led to a growing number of individuals opting for mobile payments, whether conducted online or through contactless systems. The global mobile payment revenue is expected to reach $12.06 trillion by 2027 , and smartphone...

Once again, companies are being warned to be wary of past employees who may turn rogue. 28-year-old Andrew Mahn, of Derry, New Hampshire, has pleaded guilty to charges that he illegally hacked the network of his former company, telecoms firm Motorola after he successfully tricked current staff into handing over their login credentials Mahn, who had previously worked for Motorola as an RF Network...

As we approach the holiday season, in addition to our busy work schedules, we need to plan for family visits, develop menus for special meals, and do a little shopping while the deals are good! It’s a lot to keep track of. Just remember it’s when you are distracted that you tend to put your digital security most at risk. Cybercriminals don’t take holidays. In fact, cyberattacks surge during this...

At our recent Energy and NERC Compliance Working Group, we took some time to share more about Fortra, the cybersecurity company that Tripwire is a part of. In case you missed it, Fortra is a rebranding of HelpSystems, an already established and trusted company that has acquired a few valuable cybersecurity companies along the way. One such company, Tripwire, is already a familiar name in the...

Phishing is a longstanding danger of the digital world that most people are aware of. Whether it happens via email, text message, social media, or any other means, phishing presents a risk to all users. In recent years, the growing popularity of QR codes for all manner of operations has created an environment ripe for cybercriminals to take advantage of. All of the dangers of other sorts of...

While the EU AI Act is poised to introduce binding legal requirements, there's another noteworthy player making waves—the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) , published in January 2023. This framework promises to reshape the future of responsible AI uniquely and voluntarily, setting it apart from traditional regulatory approaches. Let's...

Tripwire recently held its annual Energy and NERC Compliance Working Group. This year's attendees included more than 200 Tripwire customer utility personnel representing over 80 different registered entities from all across the US and Canada. The company sizes ranged from public utility districts and city municipalities to medium and larger-sized investor-owned utilities, including many of the...

In late September 2023, the US-based National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published its Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Hybrid Satellite Networks, otherwise known as NIST IR 8441. This blog will explore the reasons behind NIST developing the framework, outline its intentions, and summarize its key points. What is a Hybrid Satellite Network? To understand IR 8441, we must first...

US authorities have seized almost $9 million worth of cryptocurrency linked to a gang engaged in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams. The US Department of Justice has announced that the seized funds are connected to cryptocurrency wallet addresses alleged to be associated with a " pig butchering " gang that has claimed over 70 victims around the world. "Pig butchering" is one of the...

How many times have you heard “There is a skills gap in Cybersecurity!” If you go on social media, you’ll likely hear it at least once a day. The government is big on it, and organisations lament how difficult it is to find the ‘right talent’. But here’s some news for you... There is NO SKILLS GAP. Why there’s no gap I have written on this topic previously , but let me come at it from a different...

Overview of UK Finance's Report The latest report from UK Finance paints a mixed picture of financial fraud in the United Kingdom, with losses exceeding £500 million in the first half of the year. However, amidst these concerning figures, there is a glimmer of hope as cyber fraud rates have shown a slight 2% decrease from the previous year. This report offers a comprehensive view of the financial...

Amid growing concerns about the integrity of upcoming European elections in 2024, the 11th edition of the Threat Landscape report by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) , released on October 19, 2023, reveals alarming findings about the rising threats posed by AI-enabled information manipulation. Key Insights The ENISA Threat Landscape report for 2023 paints a concerning picture of...

Server Message Block (SMB) protocol is a communication protocol that allows users to communicate with remote servers and computers, which they can open, share, edit files, and even share and utilize resources. With the expansion of telecommunications, this protocol has been a prime target for threat actors to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and devices. In 2017, we introduced 5 general...