It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone reading this article that there has been a major shift towards businesses hosting their critical applications in the cloud. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), as well as cloud-based servers from Amazon or Microsoft, have changed the way we build networked business systems for any size organization. Cloud-hosted...

The concept of configuration hardening has nice imagery to it. When we use it to describe battle-hardened soldiers who have been tested in combat, a grim, determined image invariably leaps to mind. The same thing happens when we speak of hardened steel that’s been repeatedly quenched and tempered or of hardened fortifications and bunkers.What Are the...

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s September 2018 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-796 on Wednesday, September 12th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2018-8440 This vulnerability was disclosed on Twitter on August 27th, and a high level analysis was published on...

Security professionals are warning users who are or soon will be engaged in real estate transactions to watch out for the "homeless homebuyer" scam. On 10 September, Verdict built upon its coverage of account takeover attacks found in its threat insight magazine Verdict Encrypt to discuss this...

Someone compromised a Google Chrome extension with malicious code designed to snoop on users' account credentials and cryptocurrency private keys. On 4 September, a security researcher who goes by the name "SerHack" tweeted out a warning about version 3.39.4 of the Chrome extension for MEGA.nz, a cloud storage and file sharing service. https:/...

The Fortnite team announced it will reward users who enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on their accounts with a free emote. On 23 August, the makers of the popular online video game revealed an incentive to help users boost their account security: in exchange for enabling 2FA on their accounts, gamers would receive the Boogiedown emote for free...

It's not great when any organisation loses a laptop, but if the contents of the computer's hard drive have been fully encrypted and a strong password has been used it's hardly the end of the world. After all, the chances of a criminal being able to access any sensitive information on the mislaid or stolen device is remote - and the cost should be...

The systems in your environment are extremely important assets. Storing intellectual property, customer information, financial information, business automation, etc. If any of these systems are breached or become unavailable, there is a business and financial impact. You’ve installed Tripwire Enterprise agents on these systems to ensure that you know...

Microsoft seized six fake domains that mimic the websites of prominent political organizations located in the United States. On 20 August, the Redmond-based tech giant revealed that its Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) had successfully executed a court order to take control of six fake domains created by Fancy Bear. Also known as "Strontium" and "APT28,"...

I’ve written about ITIL and Tripwire Enterprise, offering a secure approach to managing your Change Management processes, but ITIL’s guidelines offer more than just recommendations around ensuring changes happen as expected. Problem management is another key area where Tripwire Enterprise can help you on your ITIL journey. ITIL sensibly focuses on...

Researchers demonstrated the feasibility of taking over a enterprise network and abusing that access to exfiltrate data using just a fax number. On 12 August, Yaniv Balmas and Eyal Itkin of Check Point's malware research team presented their findings on fax security at DEF CON 26 in Las Vegas. They wanted to see if it was possible to attack an all...

A semiconductor foundry notified its customers of a computer virus incident that at least partly disrupted its shipping schedule. On 5 August, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited (TSMC) published an update about a computer virus infection that occurred on the evening of 3 August. TSMC...

I’m an executive-level security headhunter. That means I spend a lot of my week doing two things: talking to CISOs or those people ready to be CISOs and consulting with companies that are in the market for a security leader. My experience is that companies looking for a security leader fall into three categories. The first category consists of...

Last time, I had the pleasure of speaking with Roxy Dee. Her expertise is in vulnerability management, and she also loves to pay it forward by giving away books to her lucky Twitter followers. This time I got to speak with Jessica Hebenstreit. She’s worn an awful lot of hats in the cybersecurity field, and now she’s a senior security consultant. She...

1. Is ransomware as big a threat as the media claims it is? Ransomware is a variant of malware that we are seeing as the next wave of quick compromise attacks. What that means is quick entry and quick exit. No longer do the bad guys need to hover around on networked devices and perform complicated breaches only to get sensitive information or data....

To create a secure digital profile, organizations need digital integrity. This principle encapsulates two things. First, it upholds the integrity of files that store operating system and application binaries, configuration data, logs and other crucial information. Second, it protects system integrity to make sure applications, endpoints and networks...

Several companies have made online productivity solutions like G Suite from Google the preferred option for business computing. It’s incredibly convenient and usually inexpensive for anyone from solo operations through large enterprises to replace physical machines and all the maintenance that comes with the territory with options like Gmail and...

A recent report from the office of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Inspector General indicates that several hydropower dams are vulnerable to internal threats. Specifically, an evaluation was conducted of five hydropower dams operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and categorized as “critical infrastructure.” The USBR is the second...

A Japanese hotel chain company notified approximately 125,000 guests about a data breach that affected one of its software providers. On 26 June, Prince Hotels & Resorts published a statement on its website explaining that its reservations system in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese...