Blog

Blog

Guarding the Grid: Navigating the Current and Future Landscape of Utility Cybersecurity

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...
Blog

NIST NCCoE Publishes Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Hybrid Satellite Networks

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...
Blog

$9 million seized from "pig butchering" scammers who preyed on lonely hearts

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...
Blog

The Cybersecurity Skills Gap: You’re Looking at the Wrong Gap

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...
Blog

UK Finance Reports Slight Decrease in FinTech Cyberattacks

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...
Blog

AI-Enabled Information Manipulation Poses Threat to EU Elections: ENISA Report

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...
Blog

SMB Protocol Explained: Understanding its Security Risks and Best Practices

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...
Blog

Phishing Trends Examined by the SANS Institute

Earlier this year, the SANS Institute published a blog exploring emerging phishing trends. This kind of research is an invaluable resource for all individuals and organizations looking to identify and rebuff phishing attacks. In this article, we'll cover some of the key findings from that report. Changing Platforms Traditionally, phishing attacks relied on email as a primary communication channel...
Blog

Change Variance: How Tiny Differences Can Impact Your IT World

In the vast and ever-evolving universe of information technology, there's one constant: change (that and cliches about constants!). Servers, systems, and software – they all get updated and modified. But, have you ever stopped to consider how even tiny differences between these digital entities can sometimes lead to unexpected challenges? In the world of Tripwire, we like to call this phenomenon...
Blog

The Six Pillars of Cybersecurity

Winter is coming In the ever-evolving landscape of cloud computing, ensuring robust security measures has never been more important. In the new ISO 27001:2022 standard, there is a new requirement for organisations to establish control of their Cloud services, which includes every flavor of cloud from Software as a Service (SaaS) to Platform as a Service (PaaS). Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a...
Blog

Secure Access Control in 2024: 6 Trends to Watch Out For

What Is Secure Access Control? Secure access control, part of the broader field of user management , is a key concept in the realm of information security, particularly in the business environment. It refers to the process of selectively restricting and allowing access to a place or resource. In the context of information technology, it is a vital element of data protection, dictating who or what...
Blog

Financial Institutions in New York Face Stricter Cybersecurity Rules

Boards of directors need to maintain an appropriate level of cyber expertise, incidents must be reported within 72 hours after determination, and all ransom payments made must be reported within a day. Those are just some of the changes made by The New York State Department of Financial Services to its Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services (23 NYCRR 500) , effective November 1, 2023...
Blog

VERT Threat Alert: November 2023 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s November 2023 Security Updates . VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-1082 on Wednesday, November 15th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2023-36033 A vulnerability in the Microsoft Desktop Window Manager (DWM) could allow an attacker to gain SYSTEM level privileges. This vulnerability has been publicly...
Blog

How Does IoT Contribute to Real-Time Grid Monitoring for Enhanced Stability and Fault Detection?

More decision-makers are investing in grid modernization efforts, knowing that doing so is necessary for keeping pace with modern demands. For example, smart grid fault-detection sensors could warn utility company providers of problems in real time, preventing costly and inconvenient outages. Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) can also improve stability. An IoT grid-monitoring approach...
Blog

Cloud Watching Report: Key Takeaways

The capabilities of cloud computing have changed the digital landscape significantly, and the popularity of cloud solutions only continues to increase. According to Gartner , the market for public cloud services is expected to surpass 700 billion USD by the end of 2024. The growth of cloud technologies presents a wealth of new opportunities for IT teams but also brings a host of security...
Blog

A Simplified Overview of the MITRE ATT&CK Framework

In the world of cybersecurity, have you ever wondered about the inner workings of threat actors as they attempt to breach systems, their methods, tactics, and strategies, and how they seamlessly converge to execute a successful attack? It's not merely about initiating an attack but also the strategies they utilize to remain concealed within the system, allowing them to persistently operate and...
Blog

CherryBlos, the malware that steals cryptocurrency via your photos - what you need to know

What's the deal with CherryBlos? CherryBlos is a rather interesting family of Android malware that can plunder your cryptocurrency accounts - with a little help from your photos. Wait. I've heard of hackers stealing photos before, but what do you mean by malware stealing cryptocurrency via my photos? How does it do that? Well, imagine you have sensitive information - such as details related to...
Blog

Some Financial Institutions Must Report Breaches in 30 Days

The heat has just been turned up for companies hoping to “hide out” a data breach. Announced October 27th, all non-banking financial institutions are now required to report data breach incidents within 30 days. The amendment to the Safeguards Rule was made by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It will go into effect 180 days after publication of the law in the Federal Register, or around...
Blog

Key Highlights from the 2023 UK Cyber Crime Landscape

It’s 2023, and the landscape of cybercrime in the United Kingdom is evolving unprecedentedly. This year's cyber threat landscape is shaped by many factors, from the continuing effects of the global pandemic to the ever-expanding digital footprint of individuals and organizations. In this article, we delve into the key cybercrime statistics for 2023, providing you with valuable insights into the...
Blog

Google introduces real-time scanning on Android devices to fight malicious apps

It doesn't matter if you have a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or a desktop computer. Whatever your computing device of choice, you don't want it impacted by malware. And although many of us are familiar with the concept of protecting our PCs and laptops with security software that aims to identify attacks in real-time, it's not a defence that is as widely adopted on mobile devices. However, the...