Threats
Stay informed on the latest cybersecurity threats and news to better protect your data, networks, applications, and devices. Our coverage includes emerging vulnerabilities, evolving attack techniques, and the latest security breaches to help you understand and mitigate risks.
-
Ransomware Groups are Targeting VMs
Virtual machines are becoming an increasingly popular avenue cybercriminals are taking to distribute their ransomware payloads onto compromised corporate networks. Bad actors have been exploiting VMs in recent years as a way of running under the radar, making it more difficult to detect their malware while it encrypts the data they intend to hold for…
-
Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) Is the Latest Evolution in Ransomware Threats
At first glance, the report this week from cybersecurity software vendor McAfee showing that the incidence of ransomware dropped by half in the first quarter seems like good news to a world that continues to feel the repercussions of the seemingly ubiquitous malware. However, the 50 percent decline in ransomware during the first three months…
-
PowerShell Is Source of More Than a Third of Critical Security Threats
PowerShell was the source of more than a third of critical threats detected on endpoints in the second half of 2020, according to a Cisco research study released at the RSA Conference today. The top category of threats detected across endpoints by Cisco Secure Endpoint was dual-use tools leveraged for exploitation and post-exploitation tasks. PowerShell…
-
The Microsoft Exchange Attack Saga Continues
With companies and organizations under siege on so many fronts over the past year, the last thing internal IT departments needed was another daunting challenge to grapple with. Yet for those enterprises that host their own Microsoft Exchange environments, a collection of four recently discovered exploits involving the Exchange Server software has added another layer…
-
SolarWinds Hack Defenses: Protecting Against ‘Solorigate’ TTPs
A March 2020 software update of the SolarWinds Orion management platform gave malicious actors unhindered access to key government and enterprise networks. Microsoft has dubbed the infamous supply chain compromise of SolarWinds as “Solorigate.” In December, eSecurity Planet detailed FireEye’s initial findings, implications for the industry, and how to mitigate similar attacks. Since then, much…
-
Automating Security Risk Assessments for Better Protection
Protecting your organization from IT security risks is an ongoing, fluid task. Proactively identifying, mitigating and remediating security threats is one of the biggest challenges today’s global businesses face. As a savvy tech leader, you are likely hyperfocused on performing security risk audits to keep your networks strong and protected. Automated security risk assessments can…
-
How to Defend Common IT Security Vulnerabilities
IT security pros have never faced more threats, whether it’s from the huge increase in remote work or aggressive nation-state sponsored hackers like those involved in the SolarWinds breach. While there will always be new holes to plug, security vulnerabilities usually stem from the same few causes: unpatched vulnerabilities, misconfigurations or user error, and even…
-
New TCP/IP Vulnerabilities Expose IoT, OT Systems
Forescout Research Labs last month released a 14-page white paper and a 47-page research report detailing 33 vulnerabilities affecting millions of Internet of Things (IoT), Operational Technology (OT), and IT devices. Dubbed AMNESIA:33, these newly identified vulnerabilities include four broadly used TCP/IP stacks and have left more than 150 vendors potentially compromised. Forescout’s findings are…
-
Cybersecurity Outlook 2021: Trends and Predictions
Just when it seemed that 2020 couldn’t get any weirder, news broke that Russian state-sponsored hackers had spent much of the year exploiting vulnerabilities in SolarWinds‘ widely used Orion IT management software to hack into major federal agencies and corporations. Suddenly the year wasn’t about the massive shift toward remote work caused by the COVID-19…
-
FireEye, SolarWinds Breaches: Implications and Protections
Five days after FireEye detailed the theft of about 300 of its proprietary cybersecurity tools, SolarWinds announced that its Orion IT monitoring platform had also been compromised by hackers believed to be sponsored by the Russian government. Together, the attack that originated with a SolarWinds vulnerability turned over critical cybersecurity infrastructure to the malicious actors,…
