When most people think about the origin of a cyberattack, the image is that of a hacker using some kind of exploit against software or hardware in order to gain unauthorized access to systems. The hacker is seeking data to exfiltrate and monetize, either through re-sale on the darknet or extortion through ransomware.
On August 4, the Institute for Security and Technology’s (IST) Ransomware Task Force (RTF) announced the release of its Blueprint for Ransomware Defense - a clear, actionable framework for ransomware mitigation, response, and recovery aimed at helping organizations navigate the growing frequency of attacks.
Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 prohibits the procurement or use of Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, or Dahua telecommunication and video surveillance products and services by federal agencies, government contractors, and the recipients of any federal grants or loans (this latter category includes many state and local governments).
In 2022, a lot of crime involves a digital element. The digital element can be anything from text messages to complex cyber attacks on organizational networks. If you're prosecuting, a digital forensics expert can help you build a stronger case by gathering and documenting evidence and testifying in court on their findings.
On June 8, an explosion took place at Freeport LNG’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Quintana, Texas. The company later explained that the explosion resulted from a rupture in an over-pressurized pipeline, but did not comment as to how the pressure built up enough to cause such a rupture. In the wake of the explosion, Freeport reported that the outage resulting from it would persist until September, after which the facility would only resume partial operations.
On June 23, The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the United States Coast Guard Cyber Command (CGCYBER) released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) warning network defenders that cyber threat actors, including state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors, have continued to exploit CVE-2021-44228 (Log4Shell) in VMware Horizon® and Unified Access Gateway (UAG) servers.
Organizations increasingly rely on third parties for business operations, and as a result are working with more digital suppliers than ever. According to Gartner, 60% of organizations work with more than 1,000 third parties and this number will grow. High-profile vulnerabilities such as Log4Shell are a constant reminder of the risks posed by a breakdown in the software supply chain. This has spurred enterprises to increase the rigor of software risk assessments to ensure supply chain security.
There are many critical factors to ensuring an effective cybersecurity program; however, two of the most important are accuracy and timeliness. With limited search capabilities that direct you to insufficient results or extended navigation time to find items of relevance, the cyber risk of your rapidly growing vendor ecosystem is left unmanaged. Think about it like this: when you have two contacts in your phone saved under the same first name, how do you determine which one is the right one to call?
A cyber incident can range from a minor power outage to a full-scale cyber attack. No matter the incident scale, having clear guidelines to follow can help organizations create effective and standardized response plans. The SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security (SANS) Institute is one of the leading organizations providing cybersecurity training, research, and certification.
The telecom industry is continuously evolving as laws governing the industry change, providers join new markets, and the expansion of cellular connections continues to grow. And since the global pandemic of COVID-19, millions of people around the world have relied on the availability of network services to work in addition to keeping in contact with their loved ones.
