Security

Amazon Web Services (AWS) said it will require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all privileged accounts starting mid-2024, in a bid to improve default security and reduce the risk of account hijacking. From that time, any customers signing into the AWS Management Console with the root user of an AWS Organizations management account will be required

Chinese threat actors are positioning themselves to deploy major cyber-attacks against US critical national infrastructure (CNI) in the event of an escalation of hostilities between the two nations. Microsoft’s latest Digital Defense Report (MDDR) observed a rise in Chinese state-affiliated actors, such as Circle Typhoon and Volt Typhoon, targeting sectors like transportation, utilities, medical infrastructure

Human Security has exposed a significant monetization method employed by a sophisticated cyber-criminal operation. This operation involved the sale of backdoored off-brand mobile and CTV (Connected TV) Android devices through major retailers, which had originated from repackaging factories in China. The scheme, known as BADBOX, deploys the Triada malware as a “backdoor” on various devices

The Madagascar government likely used the Cytrox-developed Predator spyware to conduct political domestic surveillance ahead of the country’s presidential election, according to research by Sekoia. French threat intelligence firm Sekoia’s latest technical analysis of Cytrox’s infrastructure was prompted by recent revelations that Predator had been installed on the iPhone of the former Egyptian MP Ahmed

Thousands of organizations around the world are using industrial control systems (ICS) exposed to the public internet, new analysis from Bitsight has found. The firm discovered nearly 100,000 directly exposed ICS across its inventory of global organizations, including Fortune 1000 businesses. This internet exposure makes it easier for threat actors to infiltrate and control physical

Microsoft’s Bing Chat has come under scrutiny due to a significant security concern – the infiltration of malicious ads. Malwarebytes researchers have now demonstrated how unsuspecting users seeking software downloads can be tricked into visiting malicious websites and unwittingly downloading malware. Bing Chat, an artificial intelligence (AI) interactive text and image application powered by OpenAI’s

The Russian firm Operation Zero has announced a staggering $20m reward for hacking tools capable of compromising iPhones and Android devices.  The company unveiled this increased payout on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, aiming to attract top-tier researchers and developer teams to collaborate with their platform. Under this program, Operation Zero is willing to pay

The UK’s information commissioner has called for an immediate end to the use of excel spreadsheets to publish Freedom of Information (FOI) data. The data protection regulator issued an advisory notice yesterday to all public authorities in the wake of a hugely damaging leak at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) last month. Among other

One US lawmaker has warned that the impending government shutdown will put critical cyber workers out of action, leaving Americans exposed to damaging cyber-attacks. Democratic Congresswoman Rep. Shontel Brown made the remarks during a Joint Subcommittee Hearing on Ransomware on September 27, 2023, which discussed how to combat rising ransomware attacks on US infrastructure. The

Russian cyber-attacks against Ukraine skyrocketed in the first half of 2023, with 762 incidents observed by Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP). This represents a 123% surge compared with the second half of 2022. However, the SSSCIP also found that these attacks were significantly less successful than in the past, with

Fear, ignorance and forgetfulness are some of the reasons for widespread shortcomings in reporting cyber-attacks and breaches, both internally and externally, according to a new global survey conducted by Keeper Security. The study, Cybersecurity Disasters Survey Incident Reporting & Disclosure, was published on September 26, 2023. It found that, despite cyber-attacks being top of mind

Dear Naked Security readers, Firstly, thank you for your interest, your time, and your contributions to the Naked Security community. Your invaluable engagement and expertise have helped improve cybersecurity for everyone. We have recently added the extensive catalog of Naked Security articles to the Sophos News blog platform, enabling us to provide all Sophos security

A Nigerian extradited to the US had pleaded guilty to his part in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise (BEC) conspiracy. Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, 29, pleaded guilty late last week to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. From February to July 2017, he conspired with several others, including some living in

The year 2023 has seen a surge of over 700 advertisements on the dark web offering Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks through Internet of Things (IoT) devices, suggests a new report by Kaspersky. These services come at varying price points, depending on factors like DDoS protection and verification on the target’s end, ranging from

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in collaboration with the National Football League (NFL), Allegiant Stadium and Super Bowl LVIII partners, has conducted a cybersecurity tabletop exercise this week in preparation for Super Bowl LVIII. The exercise aimed to assess and enhance cybersecurity response capabilities, plans and procedures for the upcoming event. The Super

A US government contractor working as an IT administrator at the State department is facing a maximum penalty of death or life in prison after being arrested on serious espionage charges. Abraham Teklu Lemma, 50, of Silver Spring, Maryland, has been charged with delivering national defense information to aid a foreign government, conspiracy to deliver

The typical business in the US and UK loses over 4% of their online revenue every year due to malicious bot attacks, according to a new report from Netacea. The firm’s Death by a Billion Bots report was compiled from a survey of 440 businesses with an average online revenue of $1.9bn across the travel,

The International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday confirmed the discovery of suspicious activity inside its IT network but revealed little else of a worrying security breach last week. The Netherlands-headquartered tribunal, which tries suspects of war crimes and crimes against humanity, posted a brief statement to X (formerly Twitter). “At the end of last week, the International

“I’m here to recruit you.” Was Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, really joking when he said that hiring people for the FBI was the reason for his presence at the Mandiant mWISE conference? During his opening keynote speech on September 18, Wray explained how collaborating with the private sector has changed the FBI’s approach

A further multimillion-dollar distribution of funds from Western Union to victims of fraud perpetrated via its payment network has begun, following a previous payout of $365m. The new $40m tranche of money was forfeited by the Colorado-headquartered financial services giant to the Department of Justice (DoJ) to reimburse 25,000 victims in the US and abroad.

China’s malicious cyber activity informs its preparations for a potential military conflict with the US, a new report from the Department of Defense (DoD) has claimed. The agency’s 2023 Cyber Strategy highlighted the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia’s embrace of malicious cyber activity “as a means to counter US conventional military power and

Four out of five (80.3%) security vulnerabilities observed in organizations across all sectors come from a cloud environment, Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 found in its latest Attack Surface Threat Research. The report, published on September 14, 2023, outlined the most common cloud security flaws, of which 60% come from web framework takeover (22.8%), remote

A major data breach at Airbus revealed earlier this week stemmed from a RedLine info-stealer likely hidden in a pirated copy of Microsoft software, according to researchers. The European aerospace giant said it has launched an investigation into the incident. “As a major high-tech and industrial player, Airbus is also a target for malicious actors,”

Elon Musk is in the crosshairs of US federal regulators over his handling of privacy and security issues since he took over at X (formerly known as Twitter). In a new court filing made public on September 11, 2023, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) revealed further details about a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation

The UK Government suffers from a major shortage of cybersecurity experts, putting critical services at high risk of cyber-attacks, a new report from the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found. The Committee revealed a major digital skills shortage in the civil service, which has under half the number of digital, data and tech professionals

MGM Resorts International, a well-known name in the world of hotels and casinos, has experienced a cybersecurity incident.  According to a post on X (formerly Twitter), the incident caused trouble for critical parts of the company, including its main website, online bookings and in-casino services such as ATMs, slot machines and card payment machines. “MGM

Investigations have begun into a massive ransomware attack that has affected Sri Lanka’s government cloud system, Lanka Government Cloud (LGC). The investigation is being conducted by the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team and Coordination Center (CERT|CC). Sri Lanka’s Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) confirmed the attack to several local news outlets on September

Security researchers at Cisco Talos have uncovered a scheme that preys on graphic designers and 3D modelers. Cyber-criminals are using cryptocurrency-mining malware to hijack the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) commonly used in these fields. According to an advisory published by Cisco Talos on Thursday, this campaign has been active since at least November 2021. The

China has unveiled a new cyber capability powered by artificial intelligence, enabling the automatic generation of images for influence operations. These operations aim to mimic US voters across the political spectrum, fueling controversy along racial, economic and ideological lines. The findings come from a new report released by Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) on Thursday.

The UK’s data protection regulator is set to review how period and fertility tracking applications process user information, after revealing that many women have concerns. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it has contacted the developers of many of these apps to find out more. It also wants users to come forward and share their