Security News > 2020 > March

There has been a 168% increase in DDoS attacks in Q4 2019, compared with Q4 2018, and a 180% increase overall in 2019 vs. 2018, according to Neustar. The company saw DDoS attacks across all size categories increase in 2019, with attacks sized 5 Gbps and below seeing the largest growth.

The 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report, conducted by Ponemon Institute, estimates the average total cost of a data breach in the United States to be close to $4 million. The average price for each lost data record, says the report, is around $150. Breaches happen in so many ways, a one-size-fits-all solution doesn't exist.

While many companies are beginning to migrate security tools to the cloud, a significant number have concerns, a survey by Exabeam reveals. Typically, organizations migrate security tools to the cloud to minimize the resources and overhead associated with owning and maintaining on-premises equipment and software.

A newly discovered watering-hole campaign is targeting Apple iPhone users in Hong Kong by using malicious website links as a lure to install spyware on the devices. According to research published by Trend Micro and Kaspersky, the "Operation Poisoned News" attack leverages a remote iOS exploit chain to deploy a feature-rich implant called 'LightSpy' through links to local news websites, which when clicked, executes the malware payload and allows an interloper to exfiltrate sensitive data from the affected device and even take full control.

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are using artificial intelligence to develop an early warning system that will identify manipulated images, deepfake videos and disinformation online. The scalable, automated system uses content-based image retrieval and applies computer vision-based techniques to root out political memes from multiple social networks.

Preying on public fears, the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is proving to be a goldmine of opportunity for attackers to stage a variety of malware attacks, phishing campaigns, and create scam sites and malicious tracker apps. Now in a fresh twist, third-party Android app developers too have begun to take advantage of the situation to use coronavirus-related keywords in their app names, descriptions, or in the package names so as to drop malware, perpetrate financial theft and rank higher in Google Play Store searches related to the topic.

Using Cloud Analyzer, any company can, for the first time, have visibility and recommendations that automate performance and availability and minimize costs across all their cloud accounts. "Using machine learning algorithms, automation, and now with broader visibility into spend and usage - Cloud Analyzer is able to free up CloudOps teams to deploy applications fast, while maintaining uptime at lowest possible cloud infrastructure costs."

InterVision, a leading IT strategic service provider and Premier Consulting Partner in the Amazon Web Services Partner Network, has officially announced AWS Managed Services by InterVision to help enterprise IT teams accelerate cloud adoption, lower operational costs, and mitigate security and compliance risk. Built on the foundational infrastructure, tools, and automation of AWS Managed Services, this service is designed to provide enhanced operational standards driven by AWS best practices.

Gigamon, the company providing network visibility and analytics on all information-in-motion, announced that Andrew R. Harding has joined the company as its first ever Chief Product Officer. An expert in delivering visionary strategies and game-changing products, Harding will help Gigamon continue its strong growth trajectory, demonstrated in 2019, which ended with the strongest fourth quarter in company history.

Here are steps hospital IT admins can take to prevent ransomware and safeguard patient data. Health agencies, and medical facilities can be particularly exposed to ransomware as they hold sensitive research information and patient data that they can't afford to lose.