Security News
Privacy advocates are urging developers to proceed with caution as they use technology released by Apple and Google to build COVID-19 contact-tracing apps - and are warning against the potential for cybercriminal use. "The apps built on top of Apple and Google's new system will not be a 'magic bullet' techno-solution to the current state of shelter-in-place," EFF staff technologist Bennet Cyphers and director of research Gennie Gebhart said, in a post on Tuesday on the organization's blog.
The World Health Organization has seen a dramatic increase in the number of cyberattacks targeting its staff and email scams directed at the public. "Ensuring the security of health information for member states and the privacy of users interacting with us a priority for WHO at all times, but also particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Bernardo Mariano, WHO's chief information officer, in a statement.
IT services firm Cognizant suffered a cyberattack on its internal systems by the Maze ransomware group, causing disruption for some of its global clients. Cognizant is one of the largest IT-managed services companies in the world and has close to 300,000 employees and over $15 billion in revenue.
"What we are seeing is a heroic undertaking by organizations to quickly and efficiently provide security for an unexpected rise in a remote, mobile workforce that will permanently change the way they operate," said SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner. The platform delivers seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across endless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces.
Cybercriminals aren't sparing medical professionals, hospitals and healthcare orgs on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic when it comes to cyberattacks, ransomware attacks and malware. Researchers have shed light on two recently uncovered malware campaigns: one targeting a Canadian government healthcare organization and a Canadian medical research university, and the other hitting medical organizations and medical research facilities worldwide.
A memo sent out this week to all NASA personnel warns that the agency has seen a significant increase in cyberattacks, including phishing and malware attacks, while its employees work remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak. The memo, obtained by space news website SpaceRef, reveals that the number of email phishing attempts doubled in the past few days and there has been an "Exponential increase" in malware attacks on NASA systems.
Among the 411 IT and security professionals surveyed by Check Point and Dimensional Research, 71% said they've seen an increase in security threats or attacks since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some 56% pointed to the task of securing remote access as the top challenge, 55% mentioned the need for remote access scalable solutions, and 47% pointed to remote workers finding and using untested tools and services.
Robert Lee, founder and CEO of Dragos, discusses the dangers cyberattacks pose to critical industrial infrastructures. Dan Patterson: What do we mean when we talk about this abstract idea of infrastructure and connected infrastructure?
Robert Lee, founder and CEO of Dragos, discusses the dangers cyberattacks pose to critical industrial infrastructures.
Cybercriminals are increasingly directing targeted attacks at specific organizations or individuals, says security provider Positive Technologies. In 2019, the number of targeted attacks outpaced the number of mass attacks, showing that bad actors are adopting a more focused strategy, according to Positive Technologies.