Security News
A new custom malware dubbed SockDetour found on systems belonging to US defense contractors has been used as a backup backdoor to maintain access to compromised networks. SockDetour [.] serves as a backup backdoor in case the primary backdoor is detected and removed by defenders," Unit 42 explained.
The United States' National Security Division will wind up its "China Initiative" - an effort to combat what then-attorney general Jeff Sessions described in 2018 as "Systematic and calculated threats" posed by Beijing-backed economic espionage. "We have heard concerns from the civil rights community that the 'China Initiative' fueled a narrative of intolerance and bias," Olsen stated in a speech delivered at the National Security Institute and George Mason University.
New malware dubbed Cyclops Blink has been linked to the Russian-backed Sandworm hacking group in a joint security advisory published today by US and UK cybersecurity and law enforcement agencies. "The malware dubbed Cyclops Blink appears to be a replacement for the VPNFilter malware exposed in 2018, and its deployment could allow Sandworm to remotely access networks," the UK National Cyber Security Centre said today.
The United States Department of Justice has revealed new policies that may see it undertake pre-emptive action against cyber threats. Revealed last week by deputy attorney general Lisa O. Monaco, in a speech at the Munich Cyber Security Conference, the policy will see prosecutors, agents and analysts assess "Whether to use disruptive actions against cyber threats, even if they might otherwise tip the cybercriminals off and jeopardize the potential for charges and arrests."
CISA urged leaders of U.S. critical infrastructure organizations on Friday to increase their orgs' resilience against a growing risk of being targeted by foreign influence operations using misinformation, disinformation, and malformation tactics. "Multiple influence operations coordinated by foreign actors had an impact on US critical services and functions across critical sectors," according to the cybersecurity agency.
"The DDoS attacks against the Ukrainian defense ministry and financial institutions appear to be harassment similar to the previous DDoS attacks seen in January," Rick Holland, CISO at Digital Shadows, said via email. In the past two months, Russian- advanced persistent threats have been tied to an attack on 70 Ukrainian government websites, a wiper targeting government, non-profit and IT organizations, and increased attacks and espionage against military targets.
CISOs report to CEOs, CIOs, CTOs and more, and the skills needed depend on the nature of the business and who they report to. Reporting lines do not dictate power or the value of a role, but when most CISOs are still reporting to a technical leader - this limits the ability to be strategic and dilutes value.
A two-year campaign by state-sponsored Russian entities to siphon information from US defense contractors worked, it is claimed. CISA's announcement and an accompanying report [PDF] state that it, the FBI, and the NSA have all spotted "Regular targeting" of contractors that serve the US Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, and all branches of the US military other than the Coast Guard.
Russian-backed hackers have been targeting and compromising U.S. cleared defense contractors since at least January 2020 to gain access to and steal sensitive info that gives insight into U.S. defense and intelligence programs and capabilities. Since January 2020, Russian hacking groups have breached multiple CDC networks and, in some cases, have maintained persistence for at least six months, regularly exfiltrating hundreds of documents, emails, and other data.
Russian-backed hackers have been targeting and compromising U.S. cleared defense contractors since at least January 2020 to gain access to and steal sensitive info that gives insight into U.S. defense and intelligence programs and capabilities. Since January 2020, Russian hacking groups have breached multiple CDC networks and, in some cases, have maintained persistence for at least six months, regularly exfiltrating hundreds of documents, emails, and other data.