Security News
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced new requirements for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a May ransomware attack that disrupted gas delivery across the East Coast. In a statement, DHS said it would require operators of federally designated critical pipelines to implement "Specific mitigation measures" to prevent ransomware attacks and other cyber intrusions.
China on Tuesday said the US had "Fabricated" allegations it carried out a massive Microsoft hack, countering that Washington was the "World champion" of cyber attacks while raging at American allies for signing up to a rare joint statement of condemnation. The United States on Monday accused Beijing of carrying out the March cyber attack on Microsoft Exchange, a top email server for corporations around the world, and charged four Chinese nationals over the "Malicious" hack.
Law firm Campbell Conroy & O'Neil has warned of a breach from late February which may have exposed data from the company's lengthy client list of big-name corporations including Apple and IBM. The breach, which was discovered on 27 February 2021 when a ransomware infection blocked access to selected files on the company's internal systems, has been blamed on an unnamed "Unauthorised actor." While it's not yet known precisely what data was accessed during the breach, the system affected held a treasure trove including "Certain individuals' names, dates of birth, driver's license numbers/state identification numbers, financial account information, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, payment card information, medical information, health insurance information, biometric data, and/or online account credentials," the company confirmed in a statement regarding the attack.
The US has also blamed hackers working with China for ransomware attacks, extortion, crypto-jacking and other cybercrimes. The United States and several allies have officially pointed the finger at China for the recent hack of Microsoft Exchange server as well as an ongoing series of cyberattacks carried out by contract hackers for personal profit.
Today, the US Department of Justice indicted four members of the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as APT40 for hacking various companies, universities, and government entities in the US and worldwide between 2011 and 2018. Wu Shurong, the fourth Chinese national indicted today by the DOJ, was hired through Hainan Xiandun to create malware, hack into foreign governments' computer systems, companies, and universities to steal trade secrets, intellectual property, and other high-value information, as well as to supervise other Hainan Xiandun hackers.
US and allies, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and NATO, are officially blaming China for this year's widespread Microsoft Exchange hacking campaign. The Biden administration attributes "With a high degree of confidence that malicious cyber actors affiliated with PRC's MSS conducted cyber espionage operations utilizing the zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server disclosed in early March 2021.".
Facebook on Thursday disclosed it dismantled a "Sophisticated" online cyber espionage campaign conducted by Iranian hackers targeting about 200 military personnel and companies in the defense and aerospace sectors in the U.S., U.K., and Europe using fake online personas on its platform. The social media giant pinned the attacks to a threat actor known as Tortoiseshell based on the fact that the adversary used similar techniques in past campaigns attributed to the threat group, which was previously known to focus on the information technology industry in Saudi Arabia, suggesting an apparent expansion of malicious activity.
Thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses were affected, just because they trusted their suppliers. How can companies protect against this sort of breach?
The other is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on operations conducted by actors working for a foreign government. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of State announced that its Rewards for Justice program now incentivize reports of foreign malicious activity against U.S. critical infrastructure.
The US is offering a $10m reward to anyone who dobs in digital outlaws responsible for foreign government-backed cyberattacks on critical national infrastructure such as pipelines, power grids, and communication networks. The cash incentive is part of the US State Department's Rewards for Justice programme and the ongoing war on cybercrime that has in recent months crippled fuel pipelines and meat production.