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Every few months, enterprising cyber criminals are offering new services to enable cybercrimes, thefts and paid ransoms.  These new “services” make crime easier for lower skilled criminals and increase profits for all members of the ransomware supply chain. TM: General Mills

Cyber threat actors who want to take down bigger targets more easily and quickly, ransomware gangs are increasingly tapping initial access brokers, who sell ready access to high-value networks.  On average, such access is so

On 5 August 2021 a threat actor using the handle m1Geelka, made a post on the Russian XSS cybercriminal forum.  In the post, they claim to have leaked the manuals and instructions used by the Conti ransomware group whom with they were previously associated.  These posts provide valuable insight into Conti operations.  While the group is highly likely to change its exposed infrastructure and their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP’s), network defenders are now able to research this informa

Supply chain networks have for some time been driven by technology over the years and have evolved accordingly.  The same technologies that make supply chains faster and more effective also threaten their cybersecurity. Supply chains have vulnerabilities along touchpoints with manufacturers, suppliers, and other service providers.

With constant global cyber threats, it is vital that companies involved in the supply chain understand risks and how to respond to them.  So, what is the best way to p

Recently, ransomware criminals claimed as trophies at least three North American insurance brokerages that offer policies to help others survive the very network-paralyzing, data-pilfering extortion attacks they themselves apparently suffered.

Cybercriminals who hack into corporate and government networks to steal sensitive data for extortion routinely try to learn how much cyber insurance coverage the victims have. Knowing what victims can afford to pay can give them an edge in ransom negotiati

In the past several weeks, South Africa has experience violent riots in response to the arrest of its former president.[1]  The unrest is having serious repercussions for the country's mining sector. The outbursts, located in the province of KwaZulu Natal, are hampering the activity of local mines, but also that of Durban and Richards Bay port terminals.  On 22 July, a cyber-​​attack has directly disrupted the operation of South Africa’s busiest container terminal.  It’s the largest on the Afric

Palo Alto Networks, Unit 42 has provided great research on the Mespinoza criminal cyber group.  As cyber extortion flourishes, ransomware gangs are constantly changing tactics and business models to increase the chances that victims will pay increasingly large ransoms.  As these criminal organizations become more sophisticated, they are increasingly taking on the appearance of professional enterprises.  One good example is Mespinoza ransomware, which is run by a prolific group with a penchant fo

Hackers have recently tampered with critical infrastructure entities in the US.  This includes the Colonial Pipeline incident that affected the supply of gas and the JBS Foods hack that affected operations of the meat-packing giant.  Neither of these ransomware attacks had any severe, real-world consequences.  Some people could not put gas in their cars for a few days, or the price of meat might have gone up in some areas, but no lives were immediately threatened.

But what if the hackers decided

Last weekend did not start out so nice.  The hacking group behind what media is calling ‘colossal ransomware attack’ has demanded $70m (£50.5m) paid in Bitcoin in return for a "universal decryptor" that it says will unlock the files of all victims.  The Russian associated REvil group is saying its malware, which initially targeted US IT firm Kaseya, has hit one million "systems." 

This number has not been totally verified and the exact total of victims is unknown.  Yet, victims include 500 Swedi

The average cost of a ransomware attack in 2020 was approximately $761,000.  The average cost of remediating a ransomware attack has more than doubled in the last 12 months.  Remediation costs, including business downtime, lost orders, operational costs, and more, grew from an average of approximately $761,000 in 2020 to approximately $1.85 million in 2021.[1] 

The importance of cybersecurity is no secret to anyone who uses a computer or an iPhone.  Senior executives at businesses of all sizes u

The US and its NATO allies endorsed a new cybersecurity defense policy during President Biden's visit this week with member states in Brussels, according to the official summit communique.  NATO members agreed that the organization's Article 5 provision which states that an attack on one member nation is an attack on all could now be applied to cyber threats.  But NATO would make any decisions to invoke Article 5 in response to a cyber incident on a "case-by-case basis," the communique notes.  A

It is clearly proven on a daily/hourly basis that cyber-attacks will not slow down; with ransomware leading the hacker’s choice of malware techniques.  So, who really loses in these attacks?  In most cases, the business and corporate owners.  A million dollar ransom of frozen networks, even if negotiated down, will put many companies on their heels, if not out of business. 

A pair of recent lawsuits have been filed on behalf of former and current Scripps Health (Scripps) patients, who allege the

The White House continues to make multiple moves to try and better combat the increasing damage being done by ransomware-wielding attackers.  "The number and size of ransomware incidents have increased significantly, and strengthening our nation's resilience from cyberattacks in both the private and public-sector is a top priority" for President Joe Biden, says a memo issued by the White House to U.S. corporate executives and business leaders on Wednesday, urging them to ensure they are followin

Law enforcement is on a roll.  Europol members recently arrested numerous people in connection with a US law enforcement sting; last week Mexico arrested hacktivist Commander X; and now police in Ukraine reported earlier this week they arrested members of a major ransomware gang.  The arrests mark the first time a law enforcement agency has announced a mass arrest of a prolific hacker group that had extorted Americans by either encrypting an organization's files or threatening to leak them to th

As more cities see their police departments targeted with ransomware attacks, some analysts are voicing concerns that the attacks, which could lead to inaccessible systems and potentially compromised evidence, could impede criminal prosecutions.   

Among the latest developments, the police department in the City of Azusa, Arizona, recently reported that it had been hit by ransomware in March 2021, resulting in the compromise of personally identifiable information (pii), including Social Security

The decision to pay the ransom demanded by the cybercriminal group was to avoid any further issues or potential problems for its customers, according to the company’s CEO.  JBS Foods paid the equivalent of $11 million in ransom after a cyber-attack that forced the company to shut down some operations in the United States and Australia over the Memorial Day weekend.

The company made the payment to cybercriminals to ensure the protection of its data and mitigate any further damage to its customers

A few days after the Colonial Pipeline was attacked, a former law enforcement source close to the company told Red Sky Alliance that law enforcement officials used a cyber type ‘dye pack’ to track the Bitcoin Colonial ransom payment.  A traditional dye pack is used in banks to be used during a bank robbery.  The robbers take the cash bundle with the dye pack and within minutes, the dye pack ignites and paints the robber with a dye, so responding police can identify the fleeing felon.  The federa

Cyber threat analysts have stated that 50% to 70% of all ransomware attacks in the U.S. are targeting small and medium-sized businesses, costing the victims an estimated total of $350 million in the last year, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  "The losses from ransomware are staggering. And the pace at which those losses are being realized is equally staggering," Mayorkas said, noting this is why DHS has made battling r

Activity Summary - Week Ending 4 June 2021:

• Analysts identified 1,420 new IP addresses participating in various Botnets
• Red Sky Alliance identified 39,711 connections from new unique IP Addresses
• Analysts observed 14 unique email accounts compromised with Keyloggers
• BazaLoader
• WastedLoader
• Kimsuky, Velvet Chollima, Black Banshee, or Thallium spreading AppleSeed Backdoor
• JBS Ransomware
• Farming Equipment Vulnerabilities
• Produce supplier denied Insurance claim with a fraudulent $1.4 Million Wire T

The old trick of using a Trojan horse to deceive is still in vogue and using cyber as the lure.  A massive phishing campaign is distributing what looks like ransomware but is in fact trojan malware that creates a backdoor into Windows systems to steal usernames, passwords, and other information from victims.  Detailed by cybersecurity researchers at Microsoft, the latest version of the Java-based STRRAT malware is being sent out via a large email campaign, which uses compromised email accounts t