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Property and casualty insurance company Travelers (NYSE: TRV), announced on 06 November 2023 that it has agreed to acquire Corvus Insurance Holdings:  www.corvusinsurnce.com  for approximately US$435 million.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Boston, MA, Corvus is a cyber insurance managing general underwriter that relies on artificial intelligence for data analysis and for loss prediction and prevention.  The company is known for its middle-market expertise, catering to wholesale broker

The Internet continues to expand and connect more devices every minute.  The number of connected devices is now over 10 billion, so the need for effective cyber threat intelligence sharing has never been greater.  Cyber-attacks have increased in frequency and sophistication, presenting significant challenges for organizations that must defend their data and systems from capable threat actors.   Cyber threat information is any information that can help an organization identify, assess, monitor, a

Cyberattacks in the US have significantly increased over the past year, with the healthcare system and other critical sectors being attacked as the threat of malware like ransomware and foreign spyware continues to evolve.   During 2022, US government officials and lawmakers renewed their focus on cyber security and sought to secure the country’s critical sectors from rising cyber threats. This issue will increase in 2023, as many of those threats are still escalating while the cyber sector is c

Benjamin Franklin had it right so many years ago: “An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound in Cure.”  An ounce of prevention in cyber security is now a requirement.  Due to the number of cybersecurity firms that have entered the market in recent years, it is evident that all industries are reaching a level of heightened anxiety.  Some organizations are on alert because they know their networks have already been targeted by state-sponsored hackers, others know their executives are being targeted

Adaptive security is a cybersecurity model made up of four phases, prediction, prevention, detection, and response.  The process was developed in response to the de-centralization of IT ecosystems to accommodate hybrid working environments and the porting of systems to the cloud.

The perimeter that once defined a network no longer exists.  Organizations are leveraging cloud technology and shifting towards hybrid work environments.  The de-centralization of IT ecosystems is becoming increasingly

The 2022 Major League Baseball season is set to kick off next week, which means fans everywhere are trying to gauge how their team stacks up to the competition.  To prepare for the season Wapack Labs has skipped the analysis of Batting Averages, RBI’s, and On-Base Percentages in favor of measuring each team’s cyber security posture.  

Horizon Actuarial Services, LLC provided notice regarding a data privacy incident that occurred on 12 November 2021.  The incident involved the theft of data inclu

US Government Cyber Warning Summary:

Immediate Actions You Can Take Now to Protect Against Ransomware

• Make an offline backup of your data.
• Do not click on suspicious links.
• If you use RDP, secure and monitor it.
• Update your OS and software.
• Use strong passwords.
• Use multi-factor authentication.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have observed an increase in highly impactful ransomware attacks occurring on US holidays and we

Last October, the information technology (IT) department at the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVM) began receiving reports of malfunctioning computer systems across its network.  Employees reported they were having trouble logging into business and clinical applications.  Some reported the systems were not working at all. Within a few hours, the IT department began to suspect the hospital was experiencing a cyberattack.   At that time, the possibility was very much a reality to the IT te

A San Diego-based artificial intelligence and data science company that helps lenders predict the trustworthiness of loan application information, recently published research detailing increased levels of attempted loan fraud in 2020, which the company believes could continue through 2021.  “The analysis and outlook from Point Predictive (PP) is essential reading to be prepared. For Elite Acceptance, the crucial trends to get ahead of are the dealer implications, such as a sale price inflation o

In 1972, Alice Cooper sang a popular song: “School’s Out.”  In 2020, school has literally been 'OUT for Covid.'  The global pandemic has shut down many, many global school systems.  This created a system of teaching virtually using a variety of on-line platforms.   That turned the heads of black hat hackers to successively focus on attacking school systems, teachers, parents and students.  Recently, there has been a significant increase in ransomware cyber-attacks on virtual classrooms.  The Cor

The Covid pandemic add numerous concerns with the shipment of cargo in many countries.  Part of these “concerns” are the drastic increase of ransomware into the IT and OT (operating technology) systems of the transportation sector.  Transportation Topics published a recent article regarding the growing transportation targeted ransomware threat.[1]  The authors report that ransomware attacks have jumped 715% year-over-year.   

United States Tennessee state-based trucking and logistics company For

The current US administration is signaling it will be updating the US government’s approach to its maritime cybersecurity strategy.  Cyber security priorities are being discussed to enhance and secure the US’ ability to ‘project power at sea and defend against adversarial cyberattacks.’  The plan involves a re-examination of the national approach to information sharing and better emphasizing the use of operational technologies in ports. 

Hackers at all tier levels have long targeted shipping fir

Military patrols working outside their forward operating bases (FOB) are categorized as “working outside the wire.”  This is often where reconnaissance patrols and military intelligence officers collect and gather valuable military intelligence to provide back to its unit, base, and section commanders to use in future proactive combat operations.  This is no different from what RedXray does in cyber security.  RedXray collects and analyzes indicators of compromise (IOCs) to help customers identi

Many auto dealerships are strongly promoting the safety of customers and employees.  This in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.  That is why the many international dealerships are taking safety protocols seriously.  Shields are up in the reception area, employees are wearing face coverings and social distancing, and disposable seat, wheel and shifter covers have been placed in all vehicles.  In addition, many are establishing vigorous test drive cleaning protocol and hourly and nightly cleaning

There will be no let-up in ransomware attacks, as it has proven to such a profitable business model of cybercriminals.  The cybersecurity landscape is evolving, and many businesses do not understand how to keep their defenses ahead of the attackers.  While major corporations can spend as much as $1 billion a year, many small companies may not have the budget to hire a cybersecurity vendor to help them keep up with all the technology available needed to deter hackers.  The loss of just a few thou

Maze Ransomware hackers, previously known in the hacker community as “ChaCha Ransomware,” was discovered on 29 May 2020 by Jerome Segura, a malware intelligence officer.  The main goal of ransomware is to encrypt all files in an infected system and subsequently demand a ransom to recover the files.  The threat actor who took credit for compromising an insurance giant , seems to continue its attacking spree with full intensity.  It is currently targeting the aerospace sector, specifically mainten

As cyberattacks rise, so does the call by business leaders and shareholders to be ready to respond to a cyber incident.  Cyber insurance and a solid Incident Response plan are two critical components to make your company resilient.

Cyber attorney Shawn Tuma says one of these things is likely to influence the other, which surprises many organizations and may surprise you.  Tuma is Co-Chair of the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice at law firm Spencer Fane, www.spencerfane.com.

Tuma explains

By Mac McKee – Red Sky Alliance (photo by protonmail)

There is a common misconception among small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that hackers target only large organizations.  Unfortunately, this belief is completely inaccurate.  According to the most recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, more than 70 percent of cyberattacks target small businesses.  Additionally, many attacks are now shifting to target managed service providers (MSPs), specifically because breaching an MSP can give h

When my grandfather wanted to make a point, he would make it into a story to hold my attention.  Here is a tale for you.   Imagine that you recently acquired a nice inheritance from your favorite Aunt Nellie.  A great home out in the country is brought to your attention and up for sale, so you decide to buy it.  Ah, life is good.  As you start getting comfortable in your new house, you decide to bring your priceless art collection, that Aunt Nellie willed to you, to show off your collection of w

A US federal executive order was issued on 1 May 2020 which proposes to “monitor and replace” any US power grid equipment made by its foreign adversaries.  Security professional said it would mainly affect Chinese-made products like electrical transformers.  The US Department of Energy (DOE) stated under the current US procurement rules, contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder when it comes to bulk power system procurement.  That creates a "vulnerability that can be exploited by those with ma