According to several recent media reports, malicious cyber actors have begun to utilize four new types of cyberattacks as part of their current destructive repertoire. The website www.databreachtoday.com noted that these new...more
On May 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a report entitled “Ransomware Trends in the HPH Sector” (HHS Report) that reviewed key cybersecurity threats and trends affecting the U.S....more
Last month, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a joint advisory providing “information on multiple...more
4/26/2022
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
FBI ,
Information Sharing ,
International Trade ,
Popular ,
Russia
The United States Congress recently passed legislation that includes new cybersecurity provisions requiring critical infrastructure providers to report cyber security incidents, including the payment of ransom, to the...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently warned private entities to remediate any ongoing Log4j vulnerabilities present within their networks or face possible enforcement action....more
The televised “thud” of explosions in Ukraine has an ominous but deceptively distant tone. For many organizations the hostilities are closer at hand, in the form of cyberattacks that could spread beyond the Russian-Ukrainian...more
The success of ransomware attacks in 2021 has only emboldened cyber threat actors around the globe to continue these nefarious attacks on innocent victims. Ransomware attacks are only going to be growing in 2022. This...more
2/17/2022
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Hackers ,
Phishing Scams ,
Popular ,
Ransomware
According to numerous government and media sources, malicious cyber actors are targeting a new “zero day” vulnerability on a massive scale. This vulnerability, referred to as “Log4j” or “Log4Shell,” has resulted in widespread...more
12/22/2021
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Hackers ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Popular ,
Risk Management ,
Software
On December 6, 2021, in the Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, the Office of Management and Budget took a more aggressive position on strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity posture. Under this...more
12/20/2021
/ Covered Entities ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
OMB ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Risk Management
Ransomware incidents continue to be on the rise, wreaking havoc for organizations globally. Ransomware attacks target an organization’s data or infrastructure, and, in exchange for releasing the captured data or...more
On July 2, 2021, Kaseya Ltd., a Florida-based firm that provides software tools to thousands of primarily small and mid-sized businesses, became the latest victim of a high-profile ransomware attack. The attack is believed to...more
There have been a rash of high-profile cyberattacks in the United States recently. Some of the more visible public attacks include SolarWinds, the Microsoft Exchange attack, Accellion, the Florida Water Treatment Plant and,...more
The year 2021 continues to reveal an alarming rise in ransomware attacks. Two of the most notable of such attacks include the ransomware attack on CNA Financial Corp., with resulting payment of $40 million in ransom, and the...more
6/17/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Financial Institutions ,
Hackers ,
Healthcare ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Ransomware
The Homeland and Cyber Threat Act (HACT) was introduced in the U.S. House on March 12, 2021. This bill would allow U.S. citizens to sue foreign governments, agents and officials and to collect monetary damages for personal...more
5/20/2021
/ Citizen Suits ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Foreign Agents ,
Foreign Governments ,
Foreign Official ,
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) ,
Hackers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Legislation
Disruptionware is an emerging type of cyberattack calculated not only to disrupt the availability, integrity and confidentiality of victims’ data, systems and networks, but also to interrupt or shut down the essential...more
Disruptionware attacks have become increasingly more common over the last few months. Just last month, I wrote about a dangerous disruptionware attack against a Florida Water Treatment Center that could have been a mass...more
5/13/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
Executive Orders ,
Hackers ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Supply Chain ,
Threat Management
On April 15, 2021, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued a report on the recent SolarWinds cyberattack. A copy of the report is available... NYDFS called the attack a “wake-up call” to regulated...more
As the COVID era drags on, it is clear that work life “post-COVID” may be very different from life “pre-COVID.” This is especially true as it relates to IT security. More and more employees have shifted to a telecommuting...more
1/15/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Multi-Factor Authentication ,
Network Security ,
Remote Working ,
Telecommuting ,
Virtual Private Networks
Earlier this week, Texas-based IT software vendor SolarWinds issued a critical security advisory, acknowledging that a “highly sophisticated” hacker had inserted a vulnerability in an updated version of SolarWinds’ Orion...more
It is estimated that by the end of 2020, there will be more than 50,000,000,000 (yes, billion) connected devices that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT). This is a five million percent increase in IoT devices over the...more
12/16/2020
/ Connected Items ,
Customers ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
End-Users ,
Hackers ,
Internet of Things ,
NIST ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Smart Devices ,
Software ,
Trump Administration
On October 28, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a...more
10/30/2020
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
FBI ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Malware ,
Public Health ,
Ransomware
On October 1, 2020, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an advisory to companies that pay a ransom in the wake of a cyberattack. Specifically, the advisory warned that...more
Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams have become increasingly commonplace and financially destructive. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 2019 was the worst year on record for BEC scams — both in terms...more
Over the past few months, I have written about the threat first identified by the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) called disruptionware. We have previously described what disruptionware is, how it...more
In the first blog in this series, we defined “Disruptionware” and showed how it was growing as a threat to many types of industries throughout the country and the world. The threat was especially noticeable within the...more