The FBI and IC3’s recently released 2020 Internet Crime Report reveals that complaints of cyber crime nearly doubled from 2019, hitting an all-time record total of 791,790.
Cyber Security
Cyber criminals, state-sponsored hackers and even the occasional disgruntled employee are constantly looking to gain unauthorized access for a variety of purposes: theft of money, cyber espionage, personal information for sale or for use in scams, and damage to critical infrastructure for just a few of the most common.
So how does an organization mitigate an entire world full of continual cyber attacks? Just as buildings have a number of necessary elements of physical security: access control, cameras, alarms and so on; there are similar key elements of cyber security that are absolutely vital for just about any modern business.
It starts with identifying and closing the most common doors that attackers use. For example, phishing attacks on employees are far and away the most common initial point of entry. The breach of even a low-level employee account can quickly turn into an escalation in access privileges and the ability to reach sensitive information. This is also true of smart devices, which are generally more poorly secured than computers and phones.
Describing cyber threats as one of its primary challenges, the FBI is asking for an additional $64 million in 2024 to add 192 new positions and improve its cyber capabilities. Much of the budget request focuses on the looming threat that China poses.
The FBI confirmed that North Korea’s state-sponsored hacking group Lazarus carried out the $100 million Horizon bridge crypto theft. The agency said it successfully stopped the transfer of some stolen assets and subsequently published wallet addresses with purloined cryptocurrencies.
Ransomware attacks are potentially very damaging But there are far more serious threats according to FBI’s Cybercrime Report. It’s your email that’s the issue.
The FBI and its European partner law enforcement agencies have dismantled the cybercrime infrastructure of the Radar/Dispossessor ransomware group, a LockBit knockoff.
FBI warned of increased Conti ransomware attacks against the healthcare system and first responder networks At least 16 organizations were targeted.
Recent FBI Flash notification warns that 52 critical infrastructure firms have been hit by Ragnar Locker ransomware as of January 2022 and remains a serious threat, with considerable penetration among critical infrastructure companies.
The FBI says Americans lost billions from the record number one million complaints of online scams and investment fraud schemes reported during the pandemic.
A little over half of the $4.4 million Colonial Pipeline ransomware payment has been recovered by the FBI, and in the process some questions about the source of the attack may have been answered.
The FBI obtained a court order to remove hackers’ web shells from the still-compromised Microsoft Exchange servers without informing the owners until the operation was concluded.










