Stanford University is notifying 27,000 individuals that a ransomware attack claimed by the Russian-linked Akira cybercrime gang leaked their sensitive personal information.
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.
Starbucks has confirmed a data breach that leaked the personally identifiable information of its employees after a threat actor breached its business partner’s portal.
Iranian hackers linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security were responsible for the Los Angeles transit system breach that disrupted online services.
A warning has been issued for an expected state-sponsored cyber attack on Tokyo 2020 Games after uncovering some phishing emails made up to look as if they are coming from Olympic staff.
Australian organisations have fallen victim to cyber attacks that are believed to be state-sponsored, raising alarm about the vulnerability of the country’s critical infrastructure.
State-Sponsored Hackers Have Been Pushing Spyware Through Authorized Google Play Downloads for Years
Campaign run by a group of state-sponsored hackers appears to have been passing data-siphoning spyware through approved apps in Google Play Store for years.
South Korea's National Police Agency has revealed that state-sponsored North Korean hackers have been waging an all-out espionage campaign against the country's defense companies since at least 2022, and have lurked in the networks of some targets for over a year.
U.S. federal agencies and 15 U.S. allies warn of a state-sponsored Russian hacking campaign that targets critical infrastructure organizations using vulnerable and misconfigured routers.
Leading cybersecurity firm Mandiant believes that a notorious group of Russian hackers is behind a recent rash of attacks on water utilities in several countries, including the United States. On January 18 the group was able to induce a tank overflow at a Texas water treatment plant, and has made similar incursions in France and Poland.
New report from Allianz finds that cyber crime causes the most expensive insurance losses, but that internal failures are the most frequent overall reasons for cyber claims.










