- Sri Lanka: Report called over cyberattack on government sites
September 13, 2023
The Ministry of Technology said an investigation was called into the cyberattack that transpired on the 26th of August 2023. The statement added that the cyberattack, which targeted email systems under the ‘gov.lk’ domain, resulted in substantial data loss and a disruption of communications within various state offices. It stated that the ICTA disclosed that this ...
- A peek into APT36’s updated arsenal
September 12, 2023
In July 2023, Zscaler ThreatLabz discovered new malicious activity perpetuated by the Pakistan-based advanced persistent threat group (APT36). APT36 is a sophisticated cyber threat group with a history of conducting targeted espionage operations in South Asia. Zscaler ThreatLabz observed APT36 targeting Indian government sectors using a previously undocumented Windows RAT, new cyber espionage utilities for ...
- Analyzing Cuba ransomware
September 11, 2023
The group’s offensives first got on Kaspersky researchers radar in late 2020. Back then, the cybercriminals had not yet adopted the moniker “Cuba”; they were known as “Tropical Scorpius”. Cuba mostly targets organizations in the United States, Canada and Europe. The gang has scored a series of resonant attacks on oil companies, financial services, government ...
- Storm-0558: Understanding How Microsoft Failed to Protect Itself
September 7, 2023
You’re undoubtedly familiar with the so-called Storm-0558 attacks from July 2023. If not a quick recap: these attacks (widely attributed as the work of the Chinese government) compromised a number of high-value Exchange Online mailboxes, including the US Secretary of Commerce and the US Ambassador to China. Given the sensitivity of the mailboxes, it’s likely ...
- Apple shares fall after China reportedly bans iPhone use by government officials
September 7, 2023
Apple stocks fell after China reportedly banned officials at central government agencies from using or bringing iPhones and other foreign-branded devices into the office. In recent weeks, Chinese officials were given the instructions by their superiors in workplace chat groups or meetings, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that it wasn’t clear how widely the orders ...
- South Africa: Unprecedented cyber attacks target government entities
September 5, 2023
The incidence of spyware attacks has shown a significant surge of over 20% within South Africa with regard to 2023. The majority of these reported attacks have been concentrated on governmental websites and systems, thereby potentially engendering substantial instability to the national security framework of South Africa. The foundational principle of national security mandates that a ...
- UK: Electoral Commission failed basic security test before hack
September 5, 2023
The Electoral Commission has confirmed it failed a basic cyber-security test around the same time hackers gained entry to the organisation. A whistleblower told the BBC that the Commission was given an automatic fail during a Cyber Essentials audit. Last month the Commission revealed that “hostile actors” accessed its emails and potentially the data of 40 ...
- Earth Estries Targets Government, Tech for Cyberespionage
August 30, 2023
Earlier this year, Trend Micro researchers discovered a new cyberespionage campaign by a hacker group we named Earth Estries. Based on their observations, Earth Estries has been active since at least 2020. The researchers also found some overlaps between the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by Earth Estries and those used by another advanced ...
- Russian and Chinese cyber attack on Foreign Office was kept secret from public
August 12, 2023
Hackers from Russia and China infiltrated the Foreign Office’s emails and internal messages without the public’s knowledge, it has been revealed. The major security breach meant cyber attackers were able to see the day-to-day business of the government department in 2021. The cyber attacks were enabled because a Foreign Office staff member ‘probably accidentally’ downloaded malware ...
- UK Elections watchdog targeted by cyber attack which left voters’ details exposed
August 8, 2023
Details of tens of millions of voters could have been accessed by hackers who targeted the elections watchdog. The Electoral Commission revealed on Tuesday it was targeted by a cyber attack which allowed “hostile actors” to access electoral registers. The hack allowed the attackers to access reference copies of electoral registers which contained the name and addresses ...
- Capita shares plummet 11 per cent as contractor reveals cyber attack cost £25m
August 4, 2023
Capita shares in slumped 11.4 per cent on Friday morning after it said a recent data breach could cost it up to £25m. The government contractor, which provides data and IT outsourcing processes, said this morning it expects a major cyber attack in March could cost it £20-25m, as an investigation nears its close. Read more… Source: City ...
- Estonian state continuing to collect personal telecoms data
August 4, 2023
Obtaining data from telecoms firms in the course of criminal investigations in Estonia still goes on, despite stricter limits put in place by the European Union from last year. In April 2022, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) found that the wholesale storage of personal data, even in the interests of fighting crime, runs counter to ...
- FBI was using advanced hacking software despite White House ban
August 2, 2023
Since November of 2021, US-based companies have been barred from doing business with the NSO Group, an Israeli research firm behind some of the most advanced hacking tools the tech world has ever seen. Come to find out, a New York Times investigation from this past April revealed that a US government agency was actively using ...
- Kenya reports cyber attacks causing government system outages
July 28, 2023
Cyber attackers targeted a digital platform used by Kenya’s government to deliver services, the country’s technology minister said, highlighting the vulnerabilities of the system. The attack on the e-Citizen platform in recent days caused system outages that left users unable to access a broad range of government services, ranging from passport applications to electricity payments. Some ...
- Norway government ministries hit by cyber attack
July 24, 2023
Norwegian authorities reported a cyber attack of unknown origin against 12 government ministries on Monday. “We have uncovered a previously unknown vulnerability in the software of one of our suppliers,” said Erik Hope, director of the Norwegian ministries’ security and service organisation, in a press statement. “This vulnerability has been exploited by an unknown actor. We ...
- US ambassador to China and high level diplomat in East Asia targeted in recent cyberattack
July 21, 2023
The U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, and the State Department’s Assistant Secretary for East Asia Daniel Kritenbrink’s email accounts were breached by China-based hackers in the massive cyberattack that began in May and was discovered in mid-June, according to U.S. officials familiar with the investigation into the matter. The hackers are not believed to have ...
- Seven AI companies commit to safeguards at the White House’s request
July 21, 2023
Microsoft, Google and OpenAI are among the leaders in the US artificial intelligence space that have committed to certain safeguards for their technology, following a push from the White House. The companies will voluntarily agree to abide by a number of principles though the agreement will expire when Congress passes legislation to regulate AI. Read more… Source: Engadget
- US energy department, other agencies hit in global hacking spree
July 16, 2023
The U.S. Department of Energy and several other federal agencies were hit in a global hacking campaign that exploited a vulnerability in widely used file-transfer software, officials said on Thursday. Data was “compromised” at two entities within the energy department when hackers gained access through a security flaw in MOVEit Transfer, the department said in a ...
- Cyber attack hits South Korean government institution, $135,000 lost
July 16, 2023
According to Korean media reports, the Institute for Startup Promotion, operating under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, transferred 175 million won (135,000 USD) to an overseas criminal group after being tricked by a sophisticated e-mail phishing scheme. The unfortunate event serves as a stern reminder of the increasing need for enhanced cybersecurity measures in both ...
- Victorian government documents released on dark web after cyber attack
July 14, 2023
Victorian government legal files have been released on the dark web by criminals after a major cyber attack on law firm HWL Ebsworth. Victoria’s Chief Information Security Officer David Cullen on Friday said HWL Ebsworth had confirmed government information had been posted. The law firm was hit by a cyber incident in late April when information ...