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3rd Party Risk Management

Is your Organization Suffering From Third-Party "Compliance Drift"?

Tony Howlett  •  December 13, 2019

Third-party vendors accessing your most critical systems and networks can also bring in security incidents along with all those wonderful things they promised in the sales presentation.

Encryption & Key Management

Visual Journal: Black Hat Europe 2019

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  December 12, 2019

Black Hat Europe returned to London last week, featuring two days of briefings covering topics from cryptography and breach response to exploit development and application security. Plus, a packed business hall offered technical demonstrations. Here are visual highlights of the event.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

Five Charged in $722 Million Cryptomining Ponzi Scheme

Scott Ferguson  •  December 11, 2019

The Justice Department has charged five individuals with running a high-tech Ponzi scheme that allegedly fleeced investors out of $722 million by falsely promising clients big returns as part of a cryptomining operation.

Endpoint Security

Intel Chips Vulnerable to 'Plundervolt' Attack

Jeremy Kirk  •  December 11, 2019

Intel issued a firmware update on Tuesday to mitigate an attack developed by researchers, dubbed Plundervolt, which uses voltage fluctuations to reveal secrets such as encryption keys. The findings are the latest bad news for Intel as researchers have dug deep into its chip architecture.

Endpoint Security

McAfee Considers Purchase of NortonLifeLock: Report

Akshaya Asokan  •  December 11, 2019

McAfee's ownership team is exploring a deal to acquire NortonLifeLock, the renamed, publicly traded firm that was formerly the consumer and small business security division of Symantec, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites "people familiar with the matter."

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Decryptor Bug Means Ryuk Victims Stuck in Ransomware Rut

Jeremy Kirk  •  December 10, 2019

Emsisoft has spotted a buggy decryptor for the Ryuk ransomware and developed a custom tool to fix it. But victims will still have to pay the ransom to recover files.

Encryption & Key Management

Quantum-Proof Cryptography: What Role Will It Play?

Suparna Goswami  •  December 10, 2019

CISOs need to begin investigating the use of quantum-proof cryptography to ensure security is maintained when extremely powerful quantum computers that can crack current encryption are implemented, says Professor Alexander Ling, principal investigator at the Center for Quantum Technologies in Singapore.

Governance

FTC Sanctions Defunct Cambridge Analytica: So What?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  December 9, 2019

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has sanctioned data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica for misusing Facebook users' personal details as part of voter-targeting campaigns. Just one problem: The firm declared bankruptcy in May 2018. Meanwhile, voter microtargeting continues unchecked.

Critical Infrastructure Security

How the Adversarial Mindset Is Making Cybersecurity Better

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  December 6, 2019

Applying offensive hacking expertise and a more adversarial mindset to better hone not just network defenses but also public policy is proving effective, says Jeff Moss, founder and creator of the Black Hat conference.

Endpoint Security

Analysis: Smart TV Risks

Nick Holland  •  December 6, 2019

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report offers an analysis of the FBI's security and privacy warnings about smart TVs. Also featured: discussions on the security of connected medical devices and strategies for fighting synthetic identity fraud.

Endpoint Security

Cybersecurity Defenders: Channel Your Adversary's Mindset

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  December 4, 2019

A clear theme Wednesday throughout the first day of the Black Hat Europe conference was the importance of approaching the design and defense of networks and systems by thinking like the enemy.

Endpoint Security

FBI Warns of Smart TV Dangers

Jeremy Kirk  •  December 4, 2019

The FBI has a new suspect in its sights, and there's one in nearly every home: smart TVs. It warns consumers to be wary because the devices can pose privacy and security threats - an unsecured smart TV could be the avenue hackers use to gain access to a home network.