Content by Scott Ferguson

Exchange Hacks: How Will the Biden Administration Respond?

Scott Ferguson  •  March 15, 2021

As the Biden administration makes final preparations to respond to the attacks against SolarWinds, it's been confronted by a second major cyberthreat: the hacking of Microsoft Exchange servers throughout the U.S. The response to this incident, however, will likely be much different.

Relief Package Includes Less for Cybersecurity

Scott Ferguson  •  March 11, 2021

The $1.9 trillion economic relief package known as the American Rescue Plan, which the House approved Wednesday and President Biden signed Thursday afternoon, includes about $2 billion for cybersecurity and IT modernization, rather than the $10 billion the president originally proposed.

John McAfee Charged With Cryptocurrency Fraud

Scott Ferguson  •  March 8, 2021

Cybersecurity entrepreneur John McAfee, who already faces tax evasion charges, has now been indicted for allegedly using his vast social media following to run cryptocurrency pump-and-dump schemes as well as promote virtual currencies to investors without revealing his stake in them, federal prosecutors say.

Researchers Disclose More Malware Used in SolarWinds Attack

Scott Ferguson  •  March 4, 2021

Researchers with Microsoft and FireEye are disclosing additional malware used by the hacking group that targeted SolarWinds last December. These second-stage malware variants appear to have been deployed after organizations downloaded the "Sunburst" backdoor hidden in a software update.

Lesson From SolarWinds Attack: It's Time to Beef Up IAM

Scott Ferguson  •  March 4, 2021

The SolarWinds supply chain attack should prompt federal agencies and others to rethink how they approach security issues - especially identity and access management, according to a breakdown of the attack presented this week by NIST and CISA.

House SolarWinds Hearing Focuses on Updating Cyber Laws

Scott Ferguson  •  February 26, 2021

A pair of U.S. House committees held their first public hearings into the SolarWinds attack, with lawmakers and witnesses offering support for expanding federal cybersecurity laws to address the security failures. This includes a larger role for CISA to conduct threat hunting.

Senate SolarWinds Hearing: 4 Key Issues Raised

Scott Ferguson  •  February 24, 2021

The Senate Intelligence Committee's hearing about the supply chain attack that affected SolarWinds and dozens of other companies and federal agencies answered some questions about what went wrong but also raised four key issues.

US Marine Corps Looks to Expand Insider Threat Program

Scott Ferguson  •  February 23, 2021

The U.S. Marine Corps looks to expand its insider threat program and seeks proposals to include activity monitoring technology on its enterprise and classified networks. The goal is to give the Marines greater ability to monitor network traffic and stop insiders from exposing data.

Chinese Hacking Group 'Cloned' NSA Exploit Tool

Scott Ferguson  •  February 22, 2021

A Chinese hacking group reportedly "cloned" and deployed a zero-day exploit developed by the NSA's Equation Group before Microsoft patched the Windows flaw being exploited, according to Check Point Research. The analysis shows how some U.S. cyber weapons have been turned against their developers.

White House Preparing 'Executive Action' After SolarWinds Attack

Scott Ferguson  •  February 18, 2021

In an update on the investigation into the SolarWinds supply chain attack, Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger said the Biden administration is preparing "executive action" to address security shortcomings that have come to light.

3 North Koreans Indicted for Conspiring to Steal $1.3 Billion

Scott Ferguson  •  February 17, 2021

Three North Koreans have been indicted for allegedly taking part in a criminal conspiracy that attempted to steal or extort $1.3 billion in cryptocurrency and cash from banks and other organizations around the world, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Biden Assesses US Policies on China Cybersecurity Issues

Scott Ferguson  •  February 16, 2021

The Biden administration is reviewing former President Donald Trump's policies addressing potential national security and cybersecurity concerns about Chinese-owned companies as it develops new plans for dealing with a wide range of issues tied to China.

5 Critical Questions Raised by Water Treatment Facility Hack

Scott Ferguson  •  February 9, 2021

As the investigation into the hacking of a water treatment facility in Florida continues, cybersecurity experts say the incident points to the urgent need to enhance operational technology security. Here are five key questions the incident raises.

Mimecast Confirms SolarWinds Hackers Breached Company

Scott Ferguson  •  January 26, 2021

Email security vendor Mimecast confirmed Tuesday that the hackers responsible for the SolarWinds supply chain hack also breached the security firm's network to compromise a digital certificate that encrypts data that moves between some of the firm's products and Microsoft's servers.

SonicWall Investigating Zero-Day Attacks Against Its Products

Scott Ferguson  •  January 24, 2021

Security vendor SonicWall is investigating what the company calls a "coordinated attack" against its internal network by threat actors using a zero-day exploit within the company's remote access products. SonicWall is urging customers to apply temporary fixes to secure VPNs and gateways.