The new model as companies reopen after the pandemic is a hybrid, some days in the office and some days working from home. But working from home is not as secure as working in the office and ransomware attackers know that and have been taking advantage of it with ransomware attacks growing significantly.
Paying the ransom is not the end of the problems. It meant a second ransomware attack for 8 out of 10 companies.
Multi-Factor Authentication, MFA, has been publicized as much more secure than passwords alone. And it is. But only if deployed properly. Hackers have already found ways to bypass MFA in badly implemented cases.
Hackers have compromised the expensive exercise bikes commandeering the camera and microphone to spy on users. Adding to the problems, apps can be added that are infected and controlled by the hackers.
Security research firm Kaspersky found an Advanced Persistence Threat actor that has been operating in Iran with cyber surveillance of at least 6 years. The malware was designed to be used in Iran on services popular in Iran.
Cyber insurance is still necessary, but coverage is expected to change. AXA will no longer cover ransomware payments for companies in France. This trend is expected to spread.
A vulnerability in Fancy Product Designer, a WordPress plugin installed on over 17,000 websites has been discovered and is being actively exploited.
WordPress plugin being exploited
A new backdoor has been discovered in Windows systems. It collects live data from the compromised system. This malware has been broken down into parts that individually appear harmless making it difficult to detect.
From the good news department, researchers developed a computer processor that changes its architecture on the hopes of foiling many types of attacks.
Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard are two islands off the coast of Massachusetts that are major tourist spots. This attack is designed to coincide with the start of the tourist season, a major source of income to the islands.
Everyone has at least one tool on their computer. Yet breaches continue. Why? Cyber protective tools are necessary but are only one part of a holistic cyber protection plan.
Tools alone are not the answer
Many companies are using old software with major vulnerabilities. Companies may keep systems facing the internet up to date, but internal systems are something else. A recent survey showed outdated protocols in use at 9 out of 10 companies.
Out-of-date internal protocols aid cybercriminals
The move to the cloud was accelerated by the pandemic as way to cope with changing workloads, more remote users and other changes. It did help in many ways. In that rush cyber protections were missed resulting in breaches or information left visible without the need for a breach.
Multi-Cloud environments add to cyber vulnerabilities
The rapid transition to the cloud due to the pandemic imposed Work from Home shift gave rise to another major shift; cybercriminals’ focus on remote workers and their additional vulnerabilities.
Companies of all sizes are vulnerable to ransomware. The $40 million ransom shows the size of the ransom gets bigger as the victim size gets bigger.