Cyber Security News & Trends – 01-11-19

Adware apps downloaded by millions, German politicians have their data leaked, and how is the government shutdown affecting cybersecurity? SonicWall has collected this week’s best cybersecurity stories, just for you.

SonicWall Spotlight

What Is Driving the Workforce of the Future? – IT News Africa

• SonicWall threat data is used to examine the potential dangers of a workforce dependent on the Internet of Things and 5G mobile connection.

Cyber Security News

German Man Confesses to Hacking Politicians’ Data, Officials Say – New York Times

• The December leak of the personal information of German politicians was carried out by a young German student who used very basic techniques like guessing the passwords. The authorities are treating him as a juvenile and he has been released while the investigation is ongoing.

Google Removes 85 Adware Apps That Were Installed by Millions of Users – ZDNet

• Google removed 85 apps from the Play Store after complaints that they were blatantly adware where every page on the apps triggered a full screen advert. At the time of removal one of the apps had already been downloaded over five million times.

Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Over Marriott Data Breach – Washington Times

• 76 plaintiffs from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are suing Marriott International Inc. in federal court over the data breach in 2018 that saw millions of people's data released.

Who Should Be Responsible for Protecting Our Personal Data? – World Economic Forum

• The World Economic Forum explores the growing cybersecurity challenges that are presented by the fact that 89% of Americans and 70% of Europeans use the internet daily, and half the world's population is online in some way. They ask if governments are reacting fast enough to the changes and if cybersecurity is a personal or public responsibility.

Zeroday Exploit Prices Are Higher Than Ever, Especially for iOS and Messaging Apps – ArsTechnica

• The going rate for a zero-day jailbreak for Apple's iOS is currently as high as $2 million. That’s the highest end of the scale but the market for exploits has been going higher and higher with no sign of leveling off.

U.S. Initiative Warns Firms of Hacking by China, Other Countries – Reuters

• A new initiative by The National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center (NCSC) has been launched, aimed with improving cybersecurity in U.S. companies. Videos, brochures, and online informational materials have all been made available in an attempt to address ongoing concerns that many companies are not currently doing enough to protect themselves from cyberthreats.

Cybersecurity May Suffer as Shutdown Persists – Roll Call

• The partial government shutdown may be leaving departments open to cybersecurity risks since many of the shutdown departments are on the "hit-list for hackers." As more time passes there is a fear that minor setbacks may become irreversible.

This Old Ransomware Is Using an Unpleasant New Trick to Try and Make You Pay Up – ZDNet

• First spotted in 2016, Cryptomix is a ransomware that seemed to have disappeared until it was rediscovered recently with a new distasteful trick; using information scraped from children's charity organizations to make it seem like the ransom payment will be used to help people in need.

  The Cybersecurity Skills Shortage Is Getting Worse – CSO Online

• With 53 percent of respondents of one survey reporting a problematic shortage of people with the right skills, the cybersecurity job situation is seen by some as actively getting worse rather than better. CSO Online recommend massive federal leadership, a more thorough public/private partnership and an integrated industry effort to solve the problem.

In Case You Missed It

• 2018 Holiday Cyber Threat Data: Final Analysis Shows Big Ransomware Spikes in US, UK - John Gordineer
• 4 Security Predictions for MSSPs in 2019 – Brook Chelmo
• Is 802.11ax Going Away? And What is Wi-Fi 6? – Srudi Dineshan
• Video: Why Layered Security Matters – Geoff Blaine
• NRF 2019: Join SonicWall at the ‘Big Show’ – Nicole Landfield