Cyber Security News & Trends – 01-17-20

This week, SonicWall experts explain why the Dustman attack likely originates from Iran, the NSA publishes a major exploit in Microsoft ECC Certs, and Emotet makes a return after a holiday-season break.

SonicWall Spotlight

Security Advisor January 2020 - Tahulwheltech

• SonicWall's VP for EMEA Sales, Terry Greer-King, sits down with Security Advisor Middle East, and sheds some light on how SonicWall has become a major cybersecurity player in the Enterprise space with a “direct touch” approach and unrivaled security innovations.

The US is Worried about Iran Retaliating with a Cyberattack – Vox

• As tensions between the US and Iran simmered in recent days, eyes have turned to Iran's arsenal of cyberattack capabilities. Speaking to Vox SonicWall CEO Bill Conner stresses that American businesses must use the situation to bolster their cyberdefenses.

Dustman Attack Underscores Iran's Cyber Capabilities – Dark Reading

• A malware known as Dustman attacked Bahrain's national oil company in a cyberattack in late December. SonicWall's Dmitiry Ayrapetov explains to Dark Reading why an Iran-backed group is likely the likely source of the attack as they investigate the attack.

Landry’s Malware Attack Highlights Need for Stronger Data Security – Channel Futures

• SonicWall CEO Bill Conner explains to Channel Futures that the recent attack on Landry's is just one of several attacks that should not even be happening because large companies have the budget to afford the best in cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity News

Cybersecurity Threats Call for a Global Response – IMF Blog

• The International Monetary Fund calls for a unified worldwide response to cyberthreats, listing four areas where the international community can come together to work better - understanding of the risks; improving collaboration; consistent regulatory approaches, and being ready for cyberattacks when they do happen.

60% of US politicians haven’t upgraded their cybersecurity since 2016 – MIT Technology Review

• Despite controversy over alleged cyberattacks in the 2016 US Presidential campaign, a new poll of 500 high-risk users found that 60% of them have not upgraded their cybersecurity in the intervening years.

Proof-of-Concept Exploits Published for the Microsoft-NSA Crypto bug – ZDNet

• Microsoft released a security update this week that includes a fix to a dangerous bug discovered and reported to them by the NSA. With the bug being described as "seriously, seriously bad" it only took 48 hours for two proof-of-concept exploits for the vulnerability to be published.

Unprotected Medical Systems Expose Data on Millions of Patients – SecurityWeek

• New research and analysis has found that hundreds of internet-connected and unprotected medical imaging systems worldwide are exposing data of millions of patients. The most badly affected country is the USA where over 800 institutions have been exposed.

Renewed Emotet Phishing Activity Targets UN, Government and Military Users – SC Magazine

• After a massive drop in attacks in December 2019, the Emotet botnet and banking trojan renewed attacks in January 2019, launching a massive phishing campaign targeting high profile organizations like the United Nations.

In Case You Missed It

• The Worst Cyberattacks and Data Breaches of 2019 – John Lynch
• Bett 2020: SonicWall Showcases Cybersecurity Solutions for Educational Institutions – David Peace
• Spear-Phishing Attacks Targeting Office 365 Users, SaaS Applications – Matt Brennan
• A Hard Study in Ransomware: Education Being Held Hostage – Brook Chelmo
• Smarter Cybersecurity: How SecOps Can Simplify Security Management, Oversight & Real-Time Decision-Making – Ken Dang
• 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Latest SonicWall NSa Firewall – Brook Chelmo