Cyber Security News & Trends – 03-22-19

This week, SonicWall’s Cyber Threat Report is just around the corner, Facebook stored passwords in a searchable format and a hacker sets off tornado sirens in Texas.

SonicWall Spotlight

Unmasking the Threats: A Preview of the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report – SonicWall Blog

• SonicWall’s Terri O'Leary previews the 2019 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, scheduled for release on March 26, including information about our upcoming Twitter chat.

Cyber Security News

Facebook Stored Millions of User Passwords in Plain, Readable Text - NPR

• Facebook stored hundreds of millions of user passwords in unencrypted and internally searchable plain text for years. The company says there are no signs of misuse of this data, and that the password logging was inadvertent.

How Hackers Pulled Off a $20 Million Mexican Bank Heist – Wired

• Flawed, unprotected and insecure network architecture allowed hackers to exploit the Mexican bank infrastructure and pull off a $20 million bank heist. This involved coordinating long distance communication, recruitment and training for hundreds of people but Wired reports that this was feasible because many would have been willing to work for less than $260 each.

Hacked Tornado Sirens Taken Offline in Two Texas Cities Ahead of Major Storm – ZDNet

• A hacker set off over 30 tornado emergency sirens in the middle of the night in two North Texas cities. "It has become evident that a person or persons with hostile intent deliberately targeted our combined outdoor warning siren network," Lancaster officials said in a statement.

Nielsen Warns US 'Not Prepared' for Foreign Cyberattacks – The Hill

• S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says that the U.S. “is not prepared” to handle hackers backed by other countries, warning that an attack by a nation state against the internet connected device of an "average private citizen" is not a fair fight.

New Europol Protocol Addresses Cross-Border Cyberattacks – Dark Reading

• The Council of the European Union has adopted a new EU Law Enforcement Emergency Response Protocol intended to prepare for, and protect from, large-scale, cross-border cyberattacks. It also aims to help law enforcement immediately respond to any cyberattacks that do happen.

Aluminum Maker Hydro Battles to Contain Ransomware Attack – Reuters

• One of the largest aluminum producers had to shut down several of its plants to contain a ransomware attack after they were infected by a malware known as LockerGoga. The company say its intention is to restore encrypted files rather than pay the ransom.

DDoS Attack Size Drops 85% in Q4 2018 – Dark Reading

• The average denial-of-service (DDoS) attack size shrunk 85% in the fourth quarter of 2018 following an FBI takedown of DDoS-for-hire websites in December 2018. Researchers believe that this decline is likely only to be temporary because the downed websites served as payment gateways rather than as the technology used to launch the attacks.

MyPillow and Amerisleep Wake up to Magecart Card Theft Nightmare – ZDNet

• Hundreds of Magecart incidents are thought to occur daily but two U.S. mattress and bedding merchants are thought to have not acknowledged major attacks on their websites going as far back as 2017; attacks that may still be ongoing.

In Case You Missed It

• Wireless Security, Wi-Fi Management Hot Topics at RSA Conference 2019 – Srudi Dineshan
• SonicWall Now a California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) Vendor - Nicole Landfield
• New Spoiler Side-Channel Attack Threatens Processors, Mitigated by SonicWall RTDMI - Brook Chelmo
• Eight New Ways the SonicWall Capture Cloud Platform Protects Businesses - Bill Conner
• Modern SaaS Security: How to Secure Email, Data, User Access in the Age of Cloud Apps - Ganesh Umapathy
• Easier Wi-Fi Planning, Security & Management from the Cloud – Srudi Dineshan