Privacy Fines: GDPR Sanctions in 2021 Exceeded $1 Billion

Mathew J. Schwartz • January 18, 2022

Privacy regulators in Europe last year imposed known fines totaling more than $1.2 billion under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, including two record-breaking sanctions, law firm DLA Piper finds. The total value of fines in 2021 was nearly a sevenfold increase from that seen in 2020.

Cybercrime

Google Buys Siemplify to Bolster Security Analytics Tools

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3rd Party Risk Management

Two Key Cybersecurity Lawmakers Will Not Seek Reelection

Dan Gunderman • January 19, 2022

In a span of just days, two prominent congressmen who have long advanced cybersecurity at the federal level announced that they will not be seeking reelection in 2022. Reps. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and John Katko, R-N.Y., will, however, pursue a cyber agenda throughout the remainder of their terms.

Application Security

Log4Shell Update: VMware Horizon Targeted

Prajeet Nair • January 19, 2022

Attackers have been actively targeting Log4j vulnerabilities, or Log4Shell, vulnerabilities in the servers of virtualization solution VMware Horizon to establish persistent access via web shells, according to an alert by the U.K. National Health Service.

Application Security

OpenSubtitles Data Breach Affected 6.7 Million Users

Mihir Bagwe • January 19, 2022

OpenSubtitles, a website providing free movie subtitles, confirmed to its users today that it had been hacked last August and the hacker had demanded a ransom to remain silent about the attack and to delete the leaked data. This data breach affected 6,783,158 users.

Critical Infrastructure Security

European Authorities Seize VPN Service Tied to Ransomware

Devon Warren-Kachelein • January 19, 2022

VPN Lab, known for its alleged wide use by ransomware threat actors, has been shut down. Fifteen servers associated with VPNLab.net were seized or disrupted based on multiple international investigations tying the VPN service provider to cybercrime operations, according to Europol.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

JPMorgan Chase Invests $12 Billion in Security Updates

Devon Warren-Kachelein • January 19, 2022

JPMorgan Chase will earmark $12 billion for technological updates - including cloud migration, upgrading legacy architecture, data strategy, and emerging technologies. About half of this budget will go toward security modernization, while the other half will be invested into digital innovation.

3rd Party Risk Management

Why SBOMs in the Healthcare IT Supply Chain Are Critical

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 19, 2022

Because healthcare IT environments are so complicated, it will become essential for all suppliers to provide and maintain a software bill of materials for their products to remain relevant, says Curt Miller of the Healthcare Supply Chain Association.

Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP)

McAfee Enterprise and FireEye Products Rebrand as Trellix

Mathew J. Schwartz • January 19, 2022

Endpoint detection and response software news: The entity formerly known as McAfee Enterprise and FireEye Products has a new name: Trellix. Think of a "security trellis to businesses across the globe, giving them support they need to keep them safe," says CEO Bryan Palma. Will customers and prospects buy in?

Electronic Healthcare Records

HHS Issues Trusted Health Data Exchange Governance Framework

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 18, 2022

Federal regulators have released the final versions of the long-awaited Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, which provide a governance framework to promote secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange - an effort that has been in the making for years.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

NSO Group Spyware Reportedly Used by Israeli Police Force

Dan Gunderman • January 18, 2022

Spyware from controversial Israeli firm NSO Group was reportedly used by the nation's civilian police force, according to a new report from an Israeli business publication. Its findings allege that the Israel Police conducted warrantless phone taps on Israeli politicians and activists, among others.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

New Chinese Threat Group Deals in Espionage and Theft

Mihir Bagwe • January 18, 2022

A new threat group linked to China, dubbed "Earth Lusca" by researchers, is not only running cyberespionage campaigns against governments around the globe, but also seeking financial gain.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

EU's Cyber Rapid Response Team on Standby for Ukraine

Prajeet Nair • January 18, 2022

After the defacement of multiple Ukrainian government websites last week and subsequent deployment of destructive malware against Ukraine over the weekend, Lithuanian officials have offered to deploy the EU's Cyber Rapid Response Team to help Ukraine deal with cyberattacks.

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

How 'The Great Resignation' Is Affecting Cybersecurity

Anna Delaney • January 18, 2022

People are leaving their jobs in droves during "The Great Resignation," and the cybersecurity industry is not immune to the trend. Mike Hamilton, the former CISO for the city of Seattle, warns organizations about the opportunities this presents for cybercriminals and outlines how employers can work to retain talent....