Content by Mathew J. Schwartz

Cyber Insurer Sees Remote Access, Cloud Databases Under Fire

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 3, 2023

Criminals lately have been prioritizing two types of attacks: exploiting Remote Desktop Protocol and penetrating cloud databases. So warns cyber insurer Coalition, based on analyzing in-the-wild attacks seen in 2022 via underwriting and claims data, scans of IP addresses and honeypots.

Ransomware Gang Stole Customer Data, Arnold Clark Confirms

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 2, 2023

Christmastime was bleak for a number of organizations in Britain that got hit with ransomware, including car dealership giant Arnold Clark, which originally reported that no customer data had been stolen. But the business subsequently revised its assessment, after attackers dumped stolen data.

White House Mulls Banning Huawei's Access to US Technology

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 1, 2023

Chinese technology firms could be completely banned from buying U.S.-built technology under export control restrictions being mulled by the White House, which has already restricted access to the advanced semiconductors Beijing needs to realize its large-scale artificial intelligence ambitions.

Will Hive Stay Kaput After FBI Busts Infrastructure?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 31, 2023

What's not to love about an international law enforcement operation visiting disruption on Hive, the ransomware-wielding crime syndicate? But with no suspects in jail, it's unclear how long this takedown might stick before the bad guys reboot or rebrand.

JD Sports Details Data Breach Affecting 10 Million Customers

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 30, 2023

JD Sports, a sports fashion retailer with global operations, says personal details pertaining to about 10 million online customers of JD Sports and its Size?, Millets, Blacks, Scotts and MilletSport brands from 2018 to 2020 have been stolen by attackers and warns customers to beware of scammers.

Targets of Opportunity: How Ransomware Groups Find Victims

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 27, 2023

As ransomware continues to pummel numerous sectors, and lately especially the manufacturing industry, how does any given organization end up becoming a target or victim? Cybercrime watchers say the answer involves initial access brokers, botnets, targets of opportunity and, above all, profit.

Ukraine's Critical Sectors Targeted in Phishing Attack Surge

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 26, 2023

While Russian military forces and allied groups continue to pummel Ukrainian targets with online attacks, security experts tracked a phishing and malware surge at the end of 2022, even as U.S. intelligence said the war was running at a "reduced tempo."

Reported Data Breaches in US Reach Near-Record Highs

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 25, 2023

Data breaches in 2022 hit near-record levels as U.S. organizations issued 1,802 data breach notifications and more than 400 million individuals were affected. But only 34% of breach notifications included actionable information for consumers whose information was exposed.

Microsoft 365 Cloud Service Outage Disrupts Users Worldwide

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 25, 2023

Microsoft blamed an internal network configuration change for outages that disrupted access to Microsoft 365 services, including Microsoft Teams and Outlook, for users around the world. The change has been rolled back and additional infrastructure added to speed restoration, it says.

Ransomware Profits Dip as Fewer Victims Pay Extortion

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 23, 2023

Bad news for ransomware groups: Experts find it's getting tougher to earn a crypto-locking payday at the expense of others. The bad guys can blame a move by law enforcement to better support victims, and more organizations having robust defenses in place, which makes them tougher to take down.

Hostile Takeover: Kraken Hacks Rival Darknet Market Solaris

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 20, 2023

Competition between rival Russian-language darknet markets remains fierce since police shuttered Hydra last year. The latest to fall dark is Solaris, which controlled an estimated 25% of the darknet drug trade. It got hacked by newcomer rival Kraken. But that wasn't Solaris' only problem.

Victims' Known Ransom Payments to Ransomware Groups Decline

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 19, 2023

The total amount of ransom payments being sent by victims to ransomware groups appears to have taken a big dip, declining by 40% from $766 million in 2021 to $457 million in 2022 due to victims simply being unwilling to pay, blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis reports.

Lessons to Learn From CircleCI's Breach Investigation

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 19, 2023

Essential reading for network defenders: CircleCI's report into its recent breach, which began when malware infected an engineer's laptop. After stealing "a valid, 2FA-backed" single sign-on session cookie, attackers stole customers' secrets and gained unauthorized access to third-party systems.

Ransomware Picture: Volume of Known Attacks Remains Constant

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 18, 2023

Ransomware syndicates continue to earn massive profits for criminals while disrupting victims' operations worldwide. Security researchers tracking known victims say their numbers remain unchanged from 2021 to 2022, as attackers tap abundant cybercrime services to help amass fresh victims.

Privacy Fines: GDPR Sanctions Last Year Surged to $3 Billion

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 17, 2023

European data protection regulators last year imposed known privacy and data breach fines under GDPR collectively worth at least 2.9 billion euros, or $3.1 billion, which was more than double the value of fines issued in 2020, reports law firm DLA Piper.