Articles Tagged with ''ransomware''

Faced with this ransomware onslaught, organizations of all kinds need to rethink how they protect themselves. Part of that rethink means merging the need to provide better privacy protection for their employees with the necessity to protect themselves from the consequences of a ransomware attack exposing both customer and employee data. With federal agencies signaling the possibility of fines for complying with ransomware demands and the liability from exposing personally identifiable data likely to rise significantly, not doing so will soon be too costly to consider.

Proactive cybersecurity programs include comprehensive activities that involve not only the IT and security teams, but also the CEO and boards of directors. Examples of key proactive activities include identifying risk tolerance, defining governance structures, and developing comprehensive security strategies. Throughout this article, we will review key domains where organizations can proactively fortify their cybersecurity measures. COVID-19 has increased threat activity and created unique changes — and increased risk — in IT environments. Now is the time to review some “quick hit” areas where you can bolster your cybersecurity and execute your winning strategy.

Carnival Corporation has disclosed that an Aug. 15 ransomware attack accessed the personal data of guests and employees of Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Seabourn. However, Carnival said there is a "a low likelihood of the data being misused."

Microsoft has taken action to disrupt a botnet called Trickbot, one of the world’s most infamous botnets and prolific distributors of ransomware. Trickbot has infected over a million computing devices around the world since late 2016. 

Coalition announced the results of its H1 2020 Cyber Insurance Claims Report. The report explores top cybersecurity trends and threats facing organizations today, in addition to data showing the impact of COVID-19 on cyber insurance claims. The report garners insights from the incidents reported across 25,000 small and midsize organizations.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) are releasing a joint Ransomware Guide meant to be a one-stop resource for stakeholders on how to be proactive and prevent these attacks from happening and also a detailed approach on how to respond to an attack and best resolve the cyber incident. CISA and MS-ISAC observed there are vast products and resources available, but very few that have them all in one place.

Security teams in the financial services sector are experiencing even more exacting demands as they defend their organizations in a world under a new and unexpected threat — a global pandemic, says a new Accenture report, "2020 Future Cyber Threats: The latest extreme but plausible threat scenarios in financial services."

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is issuing an advisory to alert companies that engage with victims of ransomware attacks of the potential sanctions risks for facilitating ransomware payments. This advisory highlights OFAC’s designations of malicious cyber actors and those who facilitate ransomware transactions under its cyber-related sanctions program.

Corporate enterprises and governments used to be the main targets of cyberattacks, but now any organization with an online presence is vulnerable. The surge in remote working due to the pandemic significantly increases risk as IT departments balance the demands of security, remote access and business continuity. Widespread use of new apps and solutions, credential sharing, unsecured Wi-Fi, weak passwords, lack of encryption and more provide cybercriminals with many opportunities to exploit gaps in security.