Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

February 2024

7 Examples of Real-Life Data Breaches Caused by Insider Threats

Insiders know all the ins and outs of your organization’s infrastructure and cybersecurity tools. That’s why companies worldwide fall victim to numerous malicious and negligent insider security incidents every month, leading to data breaches and lots of other negative consequences. Such attacks may result in financial and reputational losses and might even lead to business disruption.

Fake Data Breaches: Why They Matter and 12 Ways to Deal with Them

As a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), you have the enormous responsibility to safeguard your organization’s data. If you’re like most CISOs, your worst fear is receiving a phone call in the middle of the night from one of your information security team members informing you that the company’s data is being sold on popular hacking forums.

SecurityScorecard 2024 Global Third-Party Cybersecurity Breach Report: Software supply chain is top target for ransomware groups

The SecurityScorecard Global Third-Party Breach Report uses the world’s largest proprietary risk and threat dataset to provide unique insights into the intricate web of supply chain vulnerabilities exploited by ransomware groups. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too do the tactics of cyber adversaries. Ransomware groups, in particular, have honed in on a prime target: the software supply chain.

What is PPP Loan Fraud?

When the pandemic hit in 2020, our world became chaotic overnight. Throughout the nation, individuals were met with layoffs or stringent checks—pushing the financials of families to their breaking points. Simultaneously, business organizations faced similar issues; because fewer bodies were allowed in the same area, production trickled to a minimum, niche clients limited their spending, and small businesses counted the days until their doors closed.

Data Breaches 101: What They Are And How To Prevent Them

A data breach could ruin your business overnight. Imagine customer outrage as hackers leak the private details your company promised to protect. Are you prepared to deal with regulatory fines, lawsuits, costly investigations, disrupted operations, and destroyed trust while cybercriminals profit freely from stolen data? That’s the harsh aftermath companies face today following high-profile breaches.

Data Breach at French Healthcare Payment Processor Puts 20 Million Policyholders at Risk

A single account being phished caused millions of French healthcare policyholder records to be breached. I’ve said it before… it only takes one phish. And in the case of French payment processor, Malakoff Humanis, a single click enabled a cyber attack was the catalyst for a data breach that occurred earlier this month, according to their post on LinkedIn (press See Translation for a localized version of the post).

How to Calculate the Cost of a Data Breach

The financial consequences of a data breach can impact your organization in unprecedented ways. Entailing costly remediation measures and reputational damage, data breaches often amount to substantial monetary losses. But what factors contribute to the overall cost of a data breach? Calculating the financial cost of a data breach is a tricky process that includes estimating the total cost associated with all the consequences.

Cementitious Vendor-CGM-Network Compromised by 315k Data Breach

Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, CGM is a nationwide cementitious vendor for industries and construction projects. They are a leader in manufacturing, labeling, and distributing custom cement and patching products. CGM also offers solutions for dry cementitious powders, construction liquids, and options for epoxy resins. At their physical facility, they process and package concrete construction products for their vast range of clients.

Chattanooga Heart Institute Updates on 2023 Network Cyber Attack

Patients with cardiovascular issues may appear in one of the Chattanooga Heart Institute (CHI) facilities in Tennessee and Georgia. The network features a substantial team of surgeons, specialists, and cardiologists. CHI provides a comprehensive approach to cardiac care, offering patients exceptional services when needed.

Oklahoma's Largest Non-Profit Health System Breached; 2.3 Million Exposures

INTEGRIS Health is the largest non-profit healthcare network in Oklahoma and surrounding regions. The network includes medical and surgical centers, hospitals, emergency rooms, hospice options, addiction recovery programs, and a holistic approach to health and wellness. In November 2023, Integris discovered suspicious activity within their network environment; subsequent investigations have confirmed they were the target of a cyberattack that exposed 2,385,646 individuals.

State Government Organization Network Breach: SafeBreach Coverage for US-CERT Alert (AA24-046A)

On February 15th, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) issued an advisory highlighting the results of their incident response investigation into a state government organization’s network whose sensitive data including host/user details and other pertinent metadata were posted to the dark web.

Bleeding Credit Unions Dry: The Story of Sloppy and Broken Operations

How vulnerable are credit unions, the bedrock of community finance, to rapidly advancing cyber threats? Very. Join CISO Global's Chris Clements, Tigran Safari, James Montagne, and special guest Iwona Karpeta as they discuss recent attacks against credit unions, how they responded, and how their customers were impacted. Speakers: Chris Clements is the VP of Solutions Architecture for CISO Global. Chris has spent more than two decades working in the information security field and has a wide range of experience, including business management, sales, product, and service delivery.

462k Hawaiians and Patients Exposed by Health Network Cyberattack

Navvis & Company is a comprehensive healthcare network throughout the US, including Hawaii. They offer scalable healthcare services that push patients towards their health and wellness goals while supporting providers’ roles to achieve those milestones. In the middle of last year, mid-July, Navvis experienced a cyberattack; their experts responded, but not before the assailants got away with 462,861 records—and that’s just from Hawaii.

Weekly Cybersecurity Recap February 16

This week was particularly active in Cybersecurity—attacks rained upon all states, from the Great Basin of Nevada to the Volcanoes of Hawaii. The week began with an announcement out of Texas: U.S. Renal Care found exposed information from a vendor breach in 2023, impacting over 132k patients. Connecticut College was also featured this week; investigations are ongoing, but victims shouldn’t wait to protect themselves. The public also got an update on the PJ&A data breach from 2023.

National Vascular Care Provider Confirms Cyber Attack; 348k Exposures

Azura Vascular Care operates a national network of health and wellness centers. They specialize in minimally invasive procedures and strive to treat vascular conditions in comfortable, out-patient settings. They offer healthcare in 25 states with multiple facilities and specialized teams. At the end of last year (2023), Azura discovered a threat actor within their network environment; officials removed the threat, but not before the criminals obtained 348k patient records.

Responding to the AnyDesk Security Breach with WatchGuard's Solutions

On February 2nd, the remote desktop application AnyDesk was the target of a cybersecurity breach, marking a significant event in digital security. Hackers infiltrated AnyDesk's production environment, sparking concerns over data integrity and user security.

Defending Against Modern Breaches: Lookout's Defense-in-Depth Solution

Today, cloud breaches happen in minutes. Not months. Attackers, with just the right login, can instantly access your data. To halt a breach, identifying and blocking data theft is essential. Prevention, however, begins with securing mobile devices. which are often unprotected, are highly susceptible to social engineering. Lookout adds depth to your defense with security that works at every turn. This includes blocking text messages that steal credentials and preventing compromised accounts from accessing your data. With Lookout, rest assured that your cloud data flows freely, and securely.

Connecticut College Announces Breach Investigations from March 2023

Connecticut College (CC) is a private campus institution in New London, CT; initially opened as a women’s college, the institution today serves a 2k-student population and offers more than 40 degree programs. In March 2023, cybercriminals victimized CC by accessing their network environment. Eleven months later, CC officials have begun sending impact notices to those with data exposed in the incident.

PJ&A Transcription Releases Update; 13.3 Million Exposures from 2023 Breaches

Perry Johnson & Associates (PJ&A) is a medical transcription organization based in Nevada. Since the public learned about PJ&A’s breach, we have featured it whenever large healthcare networks have announced data breaches stemming from their incident and when officials present updates. This week, more information is public about the incident, through the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

Random but Memorable - Episode 12.1: Data Breach Box Set with Jayson E Street

We're back! Join the podcast crew for a brand new season of random security. We're kicking off our first episode with notorious hacker and expert security consultant, Jayson E. Street. Settle in, as he recalls how understanding human behavior led him to successfully robbing banks and organizations on five different continents.

Massive Renal Care Network Announces Breach via HealthEC's 2023 Incident

U.S. Renal Care (Renal) is a 32-state, 400-location, 26k-patient healthcare provider primarily concerned with kidney disease and longevity; Renal offers in-facility and at-home dialysis solutions. Renal’s significant treatment network is made possible by various third-party vendors, from equipment solutions to transcription services.

Credit Union Struggles Following Ransomware; SSNs of 61k Stolen

The Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union has headquarters in West Virginia. Like other unions, they offer various services that assist members in saving and investing no matter their life phase. Bayer’s products include financial accounts, IRAs, investment options, and many loans, from estate to student. At the end of October 2023, Bayer reportedly experienced a cyberattack; the breach lasted only a day but exposed the Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of 61,159 borrowers.

Weekly Cybersecurity Recap February 9

This week, around 643k data records were announced as lost in the cyber wars. Early on, the public learned of HopSkipDrive’s event, which impacted 155k student guardians. The most significant breach of this week, with an impact figure of over 307k, also occurred early in the week; the Des Moines Orthopaedic Surgeon clinic claimed the incident was due to a vendor’s failure.

#100 - A tale of two breaches: examining the AnyDesk & Cloudflare incidents

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we take a close look at the AnyDesk and Cloudflare breaches that were both disclosed on February 2, 2024. AnyDesk, a prominent remote desktop software provider, disclosed a cyberattack late on February 2nd, causing the company to enforce strict security measures for nearly a week. Adversaries breached AnyDesk's systems, compromising vital assets such as source code and private code signing keys, and gaining unauthorized access to production systems.

Data Breach Outlook: Finance Surpasses Healthcare as Most Breached Industry in 2023

While businesses might have become more prepared for direct cyberattacks, 2023 demonstrated that unfortunately a business is only as secure as the organizations within their environment. Third-party risk, which is to say any risk to an organization by external parties in its ecosystem or supply chain, was the headline culprit in 2023.

Verizon Employee Data Compromised

Verizon is a top-performing communications organization with clients and influence worldwide. They offer various electronic services, including physical technology, Internet services, entertainment programs, communications plans, etc. They enjoy a user base of nearly 145 million people in the US, making them the largest telecoms operator in the states. Verizon recently announced a breach in mid-September 2023; however, the event was not from an external threat actor—it came from an employee.

Retirement & Life Insurance Provider Responds to Application Disruptions

Infosys McCamish Systems (IMS) is a subsidiary of Infosys, a global outsourcing organization. IMS is primarily concerned with delivering life insurance and retirement solutions for clients of Infosys. Among those who use IMS’ services are nationwide organizations, including Bank of America. In November 2023, IMS was made aware of a cyberattack on their systems; the attack disrupted some of IMS’ applications and compromised the information of 57,028 people.

Orthopaedic Surgeon Group Breached by Vendor Cyberattack; 307k Exposed

Des Moines Orthopaedic Surgeons, P.C. (DMOS) has three clinics throughout Iowa’s capital; they offer comprehensive solutions for ortho-care, from joints to extremities and MRI imaging to outpatient surgery. DMOS utilizes a variety of third-party vendors to serve their patients and the surrounding regions; almost a year ago, DMOS experienced a cybersecurity event through one of these vendors. The unauthorized actors broke into their system and compromised the information of 307,864 individuals.

Bankers Life-Retirement Solutions Provider-Faces Member Data Breach

Bankers Life and Casualty Company (Bankers) is a nationwide retirement solutions provider. Their services assist members in maintaining and stretching their retirement income, paying for health and treatment programs, finding excellent retirement care, and assisting families with final expenses. There are over 3,800 Bankers agents throughout the US, with most states having one or more physical branches.

Education Transport and Ride Share Organization Updates on 155k Breach

HopSkipDrive is an education solution that assists guardians with their unique transportation needs; from planning bus logistics to utilizing live ride-share options, HopSkipDrive is a family’s best resource for education transportation. In July 2023, HopSkipDrive received an email from an unknown actor, allegedly claiming that assailants exfiltrated information during a cyber attack.

GEICO Finds Employee Personal Data Exfiltrated via 2023 MOVEit Breach

The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) is a privately owned insurance group with 18 branches in the US. They provide insurance plans for all aspects of life, including auto, motorcycle, travel, pet, homeowner, renter, and jewelry options. GEICO employs over 38,000 people nationwide, many of whom receive discounted prices for their insurance. GEICO also offers dental insurance to its employees through Delta Dental of California (DDC) and affiliates.

Weekly Cybersecurity Recap February 2

This week started with a cyber event targeting a Californian insurance brokerage, Keenan & Associates; the assailants garnered over 1.5 million records from the attack. GEICO also announced data from their organization was compromised, although the breach didn’t happen through them; one of their vendors was hit by the global MOVEit event, exposing the data of over 70k employees and associates.