Law enforcement’s impact on LockBit, how unpatched vulnerabilities contribute to ransomware attacks, and Earth Freybug deploys UNAPIMON malware.

Today, in the heart of London, I caught sight of a screen on platform four at Vauxhall train station. On it was displayed a busy illustration of the marvels of modern transportation: trains moving seamlessly across multiple lines; their positions, destinations, and tracks all displaying tightly orchestrated precision in real-time. It was a compelling depiction of the complexity of a public rail system on a small island–a tightly woven network where data integrity is paramount.

Today almost every organization outsources at least some part (if not many parts) of its operations to third parties. That means those organizations must govern the risks of those third parties — but obtaining the assurance you want from your third parties is a daunting task.

As communicated in January, Bitsight will conduct a ratings algorithm update (RAU) on July 10, 2024, as part of our ongoing efforts to optimize our methodology to provide the best external indicator of the performance of cybersecurity controls. Today, we’re excited to announce that our 2024 RAU is available to preview in the Bitsight applications.

When it comes to data management and disaster recovery, organizations continually seek innovative solutions to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and bolster resilience. While the standard out of the box tools work for most organizations, some need expanded control and capabilities. In these cases, centralized management is a logical solution that provides administrators with the ability to orchestrate complex IT environments from a single, unified interface.

Our healthcare client faced a security threat through PDF generation on their platform. We discovered a flaw that allowed harmful code to be included in PDFs, enabling us to access internal server files and services as well as obtaining AWS credentials. Taking proactive steps is vital to protect healthcare systems from such vulnerabilities.

Software development moves fast, and many application security teams struggle to keep up. More sophisticated agile, DevOps, and cloud practices, along with the growing use of AI, mean more agility for development teams. However, these innovations are a challenge for security teams, as they must move at this same speed in order to secure applications effectively. Application security posture management (ASPM) directly responds to these emerging challenges.

Identity Management Day occurs on the second Tuesday of April, April 9 this year. It was established by the Identity Defined Security Alliance in 2021 in collaboration with the National Cybersecurity Alliance. Its primary aim is to heighten awareness about the risks associated with the lax or incorrect handling of digital identities. Effective identity management practices help prevent identity theft, fraud, and data breaches, which can have devastating consequences for both individuals and organizations.

I have been in the cybersecurity industry for over 35 years and I am the author of 14 books and over 1,400 articles on cybersecurity. I regularly speak with thousands of cybersecurity practitioners each year. Nearly every day, I see (good) cybersecurity advice, but some of it is just a bit shy of what is needed…such as “Use MFA!”. That is good advice, but is not specific enough. It does not give enough detail. There is a slight adjustment needed to get the most benefit.