The Kroll CTI team observed a campaign using a new malware that appears to be very similar to BABYSHARK, previously reported to have been developed and used by the APT group Kimsuky (KTA082). The malware was deployed as part of an attempted compromise that was detected and stopped by the Kroll Responder team. The activity started with exploitation of a recently addressed authentication bypass in the remote desktop software ScreenConnect, developed by ConnectWise.

In 2022, Gartner coined the term and concept of continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) — a five-stage approach that continuously exposes an organization’s networks, systems, and assets to simulated attacks to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses.

In the intricate realm of cybersecurity, the relentless surge of cyber threats demands a constant reassessment of defensive strategies. Amidst this dynamic landscape, a subtle yet indispensable player takes center stage — Security Configuration Management (SCM). This blog embarks on an insightful journey into the critical role played by SCM in the ongoing battle against cyberattacks, shedding light on its ability to pinpoint and rectify system misconfigurations.

In today's expanding cyber threat landscape, infiltrating a system goes beyond unauthorized access or malware installation. To achieve their ultimate objectives, cybercriminals need to maintain an undetected presence in the system or network to control or extract data according to their needs. Command and Control attacks, also known as C&C or C2 attacks, create a covert link between the compromised system and a C2 server.

Not that long ago, AI was generally seen as a futuristic idea that seemed like something out of a sci-fi film. Movies like Her and Ex Machina even warned us that AI could be a Pandora's box that, once opened, could have unexpected outcomes. How things have changed since then, thanks in large part to ChatGPT’s accessibility and adoption!

Despite best efforts to accommodate third-party risk management (TPRM) processes that correspond with increased use of third-party vendors, incident outcomes seem to grow as well. The 2023 global average cost of a data breach was USD $4.45M, a 2.3% year over year increase. In the United States, the average cost of a breach is higher at USD $9.48M.

There is enormous attention on generative AI (GenAI) and its potential to change software development. While the full impact of GenAI is yet to be known, organizations are eagerly vetting the technology and separating the hype from the real, pragmatic benefits. In parallel, software security professionals are closely watching the practical impact of GenAI and how application security testing (AST) must adapt as adoption increases.

As the digital age unfolds, we continue to see seismic increases — decade-to-decade, year-to-year, and even month-to-month — in the amount of data we create as well as its value to us, both individually and collectively. From medical records, financial statements, and classified government documents to transactional processing systems, customer information, social media engagements, pictures of our pets, and so much more, data is the lifeblood of modern society.

Some of the benefits of using passphrases are that they’re easy to remember, difficult for cybercriminals to crack and they’re considered to be more secure than traditional passwords because of poor password habits. Some of the disadvantages of using passphrases are that some websites and apps may have low character limits, it’s impossible to remember passphrases for every single one of your accounts and they’re still vulnerable to being exposed in public data breaches.