System hardening involves identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities across hardware, firmware, software, applications, passwords, and processes. Compatibility allows most applications to work smoothly, but securing a system requires additional steps known as system hardening best practices, which are crucial for protection against advanced threats. Microsoft emphasizes server security and provides comprehensive hardening techniques and best practices tailored to various platforms.

On June 17, 2024, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) disclosed a data breach impacting more than 200,000 clients, employees, and other individuals. The stolen data includes personal, medical and financial information. The DPH said the incident took place between February 19-20, 2024, was caused by a gang of cyber criminals who gained access to the log-in credentials of email accounts of 53 employees through a phishing email.

Every company has a digital presence nowadays. While this brings numerous benefits for businesses, it also poses a number of risks. Cybercriminals are finding more and more ways to circumvent security measures and access data. If protection is not strong enough, the data of organizations, their customers, and partners could be compromised, with dire consequences for companies.

As cyber threats continuously evolve, hackers are refining their attack tactics and the frequency of assaults. Over the past several years, 63% of Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts report the size of their attack surface has increased, according to Security Magazine. Similarly, our 2023 Threat Roundup research discovered the enterprise is experiencing 13 attacks every second.

LevelBlue Labs recently discovered a new highly evasive loader that is being delivered to specific targets through phishing attachments. A loader is a type of malware used to load second-stage payload malware onto a victim’s system. Due to the lack of previous samples observed in the wild, LevelBlue Labs has named this malware “SquidLoader,” given its clear efforts at decoy and evasion.

Healthcare organizations find themselves today at the forefront of a disturbing trend: a seemingly unending onslaught of data breaches. These nefarious incidents, far from being isolated occurrences, have emerged as a persistent and pervasive threat, one that demands immediate and comprehensive action to safeguard patient privacy and operational integrity.

The NIS2 Directive is the EU-wide legislation on cybersecurity that came into force in 2023, following rules introduced in 2016 (NIS). NIS2 expanded the scope of sectors and entities who need to (legally) comply with the framework. The increased scope aimed to cover the “most” critical sectors, which are vital for the economy and society, though are heavily reliant on IT.

The rising use of virtual environments (VEs) has transformed the ways we work, offering increased flexibility and accessibility. However, this shift also introduces new security challenges. Traditional security measures may not work as effectively in VEs, which creates an opportunity for insider threat actors to exploit vulnerabilities to steal sensitive data, disrupt critical systems, or commit fraud. This article reveals the importance of monitoring user activity in virtual environments.