Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

The August 4th compromise of Twilio via a targeted smishing attack has been a topic of wide concern and discussion on social media. My first thoughts on hearing of the attack were to virtually “pat myself down” with regard to exposure risk. Kind of like that feeling when you’re not sure if your car keys or wallet are in your pocket a few blocks after walking away from your parking space. Is my company affected by the breach? Did we receive a notification email from them?

The BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware is a complex threat written in Rust that appeared in November 2021. In this post, we describe a real engagement that we recently handled by giving details about the tools, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by this threat actor. Firstly, the attacker targeted an unpatched Microsoft Exchange server and successfully dropped webshells on the machine.

According to a Gartner report, 60 percent of organizations work with more than 1,000 third parties that connect to their internal systems, and nearly 58 percent of organizations believe they have incurred a vendor-related breach. Many third parties require more access to organization data assets and are increasingly working with their own third parties, further multiplying the size and complexity of the third-party network.

The concept of storing sensitive data in the cloud was once seen as ludicrous. Now, businesses are moving into cloud security at an exponential rate with the promise of larger storage space, lower costs, and improved performance. However, with such great benefits come severe risks.

In Spring 2022, Lincoln College announced that it would permanently close on May 13 and noted that a December 2021 ransomware attack had contributed to its closure.

When most people think about the origin of a cyberattack, the image is that of a hacker using some kind of exploit against software or hardware in order to gain unauthorized access to systems. The hacker is seeking data to exfiltrate and monetize, either through re-sale on the darknet or extortion through ransomware.

On August 4, the Institute for Security and Technology’s (IST) Ransomware Task Force (RTF) announced the release of its Blueprint for Ransomware Defense - a clear, actionable framework for ransomware mitigation, response, and recovery aimed at helping organizations navigate the growing frequency of attacks.

Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 prohibits the procurement or use of Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, or Dahua telecommunication and video surveillance products and services by federal agencies, government contractors, and the recipients of any federal grants or loans (this latter category includes many state and local governments).

In 2022, a lot of crime involves a digital element. The digital element can be anything from text messages to complex cyber attacks on organizational networks. If you're prosecuting, a digital forensics expert can help you build a stronger case by gathering and documenting evidence and testifying in court on their findings.

On June 8, an explosion took place at Freeport LNG’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Quintana, Texas. The company later explained that the explosion resulted from a rupture in an over-pressurized pipeline, but did not comment as to how the pressure built up enough to cause such a rupture. In the wake of the explosion, Freeport reported that the outage resulting from it would persist until September, after which the facility would only resume partial operations.