BlackCat is and has been one of the more prolific malware strains in recent years. Believed to be the successor of REvil, which has links to operators in Russia, it first was observed in the wild back in 2021, according to researchers. BlackCat is written in the Rust language, which offers better performance and efficiencies than other languages previously used. BlackCat is indiscriminate in how it targets its victims, which range from healthcare to entertainment industries.

We are excited to announce that KnowBe4 has been named a leader in the Winter 2024 G2 Grid Report for Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) for the PhishER platform for the eleventh consecutive quarter! The latest G2 Grid Report compares Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) Software vendors based on user reviews, customer satisfaction, popularity and market presence.

The latest consumer alert posted by the federal trade commission (FTC) signals that the upticks in QR code-based scams are being seen by cybersecurity vendors are indeed a valid growing problem. You won’t need to go very far before you find a QR code. Restaurants commonly use QR codes to point you to a menu, parking lots use them to point you to a website to pay for parking, and according to the FTC, scammers use them to engage you in scams.

Microsoft was the most impersonated brand last quarter, accounting for a third (33%) of all brand phishing attempts in October, November, and December 2023, according to Check Point’s Brand Phishing Report for Q4 2023. Check Point notes, “The technology sector stood out as the most targeted industry overall, with Amazon securing second place with 9% and Google in third at 8%.

Trained security awareness professionals are aware that whatever someone says about themselves and personal experiences can be used against them in a social engineering scam. It is always good to share that message, at least once a year with co-workers, family members, and friends. I was reminded of this latest news story discussing a recent Instagram and TikTok trend. Basically, users are sent (or send) a “survey” that asks the receiver to describe themselves.

Data lineage and data provenance are related terms, but different. Lineage focuses on the origins and movements of data over time, while provenance focuses on the transformations and derivations of data from original sources. Provenance helps teams to follow the source of data and verify its authenticity, surfacing any potential risks or vulnerabilities. In other words, lineage is more about “where” data travels, and provenance is more about the “what” of data history.

Today’s adversaries are moving faster than ever. With the quickest attacks happening in just 7 minutes, adversaries are compromising endpoints and moving laterally before security teams can respond.1 It’s critical for organizations to have the technology to stay ahead of them.

There’s a term to describe what happens to something that gets sucked into a black hole: “spaghettification.” The gravitational pull of a black hole is so forceful, that it is believed to stretch and compress objects into long thin shapes resembling spaghetti. SOC analysts spend their days trying to avoid being sucked into the black hole of overwhelming security events and alerts. They’re fighting to not be spaghettified.

Kubernetes Service Account tokens are exploited in many attack chain scenarios. Learn how to mitigate these risks and secure your Kubernetes clusters effectively.

Part of being a part of the cybersecurity industry means looking ahead to the future and anticipating what’s to come. For most of us, we should expect a 2024 that is largely dominated by AI discussion. With the cybersecurity industry growing rapidly, AI is at the forefront of every organization’s cyber plans and plays an integral role in all technological advances.