Banning ransomware payments is a simple, elegant idea, with the potential for terrible unintended consequences. It’s attractive because it would, if it worked, stop the incentive for ransomware. If you can’t get paid, what’s the point? Cyber crime is a business like any other. If the paying customers suddenly stop paying, it’s time to pivot…
The UK may not have a choice on a ransomware payment ban Read More »
Banning ransomware payments is the only viable deterrent to cyber criminal gangs in the long term. Recent attacks on the British Library, Boeing, and even government departments indicate the ongoing popularity of this brutal form of cyber attack. The most obvious point in favour of enacting a blanket ban on ransomware payments is that it…
Ransomware payment bans need universal buy-in Read More »
Software giant Microsoft revealed in mid-January 2024 that its systems were successfully infiltrated at the end of 2023 by Russia-backed hacking group Midnight Blizzard, as part of a coordinated and targeted information-gathering exercise. Microsoft confirmed the details of the attack in a statement published online on Friday 19 January 2024, where it revealed the attack…
Microsoft hack: Five questions enterprises should ask their IT leaders Read More »
The US government has succeeded in disrupting a botnet created by known Chinese threat actor Volt Typhoon that had paved the way for cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure (CNI) organisations across America and other countries. A security alert published by the US Office of Public Affairs confirmed Volt Typhoon, a hacking group sponsored by…
The rapid pace of digital transformation has increased operational efficiency and enhanced the customer experience – but it has also created a nightmare for CISOs. From mobile devices scattered across the globe, laptops accessing sensitive data from coffee shop Wi-Fi, to a myriad of IoT devices, the exponential increase in endpoints has greatly expanded the attack…
Decoding zero trust in endpoint security: A practical guide for CISOs Read More »
After so long spent doing virtual calls with customers during Covid, Microsoft’s president of identity and network access, Joy Chik, is happy to be on the road again, so much so that since flying into the UK a couple of days before our meeting in London, she has filled her diary with customer meetings despite…
The Security Interviews: Talking identity with Microsoft’s Joy Chik Read More »
Public services across the Na h-Eileanan Siar – the Outer Hebrides – in Scotland continue to be disrupted following a suspected ransomware attack on the IT systems of the local council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Writing on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, a spokesperson for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar said: “Access to Comhairle…
Suspected ransomware attack hits Scottish council Read More »
Google Cloud-backed threat intelligence specialist Mandiant has shared details of a disruptive incident late last year, in which the Sandworm advanced persistent threat (APT) group, backed by Russian’s GRU intelligence and special forces agency, deployed novel techniques in a cyber attack on Ukraine’s power infrastructure. Sandworm is well known for its interest in Ukraine’s critical…
Revealed: How Russia’s Sandworm ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure Read More »
The cyber security industry has done so well at detecting suspicious activity that may be a precursor to a ransomware attack, that when cyber criminals succeed in breaking into a victim’s network, they are deploying and executing their lockers quicker than ever before, according to data contained in Secureworks’ annual State of the Threat report.…
Ransomware dwell times now measured in hours, says Secureworks Read More »
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has created the first ever “rules of engagement” for civilian hackers operating in conflict zones. The ICRC said that while civilian hackers operating in armed conflicts is nothing new, the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine has pushed their involvement to “unprecedented proportions”. It warned in…
Red Cross issues rules of engagement for hackers in conflicts Read More »
