Tag Archive for: crucial

The Vice Society Ransomware Gang Thrives in a Crucial Blind Spot

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Throughout 2021, Vice Society’s health care targets included Barlow Respiratory Hospital in California, Eskenazi Health in Indiana, Centre Hospitalier D’Arles in France, United Health Centers in California, and a dental company in Brazil. The group also attacked New Zealand’s Waikato District Health Board that summer, which, among other impacts, resulted in the cancellation of two Air New Zealand flights; the airline couldn’t obtain proof of negative Covid-19 tests for crew members because the health department’s digital systems were down.

Vice Society also targeted schools and universities in 2021 and seems to have favored this sector more and more as the United States and other countries devote more resources to ransomware enforcement and hone mitigation techniques. In the wake of high-profile 2021 attacks, like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident, prominent Russian-speaking actors faced infrastructure takedowns, indictments, and even rare Russian arrests for their brazen crimes. 

Vice Society may view education as a quieter and less well funded category where it can fly under the radar. For example, the group hit the Austrian Medical University of Innsbruck in June and Linn-Mar Community School District in Iowa at the beginning of August—neither of which many people would flag as major, obvious targets. The Bluets maternity hospital in Paris accused the group last week of a ransomware attack on its systems. Vice Society has not taken credit so far for the hack.

“They’re a perfect example of the success of mediocrity in the ransomware ecosystem,” says Claire Tills, a researcher for the security firm Tenable who has studied Vice Society’s tactics and organization. “You have the top-tier groups developing their own zero days and acting all polished and professional. But meanwhile, Vice Society is just chugging along, not really innovating, stealing tools from other folks, but they have just enough stability to launch attacks, get paid, keep moving.”

Researchers view the group’s attack on the Los Angeles Unified School District as significant because LAUSD is a major target, and it made more of a splash than most of Vice Society’s other hacks. Tills notes that the…

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SANS Institute Announces Training Program to Boost Crucial and Strategic Cybersecurity Skills in Dubai| APN News

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SANS Institute Announces Training Program to Boost Crucial and Strategic Cybersecurity Skills in Dubai

Published on January 27, 2022

SANS Dubai February 2022 calls on professionals to enhance and refresh their cyber knowledge

 SANS Institute, the global leader in cybersecurity training and certifications, has announced the SANS Dubai February 2022 training program, to be held from February 12th– 17th, 2022 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Waterfront. The interactive event, led by renowned cybersecurity practitioners, aims to equip participants with the knowledge required to protect organisations against security breaches, and build practical skills that can be put into immediate effect.

A vast majority of organisations in the United Arab Emirates have shifted to using cloud for their business needs with the acceleration of remote working due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this surge in hybrid workforces, it is essential that organisations invest in higher security measures to be put in place to prevent business disruption via cyber threats and ensure that the steps they take are in compliance with industry standards and regulations.

“The best way to ensure protection is from within, and the greatest defence comes from having an informed workforce,” states Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa at SANS Institute. “Investing in training programs and upskilling current employees is vital in the fight against cybercrime as it ensures proactive incident-response from a trusted team, rather than relying on external parties to protect your business.

“The digital world as we know it continues to change every day. Cloud platforms have changed how data is stored and accessed, and teams need to have calculated strategies in place to secure their critical information in line with these changes,” Baltagi adds.

The course content spans how to effectively locate, identify, and collect data from wherever it stored on cloud environments; develop and…

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Data Protection is crucial for country’s security : Bipin Rawat | Indiablooms

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Thiruvananthapuram/UNI: Highlighting the need to modernise the IT Act in the country, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Friday said ‘Data Protection’ is important for the country’s Security.

Stating that formulation of a Cyber Security Policy at the National level is in its final stage, Bipin Rawat said data security is essential for personal security and National security.

Gen Rawat said this while delivering the inaugural address at the 14th edition of ‘c0c0n-2021’, the annual Hacking and Cyber Security Briefing, hosted by the Kerala police in association with the Society for the Policing of Cyberspace( POLCYB ), a not-for-profit society based in British Columbia, Canada and Information Security Research Association (ISRA), a non-profit organisation.

During the COVID era, living conditions have been changed and more and more people switched over to Internet platforms, and subsequently the crime rate has also been multiplied, he underlined.

“As large number of people depend on online jobs, private data became publicly available leading to serious cyber crimes. Hence, all agencies should work together for ensuring cyber security.”

Appreciating the efforts of the Kerala Police for organizing the event, the Chief of Defence Staff said c0c0n has been gaining popularity for the past 13 years.

That proves the public’s confidence in Cyber Security Conferences, he said and wished that it would benefit more people.

Kerala DGP Anil Kant delivered the introductory speech. Manoj Abraham, ADGP and Vice Chairman c0c0n organizing committee, explained the features of the 14th Edition of c0c0n conference.

President of ISRA (Information Security Research Association) Mr Manu Zacharia -co-organizer of the c0c0n conference and Ms Bessie Pang, one of the founders and Executive Director of The Society For The Policing Of Cyberspace (POLCYB) also spoke during the Inaugral Ceremony.

Jeff Jarrett, WWE Hall of Fame & Professional Wrestling Promoter and Executive, attended as a Celebrity Guest.

Tech Mahindra Managing Director and CEO C.P. Gurnani also delivered keynote speeches on various topics.

The head of cyber security of the UAE government, Dr. Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Chairman…

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Why integrating SIEM tools is crucial to managing threats

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Maintaining cybersecurity for organizations has never been more complex; now that remote and hybrid work has become the norm, access to a company’s network is no longer limited to those within the physical building but extends to people connecting through insecure home networks and personal devices. These vulnerabilities can be identified by hackers and malware but often slip by undetected by common cybersecurity measures until it is too late.

SIEM tools

In many instances though, the integration of a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools with your existing cybersecurity software can help identify and mitigate malicious cyberattacks before they become catastrophic. Business leaders and managers who have integrated SIEMs to detect, analyze and respond to organizational threats – both external and internal – are already one step ahead.

SIEM tools, when integrated with other layers of security, can help flag anomalous behavior and potential issues in real time. This automated “extra set of eyes” uses machine learning to monitor data points and workflows across the organization, even as hacker tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) continue to evolve.

SIEMs can help any IT team, especially those in small- to medium-sized businesses with fewer staff, to avoid costly security breaches that sap time and productivity and can become a serious threat to the business. Because SIEMs are often scalable, the software can become a tremendous asset to security operations large and small.

In addition to the new remote workplace, several other factors and recent developments further complicate the daily monitoring of business networks. In most cases, installing SIEM software is the easiest way to manage this influx.

Take, for example, the IoT. The expanding world of connected devices that make up the IoT means potential points of entry to networks have increased exponentially. With the shift to remote work, the threat is amplified. The personal or family laptop, gaming device, tablet or even connected appliance that share the Wi-Fi network with a remote worker create security vulnerabilities that hackers and malware can target and exploit. An SIEM could immediately…

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