Tag Archive for: primary

Global ransomware attacks at an all-time high and the US is the primary target

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Global ransomware attacks are on the rise, according to a The study shows a massive surge from July 2022 to June 2023, with the United States bearing the brunt of these attacks. The organization noted that of the 1,900 reported ransomware attacks collected, over 43 percent originate in the U.S, an increase of 75 percent from last year’s findings.

Germany, France and the UK also experienced an uptick in deployed ransomware, but at a lower rate than the United States. The report details 48 separate ransomware groups that attacked American companies, governmental organizations and garden variety consumers during the aforementioned time period. Even worse? Healthcare and educational institutions were disproportionately impacted. For instance, dental insurer Managed Care of North America (MCNA) and the New York City Department of Education

It’s worth noting that the study conducted by Malwarebytes shows only reported incidents, so the actual number of attacks could be much higher than 1,900. The whole point of a ransomware attack is to, well, exact a ransom, so some organizations make the payout and keep things quiet.

What exactly is a ransomware attack? It’s malware expressly designed to deny users and organizations access to files on a computer. The software locks everything up tight and when you pay the ransom, you receive a decryption key to regain access to the files. It’s a digital shakedown.

The biggest global offender is a ransomware gang called Clop, long-suspected to The criminal organization has evolved in the past year, capitalizing on zero-day software vulnerabilities to amp up the scope of its attacks. Back in June, the group took advantage of one of these vulnerabilities in enterprise file transfer software to breach the servers of hundreds of companies, including the largest US pension fund.

Malwarebytes says this transition to zero-day software exploits, instead of phishing emails and virus-laden downloads, could “signal a change in the game” and explain the increase in reported incidents.

As for the rest of the world, France’s numbers doubled in the past year, with a disproportionate number of attacks levied at governmental institutions. The UK…

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Redistricting and security: Major changes in the primary for voters

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Before this primary election- West Virginia was one of only two states in the nation, along with New Hampshire, that had multimember districts. For the 2022 May primary voters will notice the change from 67 districts to 100 single-member districts, according to Secretary of State Mac Warner.

Mac Warner

“In the past we’ve had multi-member districts and the law was passed a couple of years ago and is going into effect this election for the first time. So that is one thing the clerks have been working very hard is to get those districts properly lined out,” Warner said.

Voters who were placed in an updated district/precinct should have received a postcard with updated voter information. Warner urges voters with questions to go to GoVoteWV.com to confirm your registration and polling location.

Experts said the change to single-member districts serve voters better because they’re smaller putting representatives are closer to constituents, voters have to learn about fewer candidates and candidates are required to make a connection with voters rather then blending in on the ballot.

One less congressional district

The next big change is West Virginia lost a congressional district following the 2020 United States Census. When the two districts combined to make the newly formed Second Congressional District it pits two incumbents- David McKinley and Alex Mooney- against each other for the primary along with several other Republican challengers.

Research America’s Rex Repass said polls show McKinley could be the incumbent squeezed out.

“Alex Mooney has a strong 15-point lead over David McKinley among likely Republican and Independent voters in the newly created Second Congressional District,” Repass said.

Also battling for the Republican nomination in the newly-formed Second Congressional District is Mike Seckman, Rhonda Hercules and Susan Bucsher-Lochocki.

On the Democrat side of the newly formed Second Congressional District ticket is former Morgantown city councilman Barry Wendel and Angela Dwyer, a security operations manager.

In the First District, incumbent Republican Carol Miller faces challengers Scott Fuller, James Houser, Zane Lawhorn and Kent Stevens. On…

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Ransomware still a primary threat as cybercriminals evolve tactics

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Trend Micro announced that it blocked 40.9 billion email threats, malicious files, and malicious URLs for customers in the first half of 2021, a 47% year-on-year increase.

ransomware primary threat

Ransomware remains primary threat in the first half of the year as cybercriminals continued to target big-name victims. Working with third parties to gain access to targeted networks, they used Advanced Persistent Threat tools and techniques to steal and encrypt victims’ data.

The banking industry was disproportionately affected, experiencing a 1,318% year-on-year increase in ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021.

Ransomware remained primary threat in H1 2021, but not the only one

Ransomware was a major threat to global organizations in the first half of 2021, but it was not the only one. The report also reveals:

  • Business email compromise (BEC) attacks increased by 4%, potentially as a result of new COVID-19 opportunities for threat actors.
  • Cryptocurrency miners became the most detected malware, having surged ahead of WannaCry and web shells in recent months.
  • The Zero Day Initiative detected 770 vulnerabilities, a slight (2%) drop from 1H 2020.
  • A total of 164 malicious apps related to COVID-19 scams were detected, 54% of which impersonated TikTok.

“The first step towards effectively mitigating cyber risk is understanding the scale, complexity, and specific characteristics of the threat landscape,” said Jon Clay, VP of threat intelligence for Trend Micro.

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VFEmail suffers ‘catastrophic’ attack, as hacker wipes email service’s primary and backup data

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VFEmail suffers 'catastrophic' attack, as hacker wipes email service's primary and backup data

There will be many angry customers of VFEmail who will be distraught at the thought that years’ worth of irreplaceable personal and business correspondence may have been wiped out. It’s understandable that some might turn their fury towards VFEmail.

But VFEmail is a victim too.

Graham Cluley