News

Credential Stuffing Attack Causes DraftKings Users to Lose Funds

It's always a good idea to routinely change your passwords, especially if you find yourself falling into the habit of using the same login password on every website you visit. Unfortunately for a number of users of the sports-betting website DraftKings, they learned this the hard way after the website suffered a Credential Stuffing account.

Massachusetts Announces New Cyber Security Initiatives

Last month, the State of Massachusetts made multiple announcements regarding Cybersecurity in the state. Firstly, they announced that more than $2.6 million has been allocated to fund the state's first two Cyber Security Operations Centers (SOC) and Cyber Ranges, which will be located at Bridgewater State University as well as Union Station in Springfield.

Ransomware Attack Hinders EMS Response in Texas

There was an extremely dangerous Ransomware incident last month in the state of Texas, as a cyberattack on EMS and ambulance company MedStar hindered their ability to respond to emergencies.

According to CBS News, the company detected "an active attack" that was targeted at their network.

Threat Actors Pivoting to Newer, Easier Methods

According to multiple cybersecurity firms, Ransomware groups are shifting their methods and corrupting files, to make recovery from an attack even harder.

Symantec found that an affiliate of a known ransomware group had started to use a tool, Infostealer.

Meta finds over 400 Apps Designed to Phish

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, revealed last month that they have identified and worked to take down "more than 400 malicious Android and iOS apps that target people across the Internet to steal their Facebook login information."

According to a blog post by their security team, these apps come in the form of "fun" apps, such as music players or cartoon editors, in order to trick unsuspecting users into downloading them.

Teenager Commits Two High-Profile Hacks Back-To-Back

A teenager has hacked both rideshare giant Uber and video game developer Rockstar Games back-to-back in what might be two of the highest-profile hacking incidents in 2022. On Thursday, September 15, employees at Uber found a message on their company's Slack channel, which allows instant text communication between teams.

MIT Sloan releases Report on Board-Level Organizational Cybersecurity

A new report released this month by MIT Sloan in collaboration with Proofpoint surveyed 600 board members at organizations across 12 countries about their thoughts on cybersecurity preparedness.

While 75% of respondents said that cybersecurity risks and impacts are understood by their boards, the report states that "Just under two-thirds of board members believe that their organization is at risk of a material cyber attack.

Executive Office Signs Lawmaker’s Extension of Small Business Innovation Grants

On Friday, September 30, President Biden signed into Law the "SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022," which, according to a press release on the White House's website, "which authorizes the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and six related pilot programs through Fiscal Year 2025."

“Passing this important bill gives our nation’s innovative small businesses and research institutions the certainty they need to continue developing the technology that will power the economy of tomorrow," said Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland).

It also codifies the requirement of agencies part of the program to assess "potential risk posed by program applicants' foreign ties.

Janet Jackson Song Caused Laptop Crashes

A somewhat funny but definitely bad news story came out last month that involved a popular song from the late 1980s. Raymond Chen, who has worked at Microsoft for a quarter-century, keeps a blog on their website called "The Old New Thing."

In a post dated August 16th, 2022, Chen recalled a story a colleague had told him about how one of the world's largest computer manufacturers had found out by accident that by playing Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" music video, several of their laptops would crash.

FY23 Spending Bills to Include Cybersecurity Increase

The United States House of Representatives has been working hard on preparing its FY23 spending bills, with an estimated $15.6 billion being earmarked for cybersecurity over the coming year. This would also include $417 million more for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) than the amount President Biden requested.