IT Security Newsletter

IT Security Newsletter - 8/31/2021

Written by Cadre | Tue, Aug 31, 2021

LockBit Gang to Publish 103GB of Bangkok Air Customer Data

The LockBit ransomware gang has apparently struck again, having purportedly stolen 103GB worth of files from Bangkok Airways and promising to release them tomorrow, on Tuesday. A Dark Web intelligence firm calling itself DarkTracer (apparently a separate intel firm than the better-known DarkTrace) tweeted a screen capture of a countdown clock from LockBit 2.0 that, as of Friday, showed four and a half days left. READ MORE...

Ransomware May Have Cost US Schools Over $6bn in 2020

Scores of ransomware attacks on US schools and colleges last year may have cost them over $6bn, according to a new report published today. Security testing site Comparitech analyzed the 77 attacks reported by educational institutions nationwide in 2020 and calculated the cost to these victims from estimated downtime and recovery time. Ransom costs are difficult to gauge given most schools kept their payments secret. READ MORE...

LockFile ransomware uses intermittent encryption to evade detection

A new ransomware threat called LockFile has been victimizing enterprises worldwide since July. Key to its success are a few new tricks that make it harder for anti-ransomware solutions to detect it. The threat uses what researchers from antivirus vendor Sophos call "intermittent encryption," meaning it only encrypts chunks of data inside a file instead of its complete contents. READ MORE...

'ProxyToken' Exchange Server Vulnerability Leads to Email Compromise

A vulnerability that Microsoft patched in Exchange Server earlier this year can allow attackers to set forwarding rules on target accounts and gain access to incoming emails. Tracked as CVE-2021-33766 and referred to as ProxyToken, the vulnerability has a severity rating of medium (CVSS score of 6.5). The security hole was identified by Le Xuan Tuyen of VNPT ISC, working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative (ZDI). READ MORE...

Vulnerabilities Can Allow Hackers to Disarm Fortress Home Security Systems

Researchers at cybersecurity firm Rapid7 have identified a couple of vulnerabilities that they claim can be exploited by hackers to remotely disarm one of the home security systems offered by Fortress Security Store. Fortress Security Store is a physical security solutions provider based in the United States. The company says thousands of consumers and businesses use its products. READ MORE...

  • ...in 1897, Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, an early movie viewing device that was the first to use a perforated film strip.
  • ...in 1920, the first news radio program is broadcast in Detroit, MI by amateur-licensed station 8MK, known today as WWJ 950.
  • ...in 1990, Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. become first father and son to play on same team simultaneously in professional baseball.
  • ...in 2006, Norwegian police recover Edvard Munch's famous painting "The Scream", which had been stolen two years prior.