European Police Make Headway Against Darknet Drug Markets

David Perera • October 15, 2024

October has been a good month for European police agencies shutting down dark web marketplaces, with Dutch, Finnish and Swedish police announcing server seizures and suspect arrests. It's been more than a decade since Ross "Dread Pirate Roberts" Ulbricht initiated an era of online criminal bazaars.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Malicious Pixels: Criminals Revamp QR Code Phishing Attacks

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Cloud Security

Netskope Purchases Dasera to Strengthen Cloud Data Security

Michael Novinson • October 15, 2024

Netskope’s purchase of Desera enhances its data security posture management capabilities, enabling customers to secure both structured and unstructured data across cloud and on-premises environments. The integration will offer a platform for holistic data protection and security posture management.

Finance & Banking

Breach of Italian Prime Minister’s Bank Info Under Scrutiny

Akshaya Asokan • October 15, 2024

Intesa Sanpaolo bank of Italy this week told the country's data regulator that an employee - who has since been fired - accessed sensitive banking details of the country's prime minister and other politicians for years. The Italian Data Protection Authority is investigating the data breach.

Electronic Healthcare Records

UMC Recovers EHR; Other Systems Offline 3 Weeks Post-Attack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 15, 2024

Nearly three weeks after a ransomware attack, UMC Health System has restored electronic health records, but the Texas-based public health system is still working to recover other patient care IT systems. Nearby Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is still dealing with a related outage.

Digital Identity

2025 Is the Year of AI PCs; Are Businesses Onboard?

Yamini Kalra • October 15, 2024

AI PCs are expected to make up 43% of all PC shipments by 2025, from 17% in 2024. The demand for AI-powered laptops is forecast to outpace that for desktops, and by 2026, AI laptops will be the "only choice of laptop available to large businesses."

Application Security

Black Duck's Blueprint for Growth as an Independent Company

Michael Novinson • October 14, 2024

CEO Jason Schmitt explains the rationale behind the revival of the Black Duck brand following Francisco Partners and Clearlake's $2.1 billion acquisition and discusses the future of the company, focusing on profitable growth, application security challenges and the role of AI in code generation.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Most EU Nations to Miss Upcoming NIS2 Deadline

Akshaya Asokan • October 14, 2024

Most European countries are set to miss a trading bloc deadline for implementing a key cybersecurity regulation that requires measures such as mandatory security auditing for essential services such as hospitals and banks. Just six countries have integrated the NIS2 directive into national law.

3rd Party Risk Management

Revenue Cycle Vendor Notifying 400,000 Patients of Hack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 14, 2024

A Texas-based revenue cycle management firm is notifying about 400,000 individuals of a hacking incident it says originated with another third party. The incident is among a growing list of major breaches implicating vendors and cumulatively affecting tens of millions of patients so far this year.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

LLMs Fail Middle School Word Problems, Say Apple Researchers

Rashmi Ramesh • October 14, 2024

Cutting-edge large language models would fail eighth grade math, say artificial intelligence researchers at Apple - likely because AI is mimicking the process of reasoning rather than actually engaging in it. Researchers asked LLMs to solve math word problems.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Rhysida Leaks Nursing Home Data, Demands $1.5M From Axis

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 11, 2024

Ransomware gang Rhysida is threatening to dump data on the darkweb that belongs to a Colorado provider of mental health, substance abuse and other healthcare services unless it pays nearly $1.5 million. The group is leaking records it claims to have stolen from a Mississippi nursing home.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

ISMG Editors: Chinese Hackers Raise Stakes in Cyberespionage

Anna Delaney • October 11, 2024

In the latest weekly update, ISMG editors discussed the implications of the U.S. investigation into Chinese hackers targeting telecom wiretap systems, the catastrophic risks of AI and the recent veto of an AI safety bill in the U.S., and the latest global ransomware response guidance.

Attack Surface Management

Hackers Prowling for Unencrypted BIG-IP Cookies, Warns CISA

David Perera • October 11, 2024

Unencrypted cookies tied to a suite of secure gateway technology from F5 are gateways for hackers to reach internal devices on corporate networks, warns the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. BIG-IP uses persistent cookies as a traffic load-balancing convenience.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Regulating AI Catastophic Risk Isn't Easy

Rashmi Ramesh • October 11, 2024

An attempt by the California statehouse to tame the potential of artificial intelligence catastrophic risks hit a roadblock when Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the measure late last month. One obstacle is lack of a widely-accepted definition for "catastrophic" AI risks.