Content by Scott Ferguson

US Warns Nation-State Groups May Exploit Flaw in Zoho Tool

Scott Ferguson  •  September 17, 2021

CISA, the FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command warn users of Zoho Corp.'s single sign-on and password management tool to patch for a vulnerability that nation-state groups may look to exploit. Attackers could use the bug to compromise credentials and exfiltrate data from Active Directory.

Republican Governors Association Targeted in Exchange Attacks

Scott Ferguson  •  September 16, 2021

The Republican Governors Association was one of several U.S. organizations targeted in March when a nation-state group took advantage of vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange email servers, according to a breach notification letter filed with Maine authorities. It appears some PII was exposed.

House Committees Seek to Spend Millions on Cybersecurity

Scott Ferguson  •  September 15, 2021

A pair of House committees this week said they want to spend additional millions on cybersecurity by injecting funds into CISA and the FTC, as part of the debate over the Biden administration's $3.5 trillion budget proposal for 2022. Part of the money would help fulfill Biden's executive order.

Massachusetts Attorney General Probing T-Mobile Breach

Scott Ferguson  •  September 14, 2021

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says her office is probing the data breach at T-Mobile that exposed the personal information of 54 million people, including current, former and prospective customers of the carrier. The Federal Communications Commission is also investigating the incident.

House Bill Seeks to Insulate CISA Director From Politics

Scott Ferguson  •  September 13, 2021

A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to better insulate the director of CISA from political pressure by giving the role a defined five-year term that could keep the agency's leader in place even when presidential administrations change. Currently, the position of CISA director lacks a set term.

SolarWinds Attack Spurring Additional Federal Investigations

Scott Ferguson  •  September 10, 2021

Nine months after discover of the attack that targeted SolarWinds and clients of its network monitoring tool, the incident continues to spur investigations into what happened. The SEC is reportedly probing those businesses involved, and lawmakers want answers about the breach of DOJ emails.

National Cyber Director Sees Ransomware As Continuing Threat

Scott Ferguson  •  September 9, 2021

Despite a recent slowdown in incidents and some cybercriminals claiming they have stopped or abandoned ransomware attacks, National Cyber Director Chris Inglis says it's "too soon to tell," if the behavior of these groups has changed permanently or if they are waiting for an opportunity to return.

White House Pushing Federal Agencies Toward 'Zero Trust'

Scott Ferguson  •  September 8, 2021

The White House is preparing executive branch agencies to adopt "zero trust" network architectures by 2024, with CISA and the OMB overseeing the creation of technology road maps that departments must follow. This is a major component of President Biden's cybersecurity executive order.

Resilience CEO on White House Meeting, Cyber Insurance

Scott Ferguson  •  September 8, 2021

On Aug. 25, President Joe Biden invited about 25 technology, insurance, finance and education executives to the White House to discuss pressing cybersecurity issues such as supply chain and critical infrastructure. One of those participants was Resilience CEO Vishaal Hariprasad.

Autodesk Says Company Was Targeted by SolarWinds Attackers

Scott Ferguson  •  September 3, 2021

Autodesk, a California-based design software and 3D technology firm, now says it was one of several tech and security companies targeted by a Russian-linked group that carried out the supply chain attack against SolarWinds, according to a financial filing with the SEC.

White House Warns Of Cyberthreats Over Labor Day Weekend

Scott Ferguson  •  September 2, 2021

While there is currently a lack of specific cyberthreats, Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger urges organizations, especially those in critical infrastructure, to take precautions over the Labor Day weekend, as threat groups have taken advantage of previous holidays to conduct attacks.

House Debates Breach Notification Measure

Scott Ferguson  •  September 1, 2021

The House began debate Wednesday on legislation that would require companies that own or operate parts of the nation's critical infrastructure to report a cyberattack or breach within 72 hours of confirmation.

Profiles in Leadership: Darrell Bateman of City Bank Texas

Scott Ferguson  •  August 31, 2021

Darrell Bateman, the CISO of City Bank Texas, explains why governance and compliance issues are critical for security leaders in the banking industry and how success can help cement a CISO's relations with the board of directors.

Federal Departments Ordered to Improve Logging Capabilities

Scott Ferguson  •  August 31, 2021

The White House is ordering U.S. agencies to improve their logging capabilities to better track when attackers target their networks and data. The initiative addresses security issues outlined in President Biden's recent cybersecurity executive order.

US Agencies Increasing Use of Facial Recognition Tech

Scott Ferguson  •  August 27, 2021

At least 10 U.S. government agencies are planning to increase the use of facial recognition technologies by 2023, according to a GAO report. The growing utilization comes as facial recognition technology raises privacy concerns.