Too Many Businesses Are Paying Ransom Demands

Ransomware attacks have been one of the definitive cyber threats of 2019, and, despite their growing prominence, business leaders are still struggling to determine the most effective response. 

Unfortunately, many organizations are bending to hackers’ demands by paying the ransom to retrieve their data. In fact, the number of organizations giving in to extortion demands have more than doubled this year. In total, nearly 40% of businesses breached by a ransomware attack are paying criminals to decrypt company data. 

This trend goes against the recommendations of law enforcement agencies and many cybersecurity experts who fear that ransom payments will embolden criminals to continue attacking businesses, schools, and government facilities. In addition, as we’ve noted in this week’s newsletter, making a ransom payment doesn’t guarantee that data will be recovered.

Of course, even those that don’t pay the ransom will not escape unscathed, as the cost of recovery can be as steep as the ransom itself. However, SMBs do have the power to protect themselves. By ensuring that their software is up-to-date and that their accounts are secure through simple features like two-factor authentication, they can take away many of the footholds that hackers use to infect businesses with this costly malware.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-the-number-of-victims-paying-up-is-on-the-rise-and-thats-bad-news/

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas

More Than Half of All Organizations Admit They Aren’t Ready for Cyberattack

Data security incidents continue to make headlines (and fill Week in Breach newsletters) every week. Even so, a recent survey found that most organizations still aren’t prepared for the veritable inevitability of a data breach. 

Indeed, more than 800 CISOs from three continents expressed similar sentiments about their data security standards. Notably, 51% do not believe that they are ready to respond to a data breach, while nearly a third have untested response plans in place. 

Meanwhile, the vast majority believe that the cybersecurity landscape will worsen or stay the same in the year ahead. Perhaps that’s why 76% plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets in 2020. When establishing their priorities, CISOs identified security software and employee awareness training as their top priority. As it stands, too many companies aren’t responding to the real and escalating threat of a data loss event.

https://www.intelligentciso.com/2019/12/02/fireeye-research-reveals-51-of-organisations-dont-believe-theyre-ready-for-cyberattack/

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas

Alert for Potential Iranian Cyber Response to U.S. Military Actions

Hi Robert, If you've been following the news lately, you've heard about the recent events between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an alert in regard to cybersecurity and Iran's historic use of cyber offensive activities as retaliation. Patterns of known Iranian threat techniques include: credential dumping, obfuscated files or information, data compressed, PowerShell, user execution, scripting, registry run keys/startup folder, remote file copy, spearphishing link, and spearphishing attachment. We want to make you aware of the information shared so you can protect yourself, your company, and your customers. The CISA recommends taking the following actions: Adopt a state of heightened awareness. This includes minimizing coverage gaps in personnel availability, more consistently consuming relevant threat intelligence, and making sure emergency call trees are up to date. Increase organizational vigilance. Ensure security personnel are monitoring key internal security capabilities and that they know how to identify anomalous behavior. Flag any known Iranian indicators of compromise and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for immediate response. Confirm reporting processes. Ensure personnel know how and when to report an incident. The well-being of an organization's workforce and cyber infrastructure depends on awareness of threat activity. Consider reporting incidents to CISA to help serve as part of CISA's early warning system. Exercise organizational incident response plans. Ensure personnel are familiar with the key steps they need to take during an incident. Do they have the accesses they need? Do they know the processes? Are your various data sources logging as expected? Ensure personnel are positioned to act in a calm and unified manner. Stay safe! Kevin Lancaster & The ID Agent Team P: 844.ID.AGENT E: marketing@idagent.com | W: www.idagent.com ID Agent, 16701 Melford Boulevard, Suite 127, Bowie, Maryland 20715, USA, 844-ID-Agent

CCPA went Into Effect on January 1st

While many people are counting down the days to their new year’s celebrations, another countdown is underway that will have significant implications for companies around the world. California’s new data privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act, officially goes into effect on January 1, 2020. 

The law gives consumers new rights to their personal data, and, like Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation that came before it, CCPA promises financial penalties for companies that can’t comply with its standards. For companies of all sizes, it’s evident that the next year will be marked by new compliance measures both in the US and abroad. Fortunately, nobody has to tackle this issue alone. ID Agent is ready to provide a comprehensive assessment of your cybersecurity posture. Our products, like phishing scam awareness training and account security protocols, can help ensure that cybersecurity incidents don’t impede your 2020 goals and aspirations. 
https://www.zdnet.com/article/california-consumer-privacy-act-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-ccpa/

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas

Dark Web Trends

online stores can’t protect their customers, ransom causes chaos at school, and CCPA prepares to go into effect. 

Dark Web ID Trends:

Top Source Hits: ID Theft Forums 
Top Compromise Type: Domain 
Top Industry: Education & Research
Top Employee Count: 501+ Employees 

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas

Dark Web Trends

nline stores compromise customer credentials, ransomware cancels a holiday performance, and more than half of organizations acknowledge that they are not ready for a cyberattack. 

Dark Web ID Trends:

Top Source Hits: ID Theft Forums 
Top Compromise Type: Domain 
Top Industry: Education & Research
Top Employee Count: 101 - 250 Employees 

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com

Soc as a Service versus DIY SOC

Bit by bit helps client networks run smooth and secure.. visit our website at www.bitxbit.com/texas