Dave Muoio reports: Reports of recent cyberattacks and disruptions in patient care have ticked up among healthcare organizations since 2023, with the average attack bringing just under $1.5 million in operational disruptions, according to a new survey analysis. Among 648 IT and security practitioners polled this spring, 92% said their organization had faced at least…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
National cyber director warns of ransomware, Chinese infrastructure attacks and cyber supply chain concerns
Jonathan Greig reports: One of the top cybersecurity officials in the U.S. said Wednesday that he was especially concerned with Chinese infiltration of the country’s critical infrastructure, as well as software supply chain risks and the continued expansion of ransomware. Although there have been several recent disclosures about Beijing-linked hacking campaigns, National Cyber Director Harry…
Privacy and Security of Student Data (Follow-Up of Audit of NY State Education Department)
Issued Date: September 26, 2024 Agency/Authority: State Education Department Full Report (.pdf) Objective To determine the extent of implementation of the three recommendations included in our initial audit report, Privacy and Security of Student Data (Report 2021-S-29). About the Program The State Education Department (SED) is part of the University of the State of New York, one of…
FTC Takes Action Against Marriott and Starwood Over Multiple Data Breaches
From the Federal Trade Commission: The Federal Trade Commission will require Marriott International, Inc. and its subsidiary Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide LLC to implement a robust information security program to settle charges that the companies’ failure to implement reasonable data security led to three large data breaches from 2014 to 2020 impacting more than 344…
HC3: Threat Actor Profile: Trinity Ransomware
Executive Summary Trinity ransomware is a relatively new threat actor, known for employing a double extortion strategy. This method involves exfiltrating sensitive data before encrypting files, thereby increasing pressure on victims to pay the ransom. This ransomware uses the ChaCha20 encryption algorithm, and encrypted files are tagged with the “.trinitylock” file extension. Trinity operates a…
When you don’t know why you are being notified of a breach, Tuesday edition (2)
On March 19, 2024, DataBreaches reported a ransomware attack targeting New York Plastic Surgical Group (a division of Long Island Plastic Surgical Group). According to one of the threat actors involved, the attack occurred on January 7 and involved both RADAR and AlphV (BlackCat) groups working together — AlphV to encrypt files and negotiate the ransom…