Cyber Attacks

Last week, the Colorado Department of Transportation was hit with the SamSam ransomware forcing it to shut down 2000 computers across its system. Believed to be a new variant of the previous SamSam ransomware, according to Talos Intelligence at Cisco, this ransomware has been observed across multiple industries including Government, Healthcare and ICS. These attacks do not appear to be highly targeted, and appear to be more opportunistic in nature. As we all know these ransomware can cripple critical systems such as those in the healthcare services impacting patients across the world.

Indias City Union Bank, a small private lender, said on Feb 18, 2018 that cyber criminals had hacked its systems and transferred nearly $2 million through three unauthorized remittances to lenders overseas via the SWIFT financial platform. Chief Executive Officer N. Kamakodi called it a conspiracy involving multiple countries, and added the lender was still investigating how it had happened. The bank had discovered the three fraudulent remittances, which were sent via correspondent banks to accounts in Dubai, Turkey and China.

A cyberattack paralyzed internet networks at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Several U.S. cybersecurity firms have uncovered a computer virus named Olympic Destroyer that was likely used in an attack.

Bottom Line:

Researchers recently discovered two design flaws in nearly all CPUs manufactured by Intel, AMD, and ARM since 1995 that bypass system protections and potentially allow attackers to steal sensitive information from the memory of running applications. Sensitive data such as passwords, browser cookies, emails, photos, documents, etc. contained in devices (PCs, servers, iphones, ipads) that use those CPUs are all potentially at risk.

Identifying and understanding data security Vulnerabilities is fundamental to mitigate overall risk factors that confront your company on a daily basis. While you may have fortified your cyber defenses against viruses with AV or Malware software, and protected your perimeter from external breaches with an up to date hardware firewall, its also vital to understand the threats from within.