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Critics are disturbed by Elon Musk's newfound access to personal information and the country's payment infrastructure through CMS and the Treasury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change Healthcare now estimates that 190 million people were affected in the massive cyberattack that took down its services nearly a year ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ransomware gangs are adapting to stronger enterprise defenses and increased law enforcement pressure by using more sophisticated tactics, such as remote access Trojans and abusing remote monitoring and management products. Threat actors are shifting to data theft and extortion attacks to evade EDR protections, relying on legitimate system administrator tools. Huntress found that ransomware gangs are using advanced techniques that were first tested on large organizations, narrowing the gap between attacks on large enterprises and smaller businesses. Speed and data exfiltration are key attributes of ransomware gangs in 2024, with some gangs being able to deliver ransom notes in as little as 6 hours. [Extracted from the article]

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) issued breach notifications for a 2023 cyberattack by the Russian state-backed threat group Midnight Blizzard, also known as APT29 and Cozy Bear. The attack exposed personal data, including Social Security and credit card numbers, from a small percentage of HPE's Office 365 email environment. HPE emphasized that the incident has been contained and remediated, with some exposed data belonging to customers. This breach is part of a series of cyberattacks by Midnight Blizzard, including the SolarWinds supply chain attack and a breach of Microsoft's corporate email system. [Extracted from the article]

Ransomware payments decreased by 35% in 2024, dropping from $1.25 billion in 2023 to $814 million, according to a report by Chainalysis. This decline was attributed to law enforcement actions, including the disruption of the LockBit ransomware gang and crackdowns on cryptocurrency laundering services. Despite these efforts, ransomware operators are adapting by using new tactics to evade law enforcement and cybersecurity measures. [Extracted from the article]

Deloitte paid $5 million to the state of Rhode Island for expenses related to a breach of the RIBridges social services system, affecting over 709,000 people. The breach, claimed by a threat group called Brain Cipher, led to the leak of personal data including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and health information. State officials have taken steps to enhance security and relaunch the customer portal after extensive testing and remediation. [Extracted from the article]

PowerSchool recently disclosed a data breach that compromised student and staff data in school districts using its software. The breach involved unauthorized access to family and teacher information, potentially exposing personally identifiable data like names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and medical information. Concerns have been raised about PowerSchool's lack of cyber hygiene, payment to threat actors, and failure to implement multifactor authentication. Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed against PowerSchool, alleging negligence and privacy violations affecting millions of teachers and students. The breach has prompted scrutiny of PowerSchool's data security practices and adherence to privacy pledges with national organizations. [Extracted from the article]

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is currently investigating claims made by the threat group IntelBroker that they have accessed a significant amount of sensitive company data. The allegedly stolen data includes private GitHub repositories, Docker builds, source code, and other information. HPE has activated cyber response protocols, disabled related credentials, and launched an investigation to verify the claims, with no operational impact on their business or evidence of customer information involvement reported at this time. IntelBroker has a history of exaggerating the significance of data exposed in past breaches, so skepticism is advised regarding their claims. [Extracted from the article]

The Allianz Risk Barometer report reveals that cybersecurity risks, such as ransomware, data breaches, and IT disruptions, are the top business concern in the U.S. and globally. Cyber incidents have been the leading global business risk for four consecutive years, with data breaches being the primary concern for three in five respondents. The report, based on a survey of nearly 4,000 risk management experts, highlights the increasing importance of operational resilience and the need for diverse and adaptable solutions in the face of cyber threats. [Extracted from the article]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a command injection vulnerability in BeyondTrust products to its list of known exploited vulnerabilities. This medium-severity flaw, listed as CVE-2024-12686, allows attackers with administrative privileges to inject commands into a computer network. BeyondTrust products are widely used globally, with about 20,000 customers, including 75 of the Fortune 100 companies. The vulnerability has not been explicitly tied to the Treasury Department hack, which was attributed to a state-linked hacker backed by the People's Republic of China. [Extracted from the article]

A recent Vercara report found that despite an increase in cyber incidents, consumer trust was less impacted by breaches in 2024 compared to the previous year. Approximately one-third of consumers reported being affected by security incidents, with many experiencing data exposure while shopping online. The report suggests a growing sense of apathy towards breaches, highlighting the importance of businesses maintaining transparency and effective cybersecurity measures to restore consumer trust. Baby boomers were identified as the generation most likely to change their shopping habits in response to security incidents. [Extracted from the article]

PowerSchool experienced a potential cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to student and staff information through its PowerSource service. The breach exposed personally identifiable data, including contact information, Social Security numbers, and medical data. PowerSchool is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the breach and is reaching out to affected schools to provide support and guidance on communication and credit monitoring. The incident highlights the importance of protecting sensitive information in educational systems, and PowerSchool had previously signed a student privacy pledge to safeguard student data. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses a ransomware attack on Rhode Island's social services platform, impacting at least 709,000 individuals. The attack targeted the RIBridges database, compromising personal information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and health and banking information. The state is providing victims with five years of free credit monitoring and identity protection services, and officials are confident that the security threat has been remediated. Deloitte is covering the costs of the investigation and remediation, with a restoration plan underway to resume the database by mid-January. [Extracted from the article]

The article "4 cybersecurity trends to watch in 2025" highlights the challenges and trends in the cybersecurity industry. It discusses the proliferation of single points of failure in IT systems, the evolving regulatory landscape impacting CISOs, and ongoing attacks on U.S. telecom networks. The role of the CISO is also evolving, with increased focus on risk mitigation and compliance. The article emphasizes the need for businesses to address vulnerabilities and adapt to the changing cybersecurity landscape. [Extracted from the article]

Censys researchers have identified over 8,600 instances of BeyondTrust's Privileged Remote Access and Remote Support products that are still exposed to potential attacks, following a recent disclosure by the company about a security breach. The U.S. Department of Treasury reported that a suspected state-linked attacker accessed workstations and stole unclassified information using a compromised BeyondTrust key. While BeyondTrust has patched vulnerabilities, including a critical command injection flaw, the exact impact of these vulnerabilities on the recent attacks remains under investigation. Government agencies and critical sectors relying on remote support tools are urged to be cautious in light of these incidents. [Extracted from the article]

Rhode Island officials have reported that a ransomware group leaked data from a state social services database following a cyberattack in December. The attack impacted about 650,000 individuals, exposing personally identifiable information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and some banking details. The state is working on restoring the database and has advised residents to be cautious of potential fraud, encouraging them to monitor their credit reports and use multifactor authentication. Governor Daniel McKee assured that essential benefits like food assistance and cash benefits will not be affected by the incident. [Extracted from the article]