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VERT Threat Alert: June 2018 Patch Tuesday Analysis

Today’s VERT Alert addresses Microsoft’s June 2018 Security Updates. VERT is actively working on coverage for these vulnerabilities and expects to ship ASPL-782 on Wednesday, June 13th. In-The-Wild & Disclosed CVEs CVE-2018-8267 This code execution vulnerability exists in Internet Explorer’s scripting engine and relates to the handling of objects...
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French Company Incurs €250K Fine for Data Leak

A French company has incurred a fine of 250,000 euros for a significant data leak that might have exposed customers' sensitive personal information. On 7 June, France's data privacy regulatory body Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) published a statement about a data leak of which it learned in July 2017. An English...
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Women in Information Security: Avi

Last time, I got the opportunity to speak with Diana Initiative founder Virginia Robbins, otherwise known as fl3uryz. She deserves all the kudos for her hard work in promoting women in our industry. This time, I had the pleasure of speaking with Avi. They’re not a woman, but they certainly know what it’s like to be a gender minority in tech. Avi has...
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South Korean Cryptocurrency Exchange Coinrail Confirms Hacking Attempt

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinrail said it's cooperating with law enforcement after suffering a hacking attempt. In a statement posted to its website, Coinrail revealed it was working with police to investigate an incident that might have exposed 30 percent of the total number of coins traded on the exchange. It placed the remaining 70...
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Mapping the ATT&CK Framework to CIS Controls

For the better part of a decade, I have spent a good amount of time analyzing security and compliance frameworks. There is beauty to be found in every one of them. Some are very high level and leave the organization to interpret how to implement the various controls, such as the CIS Critical Security Controls. Others are incredibly prescriptive and...
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Three Rhode Island State Agencies Affected by Malware Attack

A malware attack affected computing devices owned and operated by three state agencies in Rhode Island, confirmed the State's digital security teams. Rhode Island's Department of Children, Youth & Families, one of the departments affected by the malware attack. According to Call 12 for Action, the...
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The Value of Capture the Flag Competitions

If you've ever attended an infosec or hacker conference, you're sure to have seen the Capture the Flag or CTF. As with anything in this industry, there are ebbs and flows in the debate of the value of the competitions. Some argue that they are unrealistic. Others champion them for the skills required and the creative thinking. Let's be real for a...
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Can VPNs Really Be Trusted?

With hacking attacks, government surveillance and censorship constantly in the headlines, more and more people are looking for ways to increase their privacy online. One of the simplest and most popular solutions is to use a virtual private network. With a VPN, all your internet traffic is encrypted and tunneled through a third-party server, so it...
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Atlanta Ransomware Attack Wiped Out Years of Police Dashcam Footage

A ransomware attack targeting the city of Atlanta wiped out years of dashcam footage generated by the Atlanta Police Department. In an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields revealed that a March ransomware attack against the city cost the Department years of dashcam...
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Women in Information Security: Virginia Robbins

Last time, I had a great chat with Anna Westelius. She has a lot of experience with everything from web security to Linux driver development, and I learned a lot from her. This time, I had the pleasure of talking with Virginia Robbins, otherwise known as fl3uryz. Not only is she an expert in malware detection; she also founded The Diana Initiative,...
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2018 VERT IoT Hack Lab Training

I’m pleased to announce that next month, I will be offering the two-day training series A Guided Tour of Embedded Software Hacks at Shakacon X as well as at Black Hat USA in August. As a reminder, I will also be back at SecTor with reloaded material for a one-day Brainwashing Embedded Systems advanced class aimed at students who have already...
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Scammers Targeting Booking.com Users with Phishing Messages

UPDATE 05/06/18: Booking.com sent over the following statement in an email: Security and the protection of our partner and customer data is a top priority at Booking.com. Not only do we handle all personal data in line with the highest technical standards, but we are continuously innovating our processes and systems to ensure robust security on our...
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How to Protect Your Organization From Within

While stories of international espionage and government-sponsored hack attacks may captivate public attention, cyber security threats that originate from inside an organization pose a remarkably large threat. In fact, research suggests that insider threats account for anywhere from 60 to 75 percent of data breaches. Insider threats can range from...
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The Future of Nano IoT Security

Imagine you're sitting on your couch relaxing on a Sunday afternoon when your smart device alerts you that you are having a heart attack or that you have gone into renal failure. You jump up, head to the ER and spend hours on test after test only to discover that nothing's wrong with you. So, what happened? Bad actors hacked your device, a type of...
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Lagging Legacy Systems: How Federal Agencies Are Tackling Old IT

If you're a U.S. taxpayer, you've likely heard how Tax Day 2018 was uniquely rocky for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A series of technical problems prevented the IRS from processing tax returns filed electronically on 17 April. The agency rebooted its systems and restored them later that night, but it nevertheless extended the deadline for...
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Dozens of Vulnerabilities Found Under Hack the DTS Bug Bounty Program

The Hack the DTS bug bounty program uncovered dozens of vulnerabilities in the Defense Travel System serving the Department of Defense. On 30 May, vulnerability coordination platform HackerOne revealed the results of Hack the DTS. Nineteen trusted security researchers participated in the 29-day program and submitted 100 vulnerability reports over...