Category: Cyber Crime

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Digital Transformation – Regulator Issues $80 Million Penalty for Not Doing It Right

By Romaine Marshall, Jon Washburn and Jose Abarca on Posted in Announcements, Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, Data Breach, Regulators, Security
Digital transformation refers to the process of leveraging technology, people and processes to innovate or stay competitive.  The main driver of this process is often data.  For a vivid illustration see Data Never Sleeps, an infographic released by Domo, a leading business analytics company. While executing digital transformation the right way can lead to great … Continue Reading

Working from Home? Here are 12 Steps to Reduce Data Privacy and Security Risk

By Hunter Ferguson, Ronak Chokhani and Jon Washburn on Posted in COVID-19, Cyber Crime, Phishing, Security
Businesses are instituting widespread remote work policies and procedures to facilitate social distancing and “flatten the curve.” Enterprises simultaneously need to be mindful of increased data privacy and security risks. The risks can range from pandemic-related phishing emails to increased pressure on network architecture to well-intentioned employee shortcuts. Hackers will try to take advantage of … Continue Reading

Soon, All Ransomware Attacks May Be Data Breaches

By Jon Washburn and Romaine Marshall on Posted in Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, Data Breach, Privacy, Security
As this recent article illustrates, many ransomware operators are now collecting information from victims before encrypting their data, and then threatening to release what they’ve collected – or actually releasing some of it – to increase the chance they’ll get paid. There have been many cases already where at least a portion of data has … Continue Reading

Utah Considers a Cybersecurity Safe Harbor as Ransomware Runs Riot

By Romaine Marshall on Posted in Cyber Crime, ePrivacy, Law/Regulation Update, Privacy, Security
Last year the FTC mandated what an organization’s written cybersecurity program should include to avoid being deemed “unfair and deceptive” to consumers,[1] and this year California consumers whose personal information is compromised may file lawsuits against organizations that failed to implement “reasonable security.”[2] But several states provide legal safe harbors to organizations with written cybersecurity programs. … Continue Reading

Trickbot and Emotet Financial Malware Now Attacking the Healthcare Industry

By Jon Washburn on Posted in Announcements, Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, HIPAA, Security
In a recent Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques Report focusing on the health care industry, cybersecurity company Malwarebytes discovered a significant 82% spike in Trojan malware attacks on health care organizations in Q3 2019. Emotet and TrickBot, two especially sophisticated and dangerous forms of malware, were mostly responsible for this surge. Used primarily as ’banking Trojans” … Continue Reading

Cyber Risk Update for Construction Companies

By Tamara Boeck and Jon Washburn on Posted in Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, Data Breach, Fraud, Privacy
Scammers are always seeking new ways to target victims for Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams, where they leverage email to try to convince you to give them credentials, send them confidential information like W2s, send them money by changing things like direct deposit instructions, or give any other data that can help them profit from … Continue Reading

Achieving Industry Standards

By Romaine Marshall on Posted in Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, Data Breach, Privacy, Security
For Cybersecurity and Privacy, “What Are the Industry Standards? Are We Meeting Them?” These are questions the FTC Chairman, Joseph Simons, strongly suggested a CEO must ask before a data breach occurs to avoid the prospect of personal liability. These questions and statements by other commissioners emphasizing the FTC’s role – to bring about a … Continue Reading

HHS Issues Practical New Cybersecurity Guidance for Healthcare Businesses of all Sizes

By Dustin Berger and Sarah Bimber on Posted in Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, Data Breach, ePrivacy, Phishing, Security
In late January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthcare & Public Health Sector Coordinating Council issued a new cybersecurity guidance document for healthcare businesses of all sizes. The guidance document, entitled “Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices: Managing Threats and Protecting Patients,” available at https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/405d/Pages/hic-practices.aspx, provides concrete and practical guidance for addressing what the … Continue Reading

New tool released that may allow bad actors with almost any skill set to bypass many implementations of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

By Jon Washburn on Posted in Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, Phishing, Security, Software
Until recently, hackers have had limited success stealing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) PIN and token information.  Unfortunately, a tool has been released that will now make it much easier for practically any bad actor to bypass many implementations of 2FA: https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-tool-automates-phishing-attacks-that-bypass-2fa/ This does not mean we should stop using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). We should still use … Continue Reading

When was the last time you looked at RDP access?

By Jon Washburn on Posted in Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, Data Breach, Security
A presentation at Black Hat recently revealed that the creators of the “SamSam” ransomware have netted over $6M to date, attacking mostly medium-to-large public and private sector organizations. And they’re showing no signs of slowing down. In the most recent SamSam attacks, the attackers concentrated their efforts on brute-force hacking of weak passwords on devices accessible … Continue Reading

New threat targeting old medical imaging equipment

By Jon Washburn on Posted in Cyber Attack, Cyber Crime, HIPAA, Industrial Control Systems, Security
Health care providers and suppliers should be wary of the “Orangeworm” threat, an implementation of malware out in the wild that’s gathering information off of compromised medical equipment, especially old systems where file shares and Windows XP are still in use: https://www.zdnet.com/article/mysterious-cyber-worm-targets-medical-systems-found-on-x-ray-machines-and-mri-scanners/ While this group seems to be limiting their actions to reconnaissance and compromising … Continue Reading

Funds transfer fraud in real estate transactions has seen an explosive increase this year

By Jon Washburn and Tamara Boeck on Posted in Cyber Crime, Fraud, Phishing, Security
As a firm with a large real estate practice, we are keenly aware of the risks of wire transfer fraud in real estate transactions – which has exploded from a reported $19 Million in 2016 to almost $1 Billion in 2017. Often this fraud is the result of the hacker compromising a legitimate email account … Continue Reading
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