Recognizing that the electric utility industry needs an industry-specific response to its cybersecurity challenges, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Siemens Energy plan to develop a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence that will focus on building practical security tools for small- and mid-sized utilities. Kenneth Carnes, vice president and CISO at NYPA, said many of…
Security professionals responsible for protecting critical infrastructure strive to isolate and segregate their most mission-critical systems, but there are still too many operational technology (OT) assets that are accessible to attackers over the internet, according to a new government alert. When searchable and accessible via the internet, OT systems – just like conventional IT systems…
The greater business community should be on higher alert for cyberattacks by nation-state actors after the report last week that President Trump signed a “presidential finding” around cyberwarfare that gives the CIA broader powers to launch cyberattacks against U.S. adversaries. After all, following the Stuxnet attack by the U.S. in 2009 the Iranians responded not…
An Android application that controls a drone manufactured by China-based Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) contains a self-update feature that bypasses the Google Play Store, thus creating the ability for the app to transmit sensitive personal information to DJI’s servers or possibly the Chinese government. The DJI GO 4 Android app has been designed for use…
The hackers who ran a cryptocurrency scam using high-profile, verified Twitter accounts, including those belonging to Joe Biden, Apple, Bill Gates, Uber and Barack Obama, accessed the direct messages (DMs) of 36 accounts and downloaded account data from eight accounts via “Your Twitter Data.” There is no indication that the DMs of any former or…
Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he would take harsh action against any nation-state that attempted to meddle in the U.S. presidential election, “whether by hacking voting systems and databases, laundering money into our political system, systematically spreading disinformation, or trying to sow doubt about the integrity of our elections.”…
By using search engines dedicated to scanning all open ports, or scanning the ports themselves, hackers can remotely take control of critical private and public U.S. infrastructure run largely by industrial control systems (ICS) that weren’t built with security in mind. American water and energy providers are particularly vulnerable to cyberattack because their legacy ICSs…
Warnings by officials in the U.S., U.K. and Canada that Russia’s Cozy Bear, APT29, is actively trying to steal Covid-19 vaccine research by hacking vaccine trials and dropping WellMess and WellMail malware proves at least two things: Russia military intelligence is still going hard against U.S. targets, and the health care industry, particularly during the…
The EU court decision in the Schrems II case that effectively kills the Privacy Shield pact hammered out four years ago between the U.S. and EU could cripple multinational companies’ ability to operate as they scramble to scrutinize their data transfer mechanisms. “This is a stunning and completely unexpected decision. In invalidating the Privacy Shield framework,…
The recent U.K. ban on the use of Huawei technology in its 5G wireless network is likely as much about salvaging the deteriorating U.S.-U.K. Sino relationship and restoring trade normalcy as it is about security. “There are clearly legitimate security concerns around Huawei, particularly given that as a result of the trade ban, equipment will…
