According to Microsoft, the sophistication of 0ktapus, one of the most dangerous financial criminal groups, is increasing. The 0ktapus group recently made headlines for its disruptive ransomware attacks against MGM and Caesars Entertainment. The English-speaking group, also known as Scatter Swine, UNC3944, or Octo Tempest, typically uses Adversary-in-the-Middle (AitM) methods, social engineering involving calling targets, and SIM swapping. It has been known to conduct cryptocurrency theft, data leak extortion, and ransomware attacks.

Several high-ranking members of congress were apparent targets of Vietnamese agents recently. The hackers tried to infect members' phones with spyware. Congressman Michael McCaul Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Gary Peters chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee were specified. There was no evidence that the spyware actually was implanted on the phones and staff contacted said they hadn’t clicked on any suspicious links.

A team of researchers, led by IMDEA Networks and Northeastern University together with NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, IMDEA Software, the University of Calgary, and the International Computer Science Institute, has shared findings regarding the security and privacy challenges posed by Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart homes.

Researchers at San Diego State University (SDSU) are developing methods to protect power grids from the effects of cyberattacks and natural disasters. They will explore "energy space" to better understand power grid dynamics. In researching energy space, the team is developing a sensing and control system to monitor power distribution grids that host energy storage structures, renewables, and electric vehicles. Power grid blackouts have occurred because of cyberattacks and natural disasters.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is boosting its efforts to cultivate a well-equipped energy cybersecurity workforce through a hands-on Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity competition involving real-world challenges. The DOE invites teams of college and university students to participate in the in-person ninth edition of its CyberForce Competition on November 4. It is sponsored by the DOE's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and led by the DOE's Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).

There has been an increase in cyber threats faced by the trucking industry as the problem spreads throughout the economy. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) recently hosted the discussion at its Digital Solutions Conference. Experts in transportation and cybersecurity gathered for the two-day conference to highlight issues and discuss best practices. Debbie Sparks, executive director of the NMFTA, emphasized the importance of industry stakeholders collaborating to solve the cybersecurity issues facing the transportation industry.

Kansas officials are calling a massive computer outage that’s kept most of the state’s courts offline for two weeks a “security incident” and have not provided an explanation.  Experts say it has all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack.  The disruption has left attorneys unable to search online records and forced them to file motions the old-fashioned way on paper.  Security researcher Allan Liska stated that, since 2019, ransomware groups have targeted 18 state, city, or municipal court systems.  In Kansas, the first sign of trouble came on Oct.

There has been an increase in fake Chrome update websites that could grant unauthorized access to user devices via Remote Access Trojans (RATs). Researchers at the cybersecurity company Sucuri observed an increase in websites infected with "FakeUpdateRU" malware. The fraudulent websites deceive users into believing they are downloading a legitimate Chrome browser update when they are installing a RAT.

The cyber espionage group Winter Vivern exploited a now-patched zero-day vulnerability in the open-source webmail service Roundcube to steal emails from European government entities and think tanks. It is believed that the Russia- and Belarus-aligned Winter Vivern, also known as TA473, has been active since 2020. The group has a history of spying on European and Central Asian governments. Winter Vivern has exploited vulnerabilities in the Zimbra and Roundcube email servers. Researchers from ESET observed the group using a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in its most recent attacks.

Reflectiz, an advanced website security solution provider, has released a case study highlighting a scenario involving forgotten pixels on websites that could have impacted any industry. The case study focuses on an overlooked and misconfigured pixel associated with a top global healthcare provider. This forgotten piece of code collected private user information without user consent, potentially exposing the company to significant fines and reputational damage. This article continues to discuss the case study on the risks of forgotten pixels on websites.