Cyber Attack Archives - BAI Security

Cyber Attack

The Ever-Expanding Threat of Cyber Criminals

The Dark Overlord, a dangerous group of cyber criminals, have made a name for themselves over the past several years. We’ve covered some of their illegal activities in the past targeting healthcare and financial institutions, and unfortunately, they’ve continued to make news. Their latest attacks open a new front into cybersecurity, signaling a shift all organizations should have on their radar. Here’s what you need to know. Real-Life Ransom As you likely know, when it comes to ransomware and cyberattacks, everyone from the FBI to security professionals like us advise that you never pay the demanded ransom. This only emboldens cyber criminals and there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually receive your stolen data. Instead, the best protection is to have

BAI Security October 30, 2017

Compromise Assessment

Windows Vulnerability

Oftentimes, cyber attackers are able to infiltrate the networks of organizations through holes in older programs which have not been updated. Recently, a malware known as “DoublePulsar” has been found targeting un-patched Windows systems, inserting itself within networks and laying seeds for future ransomware attacks. Here’s what’s currently known about this threat and what steps you can take to prevent yourself from falling victim to it. An Advanced Attacker As reported in Bank Info Security, a group of hackers known as the “Shadow Brokers” – believed to have ties with the Russian government – released a set of attack tools which exploit flaws in older versions of Windows. One of these tools, DoublePulsar, has been adopted by attackers and implanted in

BAI Security April 27, 2017

Cyber Attack

Anonymous FTP: Crippling Healthcare Organizations

If you’ve ever had to share a large number of files with people working remotely, odds are you’ve used a file transfer protocol (FTP) server to accomplish this. It’s an easy way that you and others can access and upload information with a username and password, without taking up your own valuable internal storage space. Unfortunately, most of these FTP servers are operated by only a few companies. I say unfortunately because it means they are large targets for hackers. A recent bulletin released by the FBI details how FTP servers used by healthcare organizations have seen a sharp jump in attacks by cyber criminals. Here’s what we know so far. Anonymous FTP These attacks, the FBI noted, are carried

BAI Security April 6, 2017

Breach

The Anatomy of an Attack

Many times in this space we have discussed the results of an organization suffering a breach. These have included the fines an organization receives due to lackluster security practices, or the long-term damage a breach could potentially inflict on an organization’s reputation. Today, we’re going to move our gaze from the aftermath of an attack to it’s beginnings. What does a breach in real time look like, and what are the immediate steps an organization can take to remedy this attack? Meet the Attacker Since the summer of 2016, a hacking group known as “TheDarkOverlord” has been attacking businesses in the healthcare and financial sectors, grabbing private information and using it as a means of extortion. For example, in September

BAI Security January 27, 2017

breach security

The Final Tally: Healthcare Breaches in 2016

The healthcare sector was dealt a rough cybersecurity hand in 2016. Department of Health and Human Services’, which tracks all reported breaches in the healthcare field, recorded 310 incidents for the year (affecting a minimum of 500 people in each case). All together, these breaches added up to affect a staggering 16.1 million people. The chart below, pulled from the Department of Health and Human Services, lists the 10 biggest healthcare breaches of 2016. Business State Individuals Affected Submission Date Type of Breach Banner Health AZ 3,620,000 8/3/16 Hacking/IT Incident Newkirk Products, Inc. NY 3,466,120 8/9/16 Hacking/IT Incident 21st Century Oncology FL 2,213,597 3/4/16 Hacking/IT Incident

BAI Security January 12, 2017

Compromise Assessment

Compromise Assessment: Rooting Out Hidden Attackers

We often think of data breaches as these big, climactic events. Something like the bank robberies you might see in big budget movies. One minute, everyth is fine. The next, YaPostTypes Permalinkshoo or Target’s doors are being kicked down; they’re under attack. Millions of passwords, bank account info and more are made off with in an instant. Of course, it’s not really like that. There aren’t any getaway cars out front or dramatic fight scenes as the criminals steal information. Cyber-attacks don’t normally set off alarms – it’s in cyber criminals’ best interest to quietly sneak in so they can steal as much information as they can for as long as possible. These are stealth attacks that can linger, sometimes for years. To combat

BAI Security December 1, 2016

Banking

The Year of Ransomware

Ransomware is a threat you’ve probably heard a lot about in 2016. That’s not without good reason – it’s one of the main cybersecurity threats facing businesses today. Though preventative steps do exist, this is still an extremely effective attack method you can’t afford to ignore. One successful attack is all it takes to set your business back drastically. The Method Victims of ransomware receive demands for bitcoins, the volatile virtual currency whose value to real world dollars can rapidly change at any moment, making it even more difficult for a business to secure their data’s release. The standard attack goes like this: Online gangs of cyber criminals remotely encrypt and lock computers, leaving victims with a ransom screen they can’t

BAI Security October 7, 2016

Insights From Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report

In early spring, while many people are anticipating the return of warm weather and blue skies, the information security industry is looking forward to the release of Verizon’s annual Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). Published since 2008, DBIR is a data security reference guide, playbook and bible. Global in scope, the report analyzes thousands of confirmed data breaches and security incidents, sorts out the trends, and provides best practice guidance that informs the industries’ approach to cyberthreats and digital security. This year’s report includes the obligatory alarming statistics, among the most eye-opening being that in 60 percent of investigated incidents attackers were able to compromise a target network within minutes. Equally interesting, the majority of the 79,790 incidents and 2,122

BAI Security May 6, 2015

Cyber Attack

HAS SLOPPY SECURITY SLIPPED INTO YOUR NETWORK ECOSYSTEM?

Much has been said about Sony, and much remains to be said. But the bottom line is that Sony was a cyber attack that was simply waiting to happen. This is a company that has been repeatedly hit by malicious hackers who, angered by Sony’s approach to Digital Rights Management, were determined to wreck havoc on Sony systems. And yet the company apparently did not encrypt personal data and other sensitive information. While blaming a victim is never nice, Sony could have done much more to protect itself. The successful attack on JP Morgan Chase is the attack that we should all be focused on and learning from. There were protections in place at JP Morgan. And yet hackers still

BAI Security December 23, 2014