Cyber Threat Report: Cyber Security News for 12/08/22

Maryland Bars State Employees from Using Kaspersky, TikTok, Huawei, and Others
The companies include Huawei Technologies, ZTE Corp., Alibaba-owned AliPay, Tecent-owned Tencent QQ, WeChat, and QQWallet, as well as Russian-owned cybersecurity and antivirus firm Kaspersky. Read More

This Broken Ransomware can't Decrypt Your Files, Even if you pay the Ransom
Researchers warn this badly built ransomware will destroy your files, so don't pay up. Read More

We are still Failing to Learn the Most Important Lesson in Cybersecurity
That needs to change, fast We know the problems and the answers. So why do so few organizations act? Read More

Watch Out for this Triple-Pronged PayPal Phishing and Fraud Scam
We spotlight a nasty fraud attempt and show how you can protect yourself and your family. Read More

Insurance Turmoil Widening the Gap Between ‘Cyber Haves and Have-nots’ in Healthcare
The increase in premium costs in the healthcare industry is about 103%, on average, as opposed to the other industries where the average was a little bit below 40%. Read More

Rackspace Admits Security Incident, Helps Customers Migrate to Microsoft 365 Accounts
“At this time, moving to Microsoft 365 is the best solution for customers, and we highly encourage affected customers to move to this platform,” Rackspace wrote on Sunday. Read More

FCC Faces a Long Road in Stripping Chinese Tech from US Telecom Networks
Gear from the targeted Chinese tech giants Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua is so deeply embedded within the American telecom and networking landscape, it’ll take years and billions of dollars to effectively eliminate any risk that these companies pose. Read More

HEADLINE PRIVACY & IT SECURITY COMPLIANCE NEWS

Larry Hogan, and Chief Information Security Officer, Charles “Chip” Stewart, issued a directive to the state of Maryland this week, citing that all state employees are prohibited from using Chinese and Russian equipment/software for any work-related business. Fearing security concerns for hacking and foreign espionage. The order comes after NBC News reported about a hacking group linked to the Chinese government, APT41, stealing over $20 million in federal COVID relief funding from the Small Business Administration by attacking state government IT networks that were responsible for distributing the money.

A new ransomware attack, referred to as Cryptonite, is beginning to appear. Cybersecurity researchers at Fortinet found that the ransomware doesn't offer a way of decrypting the files, even if a payment is made. Instead, the Cryptonite’s software acts as wiper malware, destroying all encrypted files, and leaving no way of retrieving data.

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