Blog – Page 1629 – Cyber Mike

Okta’s Support System Breach Exposes Customer Data to Unidentified Threat Actors

Identity services provider Okta on Friday disclosed a new security incident that allowed unidentified threat actors to leverage stolen credentials to access its support case management system.

“The threat actor was able to view files uploaded by certain Okta customers as part of recent support cases,” David Bradbury, Okta’s chief security officer, said. “It should be noted that the Okta

Cisco Zero-Day Exploited to Implant Malicious Lua Backdoor on Thousands of Devices

Cisco has warned of a new zero-day flaw in IOS XE that has been actively exploited by an unknown threat actor to deploy a malicious Lua-based implant on susceptible devices.
Tracked as CVE-2023-20273 (CVSS score: 7.2), the issue relates to a privilege escalation flaw in the web UI feature and is said to have been used alongside CVE-2023-20198 (CVSS score: 10.0) as part of an exploit chain.
“The

Malvertisers Using Google Ads to Target Users Searching for Popular Software

Details have emerged about a malvertising campaign that leverages Google Ads to direct users searching for popular software to fictitious landing pages and distribute next-stage payloads.
Malwarebytes, which discovered the activity, said it’s “unique in its way to fingerprint users and distribute time sensitive payloads.”
The attack singles out users searching for Notepad++ and PDF converters to

Vietnamese Hackers Target U.K., U.S., and India with DarkGate Malware

Attacks leveraging the DarkGate commodity malware targeting entities in the U.K., the U.S., and India have been linked to Vietnamese actors associated with the use of the infamous Ducktail stealer.
“The overlap of tools and campaigns is very likely due to the effects of a cybercrime marketplace,” WithSecure said in a report published today. “Threat actors are able to acquire and use multiple

CISA Announces Effort to Revise the National Cyber Incident Response Plan

CISA, NSA, FBI, MS-ISAC Publish Guide on Preventing Phishing Intrusions

CISA, U.S. and International Partners Announce Updated Secure by Design Principles Joint Guide

CISA, Government, and Industry Partners Publish Fact Sheet for Organizations Using Open Source Software

CISA and UK NCSC Hold Inaugural Meeting of Strategic Dialogue on Cybersecurity of Civil Society Under Threat of Transnational Repression

Massachusetts 201 CMR 17

Massachusetts Standards for the Protection of Personal Information of Massachusetts Residents.

Created by Massachusetts to ensure the confidentiality and security of customer information. It applies to all persons who own or license personal information about a resident of Massachusetts.

What it means for you:

Organizations must anticipate threats to protect against malicious actors obtaining protected information. Unauthorized access to protected information or the use of such information should be prevented to avoid harm or inconvenience the consumer.

Why is it important to you:

Failure to comply may result in legal penalties as it is a mandate. Complying also demonstrates you commitment to protecting customer data to your customers. Breaches can damage your companies reputation and trust, implementation helps you reduce the risk of a breach. These proactive measures also prevent substantial harm to consumers.

What you need to do:

1. Create a COMPREHENSIVE Written Information Security Plan (WISP).
2. Make sure it applies to all protected data.
3. Include administrative, technical and physical safeguards (Security in Layers).
4. Designate an Information Security Manager (ISM), congrats, this is probably you.
5. Know the risks associated to paper records.
6. Regularly audit the WISP, actually do this.
7. Limit the data you collect to the data you need wherever possible.
8. Store the records for the proper time.
9. Ensure any data you get rid of is properly disposed of and destroyed.
10. Properly terminate the access of terminated employees.
11. Ensure third-party service providers with any data access are properly vetted.
12. Ensure any third-party service providers are contractually required to protect the protected data.
13. As always, trust then verify.

What else should I know:

Massachusetts requires organizations to PROMPTLY detect and report any security incidents or breaches involving personal information.
You MUST notify the affected individuals and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office will investigate the reported incident, you better have an updated WISP!
Severity, Impact and Circumstances of the data breach will be investigated.
If they don’t like what they find you could face fines, corrective measures, injunctions and legal proceedings.

Compliance with 201 CMR 17.00 is essential to protect personal information and avoid legal consequences. Organizations should prioritize security measures to prevent breaches and demonstrate due diligence.

There are many different compliances and regulations happening in the United States. Some have been federal mandates but most have been state level. I expect this to be wide spread and happen more often as more attacks on personal data are happening year over year.

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