Cyber News
Cyber threats are evolving every day, keeping up with them is a full-time job. The WESTprotect Cyber News is your source for how these changes affect you in the real estate, title, mortgage, and settlement services industry. From cyber threats to new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP’s) we’ve got you covered.
FBI, CISA, NSA Publish Advisory on BlackMatter Ransomware Group
October 20, 2021
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and National Security Agency (NSA) published a joint advisory providing details about the BlackMatter ransomware operations and defense recommendations. The advisory includes tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) the group uses and detailed analysis on the variant. Read more >>>
The FBI warned the US public that threat actors actively use fake and spoofed unemployment benefit websites to harvest sensitive financial and personal information from unsuspecting victims. Sites used in these attacks are designed to closely resemble official government platforms to trick the targets into giving away their info, infecting them with malware, and claiming unemployment benefits on their behalf. Read more >>>
Google is going to automatically enroll 150 million users and two million YouTube creators into using two-factor authentication for their accounts by the end of the year, it announced on Tuesday. Passwords aren’t good enough on their own, Google’s AbdelKarim Mardini, group product manager working on Chrome, and Guemmy Kim, director at the Account Security and Safety team, explained on Tuesday. These passphrases are often simple and can be easily guessed, or stolen and shared. Read more >>>
Governments worldwide to crack down on ransomware payment channels
October 15, 2021
Senior officials from 31 countries and the European Union said that their governments would take action to disrupt the cryptocurrency payment channels used by ransomware gangs to finance their operations. The joint statement was issued following the virtual Counter-Ransomware Initiative meetings facilitated this week by the White House National Security Council in response to ongoing attacks that revealed significant vulnerabilities across critical worldwide infrastructure. Read more >>>
DocuSign Phishing Campaign Targets Low-Ranking Employees
October 15, 2021
While previously reported phishing campaigns have often involved threat actors impersonating high-ranking employees, such as CEOs and CFOs, a new study by Avanan researchers found that half of all phishing emails they analyzed impersonated non-executives. 77% of those emails targeted employees on the same level as the impersonated employee. Read more >>>
Flubot Android Malware Now Spreads Via Fake Security Updates
October 4, 2021
The Flubot malware has switched to a new and likely more effective lure to compromise Android devices via security updates. Flubot will effectively take over the infected devices, gaining access to the victims’ payment and banking information in the process via a downloaded webview phishing page overlayed on top of legitimate mobile banking and cryptocurrency applications’ interfaces. Read more >>>
