October 27, 2023 at 10:43AM
This week’s cybersecurity roundup highlights the increase in HTTP DDoS attacks, with gaming and gambling organizations being the most affected. The ENISA Threat Landscape report identifies DDoS attacks and ransomware as the top threats, while the FTC details its efforts to combat cross-border fraud and ransomware attacks. Cyber.org receives $6.8 million in funding for K-12 cyber education, and Clearview AI successfully appeals a UK privacy fine. Microsoft launches the early access program for Security Copilot, and a man-in-the-middle attack on Russia’s largest XMPP messaging service is uncovered. Caliptra security assessment reveals 26 vulnerabilities, and the FDD warns of a Chinese company’s dominance in the electric vehicle industry. A former NSA employee faces a lifetime prison sentence for attempted espionage.
Based on the meeting notes provided, here are the key takeaways:
1. HTTP DDoS attacks are on the rise, with Cloudflare reporting a significant increase in attack traffic during the third quarter of the year. Gaming and gambling organizations have been the most heavily targeted, and there has also been a surge in attacks targeting Israeli newspaper and media websites, financial institutions, and government domains.
2. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has released its Threat Landscape 2023 report, which identifies DDoS attacks and ransomware as the top threats. The report highlights the influence of the Russia-Ukraine war on the cybersecurity landscape and the increasing professionalization of threat actors’ as-a-service programs.
3. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has submitted two reports to the US Congress. The first report focuses on the commission’s efforts to combat cross-border fraud, specifically implementing the SAFE WEB act. The second report addresses the FTC’s activities regarding China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, as well as its contribution to combating ransomware and other cyberattacks originating from outside the US.
4. Cyber.org, a nonprofit organization, has received $6.8 million in funding from the US cybersecurity agency CISA to support K-12 cyber education. The funding will help provide resources and training for educators and caregivers to deliver cybersecurity content to students.
5. Clearview AI has successfully appealed a £7.5 million fine imposed by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The company was originally fined for unlawfully storing facial images, but it has demonstrated that it only works with national security and law enforcement bodies.
6. Microsoft has launched an early access program for Security Copilot, an AI assistant for security teams. Security Copilot utilizes large language models and Microsoft’s global threat intelligence to help security teams fight adversaries more efficiently and provide actionable recommendations. It also offers direct access to Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence.
7. A man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack on the largest Russian XMPP messaging service, jabber.ru, has been identified. The attack, believed to be set up for lawful interception, hijacked encrypted connections using TLS certificates issued by Let’s Encrypt.
8. NCC Group has conducted a security assessment of Caliptra, an open source silicon IP block for server-class ASICs. The assessment uncovered 26 vulnerabilities, all of which have been addressed by the Caliptra team.
9. The Foundation for Defense of the Democrats (FDD) warns of the ascension of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), a Chinese company, in the electric vehicle industry. The FDD cautions that CATL’s dominance in battery manufacturing could enable them to monitor vehicles and disable charging networks, potentially posing a threat to the US energy grid.
10. A former NSA employee, Jareh Sebastian Dalke, has admitted to having access to and being willing to share classified documents with an FBI covert operative posing as a Russian agent. Dalke, who is scheduled for sentencing in April 2024, faces a lifetime prison sentence for espionage attempt.
These are the main stories covered in this week’s meeting notes.