Our heat map shows sectors with $7.1 trillion in debt face heightened cyber risk
Cyber risk in the telecommunications, airlines, and power generation industries shifts to the highest level in our latest cyber heat map. Numerous other sectors, including manufacturing, education, medical products, mass transit, and ports, also show more acute risk than in our 2022 heat map, either due to rising exposure or weaker oversight than in other industries. Together, these sectors account for $7.1 trillion of debt. Our heat map uses both data and analytical insights to assess cyber risk in 71 industries globally. It shows rising risk across 16 industries. We score sector-level cyber risk on a four-level scale: Low, Moderate, High, or Very High.
China-backed crews compromised ‘multiple’ US telcos in ‘significant cyber espionage campaign’
The US government has confirmed there was “a broad and significant cyber espionage campaign” conducted by China-linked snoops against “multiple” American telecommunications providers’ networks. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday by the FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the two government bodies said the previously-reported digital assaults resulted in the “theft of customer call records data, the compromise of private communications of a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity, and the copying of certain information that was subject to US law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders.”
Halliburton reports $35 million loss after ransomware attack
Halliburton has revealed that an August ransomware attack has led to $35 million in losses after the breach caused the company to shut down IT systems and disconnect customers. Halliburton is a global provider of products and services to the energy industry, offering a range of solutions for oil and gas reservoirs, including exploration, development, and production. The company operates in 70 countries, employing 48,000 individuals and reporting revenue that surpassed $23.02 billion.
Ransomware fiends boast they’ve stolen 1.4TB from US pharmacy network
American Associated Pharmacies (AAP) is the latest US healthcare organization to have had its data stolen and encrypted by cyber-crooks, it is feared. The criminals over at the Embargo ransomware operation claimed responsibility for the hit job, allegedly stealing 1.469 TB of AAP’s data, scrambling its files, and demanding payment to restore the information. AAP, which oversees a few thousand independent pharmacies in the country, hasn’t officially confirmed an attack, nor has it responded to The Register’s request for input on the claims. At the time of writing, its website warns all user passwords were recently force-reset. It did not explain why the resets were forced nor mention a cyberattack.
5 BCDR Oversights That Leave You Exposed to Ransomware
Ransomware isn’t just a buzzword; it’s one of the most dreaded challenges businesses face in this increasingly digitized world. Ransomware attacks are not only increasing in frequency but also in sophistication, with new ransomware groups constantly emerging. Their attack methods are evolving rapidly, becoming more dangerous and damaging than ever. Almost all respondents (99.8%) in a recent survey said they are concerned about the risk of identity information, session cookies and other data being extracted from devices infected with malware, activities highly correlated to a future ransomware attack. The harsh reality is that ransomware threats aren’t going away anytime soon. Despite organizations’ best efforts to prevent these attacks, breaches still happen. As such, backup and disaster recovery become your critical last line of defense against these growing threats. However, many organizations overlook essential disaster recovery (DR) practices, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks and data disasters.
