Oracle Corporation has released an urgent, out-of-band security update to address a critical vulnerability that could allow attackers to take full control of affected systems without authentication, raising significant concerns across enterprise IT environments worldwide.
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Nobody wants to believe that their business operations could grind to a halt following a cyber attack. But any leader who fails to prepare for that scenario is jeopardising their business’s future.
Over the last year, cyber attacks on household brands have brought the NCSC’s work to the forefront of public consciousness. Empty shelves and stalled production lines are a stark reminder that cyber attacks no longer just affect computers and data, but real business, real products, and real lives.
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Let’s start with a question: Was fraud prevention ever just a finance function?
After 27 years working in fraud prevention across the private, public, and third sectors, I can confidently say the answer is no.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen fraud fall under the remit of Audit, Risk, Legal, Compliance, Governance, Security, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and, yes, Finance.
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Organisations including energy and transport firms told to guard systems against powerful new computers
The UK’s cybersecurity agency is urging organisations to guard their systems against quantum hackers by 2035, as the prospect of breakthroughs in powerful computing threaten digital encryption.
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UK organisations encouraged to take action in response to the current situation in and around Ukraine
CITS have been alerted to the latest National Cyber Security Centre announcement, urging all UK organisations to bolster their cyber security resilience, in response to the malicious cyber incidents in and around Ukraine. It comes after the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, updated its guidance, to UK companies and organisations last week.
The NCSC is investigating the recent reports of malicious cyber incidents in Ukraine. Incidents of this nature are similar to a pattern of Russian behaviour seen before in previous situations, including the destructive NotPetya attack in 2017 and cyber-attacks against Georgia. The UK Government has attributed responsibility for both these attacks to the Russian Government.
While the NCSC is not aware of any current specific threats to UK organisations in relation to events in and around Ukraine, the guidance encourages organisations to follow actionable steps that reduce the risk of falling victim to an attack, including:
- Patching systems;
- Improving access controls and enabling multi-factor authentication;
- Implementing an effective incident response plan;
- Checking that backups and restore mechanisms are working;
- Ensuring that online defences are working as expected, and;
- Keeping up to date with the latest threat and mitigation information.
Paul Chichester, NCSC Director of Operations, said:
"The NCSC is committed to raising awareness of evolving cyber threats and presenting actionable steps to mitigate them. While we are unaware of any specific cyber threats to UK organisations in relation to events in Ukraine, we are monitoring the situation closely and it is vital that organisations follow the guidance to ensure they are resilient.
Over several years, we have observed a pattern of malicious Russian behaviour in cyberspace. Last week’s incidents in Ukraine bear the hallmarks of similar Russian activity we have observed before."
The guidance, which is primarily aimed at larger organisations, also advises organisations which fall victim to a cyber-attack to report the incident to the NCSC’s 24/7 Incident Management team.
Guidance Link - Actions to take when the cyber threat is heightened - NCSC.GOV.UK
QR Code Scam Warning
The National Cyber Security Centre has issued an alert warning of the malicious use of QR codes - READ ANNOUNCEMENT
According to the public service announcement, cyber criminals have been tampering with QR codes to redirect users from legitimate websites to fraudulent ones, where their data and money is at risk of being stolen.
Businesses worldwide have turned increasingly towards using QR codes to continue offering their services, but this mechanism can be exploited and even used to embed malware onto a user’s device.
Anyone who thinks that they have been a victim of cybercrime should report details to their bank and Action Fraud (for England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland (for Scotland).
The NCSC have published top tips for staying secure online, which can help you remain safe even if have you have followed a QR code or link to a malicious destination.
White Rabbit Ransomware Threat
A hard to detect form of ransomware, White Rabbit, has been reported on by researchers and linked back to a crime group known for targeting finance.
White Rabbit was utilised in December 2021 in an attack against a US bank and researchers at Trend Micro believe the tactics have been seen before with the cybercriminal group, FIN8.
The technique is discreet because its payload binary requires a specific command-line password before triggering the ransomware and encryption routine. This means it remains discreet until triggered. The file is also very small (100kb) and appears to show no activity making it harder to spot.
Ransomware is a growing threat within cyber security. Criminals can use the attack to lock down files and systems before demanding payment for access, but there’s never a guarantee that paying the ransom will work
CITS urges all Business to stay alert, make regular on-line Backups, keep up to date with prevention advice, and be prepared if you do fall victim!