As we continue to quickly roll through August toward the launch of the RSA Conference 2021 USA call for speakers, many organizations are settling into the concept of a long-term remote workforce. According to news from Infosecurity Magazine, ESET recently published a study, which found that more than half (51%) of UK teachers don’t feel certain that their school is well-positioned to deal with cybersecurity issues. As schools around the world are starting to unveil plans for the 2020-2021 school year, cybersecurity concerns are making their way to the fore with some in the US arguing that public schools must do more to educate students, teachers and administrators about cybersecurity risks.
All the while, fraudsters continue to target unsuspecting users; one reason why Gartner said, “security and risk management (cybersecurity) is predicted to grow 2.4%.” Let’s take a look at what other news made cybersecurity headlines this week.
Aug. 14: ZDNet reported, “Over 300,000 malicious links advertising fake get-rich-quick schemes designed to trick people into handing their money to cyber criminals have been taken down in a crackdown by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).”
Aug. 13: The FBI and NSA published an advisory alerting security teams to the threat of a “previously undisclosed form of Russian malware.”
Aug. 13: In an effort to raise awareness about cybersecurity principles, the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at the University of Texas at San Antonio developed a tabletop card game for young learners.
Aug. 13: Lawmakers proposed a new bill that would provide federal funding to strengthen IT systems, allowing state and local governments to buy “new and more secure platforms.”
Aug. 13: “Vulnerabilities in Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant platform could allow attackers to access users’ banking data history or home addresses—simply by persuading them to click on a malicious link,” Threatpost reported.
Aug. 12: The US Department of Justice secured a restraining order in federal court against multiple defendants involving “over 300 fraudulent websites purporting to sell scarce health and safety items.”
Aug. 12: The SANS Institute published a statement after discovering a security incident in which an email configuration had suspiciously forwarded hundreds of emails to an unknown third party.
Aug. 11: The nonprofit consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog has filed suit against Zoom, “seeking millions of dollars in damages, accusing the company of misleading its users about the strength of its encryption protections,” Cybersecurity 202 reported.
Aug. 11: Germany has secured $412 million in funding to establish a new agency to protect the country’s cybersecurity.
Aug. 10: Reuters reported, “Microsoft Corp’s bid to carve out parts of TikTok from its Chinese owner ByteDance will be a technically complex endeavor that could test the patience of President Donald Trump’s administration, according to sources familiar with the setup.”