In just one week, we will all be at RSA Conference in San Francisco, where many industry headlines will come to life. If this is your first time attending RSA Conference 2020, take a few moments to listen to our Know Before You Go webcast to get an idea of the layout of Conference as well as tips and tricks to avoid burnout. Also, please visit the RSAC website page that has links to best practices from the CDC and the World Health Organization to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. We also ask that you evaluate your own health and those you’ve been in close contact with. The health and safety of our attendees is our top priority—please remain at home if you or someone you’ve been in contact with are sick. Please contact RSA Conference if you have concerns about attending Conference.
Perhaps you’ve spent the few free moments you have searching the full agenda for the sessions you don’t want to miss. When you’re focused on reserving your seats at Conference, who has time to keep up with the news? Understanding that your time is limited, we’ve again pulled together some of this week’s top headlines.
Feb. 14: Misconfigurations in two of the Institute of International Education (IIE) online MongoDB databases reportedly left the personal information of thousands of students exposed.
Feb. 14: Experts from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said the cyber-incident that has left more than 135,000 residents of the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Councils without online public services since last Saturday is “an isolated incident and we are supporting the organisation and working with partners to understand its impact.”
Feb. 13: The Cybereason Nocturnus, a research team that has been monitoring cyberespionage targeting the Middle East, recently discovered two espionage campaigns targeting Palestinian territories.
Feb. 13: The Associated Press reported, “A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary halt of Microsoft’s work on a $10 billion military cloud contract, a win for Amazon, which sued the US government last year for awarding the contract to its rival.”
Feb. 13: The Department of Justice announced charges of racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to steal trade secrets in a 16-count superseding indictment against Huawei.
Feb. 12: Apple® announced that it has joined the FIDO Alliance, and a new report from ESG found that “55% of organizations will increase overall IT spending in 2020. At least half of organizations in the health care, technology, retail/wholesale, manufacturing, and business services industries will increase IT spending in 2020.”
Feb. 12: Though the 2020 US Census is scheduled to open next month, lawmakers are concerned about findings from a report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which said the bureau faces “significant cybersecurity challenges in securing its systems and data.”
Feb. 11: According to the 2019 Internet Crime Report released by the FBI, the top three crimes reported last year by victims were “phishing/vishing/smishing/pharming, non-payment/non-delivery, and extortion.”
Feb. 10: Proofpoint researchers discovered a targeted campaign in which nefarious actors sent Coronavirus-themed email attacks to Japanese-speaking victims.
Feb. 10: Members of Congress introduced “The State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act,” a $400 million Department of Homeland Security grant program for state and local governments to improve the security of their networks.
Feb. 10: After a cyberattack reportedly knocked out 25% of Iran’s internet, the Wall Street Journal’s Dustin Volz sat down with cybersecurity expert John Hultquist to discuss new tactics Iranian hackers have at the ready, and how well-prepared the US is to defend itself.
Feb. 10: The US has charged four members of the Chinese military with “hacking Equifax and stealing personal data and trade secrets.”