We’re back! Though our weekly news roundup took a break last week, cybercriminals remained steadfast, but so have defenders. The FBI seized the WeLeakInfo.com domain, which was selling access to previously stolen personal and account information. Meanwhile, McAfee has named Peter Leav, the former chief executive of BMC Software, its new CEO.
Also in this week’s news, the campaign manager for presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg resigned, “amid warnings from intelligence officials and cybersecurity experts that presidential campaigns face challenges in thwarting cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns,” according to The Wall Street Journal. As the 2020 presidential election nears, cybersecurity will be a primary concern for the candidates and their campaigns as well as for municipalities that are challenged with ensuring the integrity of voting machines.
Knowing that cybercriminals are growing increasingly more sophisticated, “some police say they can no longer avoid wading into the world of phone spoofers, crypto-currencies and hijacked cell phone numbers.” Interested in learning more about the NYPD’s cyber-enabled crime pilot program? You’re in luck. Nick Selby, Director of Cyber Intelligence and Investigations for the NYPD, will be speaking at RSAC 2020 about the challenges of his program.
But that’s not all. Here’s a rundown of some other important cybersecurity news from this week.
Jan. 17: Oracle’s critical patch update broke an all-time record this week when it released a whopping 334 security fixes for more than 90 products.
Jan. 17: Reports that Amazon employees listened in on conversations customers had with their Alexa digital assistants sparked privacy concerns for EU regulators who “are now working on a common approach on how to police the technology,” according to Yahoo! Finance.
Jan. 16: Global tensions are reportedly a root cause for the warning of a “heightened risk” environment issued to financial institutions by federal banking regulators.
Jan. 16: “Frankenstein” identities are the fastest-growing financial crime, leaving financial institutions like Notre Dame Federal Credit Union unsuspecting victims of synthetic identity fraud.
Jan. 16: Health Data Management reported, “The European Union is considering new legally binding requirements for developers of artificial intelligence in an effort to ensure modern technology is developed and used in an ethical way.”
Jan. 15: California-based Cloudflare announced its new “Cloudflare for Campaigns” program that offers free cybersecurity services for campaigns.
Jan. 15: Malicious actors are using Emotet malware as part of a highly targeted phishing campaign aimed at the United Nations.
Jan. 14: During a US National Security Agency press conference, the NSA revealed a major flaw that affects “the core cryptographic software used by Microsoft operating systems.”
Jan. 14: The UK’s Ministry of Defence announced funding for a new contract “to revolutionise the way warships make decisions and process thousands of strands of intelligence and data by using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.).”
Jan. 13: In a House Homeland Security Committee meeting, Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said he was "particularly interested in understanding how Iran could use its relatively sophisticated cyber capabilities against state and local government and critical infrastructure," according to FCW.