organized crime

Opinion: Don’t Be Blinded by APTs

In this industry perspective, Thomas Hofmann of Flashpoint says that sensational coverage of advanced persistent threat (APT) actors does little to help small and mid sized firms defend their IT environments from more common threats like cyber criminals. The key to getting cyber defense right is understanding the risks to your firm and prioritizing investments to protect critical IT assets.

Report: Hacking Crews are all APT now

  In-brief:The tactics of cyber criminal hacking crews are indistinguishable from those of sophisticated, state sponsored “advanced persistent threat” groups, the firm FireEye said in its most recent M-Trends report.

Update: It’s Time To Stop Ransomware Shaming!

In-brief: It’s time to stop the ransomware shaming. The truth is that successful ransomware infections are children with many fathers – from lax security practices to vulnerable software. Update: added comment from Dodi Glenn of PC Pitstop. PFR 2/21/2015.

Internet of Things Looms Large in National Intelligence Assessment

In-brief: the consequences of innovation and increased reliance on information technology, including the Internet of Things, pose serious challenges to the nation’s cyber defenses and the intelligence community’s “operational tradecraft,” said DNI James Clapper in a report to Congress. 

FBI’s Advice on Ransomware? Just Pay The Ransom.

In-brief: The nation’s top law enforcement agency is warning companies that they may not be able to get their data back from cyber criminals who use Cryptolocker, Cryptowall and other malware without paying a ransom.