Please fill in the form below to subscribe to our blog

The Week in Breach News: 03/24/21 – 03/30/21

March 31, 2021

This Week in Breach News:

Hobby Lobby’s mistakes pack a high cost, Australia’s Channel 9 News gets knocked off the air by a cyberattack, production at Sierra Wireless gets held up by ransomware, a look at what the FBI IC3 report means for your business plus a new webinar that reviews lessons learned from the global pandemic – and how to be ready for the next disaster.



United States – Hobby Lobby

https://threatpost.com/hobby-lobby-customer-data-cloud-misconfiguration/164980/

Exploit: Misconfiguration

Hobby Lobby: Craft Supply Retailer

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.662= Severe

Hobby Lobby made a blunder that was discovered this week. Researchers came across an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud database belonging to the controversial retailer that was misconfigured to be publicly accessible exposing 138GB of sensitive information.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Individual Risk : 1.707 = Severe

Exposed data includes customer names, partial payment card details, phone numbers, physical and email addresses along with source code for the company’s app, and employee names and email addresses. This information can be used for spear phishing and identity theft.

Customers Impacted: 300,000

How It Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Making simple, avoidable blunders like this doesn’t fill your customers with confidence that you’re taking information privacy seriously.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Make sure that everyone on the IT team is up to date on today’s threats and ready for tomorrow’s with the tips and tricks in “The Security Awareness Champion’s Guide“. GET THIS FREE BOOK>>


United States – CNA Financial

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cna-insurance-firm-hit-by-a-cyberattack-operations-impacted/

Exploit: Ransomware

CNA Financial: Insurer

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.627 = Severe

Major insurer CNA Financial has disclosed that it was the victim of a purported ransomware attack this week, causing significant network disruption. The company’s email systems have been offline and the underwriting and claims units have been stymied, likely due to systems becoming unavailable. CNA said that they were disconnecting systems for safety and working to restore operations.

Individual Impact: No sensitive personal or financial information was announced as impacted in this incident, but the investigation is ongoing.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business Ransomware is the cause of many expensive disasters and they don’t all involve data. Cybercriminals can also hold your business operations hostage.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Ransomware risks are up by more than 100%. learn how to fight back in “Ransomware 101“. GET THIS BOOK>>


United States – California State Controller

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/03/phish-leads-to-breach-at-calif-state-controller/

Exploit: Phishing

California State Controller: State Government Agency 

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 2.412 = Severe

A phishing attack last week gave attackers access to email and files at the California State Controller’s Office (SCO). The agency announced that attackers had access to the email records of an employee in its Unclaimed Property Division after the employee clicked a phishing link and then entered their email ID and password.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Individual Risk: 2.309 = Severe

The breach may have led to the exposure of personal and financial data for thousands of state employees. There is also evidence that the account was used to conduct business email compromise scams.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Something as simple as one mishandled email can wreak havoc on your business. No matter how busy you are, training has to be a priority to avoid this consequence.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Fight back against phishing with the newly updated BullPhish ID featuring customizable training campaigns. LEARN MORE>>


United States – PDI Group

https://therecord.media/ransomware-gang-leaks-data-from-us-military-contractor-the-pdi-group/ 

Exploit: Ransomware

PDI Group: Defense Contractor 

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 2.412 = Severe

US military contractor PDI Group has experienced a ransomware attack, with Babuk Locker claiming responsibility. the gang says that they have 700 GB of data they claim to have stolen from PDI’s internal network and they have made ransom demands after posting a sample to their site. PDI Group manufactures specialty trailers, dollies and other transport tools for multiple military applications.

Individual Impact: No sensitive personal or financial information was announced as impacted in this incident, but the investigation is ongoing.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Failing to protect the secrets of your success like blueprints and formulas is a fast path to trouble when your competitors can download them from dark web sources.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Dark web danger is growing for businesses as millions of records landing in dark web markets create new vulnerabilities. PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS>>


Is your email domain protected against phishing? Are your customers? Find out now with the Graphus Domain Checker. CHECK NOW>>



Canada – Sierra Wireless

https://therecord.media/production-halted-at-sierra-wireless-factories-following-ransomware-attack/

Exploit: Ransomware

Sierra Wireless: Electronics Manufacturing 

cybersecurity news gauge indicating extreme risk

Risk to Business: 1.302 = Extreme

Canadian electronics giant Sierra Wireless has halted production at its manufacturing sites across the world after a ransomware attack crippled its IT systems. The disruption has kept staff from accessing internal documents and systems related to manufacturing and planning. Investigation and remediation are ongoing.

Individual Impact: No sensitive personal or financial information was announced as compromised in this incident, but the investigation is ongoing.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Ransomware can cause catastrophic delays in production, crippling factories. Preventing it from hitting systems is just as important as protecting data.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Stopping ransomware starts with stopping phishing. in “The Phish Files“, you’ll learn strategies to spot and stop phishing attacks fast. READ THIS BOOK>>


Our partners typically realize ROI in 30 days or less. See why nearly 4,000 MSPs in 30 countries choose to grow with ID AGENT solutions and support. BECOME A PARTNER>>



United Kingdom – Fat Face

https://www.inforisktoday.com/british-clothing-retailer-fat-face-discloses-data-breach-a-16249

Exploit: Malware

Fat Face: Clothing Retailer

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.802 = Severe

Retail boutique Fat Face has disclosed that it experienced a data breach in January. According to the shop a third party accessed data, probably through malware, and obtained some employee and customer information. The incident is still under review.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.802 = Severe

The organization says that some employee and customer information was exposed, including names, addresses, email addresses and the last four digits of credit card numbers, plus the expiration dates. Customers should be alert for fraud attempts.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Failure to keep sensitive data secure is even more costly when your industry or location means you’ll incur regulatory penalties on top of everything else.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Make sure that you’re covering all of the bases with our Cybersecurity Risk Protection Checklist. GET THE CHECKLIST>>


United Kingdom – University of Northampton (UON)

https://heimdalsecurity.com/blog/cyber-attack-university-of-northampton/

Exploit: Hacking

University of Northampton (UON): Institution of Higher Learning

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 2.055 = Severe

Communications and some learning tools were knocked offline at UON after a cyberattack shut down essential systems. No data is reported stolen, and authorities have been informed. Officials say that service is beating slowly but steadily restored.

Individual Impact: No sensitive personal or financial information was announced as compromised in this incident, but the investigation is ongoing.

Customers Impacted: LOREM IPSUM

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: It’s no longer acceptable to just survive a cyberattack by shutting down systems Clients expert businesses to keep on trucking no matter what.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Is your organization ready to repel cyberattacks and keep on going? You are if you’re cyber resilient. Learn how to transform your business in “The Road to Cyber Resilience” today. GET THIS BOOK>>


The Netherlands – RDC

https://therecord.media/data-for-7-3-million-dutch-car-owners-sold-on-hacking-forum/

Exploit: Hacking

RDC: Maintenance & Garage Services

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.861 = Severe

The personal and vehicle details of millions of Dutch car owners were posted for sale on a well-known cybercrime forum, snatched from automotive services company RDC. The threat actor behind the forum ad claims to be in possession of an RDC database with 7.3 million entries. 2.3 million of those records also come complete with email addresses and other PII.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.703 = Severe

Both business clients and private car owners were impacted with data including names, home addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, but also vehicle registration numbers, car makes & models, and license plates exposed.

Customers Impacted: 7.3 million

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Every time your company does business with another company, your information is at risk and their failure to keep your information safe can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Mitigate the risk of doing business in today’s interconnected world with the expert advice in our ebook “Breaking Up with Third-Party and Supply Chain Risk“. DOWNLOAD IT>>



Australia – Channel Nine

https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/116053/breaking-news/channel-nine-cyber-attack.html

Exploit: Hacking

 Channel Nine: Television Network

cybersecurity news gauge indicating extreme risk

Risk to Business: 1.422= Extreme

In an especially audacious attack, hackers disrupted broadcast operations at Channel Nine, preventing the station from transmitting its popular Sunday morning news program, which runs from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm out of studios in Sidney as well as its 5 pm evening news broadcast. The 6 pm broadcast was facilitated by studios in Melbourne. The company acted quickly to restore operations.

Individual Impact: No sensitive personal or financial information was declared as compromised immediately but the investigation is ongoing and more details may emerge.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Hackers are bold and dangerous One security failure can have big consequences for operations, causing delays and dissatisfaction for clients.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Look at the evolution of cybercrime in 2020 to see where we think it’s headed in 2021. GET THE GLOBAL YEAR IN BREACH 2021 NOW>>


malicious insider threats represented by a crime comic style blue eye looking through a peephole.

Inspect your defenses to find vulnerabilities before the bad guys do with our Cybersecurity Risk Protection Checklist GET IT>>



1 – 1.5 = Extreme Risk

1.51 – 2.49 = Severe Risk

2.5 – 3 = Moderate Risk

Risk scores for The Week in Breach are calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.



Go Inside the Ink to Get the Inside Scoop on Cybercrime


Are you up to date on the latest news that can impact your business and your customers? Here’s a recap:


Insider threats include phishing. Explore cybercriminal tricks to stop phishing with our new book represented by a light blue comic panel of a phishing hook and old-fashioned comic book style in light blue on dark blue with facts about cybersecurity in 2020

Learn the Secret of How Cybercriminals Trick You Into Falling for Phishing Messages!

Read Phish Files Now>>



NEW WEBINAR! Lessons Learned from the Pandemic

Nobody saw the wild ride that MSPs endured in 2020 coming. That’s why it’s essential to learn from those challenges and understand how you can be prepared for the tumultuous events of the future. Join ID Agent’s Amelia Paro and Nerdio’s Joseph Landis for an empowering webinar “Lessons Learned from the Pandemic”.

You’ll learn:

  • How to build a successful profit center from the remote work revolution
  • Actionable steps for implementing a secure, scalable cloud practice
  • Tips and tricks for selling this new angle to clients and prospects

Don’t miss this opportunity to take hold of your MSP’s future now and transform your business into a juggernaut that powers your continued success in this new, changed world.

WATCH THIS WEBINAR>>


Don’t Forget to Download The Global Year in Breach 2021 & Our Cybersecurity Risk Protection Checklist

Change comes fast, as we all learned in 2020. Are you ready for what’s next? Read our annual exploration of the breach-related cybercrime landscape to learn more about the patterns and trends that you’ll see in the future. In “The Global Year in Breach 2021” you’ll find:

  • 5 growth areas to keep on your radar
  • How the dark web economy contributed to a cybercrime explosion
  • The risks of the future
  • and so much more!

Download “The Global Year in Breach 2021” and take a deep dive with us. GET THIS BOOK>>

Build on the knowledge gained in “The Global Year in Breach”  and start a new security conversation with your clients and prospects using the Cybersecurity Risk Protection Checklist. Make sure every one of your customers can check off everything on this list (and sell them the solutions that do). GET THE CHECKLIST>>


Sit Down with Experts to Explore Mind Games: Protecting Your Business From Social Engineering Attacks 


Social engineering is the driver of today’s most devastating phishing disasters – 98% of cyberattacks in 2020 used social engineering as their main component. Join Jamie Woodruff, Europe’s top ethical hacker and ID Agent for a fascinating webinar where you’ll learn:

  • What tricks cybercriminals favor the most
  • How social engineering can catch even wary employees
  • What you can do to secure businesses against this rising threat

Don’t let supply chain and third-party risk rain on your parade in 2021! Learn how to protect your business (and your profits) in the eBook “Breaking Up with Supply Chain & Third-Party Risk“! GET IT NOW>>



Cybercrime Numbers Reach New Heights in a Chaotic Threat Atmosphere


The release of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) IC3 Internet Crime Report always brings clarity to determining what threats businesses really have to contend with. This year is no different. It also reinforces a conclusion that cybersecurity researchers around the world have been touting – 2020 was a banner year for cybercrime.

The first notable data point is a shocker. The FBI received 791,790 cybercrime complaints in 2020 that resulted in a loss of over $4.2 billion and that’s 300,000 more than 2019. A 69% increase in reported cybercrime is a massive jump that confirms the extraordinary cybercrime risks that every company has to contend with. It also lends credence to the recommendation that companies need to update and upgrade their defenses fast because threat is growing exponentially with no sign of slowing down in 2021.

COVID-19 related scams represented a huge new pool of threats. IC3 reported that it notched 28,500 complaints related to COVID-19 last year. The majority of those scams involved identity theft and fraud, especially around stimulus, grant and loan programs. While that threat will diminish as we move into the post-pandemic era, COVID-19 related cybercrime will still be a problem for businesses as cybercriminals perpetrate phishing scams themed around vaccination and assistance payments in the near future.


See how automated, affordable phishing defense with Graphus can save your business a fortune! GET THE EBOOK>>


Business email compromise (BEC) schemes continued to be the costliest cybercrime reported to IC3 consisting of 19,369 complaints with an adjusted loss of approximately $1.8 billion. Phishing slotted in at number two from 241,342 complaints, with adjusted losses of over $54 million. The number of ransomware incidents reported to the FBI also continues to climb, with 2,474 incidents reported in 2020. IC3 was careful to note that it doesn’t receive reports of all scams in a given year.

The report also draws attention to one prominent BEC scam. IC3 noted the rise of cryptocurrency-enabled BEC scams, adding new danger to an old problem. In this scenario, identity theft is used to commit fraud and access cash as usual, but the stolen funds are immediately converted to cryptocurrency, making them much harder to find. In more personal variations on this scheme that can sometimes target executives, initial victims were enticed into providing a form of ID to a bad actor that was then used to establish a bank account to receive stolen BEC funds and then transferred to a cryptocurrency account.


Don’t miss our Q2 Product Update Webinar on April 6 at 11 am EST! Much-requested fresh features debut soon including BullPhish ID updates! Plus, meet RocketCyber. RESERVE YOUR VIRTUAL SEAT>>


A few other notable data points from the report:

  • The top 5 victimized countries outside the US were the UK, Canada, India, Greece and Australia.
  • The top 4 US states in numbers of cybercrime victims were California, Texas, New York and Illinois.
  • Social media scams hit 35,439 victims for $155,323,073
  • 2,794 corporate data breaches were reported
  • California had the highest total crime victim losses at $621,452,320
  • Cybercrime targeting people over 60 has become so common that IC3 will be releasing a new, separate report focusing on Elder Fraud in 2021

These numbers can be useful for showing clients and prospects the danger that cybercrime poses to every business. Along with the incredible data that we’ve collected in The Global Year in Breach 2021, this is the kind of data that starts conversations.

One of the most important conversations to start is the need for secure identity and access management. Over 40% of businesses need to improve in this area. With the world economy stagnant, clients may be wary of spending money on new security solutions. So they’re going to be more receptive to a solution that solves multiple problems at once, providing excellent value at an affordable price: Passly.

It’s the perfect choice for mitigating a lot of risk without a lot of budget, with a combination of features that it can take 3 or more solutions to get in one powerful package including:

  • Multifactor authentication (MFA). See the nuts and bolts of the benefits in the special report in our blog, but one fact to remember is that MFA stops 99% of password-based cybercrime on its own.
  • Single sign-on (SSO). It’s a clutch player when time is of the essence as you defend against a cyberattack by making it easy to ferret out the point of origin of intrusions and quarantine problems fast.
  • Automated password resets. IT teams spend up to 50% of their time resetting passwords. Stop spending valuable payroll hours (and dollars) on that and automate it.

We’re here to help you find the perfect combination of solutions to protect your clients and your business from cybercrime through the ID Agent Digital Risk Protection Platform and IT Complete. Book a meeting with one of our solutions experts now and let’s explore the possibilities. BOOK IT>>




Apr 6 – ID Agent & Graphus Q2 Product Update REGISTER NOW>

Apr 13 – The Ultimate Customer Retention Blueprint for MSPs REGISTER NOW>>

Apr 20 – MVP Growthfest featuring Wayne Gretzky REGISTER NOW>>

Apr 20 – 21 Managed Services Summit Live (EMEA) REGISTER NOW>>

May 11 – 14 Robin Robins Boot Camp REGISTER NOW>>


Insider threats include phishing. Explore cybercriminal tricks to stop phishing with our new book represented by a light blue comic panel of a phishing hook and old-fashioned comic book style in light blue on dark blue with facts about cybersecurity in 2020

Learn the Secret of How Cybercriminals Trick Users Into Falling for Phishing Messages! GET EBOOK>>



Huge Cybercrime Numbers Provide Food for Thought


The recent release of the FBI’s annual IC3 Internet Crime Report draws attention to the surge in cybercrime that businesses have seen in the last year – more than 80% of businesses reported seeing an increase in cyberattacks in 2020. That means that it’s a smart move to put in a little time to review your cybersecurity suite now and add extra protection against some nasty threats if needed.

2020’s increase in cybercrime was hefty across the board, including an enormous increase in phishing of more than 600%. Phishing is responsible for Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)’s top reported scam of 2020: business email compromise. The FBI notched 19,369 business email compromise scams in 2020 with a painful adjusted loss of approximately $1.8 billion.

Ransomware defense should also be high on your priority list. This menace isn’t slowing down, and just one incident can devastate your business. Two in five small or medium businesses were hit with ransomware in 2020. IC3 reports that it received 2,474 complaints identified as ransomware with adjusted losses of over $29.1 million.

The FBI received 791,790 cybercrime complaints in 2020 that resulted in a loss of over $4.2 billion and that’s 300,000 more than 2019. That’s an astounding 69% increase in reported cybercrime – and most cybercrime goes unreported.

Make sure that your business doesn’t end up in next year’s report by taking the time to review your protection and bolster it where you can. If your budget is a limitation, look for multifunctional solutions that can check off many security boxes at once like Passly. It’s packed with value including multifactor authentication which stops 99% of password-related cybercrime.

Cybercrime is continuing its upward trend in 2021. Take the time to review your security coverage now and make smart updates that protect your business from the rising tide of cybercrime.


Get high-quality tools to help you connect with your customers with our free resources for marketing and education like eBooks, webinars, social media graphics, infographics, and more!

Are you an ID Agent Partner? Feel free to re-use this blog post (in part or in its entirety) for your own social media and marketing efforts. Just send an email to [email protected] to let us knowwe welcome your feedback and we love to hear about how our content works for you!

Ready to become an ID Agent Partner or learn more about our remote-ready suite of cybersecurity solutions including the award-winning DarkWeb ID? Contact us today!