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The Week in Breach News: 06/29/21 – 07/06/21

July 07, 2021

 Healthcare cyberattacks are popping up fast, we’re spotlighting sales-focused webinars this week and a look at overcoming the IT skills shortage with automation technology (plus how it saves you and your customers money).


We know that you’re interested in news about the Kaseya VSA security incident. Please refer to the official Kaseya information page for updates. https://www.kaseya.com/potential-attack-on-kaseya-vsa/



Arthur J. Gallagher

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-insurance-giant-ajg-reports-data-breach-after-ransomware-attack/ 

Exploit: Ransomware

Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG): Insurance Broker 

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.673= Severe

Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG), a US-based global insurance brokerage and risk management firm, is mailing breach notification letters to customers impacted in a previously unannounced ransomware attack that hit its systems in late September 2020. The company said that an unknown party accessed data contained within their network between June 3, 2020, and September 26, 2020. The company has apparently just completed its investigation.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Individual Risk: 1.522= Severe

While the company did not specify the types of data exposed, their SEC filing did and PII starred heavily on the list. Data exposed may include a client’s Social Security number or tax identification number, driver’s license, passport or other government identification number, date of birth, username and password, employee identification number, financial account or credit card information, electronic signature, medical treatment, claim, diagnosis, medication or other medical information, health insurance information, medical record or account number and biometric information.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How It Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Proprietary data like this is cybercriminal gold. It’s both useful for committing future cybercrime and quickly saleable in the busy dark web data markets.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Building a zero-trust framework is a popular and successful planning choice for a reason. Learn more about how it helps mitigate risks like stolen PII. SEE NOW>>


Washington State Department of Labor and Industries

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/state/washington/article252532918.html 

Exploit: Third-Party Data Breach

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries: Government Agency

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.816 = Severe

Washington State informed over 16,000 workers that their PII may have been exposed in a ransomware attack on Renton market research company Pacific Market Research (PMR). The contractor was hit with a ransomware attack in May 2021.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.516 = Severe

The exposed information for workers includes claim numbers and dates of birth for 16,466 workers who had workers’ compensation claims in 2019, which PMR had used to conduct a customer service survey for the agency.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business An unsecured database is easy pickings for cybercriminals and a rookie mistake that could cost the survey company a client.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Are you selling and delivering security awareness training to all of your clients? If not, let us show you how to get started in only 15 minutes! WATCH NOW>>


Practicefirst

 https://healthitsecurity.com/news/healthcare-ransomware-attack-targets-practice-management-vendor

Exploit: Ransomware

Practicefirst: Healthcare Technology Services

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 2.223=Severe

Practicefirst announced that a 2020 healthcare ransomware attack may have exposed personally identifiable information (PII) of patients and employees. The service provider specializes in medical billing, coding, credentialing, bookkeeping, and practice management solutions. When they detected suspicious activity on December 30th, 2020, they shut down all systems, changed passwords and notified authorities but not before the bad guys scooped up data.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 2.201=Severe

Practicefirst disclosed that patient and employee information has been impacted including birthdates, names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, email addresses and tax identification numbers employee usernames and passwords, bank account information. Other data that may have been stolen is primarily treatment-focused like diagnoses, lab and treatment information, medication information and health insurance identification.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business Clients and employees won’t be happy about having this kind of personal information stolen – and neither will the Department of Health and Human Services.

ID Agent to the Rescue:  Building a strong security culture is essential. Learn more about how to do it in a webinar full of tips from team-building experts! WATCH WEBINAR>>


UofL Health

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/kentucky-healthcare-system-exposes/

Exploit: Insider Threat (Employee Error)

UofL Health: Healthcare System

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.575 = Severe

Kentucky-based UofL Health has notified more than 40,000 patients of an employee blunder that resulted in their personal health information being emailed to the wrong address. In this case, a UofL employee accidentally sent personal health information from UofL patients to an email address outside of the health system’s network. According to UofL, the accidental recipient of the data did not view or access any patient information.

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.502 = Severe

Patients whose data was impacted by the incident have been offered free identity protection services. No specifics about what exact data was accessed have been released beyond personal health information.

Customers Impacted: 40,000

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business Employee errors that impact compliance in a heavily regulated industry pack a punch after regulators get to work.

ID Agent to the Rescue:  Learn more about the factors that make it easy for employees to make mistakes and how you can mitigate them for a better staff. SEE THIS WEBINAR>>


United Kingdom – Salvation Army

https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/30/salvation_army_ransomware_attack/

Exploit: Hacking

Salvation Army – Non-Profit 

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 2.424= Severe

The United Kingdom arm of the evangelical Christian nonprofit Salvation Army disclosed that it had been the victim of an unspecified cyberattack. The industry press are reporting that the attack was purportedly ransomware but no confirmation is available at this time. The fundamentalist charity says that no programs were impacted and has not released information about the type of data that was stolen.

Individual Impact: There has not yet been confirmation that consumer personal or financial information has been compromised in this incident but the investigation is ongoing.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business organizations that hold financial information for donors should put extra care into securing it to keep those people donating.

ID Agent to the Rescue Learn more about the economics of an incident like this and how that can rapidly shift to gain perspective on the complexity involved. LEARN MORE>>


Spain – MasMovil

https://www.hackread.com/revil-ransomware-gang-hits-masmovil-telecom/

Exploit: Ransomware

MasMovil: Telecommunications

cybersecurity news represented by agauge showing severe risk

Risk to Business: 1.801 = Severe

Cybercrime gang REvil struck Spain’s fourth-largest telecom over the 4th of July weekend. The group claims to have “downloaded databases and other important data” belonging to the telecom giant, sharing screenshots apparently of the stolen MasMovil data that shows folders named Backup, RESELLERS, PARLEM and OCU.

Individual Impact: There has not yet been confirmation that consumer personal or financial information has been compromised in this incident but the investigation is ongoing.

Customers Impacted: Unknown

How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: If client data was impacted, GDPR carries stiff penalties for customer data loss and those continue to climb.

ID Agent to the Rescue: Powered Services can help you remind your clients that important things like GDPR compliance shouldn’t be overlooked with high-quality plug-and-play sales and marketing tools. LEARN HOW>>



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:



Sales-Focused Webinar Spotlight 

Put a little more cash in your pocket for summer fun with the tips, tricks and advice offered in these sales-focused webinars! 

Lessons Learned from the Pandemic 

A look at the lessons of the global pandemic and what new opportunities have emerged. WATCH NOW>> 

The Ultimate Customer Retention Blueprint for MSPs 

See how to use the tools at your disposal to make customers more loyal and profitable! WATCH NOW>> 

Customer Experience Confidential 

Here’s the secret for getting your customers to prospect for you by singing your praises. WATCH NOW>> 

Making a Battle Plan for Profit 

Learn to map out your plan for success and maximize the use of your resources. WATCH NOW>> 

A Cybersecurity Trilogy: Plan 

Take a fascinating journey into what’s next and how you can future-proof your business! WATCH NOW>> 


password reuse danger can sink unwary businesses with poor security awareness. A cartoon image on black shows a blue shield with a lock

See how to grow your business with a new revenue stream in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. LEARN MORE>>



Remote work-life balance

Navigating the Cybersecurity Skills Gap is a Key to MSP Success


Technology has become an integral part of the way that the world does business, especially in the wake of the global pandemic. But someone has to install, maintain and configure all of that technology, and these days finding those people can be a challenge for businesses, especially in an uncertain landscape. Although advances in technology have played a part in spawning the problem, advances in technology are also part of the solution.

The cybersecurity skills shortage has been cited as a chronic business problem for years, and it isn’t getting any better. In a recent survey of IT professionals, researchers found that 95% of those surveyed said that the hiring challenges that create this situation have stayed the same or gotten worse over the past few years. Many of those professionals also think that their companies aren’t taking this seriously – almost 60% of respondents said they do not believe their organizations are doing enough to address the negative effects of the skills shortage on their overburdened IT teams.

But hiring managers are between a rock and a hard place trying to close the gap between what is needed and what is available. It doesn’t even matter if you’re making a direct pitch. While 58% of hiring managers cite information security as their most required skill, applications can be slow on the ground. The unfortunate fact is that only a small number of tech workers have the important security skills and experience that businesses are looking for, and finding them can be an extreme sport for businesses that need them in order to grow successfully. Experts estimate that we’re experiencing a 3.12 million worker shortage of people with cybersecurity skills.

Worldwide Challenges Keep Piling Up

The dearth of skilled cybersecurity personnel is a worldwide problem. Experts currently estimate that a staggering 4.07 million unfilled opportunities for IT security professionals are waiting for candidates right now. This huge number of job openings means that the global pool of cybersecurity workers needs to grow by an estimated 145% in just the next few years to even keep up with the demand. Those positions look like they’re on track to stay unfilled for the near future as well. Specialized positions require specialized knowledge, and only a small percentage of workers can fulfill that need. In the UK, less than 10% of technology workers specialize in cybersecurity, creating a large demand for a rare skillset, and Georgetown University experts estimate that the US cybersecurity workforce needs to grow by 62% in order to meet the demands of the market.

Once companies have secured one of those rare unicorns, you’d think that they’d be quick to do everything within their power to retain that worker. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Trying to close the gap by developing new security workers is also a bust. While more than 50% of companies in an IT skills survey were confident that they could develop skilled cybersecurity workers with their own ranks, developing them from within the company isn’t more effective than hiring them off the street. Almost 40% of hiring managers at companies that do manage to hire or develop the information security personnel admit that they are unable to retain them.

Multiple Causes Create Complexity

There isn’t one specific blocker that companies can point to as the culprit behind the ever-expanding problem that IT managers are having in finding the right people. Multiple factors combine to make harried security staffers the norm, an unfortunate reality that exacerbates both hiring and retention problems.

  • Burnout Everyone was under stress in 2020 and cybersecurity prifessionals took an especially hard hit. In a survey of IT managers, about 38% said that being chronically understaffed is a major issue that has led to staff burnout at their organizations. That’s a 12% increase since early 2020.
  • Overwork A huge pool of cybersecurity workers have been covering the gap for too long, and they’re worn out. An estimated 83% of security experts feel that they’re overworked, with no end to their burdens in sight and often with little company effort being expended to solve the problem.
  • Neglect When the brass isn’t willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in when there’s work to be done, the workers under them feel undervalued and overlooked, and that’s happening at a far too large percentage of the organizations surveyed – 40% said that their CISOs are not involved enough in day-to-day operations.

There are a few smart choices that MSPs can make to prevent the cybersecurity skills shortage from having a negative impact on their customers and their companies. Like choosing to invest in automation technology that can reduce the load on cybersecurity staffers and in some cases the need to hire more personnel. How big of a benefit can automation technology be for your MSP and your customers?

  • Security automation can save more than 80% of the cost of manual security, a welcome benefit in a tough economy.
  • More than 90% of business leaders say that automation is a must-have to manage large alert volumes with small IT teams. 
  • 68% of executives that were surveyed about the benefits of AI security said AI technology helped them optimize the value of their existing tools and personnel.
  • AI and security automation enabled organizations to respond to breaches nearly 30% faster than companies without security automation. 
  • Automation tools can save up to 50% of recovery costs in the event of a cybersecurity incident 

If you’re ready to start using smart technology like automation to streamline your operations and secure your customers effectively, we’re ready to help. Contact the solutions experts at ID Agent or Graphus to get started.



nancy mrr

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to transform your business into a goldmine with MRR from expert Nancy Sabino! July 14th at 1 PM REGISTER NOW>>



Automation Reduces Delays and Headaches 


Everyone dreads having something go wrong in IT. The process of filing tickets, looking for answers and tracking down personnel doesn’t improve your day. But there is an easier way to get the job done. By choosing security solutions that make the most of today’s smart automation technology you can save your employees time and headaches – and you won’t have to blow up your budget to do it.

Security automation is an essential tool for businesses that want to maximize every dollar that they spend on security. In a recent report by IBM and the Ponemon Institute, experts noted that security automation can save more than 80% of the cost of manual security. That’s a big chunk of change for a small investment.

In the same report, researchers uncovered another important piece of information: an estimated 80% of leading cyber-resilient organizations rely on security automation for all kinds of tasks. Why wait for a trouble ticket to resolve when you can just reset your password immediately using automation technology. Plus, smart solutions that utilize AI are constantly learning, reducing the need for maintenance.

Best of all, today’s automation technology isn’t expensive, allowing every business to access the benefits. Talk to your MSP about adding smart automation to your security plan and you can choose from an array of affordable options including dynamic solutions from ID Agent and Graphus to secure your business without breaking the bank.


ID Agent Partners: Feel free to re-use this blog post (in part or in its entirety) for your own social media and marketing efforts. Please send an email to [email protected] to let us know – we love to hear about how our content works for you!


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