IT Security Guru

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

These assaults specifically focus on compromising data repositories, backup systems, and vital records that are essential for recovery without capitulating to the attackers’ demands, thus increasing the likelihood of organisations acquiescing. Turn off services sc.exe – Stop backup software from creating recoverable copies.

Ransomware 134

Ransomware Encryption Backups Social Engineering 134

Malwarebytes

JANUARY 3, 2024

Social engineering. Microsoft showed an example of an employement opportunity site that tricked visitors into installing malware by saying it was a new PDF reader version that was required in order to view a document. Create offsite, offline backups. Keep backups offsite and offline, beyond the reach of attackers.

Social Engineering 130

Social Engineering Ransomware Backups Malware 130

IT Security Guru

MAY 20, 2024

Establish a Strong Security Policy A security policy is a set of documents that outlines how your company plans to protect its physical and IT assets. Backup Data Regularly There are several effective backup methods to consider. It includes cloud backups, which offer scalability and remote access.

Cybersecurity 131

Cybersecurity Backups Cyber threats Mobile 131

SecureWorld News

APRIL 18, 2025

These documents are critical for evaluating a vendor's commitment to data security, but they can feel more like tax documents than risk assessments. I once assumed our cloud backup vendor's SOC 2 covered mobile access; it didn't. Some conduct interviews, others pull data samples, while some only review documents.

Risk 60

Risk Social Engineering Passwords Backups 60

Malwarebytes

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

People working remotely is no longer unusual, so the National Security Agency (NSA) has produced a short Best Practices PDF document detailing how remote workers can keep themselves safe from harm. Consider how many folks will only decide to start making backups once they've lost everything for the first time.

Backups 98

Backups Social Engineering VPN Passwords 98

Malwarebytes

JANUARY 25, 2024

Reconnaissance and social engineering are specific fields where AI can be deployed. Generative AI (GenAI) can already be used to create and entertain a convincing interaction with victims, including the creation of lure documents, without the translation, spelling, and grammatical errors that used to reveal phishing.

Ransomware 111

Ransomware Government Social Engineering Spyware 111

eSecurity Planet

DECEMBER 10, 2023

Configurations, network diagrams, and security rules should be documented for future reference and auditing. Prioritize testing updates in a controlled environment to confirm compatibility and backup configurations before deploying. Automate the process to ensure a quick and well-documented implementation.

Firewall 120

Firewall Network Security Backups Education 120

SecureList

JANUARY 13, 2022

This lets them mount high-quality social engineering attacks that look like totally normal interactions. A document sent from one colleague to another on a topic, which is currently being discussed, is unlikely to trigger any suspicion. Ultimately, it elevates the level of trust sufficiently for the document to be opened.

Cryptocurrency 145

Cryptocurrency Malware Accountability Banking 145

Malwarebytes

JUNE 20, 2023

We see this in sextortion cases, as well as in social engineering. Create offsite, offline backups. Keep backups offsite and offline, beyond the reach of attackers. The University of Manchester has fallen victim to a ransomware gang, who are currently applying an interesting twist to their attack.

Ransomware 95

Ransomware Backups Social Engineering Malware 95

Thales Cloud Protection & Licensing

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Attackers exploit the geopolitical environment and use AI-powered tools to create convincing deepfakes, disinformation campaigns, and social engineering attacks. The report notes that these attacks can have significant implications for democratic processes, social cohesion, and national security.

Social Engineering 77

Social Engineering Backups Manufacturing DDOS 77

Responsible Cyber

NOVEMBER 17, 2024

Role of Social Engineering Social engineering has emerged as the predominant attack vector, accounting for 41% of initial breach incidents. Organizations must maintain detailed documentation of vendor security performance to support future procurement decisions.

Data breaches 98

Data breaches Healthcare Social Engineering Financial Services 98

Spinone

APRIL 13, 2020

As you probably know, phishing involves various social engineering methods. Back Up Your Data A backup is a safe copy of your data, stored separately from the original data. Backups are helpful against phishing, ransomware, and insider threats alike. And not without a reason. Though everything is not so scary.

Backups 98

Backups Phishing Ransomware Risk 98

Security Affairs

DECEMBER 9, 2020

In a tipical network correspondence, the elements sent to the recipient are the original document in clear text and the hash value of the original document, encrypted with the private key of the signatory (digital signature). The digital signature is basically based on the use of a hash algorithm. About the author: Salvatore Lombardo.

Authentication 105

Authentication Encryption Passwords Social Engineering 105

Digital Shadows

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Together, they use native English speakers to execute sophisticated social engineering operations, contributing significantly to their newfound dominance. To counter these methods, organizations should prioritize educating users on phishing and social engineering techniques. compared to Q3 2023.

Ransomware 94

Ransomware Social Engineering Insurance Cyber Insurance 94

eSecurity Planet

FEBRUARY 24, 2022

Can spot backup and configuration files. Great documentation. Lack of documentation. Social Engineer Toolkit (SET) defends against human error in social engineering threats. Accepts Wordlists and additional packages ( sudo apt install seclists ). Can hide status and process (e.g., Backed by OWASP.

Penetration Testing 120

Penetration Testing Wireless Passwords Social Engineering 120

SecureList

JUNE 26, 2023

According to a report by the Barracuda cybersecurity company, in 2021, businesses with fewer than 100 employees experienced far more social engineering attacks than larger ones. Set up a policy to control access to corporate assets, such as e-mail boxes, shared folders and online documents.

Cybercrime 122

Cybercrime Phishing Banking Malware 122

Webroot

FEBRUARY 11, 2021

As we mentioned in a previous blog , hackers come in many forms, but their methods can generally be classified into three distinct types of cybercriminals: The Impersonator – Hackers that pretend to be others, often using social engineering and human psychology to trick users.

Scams 119

Scams Phishing Firewall Social Engineering 119

Digital Shadows

OCTOBER 23, 2024

The attacker gained initial access to two employee accounts by carrying out social engineering attacks on the organization’s help desk twice. This concealed their attack until the environment was encrypted and backups were sabotaged. Leveraging its English proficiency, the collective uses social engineering for initial access.

Social Engineering 52

Social Engineering Engineering Accountability Backups 52

Malwarebytes

OCTOBER 12, 2021

For example, if an app wants to access something like your contacts or files in your Documents folder on a modern version of macOS, you will be asked to allow it before the app can see that data. However, social engineering isn’t the only danger. A TCC prompt asking the user to allow access to the Downloads folder.

Malware 122

Malware Backups Adware Social Engineering 122

SecureList

JULY 28, 2022

We observed artefacts related to a new wave of spear-phishing attacks against targets in Russia that use information about the crisis in Ukraine to lure victims into opening a malicious document. Based on our telemetry, the actor initiated the attack by sending a spear-phishing email containing a macro-embedded Word document.

Malware 145

Malware Firmware Phishing Cryptocurrency 145

Security Boulevard

APRIL 22, 2025

GitHub , GitLab , or OneNote ) Terminate unnecessary screen-sharing programs (e.g., GitHub , GitLab , or OneNote ) Terminate unnecessary screen-sharing programs (e.g., GitHub , GitLab , or OneNote ) Terminate unnecessary screen-sharing programs (e.g.,

Penetration Testing 52

Penetration Testing Engineering Risk Social Engineering 52

eSecurity Planet

APRIL 9, 2024

This framework guarantees that appropriate authentication measures, encryption techniques, data retention policies, and backup procedures are in place. Security infrastructure and redundancy: Check the vendor’s data centers, network architecture, backup and disaster recovery plans, and uptime assurances.

Risk 108

Risk Threat Detection Data breaches Encryption 108

Spinone

OCTOBER 4, 2019

The usual targets are: Word and Excel documents. Hackers come up with more sophisticated social engineering tactics. Follow the basic rules + use a backup to recover your data in the case of an attack. According to FBI, having a backup is recommended to prevent ransomware attacks. Files in the PDF format.

Ransomware 53

Ransomware Backups Encryption Government 53

Chicago CyberSecurity Training

JUNE 4, 2024

Staff are also susceptible to social engineering attacks via phone, e-mail, or in-person, which can lead to the disclosure of sensitive information. Ransomware: Ransomware can halt operations, and without proper backups, organizations may feel compelled to pay the ransom. Did we mention fines? ?

Risk 52

Risk Healthcare Social Engineering Phishing 52

Pen Test

OCTOBER 10, 2023

With double extortion, the attackers not only lock up critical data and systems, but also threaten to publish sensitive documents, like customer records, financial statements, intellectual property, or personal emails, if the ransom goes unpaid. Use immutable object storage for backups. Ensure backups are highly secured.

Ransomware 52

Ransomware Backups Insurance Cyber Insurance 52

Centraleyes

JANUARY 8, 2024

CP-9: System Backup now requires the backup of privacy-related system documentation. These changes, while beneficial, may require a considerable amount of time for design, implementation, and documentation in the System Security Plan (SSP) and associated procedures.

Passwords 52

Passwords Social Engineering Risk Backups 52

Digital Shadows

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

This underscores the importance of having additional compensating controls and educating employees on the risks associated with phishing and other social engineering attacks. Additionally, securing internal documents with encrypted storage and using safe file-sharing platforms is crucial, especially when sharing externally.

Cyber Attacks 59

Cyber Attacks Phishing Ransomware Cyber Insurance 59

Cytelligence

MAY 24, 2023

Here are seven best practices for cybersecurity in small businesses: Employee Education and Training: Provide cybersecurity awareness training to your employees, teaching them about common threats such as phishing emails, social engineering, and the importance of strong passwords. WPA2 or WPA3).

Small Business 52

Small Business Cybersecurity Antivirus Passwords 52

eSecurity Planet

MARCH 22, 2023

Policies typically will be written documents that detail the requirements that will be enforced, such as password complexity. Backups: Although more commonly applied to endpoints and data, networks also benefit from periodic backups of settings and configurations.

Firewall 109

Firewall Network Security Penetration Testing Encryption 109

eSecurity Planet

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Capture the technical details: Include notes, screenshots, and log files in the report, but to make documentation less disruptive, take video and narrate while conducting the pentest and take screenshots later. For electronic copies, the acronyms used elsewhere in the report could use internal document links directly to this appendix.

Penetration Testing 104

Penetration Testing Computers and Electronics Risk Firewall 104

SecureList

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

The gang infamously uses complex tactics and techniques to penetrate victim networks, such as exploitation of software vulnerabilities and social engineering. As with most cyberextortionists lately, the Cuba gang encrypts victims’ files and demands a ransom in exchange for a decryption key.

Ransomware 144

Ransomware Encryption Malware DDOS 144

Spinone

OCTOBER 16, 2019

To ensure that your data is safe, get a backup for Office 365. Backup your data with professional backup services. Generous Sharing Permissions Employees share links to documents all the time. If people outside your organization gain access to the links, they are able to watch, save, and edit internal company documents.

Passwords 40

Passwords Data breaches Backups Authentication 40

Spinone

MAY 8, 2020

In the email, attackers have attached a legitimate document from WHO, however, they are also dropping a Trojan on the end user’s machine that steals banking information and also turns the end-user computer into a bot that can be used in widespread cyber attacks. Get a DEMO Backups Backups are a key part of your overall security plan.

Cyber Attacks 78

Cyber Attacks Phishing Backups Ransomware 78

eSecurity Planet

JULY 25, 2023

Social engineering attacks: These involve manipulating individuals to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or systems. In order to do this, infected systems must be isolated, malicious components must be eliminated, backup data must be restored, and regular operations must be resumed.

Software 98

Software Data breaches Ransomware DDOS 98

Spinone

NOVEMBER 28, 2016

A ransomware called Cerber targets Office 365 users via malicious macros in Office documents that are attached to spam emails. While Office 365 automatically disables macros to prevent malware from entering the system, Cerber uses social engineering to trick the user into bypassing this security feature.

Ransomware 40

Ransomware Backups Malware Software 40

SecureList

MAY 28, 2024

Attackers continue to refine their multi-step schemes and social engineering methods, often using attached documents and archives containing malware to penetrate the network. Back up your data and ensure that your backups are protected as strictly as your primary assets. Rounding out the top three is targeted phishing.

VPN 125

VPN Accountability Passwords Antivirus 125

Jane Frankland

APRIL 28, 2022

Targeted attacks like these, plus social engineering, specifically phishing – where attackers pose as a trusted source, prey on human vulnerability, and use email or malicious websites to gain the information they want – are effective but they aren’t the only problem.

CISO 130

CISO Mobile Technology Risk 130