• Targeted: Masterminds of Global Ransomware Attacks Against Critical Infrastructure

    Twelve individuals who were wreaking havoc across the world with ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure have been targeted as the result of a law enforcement and judicial operation involving eight countries.

  • Protecting Hardware from Software Attacks

    In order to break the endless cycle of software patch-and-pray, DARPA’s System Security Integration Through Hardware and firmware (SSITH) program aims to develop ASIC hardware with novel protections proven in mitigating against software attacks on hardware.

     

  • CISA, FBI, NSA Release BlackMatter Ransomware Advisory

    CISA, the FBI, and the NSA published a cybersecurity advisory regarding BlackMatter ransomware cyber intrusions targeting multiple U.S. critical infrastructure entities, including two U.S. food and agriculture sector organizations.

  • U.S. Leads Global Conference to Combat Ransomware Attacks

    The White House is holding a two-day international conference starting Wednesday to combat ransomware computer attacks on business operations across the globe that cost companies, schools and health services an estimated $74 billion in damages last year.

  • “Self-Aware' Algorithm Wards Off Hacking Attempts

    In 2010, the Stuxnet virus was used to damage nuclear centrifuges in Iran. Researchers have come up with a powerful response: to make the computer models that run these cyberphysical systems both self-aware and self-healing.

  • New Method to Extract and Separate Rare Earth Elements

    A new method improves the extraction and separation of rare earth elements from unconventional sources. The method could help develop a domestic supply of rare earth metals from industrial waste and electronics due to be recycled.

  • U.S. Unveils New Cybersecurity Requirements for Rail, Air

    DHS has unveiled new measures to make sure the U.S. air and surface transportation sectors will not be crippled by ransomware or cyberattacks. The new measures will apply to “higher risk” rail companies, “critical” airport operators, and air passenger and air cargo companies.

  • Hacking for Homeland Security

    On Monday (4 September), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of the third Hacking for Homeland Security (H4HS). Participating students will focus on challenges associated with cybersecurity information sharing within transportation, the latency issue at screening checkpoints, and address greenspace issues after natural disasters.

  • “Smart” Security for Smart Devices

    Modern society is inundated with different types of smart devices designed to make people’s lives easier. each device has some amount of built-in security to help combat the threat of cyberattacks, the increased prevalence of these devices in recent years has created an industry-wide need for a new, “smart” approach to protect all smart devices from cyberattacks.

  • Apps for Popular Smart Home Devices Contain Security Flaws

    As Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as connected locks, motion sensors, security cameras and smart speakers become increasingly ubiquitous in households across the country, their surging popularity means more people are at risk of cyber intrusions. Researchers have found that the smartphone companion applications of 16 popular smart home devices contain “critical cryptographic flaws” that could allow attackers to intercept and modify their traffic.

  • Vulnerability Found in Widely Used Method for Securing Phone Data

    Researchers demonstrated a new way of attacking two different types of low-end Android phones. The attack relies on placing a radio sensor within a few centimeters of a device, close enough to detect the weak radio waves that are inadvertently emitted by a phone’s processor.

  • EU: Russia Involved in “Ghostwriter” Cyberattacks

    The European Union has warned the Kremlin that it could “consider taking further steps” over Moscow’s complicity in recent cyberattacks targeting the bloc’s members.

  • U.S. Sanctions Russian-Based Cryptocurrency Exchange for Laundering Ransomware Money

    A Russian-based cryptocurrency exchange has been sanctioned by the U.S. over its role in facilitating illegal payments from ransomware attacks. U.S. Treasury officials said it was the first sanctions leveled against a cryptocurrency exchange laundering money for cybercriminals.

  • Northeastern University Wins New CyberForce Conquer the Hill competition

    Critical U.S. infrastructure is increasingly dependent on the internet, making security a high priority. But about 500,000 cybersecurity jobs went unfilled from April 2020 through March, according to CyberSeek, a project from the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education. To fill that skills gap, CyberForce challenges college teams to build and defend a simulated energy infrastructure from cyberattacks.

  • Cybercriminals Use Pandemic to Attack Schools and Colleges

    From Aug. 14 to Sept. 12, 2021, educational organizations were the target of over 5.8 million malware attacks, or 63% of all such attacks. Ransomware attacks alone impacted 1,681 U.S. schools, colleges and universities in 2020. Globally 44% of educational institutions were targeted by such attacks.