Internet Safety Week - Edition No. 82

In edition #82 of Internet Security Week , we cover a serious security flaw in Microsoft Azure, hackers invading the UN network, the uses of DNS firewalls, and much more.

News

A study indicates that 2.9 billion emails contained threats in the first half of the year.

The report reveals that cybercriminals are rapidly adopting new tactics to attack computer users. Among the main strategies employed are personalized phishing attacks and URL- and text-based scams, the latter being responsible for more than 2.9 billion quarantined emails in the first half of 2021.

By Dácio Castelo Branco on Canaltech

Ransomware encrypts the entire network of the South African Department of Justice.

The South African government's Ministry of Justice is working to restore its operations after a recent ransomware attack encrypted all of its systems, rendering all electronic services unavailable both internally and to the public.

By Ionut Ilascu in Bleeping Computer

Microsoft Azure exposes data from all customers in a serious security flaw.

Microsoft has issued a warning to its corporate customers about a vulnerability in its Azure cloud platform that has exposed its databases to criminal activity. According to the company, the problem would allow an attacker to read, edit, or even permanently delete documents stored in the non-relational Cosmos DB system.

By Nir Ohfeld in Wiz

Hackers break into UN network and steal confidential data.

Using stolen credentials, hackers gained access to the organization's proprietary project management software.

By Renato Rodrigues in Kaspersky Daily

Coming soon: “National strategy to combat cybercrime”

According to the statement, the initiative aims to "improve the fight against electronic and cybercrimes in the country." To this end, the president of the Brazilian Federation of Banks (FEBRABAN), Isaac Sidney, and the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Anderson Torres, have already begun discussions leading to the creation of a National Strategy to Combat Cybercrime.

In CISO Advisor

DNS firewall for what?

Unlike a traditional firewall, a DNS firewall, in addition to blocking and redirecting users to prevent access to malicious websites, also acts more broadly, at different layers and phases than DNS, preventing the loss, blocking, or compromise of data.

By Kelvin Zimmer on Lumiun Blog

Investing in cybersecurity remains a challenge for Brazilian companies.

Cybersecurity has been a hot topic throughout this year given the number of attacks that have been occurring on companies' databases.

In Cryptoid

Malware Formbook affects more than 5% of companies in Brazil.

Formbook — an infostealer — is now the most prevalent malware in the global monthly ranking, taking the lead from Trickbot, which fell to second place after leading the index for three consecutive months, according to the Global Threat Index from Check Point Research (CPR), the threat intelligence division of Check Point Software.

In CISO Advisor

Financial companies spend an average of US$2 million to circumvent ransomware.

The pursuit of quick profits and devastating attacks to force ransom payments has transformed the financial sector into a prime target for criminals involved in digital kidnapping. However, the losses from such a scam don't stop at the interruption of operations and ransom payments; research shows that, on average, US$2 million is spent on data and system recovery efforts for companies in this sector.

By Felipe Demartini on Canaltech