Author Archives: mlmcadams

I'm an artist, IT engineer, Cybersecurity geek, coffee connoisseur, travel and weather nerd, and a gamer.

Artificial Intelligence’s Affects on the Cybersecurity Sector

Does AI have any affect on the current state of the cybersecurity sector? Booz Allen and industry leaders are pondering exactly that:

“Booz Allen and Industry Leaders Explore AI’s Impact on San Diego’s Booming Cybersecurity Sector” via Yahoo! Finance

““AI is not only helping cyber firms develop new products but also helping companies expand output amid talent shortages.”

Booz Allen Senior Vice President Jennie Brooks, head of the firm’s San Diego office

Few cities in America can match San Diego’s status as a growing technology hub. The region’s impact and support of cybersecurity in particular is staggering.

“Cyber in San Diego continues to grow by leaps and bounds, especially in tech, critical infrastructure, and national security. With a total regional economic impact of $3.5 billion annually, the cyber sector is the economic equivalent of hosting nine Super Bowls,” said Lisa Easterly, President and CEO of Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE)—sponsor of the study.”

More details: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/booz-allen-industry-leaders-explore-120239741.html

Microsoft Releases Fix to PrintNightmare

“Out-of-Band (OOB) Security Update available for CVE-2021-34527” via Microsoft Security Response Center

“Today Microsoft released an Out-of-Band (OOB) security update for CVE-2021-34527, which is being discussed externally as PrintNightmare. This is a cumulative update release, so it contains all previous security fixes and should be applied immediately to fully protect your systems. The fix that we released today fully addresses the public vulnerability, and it also includes a new feature that allows customers to implement stronger protections.”

More detail: https://msrc-blog.microsoft.com/2021/07/06/out-of-band-oob-security-update-available-for-cve-2021-34527/

Didi App Gets Yanked from App Stores

Didi app gets removed from app stores after the launch of a cybersecurity investigation.

Related articles:

“China’s Ride-Hailing Giant Didi Removed From App Stores Over Cybersecurity Investigation” via Synced – https://syncedreview.com/2021/07/04/chinas-ride-hailing-giant-didi-removed-from-app-stores-over-cybersecurity-investigation/

“Didi shares tank as traders react to China’s crackdown” via CNBC – https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/06/didi-shares-crash-as-traders-react-to-chinas-crackdown.html

“China orders Didi app downloads suspended over data violation” via Fox Business – https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/china-orders-didi-app-downloads-suspended-over-data-violation

“China Signals Broad Clampdown on Company Data, Offshore Listings” via Bloomberg News – https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-vows-ramp-scrutiny-data-111941548.html

Great Ransomware Defense Guide to Start with.

“Ransomware Defense: Top 5 Things to Do Right Now” via Matt Bromiley, senior consultant with Mandiant Managed Defense, discusses the top tricks and tips for protecting enterprise environments from ransomware.
— Read on threatpost.com/ransomware-defense-top-5-tips/167536/

Ransomware attack hikes the price on decryption

“REvil is increasing ransoms for Kaseya ransomware attack victims” via Lawrence Abrams

“The REvil ransomware gang is increasing the ransom demands for victims encrypted during Friday’s Kaseya ransomware attack.

When conducting an attack against a business, ransomware gangs, such as REvil, typically research a victim by analyzing stolen and public data for financial information, cybersecurity insurance policies, and other information.

Using this information, the number of encrypted devices, and the amount of stolen data, the threat actors will come up with a high-ball ransom demand that they believe, after negotiations, the victim can afford to pay.”

More detail here: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/revil-is-increasing-ransoms-for-kaseya-ransomware-attack-victims/

Personal information of 700 million LinkedIn users is now up for sale online

In what appears to be a massive data breach, the personal information of around 700 million LinkedIn users has been leaked on a hacker forum. The …

Personal information of 700 million LinkedIn users is now up for sale online

Microsoft Gives Guidance to Mitigate PrintNightmare

“Microsoft shares mitigations for Windows PrintNightmare zero-day bug” via Sergiu Gatlan

“Microsoft has provided mitigation guidance to block attacks on systems vulnerable to exploits targeting the Windows Print Spooler zero-day vulnerability known as PrintNightmare.

This remote code execution (RCE) bug—now tracked as CVE-2021-34527—impacts all versions of Windows per Microsoft, with the company still investigating if the vulnerability is exploitable on all of them.

CVE-2021-34527 allows attackers to take over affected servers via remote code execution with SYSTEM privileges as it enables them to install programs, view, change, or delete data, and create new accounts with full user rights”

For more detail: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-shares-mitigations-for-windows-printnightmare-zero-day-bug/