Sources: Carnegie (chart), Sanderflight (photo)

Adoption of AI Surveillance Technology Surges

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 18, 2019

Governments are rapidly adopting AI surveillance technology to advance political goals, according to a new report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. While Chinese suppliers dominate, liberal democracies and authoritarian regimes alike are developing and procuring such technology.

Cybercrime

Chinese APT Group 'Thrip' Powers Ahead

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Governance

Lumin PDF Leak Exposed Data on 24 Million Users

Jeremy Kirk • September 18, 2019

Ignoring a breach disclosure can have ugly consequences. Case in point: Lumin PDF, a PDF editing tool, which saw data for much of its user base - about 24.3 million - published in an online forum late Monday. Data breach expert Troy Hunt says it's sign of the dysfunction in the breach disclosure process.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Investigation Launched After Ecuadorian Records Exposed

Akshaya Asokan • September 17, 2019

An unsecured database owned by an Ecuadorian consulting company left over 20 million records on the South American country's citizens exposed to the internet, according to a report from two independent security researchers. An official investigation is underway.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Using Artificial Intelligence to Combat Card Fraud

Nick Holland • September 17, 2019

Artificial intelligence is playing an important role in the fight against payment card fraud, says Gord Jamieson, senior director of Canada risk services at Visa. He'll offer a keynote presentation on the latest fraud trends at Information Security Media Group's Cybersecurity Summit in Toronto Sept 24-25.

Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

Applying Encryption Widely in Banking

Suparna Goswami • September 17, 2019

Jerald Ray, COO at SecureAge Technology in Singapore, sorts through the complexities of ensuring encryption is applied through every step of banking transactions.

Encryption & Key Management

Mainframe Security Challenges: An Encroaching Perimeter

Jeremy Kirk • September 17, 2019

Even with the uptake of cloud services, many large enterprises still hold data on mainframes, says Philip MacLochlainn of IBM. But the diversity of computing environments around mainframes is rapidly changing, which increases the risk of data breaches, he explains.

Multi-factor & Risk-based Authentication

PSD2 Authentication Requirements: The Implementation Hurdles

Geetha Nandikotkur • September 13, 2019

Because banks, fintech firms, merchants and payments processors in the EU have struggled to meet the Sept. 14 deadline for compliance with the new PSD2 "strong customer authentication" requirements for electronic payments, it may take a while for European consumers to notice authentication changes.

Cybercrime

For Sale: Admin Access Credentials to Healthcare Systems

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • September 13, 2019

Cybercriminals are "upping their game" by stealing and then auctioning off on the dark web administrative access credentials to healthcare organizations' clinician and patient portals, says Etay Maor of IntSights.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Ransomware Gangs Practice Customer Relationship Management

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 13, 2019

Ransomware-wielding attackers treat infecting endpoints as a business and put customer relationship management principles to work, says Bill Siegel, CEO of ransomware incident response firm Coveware. He notes criminals "go after the low-hanging fruit because it's cheap and the conversion rate is high."

Governance

Tips on Countering Insider Threat Risks

Jeremy Kirk • September 13, 2019

Insider threats are difficult to counter. What happens when an employee goes rogue, and how do you catch them? Charles Carmakal of Mandiant, who says his firm is dealing with more insider threat investigations, shares tips for better defenses.

Account Takeover

Analysis: The Impact of Business Email Compromise Attacks

Nick Holland • September 13, 2019

This week's ISMG Security Report analyzes the cost of business email compromise attacks and the recent arrest of dozens of suspects. Also featured: updates on the easy availability of low-cost hacking tools and the latest payment card fraud trends.

Cybercrime

Attacks Targeting IoT Devices and Windows SMB Surge

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 12, 2019

Two years after WannaCry wreaked havoc via flaws in SMB_v1 and three years after Mirai infected internet of things devices en masse via default credentials, attackers are increasingly targeting the same flaws, security experts warn.

Cybercrime

Iranian Hacking Group Continues Targeting Universities

Scott Ferguson • September 12, 2019

"Cobalt Dickens," a threat group with suspected ties to Iran, is continuing its attempts to steal intellectual property from schools and universities, according to an analysis by SecureWorks. The group's work continues even though several alleged members have been indicted by the Justice Department.