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Incident Responders Say Disruptions Help, See No Spike in Median Ransom Payments
For anyone dreaming of law enforcement agencies arresting ransomware bigwigs, or intelligence agencies taking them out with drone strikes, keep on hoping. But here's good news: ransom payments haven't skyrocketed, as disruptions by law enforcement appear to be having an impact.

Testimony Request Targets Cybersecurity Concerns Raised by Ex-SolarWinds Engineer
In its fraud case against SolarWinds, the SEC is pursuing testimony from former SolarWinds engineer Robert Krajcir - who lives in the Czech Republic - to address claims of lax cybersecurity practices. SolarWinds - which is also representing Krajcir - has until Friday to respond to the SEC's motion.

Proof of Concepts Available for Cylon Aspect Energy Management Software
Vulnerabilities in a smart building energy management system including an easily exploitable, two-year-old flaw that hasn't been widely patched could let hackers take over instances misconfigured to allow internet exposure. The flaws affect Cylon Aspect software from electrical engineering firm ABB.

US Cyber Defense Agency Dismisses Claims of Fraud and Assures Secure Election Day
The director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Monday the agency has not seen any evidence of material threats that could sway the nationwide results, despite escalating claims of fraud from the Republican presidential nominee.

Regulator Tells Regulators to Enhance Third-Party Service Security
British financial institutions must ensure by this spring that they could reasonably weather a third party tech outage on the scale of July's global meltdown of 8.5 million computers triggered by a faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

Making the Case for Stronger Mid-Market Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field. Verizon's Trusted Connection provides strong, easy-to-manage security for mid-market organizations. With a focus on usability, adaptability and comprehensive protection, Trusted Connection can help safeguard your organization's operations today, and in the future.

CIO Alex Gallo on Balancing Digital Change, Security and Continuous Learning
Alex Gallo, CyberEdBoard member and CIO, shared how he drives secure digital transformation by balancing AI integration with cybersecurity, fostering a security-first culture, and emphasizing continuous learning across his teams and the organization’s leadership.

Plastic Surgeon Paid $53K Ransom But Says ‘the Real Criminal’ Is HHS
Dr. James Breit recalled the day a hacker locked up his systems with ransomware at his plastic surgery practice. He paid $53,000 in ransom. Nearly, seven years later, after paying a $500,000 HIPAA fine, Breit claims he got better treatment from the cybercriminals than he did federal regulators.

Yakabod Deal to Strengthen Everfox's Insider Risk, Cyber Incident Response Platform
With its acquisition of Yakabod, Everfox expands capabilities in insider risk and cyber incident management. The move promises stronger integration and greater control over security workflows, benefiting public sector and critical infrastructure clients who operate in highly regulated environments.

Hackers Using Password Spraying to Steal User Microsoft Account Credentials
Multiple Chinese hacking groups are using a botnet named for a TCP routing port number to conduct password spraying attacks, warned Microsoft Thursday. The Quad7 operators are almost certainly located in China. Botnet activity can be difficult to monitor.

New Funding to Aid US Government Growth, Generative AI Security Product Development
Zenity has closed a $38 million Series B round to advance its agentic AI security platform and extend its no-code and low-code application support. With investment from Third Point Ventures and DTCP, the funding enables Zenity to cater to clients in sectors like financial services and healthcare.

Lazarus Group in Particular Using Cross-Platform Languages to Hit macOS Targets
Cryptocurrency-seeking hackers are increasingly targeting macOS users. So warn security researchers as they track a rise in macOS backdoors and information-stealing malware, much of which traces back to a well-known cryptocurrency heist culprit: North Korea.

Volt Typhoon, APT31 and APT41 Tied to Campaigns Targeting Sophos' Edge Devices
Firewall maker Sophos disclosed Thursday a half-decade worth of efforts by multiple nation-state Chinese hacking groups to infiltrate its appliances, calling the admission a wake-up call for the cybersecurity industry. Targeting firewall appliances is a known nation-state tactic.