Risk Management December 23, 2024

2024 trends: Were they accurate?

4 min read - The new year always kicks off with a flood of prediction articles; then, 12 months later, our newsfeed is filled with wrap-up articles. But we are often left to wonder if experts got it right in January about how the…

News December 23, 2024

Ransomware attack on Rhode Island health system exposes data of hundreds of thousands

3 min read - Rhode Island is grappling with the fallout of a significant ransomware attack that has compromised the personal information of hundreds of thousands of residents enrolled in the state’s health and social services programs. Officials confirmed the attack on the RIBridges…

Risk Management December 5, 2024

Roundup: The top ransomware stories of 2024

2 min read - The year 2024 saw a marked increase in the competence, aggression and unpredictability of ransomware attackers. Nearly all the key numbers are up — more ransomware gangs, bigger targets and higher payouts. Malicious ransomware groups also focus on critical infrastructure…

News December 2, 2024

Will arresting the National Public Data threat actor make a difference?

3 min read - The arrest of USDoD, the mastermind behind the colossal National Public Data breach, was a victory for law enforcement. It also raises some fundamental questions. Do arrests and takedowns truly deter cyberattacks? Or do they merely mark the end of…

News November 18, 2024

Research finds 56% increase in active ransomware groups

4 min read - Any good news is welcomed when evaluating cyber crime trends year-over-year. Over the last two years, IBM’s Threat Index Reports have provided some minor reprieve in this area by showing a gradual decline in the prevalence of ransomware attacks — now…

News October 21, 2024

Has BlackCat returned as Cicada3301? Maybe.

4 min read - In 2022, BlackCat ransomware (also known as ALPHV) was among the top malware types tracked by IBM X-Force. The following year, the threat actor group added new tools and tactics to enhance BlackCat’s impact. The effort paid off — literally.…

Data Protection October 18, 2024

What’s behind the 51% drop in ransomware attacks?

4 min read - In a world where cyber threats feel omnipresent, a recent report has revealed some unexpected good news: ransomware attacks on state and local governments have dropped by 51% in 2024. Still, this decline does not signal the end of the…

Data Protection September 26, 2024

Ransomware on the rise: Healthcare industry attack trends 2024

4 min read - According to the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024, the global average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million this year, a 10% increase over 2023. For the healthcare industry, the report offers both good and bad…

Incident Response August 7, 2024

How CIRCIA is changing crisis communication

3 min read - Read the previous article in this series, PR vs cybersecurity teams: Handling disagreements in a crisis. When the Colonial Pipeline attack happened a few years ago, widespread panic and long lines at the gas pump were the result — partly due…

News August 5, 2024

Hacker group FIN7 is selling EDR evasion tools to other cyber criminals

3 min read - Entrepreneurship is rampant these days — even across the dark web. While the paths of cyber gangs are often winding and often involve alliances or rebrandings, the newest activity of FIN7 creates a new dynamic in the cybersecurity world that…