vCIO

It has been reported that a new SMiShing campaign is targeting T-Mobile customers. This type of message is like SMiShing campaigns recently targeting Verizon Wireless customers, which thank recipients for paying their bills and include a link to accept a free gift. However, the message is delivered via group text to multiple recipients at random, and has been sent to the targets numerous times over the course of three days. Since the messages were sent via group text, customers could not block them. It is likely that customers were targeted, in part, due to breaches in the past that affected [...]

Most frequently, cyber threat actors aim to capitalize on high-conflict environments by deploying tailored scams and social engineering schemes.Several malware and phishing campaigns have been recently observed, having the intent to acquire funds, obtain personal or financial information, and spread malicious software. One instance found a malicious campaign from a .SHOP top-level domain which requested support for the people of Ukraine via cryptocurrency donations—it appears similar to the reported authentic requests for cryptocurrency donations from Ukrainian officials on their respective social media pages. The email, however, contains grammatical errors and does not include other indicators of legitimacy. Further, cyber threat actors [...]

As the crisis in Ukraine continues to escalate, it is likely that Russia’s aggressive cyber activity will increase and spread beyond their initial Ukrainian government, military, energy, and financial targets. Russia, and those aligned with its efforts, will continue to conduct disruptive and destructive cyberattacks, cyber espionage, and information operations against Ukraine and any governments or groups supporting Ukraine or opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Information OperationsIn the buildup to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia launched misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (MDM) campaigns in an attempt to establish numerous pretexts for its invasion. Recently, the Russian Security Council voted to recognize [...]

Ransomware is a type of malicious software, or malware, that prevents a user from accessing computer files, systems, or networks until a ransom is paid for their return. Ransomware incidents can cause costly disruptions to operations and lead to the loss of critical information and data. BlackByte ransomware operates as a service wherein the extortion profit is shared between the Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) owners and their affiliates. The affiliates are the entities that actually execute the computer intrusion and deploy the ransomware. Each affiliate uses its own intrusion method and negotiates the terms of the ransom demands with [...]