Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

'Volt Typhoon' Could Be Preparing for Renewed Burst of ActivityA Chinese state hacking group is attacking superseded Cisco routers to target government entities in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Beijing cyberespionage hackers dubbed "Volt Typhoon" are using vulnerabilities that were first disclosed in early 2019.

E-Commerce Giant Accuses Luxembourg Regulators of Attacking the CompanyAmazon in a Luxembourg court Tuesday contested a once-record privacy fine levied against the e-commerce giant for its advertising practices by the diminutive country's data protection authority. The fine of 746 million euros stems from a 2018 complaint by French privacy group La Quadrature du Net.

ReproSource Also Agrees to Beef Up Security in Wake of 2021 Ransomware AttackA fertility testing laboratory has agreed to improve its data security practices and pay up to $1.25 million to settle a consolidated class action lawsuit filed in the wake of a 2021 ransomware attack that compromised sensitive health information of about 350,000 patients.

Also: Why We Should Care About the New York Times' Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAIIn the latest weekly update, ISMG editors discussed how the surge in API usage poses challenges for organizations, why good governance is so crucial to solving API issues and how The New York Times' legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft highlights copyright concerns.

DHS Office of Inspector General Finds Lack of Coordination With EPAA U.S. federal watchdog said government agencies could better synchronize efforts to improve water and wastewater sector cybersecurity efforts and faulted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for not coordinating well with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Crypto-Malware Trackers Report a Surge in Known Ransomware Victims at End of 2023Ransomware-wielding attackers show no signs of stopping, and experts report December 2023 was the second-worst month on record for known victims. Lately, Akira-wielding attackers have been hitting Finland hard, and Medusa has been behind a rising number of attacks.

Financially Motivated Actors Targeting US, EU and LATAM CountriesFinancially motivated Turkish hackers are targeting Microsoft SQL servers in the United States, Europe and Latin America in hacking that ultimately ends with deployment of Mimic ransomware or the sale of access to infected hosts on criminal online markets.

Merck & Co.'s proposed settlement with insurers over a $1.4 billion claim related to the NotPetya attack will change the language the insurance industry uses to exclude acts of war in its policies, and organizations need to consider how those changes affect risk, said attorney Peter Halprin.

Also: Microsoft Fixes 48 Flaws in January Patch Tuesday But No Zero-DaysThis week: Microsoft addressed 48 security flaws, AsyncRAT targeted critical infrastructure operators, the Supreme Court rejected X Corp.'s bid to disclose national security requests, hackers hit Beirut airport flight displays, the FTC banned Outlogic from sharing sensitive location data, and more.

Cybersecurity Researchers Detail Defenses Against Attackers Abusing Cloud ServicesWhile cybercriminals and advanced persistent threat groups have long abused legitimate internet services both to scale and disguise various types of attacks, a new report warns of a growing challenge posed by the illegitimate use of GitHub and offers essential defenses for users.

Cyber Agencies Urge Users to Apply Workaround in the Absence of PatchesHackers possibly connected to the Chinese government since December have exploited two zero-days in a VPN from software developer Ivanti that is widely used by governments and corporations, and a patch won't be available until later this month.

Also: Bitcoin ETP, Gamma and dYdX Attacks, 2023 Hack StatsThis week, hackers ran crypto phishing scams on X accounts, the SEC approved bitcoin ETP, hackers stole $3.4 million from Gamma, dYdX detailed post-hack steps, CertiK published 2023 hack stats, TRM Labs discussed North Korean hacking and Apple India blocked users from offshore crypto exchanges.

All Organizations That Use X Should Review Their Two-Factor Authentication SettingsGoogle Cloud's Mandiant says its account at X, formerly Twitter, was hijacked and used to link to cryptocurrency phishing pages after an attacker guessed the account password, apparently after Twitter last year deactivated the account's SMS-based two-factor authentication, leaving it unprotected.

Cyber Regulation Requires EU Agencies to Assess Risks and Report IncidentsThe European Union adopted regulations on cyber hygiene intended to beef up cybersecurity at EU government agencies amid concerns that trading bloc institutions have failed to keep pace with mounting digital threats. European agencies lack "cyber preparedness commensurate with the threat."

Commission Says Close Company Connections Make Conditions Ripe for Merger InquiryThe European Commission took preliminary steps toward investigating Microsoft's financial interest in ChatGPT maker OpenAI under the trading bloc's antitrust regulation. The Tuesday announcement marks the second instance of official interest in Microsoft's investments in the generative AI firm.

Extortion Demands, Lawsuits Pile Up After Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center HackCybercriminals are extorting some patients and threatening them with swatting in the wake of a recent cyberattack on a Seattle cancer center. The incident, stemming from a Citrix Bleed exploit, has triggered multiple lawsuits and affected the personal data of at least 1 million people.

Professor John Walker on Need for Organizational Introspection, Global PerspectiveCriminals have built highly successful business models by hacking into a wide range of organizations at will. University professor John Walker warned that the world is witnessing the unintended consequences of our collective inability to secure assets - kinetic threats to global stability.

1.3 Million Customers Notified of Breach; BlackCat Ransomware Group Claimed CreditFinancial services giant Fidelity National Financial has confirmed that a November 2023 hack attack compromised personal information pertaining to 1.3 million customers of its LoanCare subsidiary. FNF took multiple systems offline when responding to the attack, disrupting some homebuyers.

Deal Is 'Major Leap Forward in Our AI and Hybrid Cloud Strategy,' HPE SaysHewlett Packard Enterprise announced a $14 billion acquisition deal with networking equipment maker Juniper Networks and is touting the deal as a way to position the Silicon Valley stalwart for the burgeoning artificial intelligence market. The transaction values Juniper at $40 per share.

Value of Bitcoin Rocketed Following Fake Post Claiming Spot Bitcoin ETFs ApprovedThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it is probing the "compromise" of its X - formerly known as Twitter - social media accounts after a hacker broadcast a fake post claiming the agency had approved spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, which sent the value of bitcoin rocketing.