Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Government organizations are targeted by attackers who know agencies cannot afford disruption to public services

A 5-year study on the Ransomware Economy found that 30,515 exposed databases were hit by ransom attacks, causing massive damage despite victims never paying. Database extortion doesn’t look like the ransomware stories that usually grab headlines. There’s no slick branding, no leak-site countdown, no gang posting memes on Telegram. In most cases, there’s just a […]

Analysis of Seized LockBit Data Suggests Victims Who Pay Enjoy More Media CoverageBad news for any organization that's ever paid a ransom in a bid to avoid their breach coming to light, or for a promise from attackers to delete stolen data, with a study of seized LockBit data finding that victims who paid a ransom were more likely to see the attack get detailed in the media.

It involves a number close to three or six depending on the fiend Ransomware operators jack up their ransom demands by a factor of 2.8x if they detect a victim has cyber-insurance, a study highlighted by the Netherlands government has confirmed.…

Incident Reporting Low, Government Study FindsRansomware attacks targeting U.K. organizations continued to rise last year concluded the British government despite a low reporting rate by victims. The findings come as the government is considering banning public sector organization from paying ransom and mandating incident reporting.

CISOs at Organizations That Fell Victim Have a Different Story, 451 Research FindsAre your defenses against ransomware good enough to survive contact with the enemy? Don't be so sure. A new study from market researcher 451 Research finds that "overconfidence in security tooling remains an issue in the face of ransomware" for organizations that haven't yet fallen victim.

Dwell times drop to hours rather than days for the first time The time taken by cyber attackers between gaining an initial foothold in a victim's environment and deploying ransomware has fallen to 24 hours, according to a study.…

Countless smartphones seized in arrests and searches by police forces across the United States are being auctioned online without first having the data on them erased, a practice that can lead to crime victims being re-victimized, a new study found. In response, the largest online marketplace for items seized in U.S. law enforcement investigations says it now ensures that all phones sold through its platform will be data-wiped prior to auction.

36% of Americans have fallen victim to holiday shopping scams.

Attackers are turning to stolen credentials and posing as trusted applications to socially engineer victims, according to Google study of malware submitted to VirusTotal.

Titaniam’s ‘State of Data Exfiltration & Extortion Report’ also finds that while over 70% of organizations had heavy investments in prevention, detection, and backup solutions, the majority of victims ended up giving into attackers' demands.

Malicious actors can gain unauthorized access to users' online accounts via a new technique called "account pre-hijacking," new research has found