To help MailGuard customers stay on top of cybersecurity news, each month we share a handful of posts from our social media that we found important or interesting.
In no particular order, here’s a roundup of the stories that grabbed our attention in September:
- NHS ransomware attack fallout continues, services could be offline for another 12 weeks
Following a cyber-attack on August 11th, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is still suffering the consequences. At the time of the attack, seven key services were forced offline, including their emergency service line NHS 111, and those used for patient check-ins and medical notes. Some services remain offline, with many doctors unable to access medical records or take digital notes.
It’s estimated that full services may not be restored for another 12 weeks, which is largely attributed to the requirement that Advance ensures compliance with the NHS’s data security standards, as well as “additional steps that are being implemented to ensure safety ahead of being reconnected and established as a service for the NHS”.
It’s a stark reminder of the flow on effect of cyberattacks, and how essential is it that businesses are prepared.
Read more here: https://www.csoonline.com/article/3672231/nhs-ransomware-attack-fallout-continues-services-could-be-offline-for-another-12-weeks.html
- Minister lashes Optus for 'leaving window open' for hackers
Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil confirmed that almost 3 million Optus customers were significantly impacted by the recent cyberattack on the telco. In a warning to other businesses, she has also flagged that big fines will be introduced for future data breaches, and that the nation’s data retention laws will be overhauled.
In response to the attack, Optus announced that they will be offering 12 months of free credit monitoring via Equifax “to the “most affected” current and former customers”.
Optus have also emphasised that they will not be sending links in any communication with customers via SMS or email, including for their instructions on how to sign up with Equifax.
- Classified NATO documents stolen from Portugal, now sold on dark web
Classified NATO documents have been discovered for sale on the dark web after the Armed Forces General Staff Agency of Portugal (EMGFA) suffered a cyberattack. The attack was only discovered after American cyber-intelligence agents noticed the stolen material for sale and alerted the U.S. embassy in Lisbon.
An unnamed source has confirmed the validity of the documents and has said that the leaked documents are of “extreme gravity” and that their distribution may impact Portugal’s credibility in the military alliance.
“The computers used by EMGFA are air-gapped, but the exfiltration used standard non-secure lines. Hence, the first conclusion of the investigation is that the top military body has broken its operational security rules at some point.”
Read more here: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/classified-nato-documents-stolen-from-portugal-now-sold-on-darkweb/
- Samsung customers: Your data may have been breached
A few weeks ago, Samsung began notifying customers that had been affected by a July data breach, which was discovered on the 4th of August 2022. The breached data includes “names, contact and demographic information, dates of birth, and product registration information”. It’s unclear how many customers have been affected, but it is currently under investigation by law enforcement and a private cybersecurity firm.
This is the second time in the year that the tech company has suffered from a cyberattack. In March 2022, hackers exposed internal company data which affected Galaxy smartphones, but did not directly impact customers.
Samsung suggests that impacted customers “stay wary of phishing schemes" and “monitor your credit profiles closely”.
Read more here:https://mashable.com/article/samsung-data-breach
- Uber investigating ‘cybersecurity incident’ after report of breach
Uber is currently investigating a cybersecurity incident after a hacker shared evidence that they breached their network, causing a number of internal engineering and communications systems to go offline.
“A hacker compromised an employee's workplace messaging Slack app and then used it to send a message to Uber employees announcing that it had suffered a data breach”. The hacker was then able to get access to other internal systems where they shared an explicit photo on an internal information page which is accessible by employees.
Read more here: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/uber-investigating-computer-network-breach-nyt-2022-09-16/
The MailGuard team attempts to make your professional life that bit easier by sharing important stories and industry updates across multiple channels.
- Follow our CEO, Craig McDonald on his LinkedIn and Twitter, for a mix of the two, as well as polls and professional insights.
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