This Week in Security News
Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days.
Below you’ll find a quick recap of topics followed by links to news articles and/or our blog posts providing additional insight. Be sure to check back each Friday for highlights of the goings-on each week!
VTech Confirmed a Data Breach Affecting 5 Million Parents and 200,000 Children
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the children’s electronic toy maker VTech confirmed a data breach that affects nearly 5 million parents and 200,000 children around the world. If you’re the parent of a child that’s used VTech devices, be aware of this situation and watch for more information from VTech on their website.
High-Profile Mobile Apps At Risk Due to Three-Year-Old Vulnerability
A total of 6.1 million devices – smart phones, routers, smart TVs – are currently at risk to remote code execution attacks due to vulnerabilities that have been fixed since 2012. Apps on a smartphone can use these features to play media files or connect to other devices within a user’s home network.
Operation Black Atlas Endangers in-Store Card Payments and SMBs Worldwide
High-profile breaches, such as that of the Hilton Hotel and other similar establishments, were accomplished using point-of-sale (PoS) malware, leading many to fear digital threats on brick-and-mortar retailers this Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the rest of the holiday season.
Home Depot Reached a Settlement Agreement with MasterCard Over its Data Breach
The Home Depot Inc. reached a contingent settlement with MasterCard International Inc. over the home improvement giant’s massive 2014 data breach. The deal was disclosed Nov. 30 in court filings in federal court in Atlanta. Banks have reached out to see if their members are interested in participating in the settlement.
PoS Attacks are Now More Sophisticated than Ever
According to our Q3 2015 Security Roundup, “Hazards Ahead: Current Vulnerabilities Prelude Impending Attacks,” Point of Sale (PoS) Random Access Memory (RAM) malware targeting Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs) is on the rise.
UK IT Pros Are More Confident than US IT Pros in Boards’ Cybersecurity Literacy
When the IT pros were asked if they consider their corporate board to be cybersecurity literate, 71% of UK IT professionals answered yes, compared to only 57% of the U.S. respondents who answered in the affirmative.
Chimera Crypto-Ransomware Wants You (As the New Recruit)
Chimera’s routines, while new to the ransomware circuit, fall in line with our 2016 prediction of the rise of online extortion. We mentioned that cyber extortionists will devise new ways to target its victim’s psyche to make each attack “personal”—either for an end user or an enterprise.
The US and China Have Taken Their First Steps Toward Cybersecurity Cooperation
The US and China have reached an agreement on how to begin cooperating on cybersecurity, an issue that has caused high tension between the two nations over the last few years. The agreement calls for guidelines on sharing computer security information, a hotline to discuss issues, a so-called tabletop cybersecurity exercise and further dialog on concerns such as the theft of trade secrets.
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