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Cyberwar’s global players—it’s not always Russia or China

Research reveals that countries such as Belarus, India, and Colombia are responsible for significant cyberattacks.

Over the past year, a string of high-profile cyberattacks coming from Russia and China has galvanized the United States and its western allies into taking swift action to counter the escalating incidents. Consequently, the SolarWinds spyware infiltration, the Microsoft Exchange hack, and ransomware attacks launched by criminal gangs harbored by the Kremlin dominate headlines and drive nation-state cybersecurity responses.

However, it’s not always Russia or China who are dangerous adversaries in the digital realm. Smaller threat groups from India, Iran, Belarus, Latin America, and Israel can hold their own when it comes to disruptive hacking or espionage operations. In addition, alleged “hacktivist” groups and threat actors of indeterminate origin engage in malign activities for often mysterious purposes.

Indian hackers pose as legitimate firms

Reuters journalists Chris Bing and Raphael Satter recapped at the recent Cyberwarcon event their ongoing investigation of a loose collective of Indian hackers that blur the lines between reputation management firms and outright hacking-for-hire services. Working for outfits such as Appin Security Labs and BellTrox, these hackers target lawyers, activists, executives, investors, pharmaceutical companies, energy firms, asset management companies, offshore banking entities, and high net worth individuals.

This article appeared in CSO Online. To read the rest of the article please visit here.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

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Attempted cyberattack highlights vulnerability of global water infrastructure

lead centered=”no”Water utilities often have few cybersecurity resources and are subject to few regulations. A failed Stuxnet-like attack on Israel’s water supply shows how dangerous that could be./lead

In late April, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate received reports about an attempted “major” cyberattack on its water infrastructure. According to a statement issued by the directorate, the attack consisted of “assault attempts on control and control systems of wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewers.”

The directorate called on water companies to change their internet passwords, make sure their control system software is updated, and undertake other cyber hygiene measures to tighten security. The attempted attacks were unsuccessful, according to the directorate, and appeared to be coordinated. Of concern was the level of chlorine in the water supply. The directorate asked water companies look for any disruptions, particularly regarding chlorine use in the water supply.

The geopolitical nature of the attack points to actors who favor an independent Palestinian state. “It’s more likely a state actor that would be supporting them, such as the Iranians who have built quite a cyber force,” says Matt Lampe, who most recently served as CIO for Los Angeles Water and Power and is now a partner in critical infrastructure cybersecurity advisory firm Fortium Partners.

This article appeared in CSO Online. To read the rest of the article please visit here.

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Global threat groups pose new political and economic dangers

lead centered=”no”Nation-state players in Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Russia are getting new objectives and changing strategies, say experts./lead

While widely known advanced persistent threat (APT) groups emanating from Russia and China grab most of the spotlight, an array of other nation-state and adjacent threat actors are increasingly launching cyberattacks around the globe. At this year’s Cyberwarcon conference, nearly 20 of the world’s top cybersecurity researchers presented their thoughts on these less visible and complex groups, outlining their latest strategies and developments.

Iran, which is rapidly emerging as one of the most destructive of the nation-state cyberwarfare actors, has a threat group known as APT33, one of the country’s most malicious cyber actors. APT33 has targeted aerospace, defense, and energy organizations. For the most part, the group is regionally focused, targeting Saudi-owned and -operated entities, according to Saher Naumaan, a threat intelligence analyst at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence.

APT33, also called Refined Kitten, Magnallium, Holmium and Alibaba, has been around since 2014 and is best known for its data wiping malware called Shamoon, which erased at least 30,000 computers belonging to Saudi Aramco in 2012. Since then, APT33 has been implicated in campaigns against industrial players in the Middle East and Europe.

This article appeared in CSO Online. To read the rest of the article please visit here.