Dark Reading Weekly -- July 28, 2022

Critical Bugs Threaten to Crack Atlassian Confluence Workspaces Wide Open

A hardcoded password associated with the Questions for Confluence app has been publicly released, which will likely lead to exploit attempts that give cyberattackers access to all Confluence content.

Average Data Breach Costs Soar to $4.4M in 2022

Call it a "cyber tax": Those costs are usually passed on to consumers, not investors, as compromised businesses raise prices for goods and services.

Rare 'CosmicStrand' UEFI Rootkit Swings into Cybercrime Orbit

The firmware threat offers ultimate stealth and persistence — and may be distributed via tainted firmware components in a supply chain play, researchers theorize.

Snowballing Ransomware Variants Highlight Growing Threat to VMware ESXi Environments

Luna, Black Basta add to rapidly growing list of malware tools targeted at virtual machines deployed on VMware's bare-metal hypervisor technology.

Mysterious, Cloud-Enabled macOS Spyware Blows Onto the Scene

The CloudMensis spyware, which can lift reams of sensitive information from Apple machines, is the first Mac malware observed to exclusively rely on cloud storage for C2 activities.

Discord, Telegram Services Hijacked to Launch Array of Cyberattacks

Attackers are easily turning popular messaging apps and their associated services — like bots, cloud infrastructure, and CDNs — against users, researchers warn.

LockBit 3.0: Significantly Improved Ransomware Helps the Gang Stay on Top

Just ahead of its headline-grabbing attack on the Italian tax agency, the infamous ransomware group debuted an improved version of the malware featuring parts from Egregor and BlackMatter.

Phishing Bonanza: Social-Engineering Savvy Skyrockets as Malicious Actors Cash In

The ever-evolving threat from phishing is growing more sophisticated as attackers design high-pressure situations and leverage ever-more-convincing social engineering tactics to increase their success rates.

Ducktail Spear-Phishing Campaign Uses LinkedIn to Hijack Facebook Business Accounts

Ducktail targets marketing and HR professionals through LinkedIn to hijack Facebook accounts and run malvertising schemes.

The Beautiful Lies of Machine Learning in Security

Machine learning should be considered an extension of — not a replacement for — existing security methods, systems, and teams.

The Kronos Ransomware Attack: What You Need to Know So Your Business Isn't Next

Identify your business's security posture and head off ransomware attacks with third-party risk management and vendor security assessments.

What Firewalls Can — and Can't — Accomplish

Understanding the limitations of firewalls is important to protecting the organization from evolving threats.

T-Mobile Pitches $4-Per-Customer Settlement for Data Leak Impacting 80M People

After leaking 80 million US customer data records in a cyberattack last summer, T-Mobile offers to settle a wide-ranging class action suit for just $350 million.

Implementing Zero Trust In Your Enterprise: How to Get Started