Cyberwire Intel Briefing - July 22, 2024

Key Events and Updates

CrowdStrike Outage

• Impacted 8.5M devices globally
  • Significant disruptions in US airline industry
  • Delta Airlines canceled 3,500+ flights
• Cause
  • Sensor configuration update on July 19th
  • Logic error led to system crashes and blue screens
• Response
  • Apology from CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz
  • Fault identified in Channel File 291
  • Named pipe execution for Windows systems fault
  • Microsoft developed WinPE recovery tool
• Consequences
  • Increased phishing scams
  • Warnings from CISA and UK NCSC
  • Greater scrutiny of major tech firms suggested

UK Police Arrest and Cyber Crime Group

• 17-year-old member of Scattered Spider arrested
  • Involved in ransomware attacks and network breaches
  • Collaborated with FBI

DHS Report and Contractor Issues

• Scathing report on CISA and FLETC
  • Ignored directive to cut ties with high-risk contractor
  • Sensitive data potentially exposed
• Security deficiencies highlighted
  • Included PIIs of law enforcement officers

Huntress Report - Sock Golish Malware

• Javascript downloader malware distributing AsyncRAT
  • Involves BOINC platform misuse
• Indicators of compromise provided

LA Superior Court Ransomware Attack

• Largest trial court in the US affected
  • No compromised user data at this stage
  • Court serves 10M residents

OCC Report on Banks' Cyber Risk Management

• Poor ratings for half of the major banks' operational risk management
  • Implications for regulatory scrutiny and capital requirements

CISA Critical Vulnerabilities Additions

• Vulnerabilities in Adobe Commerce, Magento, SolarWinds ServeU, VMware

Australian Police and SMS Phishing

• Seizure of SIM boxes and arrests
  • Over 318 million malicious messages sent recently

Featured Interview: Chris Grove on Protecting the Summer Olympics

• Complexity of securing a temporary smart city
• Infrastructure challenges
  • Water, wastewater, power, etc.
• Cybersecurity for competition integrity
• Disinformation and its effects
• Public safety and emergency planning

Commentary and Analysis

Cyber Threat Intelligence

• Mandiant's 2013 APT report influence
• Growth in vendor participation and usage

Internships in Cybersecurity

• Importance of practical experience
• William Westerhoff's success story
  • Discovered critical vulnerability during internship
• Emphasis on mentoring and meaningful project work

Sponsors Mentioned

• Strata Identity
• KnowBe4
• Vanta
• Savvy Security

Conclusion

• Emphasis on the fragile digital ecosystem and need for robust cybersecurity measures
• Highlight on ongoing global and local cybersecurity measures and findings