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Headlines

Sky News reports that the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) was hacked by a China-backed threat actor. The country is accused of making up to three attempts to gain information on MoD personnel using a payroll system containing names and bank details. The UK government has assured the public that all MoD salaries will be paid as normal this month.

The contractor system that was hacked does not connect directly to any main MoD computer systems, allowing them to be taken down quickly and limiting the liability of the attack.

Finland's Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) has issued a warning about a potential threat for Android users. It begins with an SMS from a local Finnish phone number, telling people to call a service number to either deal with a debt collection claim or attend to another financial issue. Calling the number installs on their Android.

If the malware is installed, Traficom urges victims to reset their device to factory settings, contact their bank immediately to report the malware, change their passwords, and file a criminal report.

The recent MITRE cyberattack continues to make headlines, this time as the organization reveals more information on how the hackers exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in Ivanti Connect Secure VPN devices. The December 2023 attack is now attributed to UNC5221, a Chinese cyberespionage group.

The operation deployed Brickstorm and BeeFlush, eventually exfiltrating data using WireFire and BushWalk. They carried this out for months, only being detected in April. MITRE is making all of this information available, offering a treasure trove for cybersecurity professionals to study and understand.

Interesting Read

The Olympics are returning to Paris, and the event is likely to attract a worldwide host of criminal threat actors looking to wet their beaks in the enormous amounts of money and data passing through the City of Lights. For that reason, organizers are amping up their defenses against cybersecurity threats, as detailed in this short article by ESPN.

When you consider the scope of the event, the task appears impossible. 500 sites will be active during the festivities. The team appears confident that they can avoid another major hack, like the “Olympic Destroyer” virus that hit the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Employment Tip: Continuous Learning Resources

Cybersecurity careers require continuous learning, and luckily, we live in a time when there are plenty of free resources like online courses, webinars, and open-access publications, platforms like Coursera, edX, and MIT OpenCourseWare. Make sure you are utilizing free resources to boost the attractiveness of your resume.

For the latest openings in cybersecurity careers, check CybersecurityHQ.

Stay Safe, Stay Secure.

The CybersecurityHQ Team