Author: Charley Nash

New research from health provider Bupa in partnership with ParalympicsGB found that 58% of Brits have felt excluded in the past year, resulting in poor mental health (30%) and isolation (41%). The research also found that feelings of exclusion has made Brits feel shut out in their daily life (28%), at work (27%) or within society (24%). These findings have been released alongside a #TeamHealth campaign to encourage wider access to teams and societies.

Bupa’s research shows that 30% of people have felt a negative impact on their general mental health due to their experience of social exclusion, with many left feeling isolated (41%), sad (41%) and anxious (33%). This research is especially pertinent for people in the cybersecurity industry, given that the stress and pressure of round the clock protection means that free time is often scarce.

The research was conducted by Censuswide among 2,002 UK nationally representative general consumers. Among this group, 417 reported that they consider themselves to have a disability.

Notably, people living with a disability (72%) are more likely to experience exclusion. This group is also almost twice as likely to report poor mental health than the wider population, as well as high levels of loneliness (43%). Women (61%) are also significantly more likely to report feelings of isolation.

Currently 44 per cent of people in the UK aren’t involved in social, professional, community or interests-based support networks, while for one in five (21%), the number of teams they belong to has decreased over the past three years.

For cybersecurity professionals, cultivating a sense of community among professionals may be the first step to improving mental health. Statistics show that two-thirds of cybersecurity professionals feel stressed at work.

Paralympic Gold medallist Richard Whitehead MBE says: “I know from personal experience that feeling excluded is very harmful, both in terms of mental health and preventing people from reaching their potential. And although we’re making progress, it’s not always as easy for disabled people at school, work or in the community, which is why equal opportunities for everyone and feel a sense of belonging is so important.

Those who are part of at least one team or society experience personal, professional and health benefits including feeling happier (30%), more confident (26%) and more likely to achieve their health and fitness goal5. The sense of belonging leads to people feeling more included in society (36%), sociable (35%) and valued (34%).

Whitehead continued: “Being part of a team has been really important for me in reaching my sporting and professional goals. Everyone needs a strong team in their corner, whether in their professional or personal lives, and deserves to feel included”.

Dr Naomi Humber, head of mental wellbeing at Bupa, says: “Being part of a community or team with common interests or goals has a remarkable positive impact on both physical and mental health. Group participation and inclusion promotes a sense of belonging and social connection, creating a supportive environment that encourages healthy behaviours and motivates individuals to achieve their personal, professional and health goals.”

For further information about making the workplace more inclusive for everyone, Holly Foxcroft, Head of Neurodiversity in Cyber Research and Consulting at Stott and May Consulting, provides tips in her latest piece for The Cyber Mindfulness Corner.

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Research by software delivery platform Harness suggests that UK businesses are inadvertently wasting over £10.4bn per year as a result of lack of software productivity, mainly due to developers having to manually carry out routine operations that could be automated or aided by AI.

These administration tasks include unnecessary scripting, toolchain maintenance, and responding to security issues occurring across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

This follows research released earlier this year by Software that suggested that developers are spending less than an hour per day (52 minutes per day) on coding, as a result of being bogged down in manual tasks. This has resulted in an rise in poor mental health of employees, as well as downturn in digital transformation progress.

Nick Durkin, Field CTO at Harness, adds: “We are facing a developer experience crisis. Repetitive tasks such as the maintenance of unnecessary scripts, repetitive manual testing and waiting times for builds to complete, are keeping organisations’ best developers from the critical work of coding.

“This toil is driving huge inefficiencies across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), minimising the impact of developer talent and stalling critical digital transformation projects. It could even lead to burnout, or push an organisation’s most skilled resources to seek more engaging roles with another employer.

“Organisations must act now to improve the developer experience, empowering them to do what they do best; turn ideas from concept to reality.”

 

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For most organisations and employees, the workplace has transformed over the last few years. No doubt, at least in part, due to the pandemic. For business leaders, it’s harder than ever to work out the best approach to the workplace in terms of productivity, creativity and employee satisfaction. A new report, entitled the Design of the Workplace report, released at the Ecocity World Summit 2023, reveals what office workers really want from their work environments post-pandemic. With nearly three quarters (74%) of office workers admitting to feeling more productive and creative when in an office environment versus working from home.

The report, commissioned by Brookfield Properties, in partnership with Foster + Partners, surveyed 3,400 office workers nationwide. The research was carried out independently by Perspectus Global.

Design of the Workplace evidences that employers’ credentials in sustainability and, specifically design of workspaces are non-negotiable among future business leaders. As well as being essential to the health of our planet, the findings show environmentally friendly, well-designed workspaces lead to greater productivity, feeling valued, calm and improved wellbeing.

The report also examines what makes for a good workplace experience. Importantly, a quarter of office workers (24%) stated that an environmentally unfriendly office impacts both their mental and physical health. In fact, nine out of ten office employees (90%) believe that sustainable workspace design is good for both the planet and their wellbeing.

Additionally, 93% of those working in an environmentally friendly office feel happier in their job. Happiness levels drop to 55% among those working in environmentally unfriendly offices.

Findings also revealed that 40% of office workers feel more productive in an environmentally friendly office space; dropping to 12% among those with no access to one.

Importantly, findings revealed that employees feel 10 times calmer in an environmentally friendly office space. Post pandemic, office design is an important factor in terms of employee satisfaction, productivity, retention and wellbeing. A quarter (24%) of office workers find their workspace uncomfortable, making them feel unproductive and uninspired.

The right conditions include:

  • Good quality air ventilation (48%) and natural ventilation (36%)
  • Natural lighting (46%) and clever lighting (44%)
  • Fast internet connection (43%)
  • Effective heating control (37%)
  • Recycling facilities (35%)
  • Adaptable desks and chairs (34%)

Dan Sibert, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners explained: “The workplace of the future is about creating spaces that support a greater range of activities and diverse working practices, while focussing on wellbeing and offering people a sense of community.”

The conversation around workplace wellbeing is at the forefront of many business leader’s minds. This research soon comes after statistics from Currys found that half of UK employees suffer from “Sunday Scaries”, anxiety around returning to work.

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Working in the electrical and data industry, mental health was long an afterthought or even entirely forgotten. It just was not seen as a business priority. Thankfully, that has now been turned on its head and the psychological wellbeing of staff is viewed in the light it should be – essential.

We have made a significant effort, in terms of time and resource, to give our staff options on how they take care of their own mental health. Progress has been made, but we fully understand that there is a way to go.

At J Brand, we have around 40 office-based staff, with well over 100 engineers out in the field spread right across the country. That has its advantages in a business-sense, but in terms of employee mental health it presents challenges. How can we ensure that we are providing sufficient support should a staff member need it? Lockdowns and the surrounding isolation only added to the urgency of reinforcing our company systems which are in place to give help if it’s needed.

We now put more effort than we ever have into improving and maintaining the mental health of our employees, through a variety of schemes. What worked for us, may also work for your organisation.

The first, and perhaps most effective, is providing private cover for all J Brand employees. There is a cost, however we’ve found the investment well worth the money. It may sound clichéd, but often all somebody needs is a supportive voice to hear them. A trained professional is a phone call away at any time of the day or night for our team – that means there is always qualified help if it’s required.

Therapy is not for everybody, but we think it’s important to offer the choice. Referrals can be provided for more comprehensive treatment such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or other recognised forms of help.

Everybody is different and what works for one person, does not work for another. Speaking to a stranger can seem like a daunting experience, especially if the individual in question is under a lot of stress. That’s exactly why we invested in the training of mental health first aiders for members of the J Brand office team.

We have had several people complete the St John Ambulance mental health first aid course – a two day qualification which equips them with the knowledge to to identify issues and offer assistance if required.

Gaining a more comprehensive understanding of what mental health is, how to spot any potential problems and what help can be given if there is a difficulty.

For some, a friendly face is a greater comfort and that’s exactly why we found the modest investment so worthwhile. The service has been used by multiple members of the team – hopefully averting more severe complications further down the road.

It’s no secret that men struggle to talk about their mental health more than female counterparts, so with a predominately male workforce getting these messages across has been absolutely essential.

Engineers can be out delivering electrical hardware deployment projects on the road for weeks at a time away from their families. That can be a lonely experience and it’s something that those of us based in the office are acutely aware of and keep in regular contact with the men and women on the ground. A quick phone call to just ask how they are can go an awfully long way in helping them to feel connected with the team.

Bottling up emotions and refusing to openly discuss them only causes harm. I would say – if you’re unsure and feeling uneasy or anxious, speak to somebody. Best-case scenario is that it’s nothing to worry about, but in the worst-case getting help early is vital.

Building an employee’s worth and sense of value to the company is also important. Of course salary plays a role in that, but so does fostering a general feeling of team spirit and togetherness. Easy to say, very difficult to do. Every company is there to make money, but from my experience these investments easily pay for themselves over the medium to long term.

Our company ethos is ‘My Customer, My Responsibility’ and we take that extremely seriously. Every single member of staff represents J Brand, with almost all speaking to clients in some capacity. A healthy and happy individual is naturally a more effective ambassador for your brand – adding to the value of efforts in improving a workforce’s wellbeing.

Every company is different and will have their own financial priorities, but for us we felt like this was all money well spent. A happy workforce is a satisfied and productive workforce, which from a selfish perspective ultimately will be more profitable for the company.

Properly investing in your workforce’s mental health benefits your staff, your clients and your profits. If you’re not doing so already, I would wholeheartedly recommend devising a strategy today.

 

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In today’s world, there are so many buzz words around work, from quiet quitting to Bare Minimum Mondays. But Sunday Scaries are the latest phenomenon. We all know the feeling: it’s a Sunday evening and Monday morning looms, causing for many a feeling of anxiety.

“Sunday Scaries” is defined as an anxiety experienced the day before returning to work. Although Sunday is in the name, the concept can be applied to any day of the week.

A recent study, conducted on 1500 Brits, by Currys explores a range of work-related stressors. Out of those surveyed, over half (54%) admitted that they suffered with Sunday Scaries.

The biggest Sunday anxiety stressor was that the worrisome “boss wants to talk” fear (35%). This could be as a result of experiencing an out of context text or email, which calls into question the conversation around workplace boundaries.

Second on the list was “overdue deadlines” (27%). The list also featured the sound of a “Teams/Slack Notification” (11%), “Colleagues Oversharing” (16%) and “Imposter Syndrome” (16%).

Third on the list, and perhaps most interestingly, was “Going Into The Office” (24%), which worried nearly a quarter of employees. Due to the pandemic, a lot of employees started working from home and the migration back to the office may be troublesome for many.

Although, it looks like WFH is here to stay! Recent statistics suggest that nearly a quarter of employees continue to work hybrid, which could also be a factor in keeping security teams up at night, due to more endpoints to secure! Lookout’s 2023 “The State of Remote Work” report, for example, shows that 32% of remote workers use apps or software for work that are not approved by IT.

However, with the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt suggesting that office working should be “default”, this percentage may increase over time.

Especially as, according to Google trends, searches for “work from home jobs” have increased by 110% over the past 12 months. In fact, according to Google trends, searches for “work from home jobs” have increased by 110% over the past 12 months. 

Currys also sought the advice of Navit Schechter, experienced CBT therapist and mental health writer, who specialises in work-based issues and anxiety disorders, to help those suffering with work-related anxieties in the long run. She added: “If you dread the thought of work on a Sunday because your role doesn’t fulfil you, you don’t have enough support, there are unclear expectations on you, you’re working with difficult personalities, you feel overwhelmed with everything you’re expected to do or similar then being honest with yourself about what the problem is and seeking to find a solution will help you in the long-run.” 

Schechter continues: “If you’re being given too much work or not enough support, speak to your manager. If the role doesn’t fulfil you or you think you’d do better in another team, look for another job. Finding a role that fulfils you and that you’re passionate about, or a team you enjoy working with can make the thought of another week at work much easier to bear.” 

 

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As important as it is, cybersecurity awareness training might not seem like the most exciting thing in the world, but when it involves plots to rival your favourite network crime dramas, expertly crafted cinematography, and characters to root for? Naturally, it all feels a little bit different.  

Of course, we’re talking about the long-awaited return of KnowBe4’s network-quality video series The Inside Man. Back for its fifth season, the show, created and produced by Twist & Shout Communications (a KnowBe4 company) is now available to all diamond-level KnowBe4 subscribers.  

The Gurus were lucky enough to walk the red carpet alongside the show’s cast and crew last week at the Odeon Luxe Cinema, Leicester Square. A packed-out venue fit for an ambitious and industry-leading series that reunited some of our favourite characters. 

 

What To Expect This Season 

Season 5 of The Inside Man has big ambitions that echo, as always, real-world scenarios, genuine real-world threats, and plausible scenarios. If season 4 was a nod to 2021’s Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, season 5 takes a stab at the more political side of cybercrime.  

The season’s antagonist, Cyrus, sums the season – and his intentions – up perfectly: ‘Money? You think this is about money? It’s about power… The power to know how people are going to react before they know themselves, to mould their thoughts, to shape their behaviour… The power to choose who wins an election, wins a war.’ 

Of course, this echoes similar themes that we see in the news frequently, with cyber influence operations becoming all the more common. In fact, just last year US military and intelligence officials announced that they were stepping up efforts to defend the electoral process from foreign influence.  

Whilst the show doesn’t go that far, it does dabble in using cyber influence to show the increasingly complex nature of highly personalised attacks. This season we find Mark, AJ, Fiona, Violent and Maurice approached by the security services to help fight against a remorseless adversary deploying vast resources of hacking powers to gain influence and power. From global corporation acquisition to insider threats within hospitals and healthcare, this is definitely the most eager (and high stakes) series of The Inside Man yet. 

Jim Shields, Creative Director of Twist & Shout Communications said: “In this season, we see many of these exciting plotlines finally come home to roost. Storylines for which we’ve spent two or three seasons laying the foundations. It’s powerful stuff, and the production team have excelled themselves as usual in bringing it to life. I’m unbelievably proud to be a part of this series.”   

 

Revolutionising Cyber Awareness Training 

For many years, KnowBe4 have been reshaping cybersecurity awareness. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is their willingness to invest in something truly different and, perhaps, revolutionary within its field. It’s clear that The Inside Man is an investment, with stunning sets, large productive value and 12-episode story arc. However, it pays off; the show has real, dedicated fans. In fact, three lucky superfans were invited to the premiere, with one having written a full-blown analysis of it. There’s nothing quite like it! 

“Security awareness training doesn’t have to be boring, nor should it,” says Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of KnowBe4. “‘The Inside Man’ is the most utilised training that KnowBe4 offers in the optional training category because it is highly captivating, and the production quality is more like a network-quality series than training.” 

What The Inside Man does so captivatingly is foreground the human element of cybercrime, with the adversaries not the stereotypical hooded hackers of yesteryear and our victims harrowingly human and relatable. From social engineering to passwords, to social media and deep fakes, this season of The Inside Man covers a lot of ground. Importantly, it reveals how easy it can be for an outsider to penetrate an organisation’s security controls and network. It’s awareness training that doesn’t feel like awareness training – and it’s not preachy either. 

 

The Verdict  

Season 5 of The Inside Man is well worth a watch. Whether or not you typically ‘enjoy’ cybersecurity awareness training, you can’t help but feel drawn to the show. It’s both educational and entertaining, and that’s pretty impressive.  

Education and awareness are at the heart of everything KnowBe4 does – and The Inside Man is no different, clearly. The Inside Man forces audiences to face safe (or otherwise) cybersecurity practises in an unusual (and rather fun) way. Ultimately, this passion project, beloved within its community, is something vendors should take notice of.  

You can watch the full series on The Inside Man microsite on the KnowBe4 platform if you are a diamond member. 

 

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Rockstar Games, the publishers behind the popular Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise, announced earlier this week that data from the latest instalment of the GTA series has been leaked online.

The leak is being described as one of gaming’s biggest security breaches.

The publishers were unable to clarify how the “network intrusion” happened, but confirmed that “early development footage” from GTA VI had been stolen.

A user called teapotuberhacker posted the footage onto the GTAForums site.

The hacker claimed to have gained access to the data by breaching Rockstar’s internal feed on the Slack messaging app. They then invited executives to negotiate to avoid further leaks.

It has been reported that the ransom data could include source code, testing builds, and assets. All of these could be damaging to the company’s operations if released.

Rockstar are trying to get social media posts that contain the leaked information taken down. The original forum posts have been taken down by moderators.

On Monday, the company said it was “extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way”.

“Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned and we remain as committed as ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations,” it added.

But what do the experts think?

Chris Hauk, Consumer Privacy Advocate at Pixel Privacy

“Attacks like the Uber and Rockstar attacks emphasize the need for organizations to increase their security measures, keep systems updated, and harden their systems against an attack before it happens. However, it is a game of chess, where each side is forced to react to unexpected moves by the other side, scrambling to plug security holes only after they are exploited.”

 

Paul Bischoff, Consumer Privacy Advocate at Comparitech

“Although the leaked video is what’s making headlines, an hour of gameplay footage isn’t going to affect much outside of Rockstar’s marketing efforts. Perhaps more concerning is the stolen source code, which could allow attackers to craft cheats and exploits, or for players to compile and play the game before it’s released. Although the attacker claims to have stolen source code, they have not leaked it yet (as of time of writing).”

 

Satya Gupta, CTO and founder at Virsec

The fact that an attacker from the group “Lapsus$” attacked Uber and also Rockstar is inconsequential. The substantive part is that they both got attacked.

As we know from the Uber Attack Kill Chain (screenshot below) the attacker overwhelmed a privileged employee to accept a two-factor authentication request that was triggered by the attacker. Once the attacker was able to infiltrate the Uber infrastructure, they moved laterally until they found the network shared drive and the domain controller. From there the attacker gained access to numerous apps and the underlying infrastructure before performing data exfiltration.

The lesson for big-tech is to make sure (a) to train employees (especially those with higher privileges) to be very careful when approving MFA requests and (b) to deploy runtime protection solutions that implement a positive security model and hence offer zero dwell time protection.

 

Martin Jartelius, CSO at Outpost24: Given that the gaming industry is now worth over $300 billion, it is a lucrative target for malicious cyber-attacks, and this most recent on Rockstar Games proves how disruptive an attack can be.
For instance, the leak has negatively impacted share prices of the company that owns Rockstar Games. Moreover, intellectual property will fetch for a good price on the dark web which can be used by potential competitors for their own gain or other hackers to cause more trouble.
Both the information that is leaked and the breach itself may have a direct impact on a company’s project delivery, with any potential delays adding to the overall costs. To avoid such scenarios going forward, organisations must ensure security best practises are being followed while monitoring for any adverse behaviour across systems

Markus Strauss, Head of Product Management at Runecast

“Having game footage leaked prior to a release is not uncommon and is allegedly often a common practice by development studios themselves. Given the official statement from Rockstar Games about the network intrusion, this does not seem the case here, however. Given the intrusion method and the potential connection to the Uber attack it is likely this attack again used existing vulnerabilities that the attacker was able to exploit to gain access to a network. One must wonder how much effort is spent on basic vulnerability assessment and patching in such cases.”

 

Erfan Shadabi, Cybersecurity Expert at comforte AG:

Given that 2013’s GTA 5 is considered one of the most successful video games of all time and there’s growing fan demand for the new instalment, it is no surprise that it became a target for hackers. What comes to mind when we think about security breaches is usually the stealing and selling of personal user or employee data, but this attack is slightly different. The hacker stole, through the Slack messaging platform, a lot of new gameplay related assets – which can be highly valuable on the dark web and/or highly sought after by fans on social media. When stolen data like this is published on social media it can be almost impossible to limit the damage and reach of the data.

Gaming organizations should take privacy on employee messaging platforms (where highly sought-after information is stored and exchanged) as seriously as they would user data privacy. This can be achieved by building into their data infrastructures more than just the bare minimum level of security and reviewing all service providers frequently. Their strategy should be data-centric, with an assumption that threat actors might try to get to this cache of information. When you protect the data itself, rather than the perimeters around it, with methods such as tokenization or format-preserving encryption, you obfuscate the sensitive parts and render it incomprehensible and useless to hackers. Better yet, data-centric security is not dependent on protected borders and travels with the data.

 

Louise Ferrett, Threat Intelligence Analyst at Searchlight Security:

“Users on cybercriminal and dark web forums are pointing to a member of LAPSUS$ as the perpetrator of the cyberattack against Rockstar that has led to the leak of the latest Grand Theft Auto game. For example, this post on DoxBin accuses the LAPSUS$ member known by the alias ‘White’ for being behind the attack and last week’s attack against Uber:

“As we can see from this screenshot, this is the latest in a series of updates that the user has provided since they originally doxxed (shared the identify of) White back in January:

“It goes without saying that attributions on cybercriminal forums should not be taken as concrete proof, especially since this user clearly harbours a grudge against White. However, the attacks on Rockstar and Uber do fit the pattern of the LAPSUS$ group’s previous attacks, which focused on noteworthy targets and has previously included the gaming company EA, which means it is possible that the user on DoxBin is telling the truth.”

 

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A new survey conducted amongst 600 parents across the UK by Censuswide on behalf of International Cyber Expo found that 40% of parents believe children will turn to cyber crime during the cost of living crisis.

The survey also revealed that 40% of parents have fallen victim to at least one security breach as a result of their children’s online activities, with 17% experiencing a breach twice and 10% experiencing a breach three times. The survey was commissioned to understand the changing behaviours and attitudes of parents towards their children’s online activity in light of the cost of living crisis. 

There are some promising signs of change in attitudes to cyber awareness though, with over two thirds of parents agreeing that they will teach their children about the importance of online security because they can’t afford to be hacked. A further 63% of parents wanted their children’s schools to do more to educate their children on cybersecurity awareness when returning to school this September.

Worryingly, 62% of parents believe people will be more vulnerable to hacking with the crisis as people will be more desperate.

Simon Newman, International Cyber Expo Advisory Council Member and CEO of Cyber Resilience Centre for London, said “with hacking tools becoming increasingly accessible and affordable on the internet, we have witnessed a rise in ‘script kiddies’; inexperienced hackers who carry out cyber attacks. While ‘kiddies’ do not necessarily refer to the hacker’s age so much as their experience, many have been found to be teenagers.”

“In fact, in the UK the average age of a referral to the National Cyber Crime Unit is just 15 years old.”

As expenses continue to balloon, many parents are also rethinking their children’s online spending. In fact, 55% agree they will be more vigilant about what their children are spending online, while 42% agree they will reduce their children’s budget for online purchases.

Philip Ingram MBE, former senior British Military Intelligence Officer and Content Lead for International Cyber Expo adds, “rising costs will certainly put pressure on many households in the coming months and the consequences could go two ways.”

“On one hand, we will likely see children and their parents bombarded with a greater number of cyber threats, such as phishing emails which will bank on the public’s financial stress. On the other hand, we may see children turn to cyber crime to compensate for the lack of finances. It is during such periods of heightened emotions that the world of cybercrime thrives.”

Simon Newman concluded, “Although law enforcement agencies are working hard to take down the websites and forums that promote hacking, the results of this survey also demonstrate a need for parents/guardians to take an active interest in what their children are doing online to prevent them from falling on the wrong side of the law.”

The International Cyber Expo will take place from 27th-28th September at London Olympia, Kensington.

 

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Two critical vulnerabilities were found in wireless LAN devices that are allegedly used to provide internet connectivity on airplanes.

Thomas Knudsen and Samy Younsi from Necrum Security Labs first discovered the flaws, which were found to have affected the Flexlan FX3000 and FX2000 series wireless LAN devices made by Contec.

An advisory, referring to the vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-36158, noted: “After performing reverse engineering of the firmware, we discovered that a hidden page not listed in the Wireless LAN Manager interface allows to execute Linux commands on the device with root privileges.”

“From here, we had access to all the system files but also be able to open the telnet port and have full access to the device.”

A second vulnerability was also described in the advisory (tracked as CVE-2022-36159). This code refers to the use of weak hard-coded cryptographic keys and backdoor accounts.

The advisory listed: “During our investigation, we also found that the /etc/shadow file contains the hash of two users (root and user), which only took us a few minutes to recover by a brute–force attack.”

The issue is that the device owner can only change the account user’s password from the web administration interface because the root account is reserved fro Contec.

“This means an attacker with the root hard–coded password can access all FXA2000 series and FXA3000 series devices.”

To fix the first vulnerability, the researchers said that the hidden engineering web page should be removed from the devices in production since the default password is weak.

“This weak default password makes it very easy for any attacker to inject a backdoor on the device through this page.”

Necrum also added that, for the second flaw, Contec should generate a different password for each device during the manufacturing process.

 

 

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New research published in a blog post today by dark web researchers Searchlight Security reveals the severity of earlier claims that Nato was assessing classified military documents being sold on the dark web. The blog post also explores the wider problem of classified documents being sold online.

At the end of last month, it was reported that hackers (known as “adrastea”) claimed to be selling data from the European company MBDA Missile Systems, reportedly the world’s second largest manufacturer of missiles. Louise Ferrett, Threat Intelligence Analyst at Searchlight Security, investigated these claims using the company’s Cerberus platform.

Whilst the BBC reported that MBDA acknowledged that some of its data was included in the stash it denied that it did not own the documents that were leaked, blaming one of its suppliers instead. Searchlight Security noted:

“When we investigated, we found that this denial was contested by the adrastea user when they posted an advertisement for the data on Russian cybercrime forum Exploit on August 5th:

Screenshot from Searchlight Security platform.

“In this post, the hackers claimed to have “confidential information about employees of companies, which took part in the development of closed military projects”, “activities in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of the European Union”, and “design documentation of their airbase, missile systems, and systems of coastal defense”.”

The Cerberus platform also flagged that the group had advertised the same MBDA data on other platforms.

Searchlight Security goes on to offers valuable insight into the world of dark web selling:

“Firstly, this case is yet another reminder to treat attackers’ claims about the data they possess with skepticism. While the sample files accessed by the BBC show that the data adrastea is selling certainly is sensitive, that does not necessarily mean it has come from MBDA as they have advertised,” reads the blog.

Additionally, the blog suggests, this case demonstrates how cybercriminals seek to use the dark web to commercialise stolen data. The report also highlights how sensitive the type of data obtained and on the market is, highlighting the importance of dark web intelligence and research.

Last month, IT Security Guru writer Cole Aungle sat down with Searchlight Security to discuss all things dark web. 

 

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