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The U.S. Conference of Mayors has unanimously resolved not to give in to any ransom demands from the hackers. This is coming after a series of cyber shakedowns that have extorted millions from city governments. Considering the number of ransomware targeting cities and municipalities has grown both in frequency and intensity, the resolution, while not Read More »

Hackers have leveraged Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) software to spread ransomware to their customers’ systems. The attackers have hacked and gained access into an MSP-centric cybersecurity console from Webroot, while also exploiting Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software from Kaseya. Both software makershave saidthat the issues involve compromised credentials and not any software vulnerabilities Read More »

The DHS has issued a memo essentially stating that some IT consulting firms and Managed IT service providers (MSPs) involved in Office 365 migrations are not properly securing the cloud productivity suite for customers. The statement, from the US-CERT arm of the DHS, represents both a challenge and an opportunity for MSPs and MSSPs. On Read More »

The City of Baltimore was attacked with a very aggressive variant of the Robbinhood ransomware on May 8 for the second time in 14 months. Some city departments, including the police, inspector general’s office, and the city’s departments of transportation and public works reported problems with email and phone systems. While the attack didn’t affect Read More »

Six uncomfortable truths Although, more than half of the organizations surveyed were hit by a cyberattack in the last year, a lack of visibility remains high, threat detection is problematic, false alarms cost time and money, according to a new research. The study surveyed over 3,000 IT decision makers at organizations ranging from 100 to Read More »

A major ransomware cyberattack that has taken down the Norsk Hydro’s entire worldwide network, affecting operations, worldwide production, and their 35,000 employees. Executive briefing The situation is quite severe. Our entire worldwide network is down. IT-systems in most business areas are impacted, and the company has switched to manual operations where possible. There have been Read More »

Most businesses, especially Small-Mid-size Businesses (SMB), outsource their IT to Managed Service Providers (MSP) to manage their network, servers, desktops, peripherals, and A/V needs. Most SMBs expect the MSPs to provide security coverage along with IT Support. Typically, MSPs manage hundreds of networks and provide two shifts of services and maintenance activities. IT Service providers Read More »

Business E-mail Compromise scams A spear phishing hacking group, working out of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, has been using business email compromise (BEC) scams and have stolen more than $12 million. This group targeted small and midsize businesses from various industry groups such as manufacturers, hotels, universities, cloud service operators, and so on. This Read More »

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have issued an alert for SamSam ransomware to describe how hackers armed with SamSam targeted multiple industries. The U.S. Justice Department has charged two Iranian nationals as the masterminds behind the recent SamSam ransomware attacks. The cyber kidnappers behind SamSam ransomware attacks in Atlanta and Colorado earlier Read More »

Ascent InfoSec, the cybersecurity practice of Ascent Innovations LLC, is one of the Top 100 Managed Security Services Providers according to the research that evaluates MSSPs globally and 80 of these firms are based in United States. The Managed Security services span various technologies such as Firewalls, IDS/IPS, Web & Email gateways, Advanced Threat Defense, Read More »