The slow wait for the summer heatwave in the UK has not put a hold on the hot topic of cybersecurity throughout the nation, with the past month seeing some of the hottest stories for cybercrime, prevention, and justice all hitting the headlines.
Sure to be a talking point for a cybersecurity conference in the UK this year, here is a quick round-up of some of the biggest stories in the cybersecurity businesses sector.
A Stick Up of a Different Kind
It used to be ‘your money or your life!’ Now, it’s their money for your life! The new cybersecurity definition for the banking sector. A threat actor known as ShinyHunters has claimed to steal a vault load of data from Santander Bank, including the information of 30 million customers, employees, and bank account data.
This reveal by ShinyHunters came just two weeks after Santander reported a data breach, with the threat actor also being behind the monumental Ticketmaster data breach that impacted 560 million people. ShinyHunters was also the owner of BreachForums, one of the most notorious online communities for trafficking the sale and exposure of stolen data, and a target many times for several law enforcement takedowns over the past few years.
The threat actor’s access to employees and customers focused on the Spain, Chile, and Uruguay regions, also attaining details of former Santander employees. Customer data in all other Santander markets and businesses was said to be unaffected. ShinyHunters claimed to sell the information harvested in the attack for $2 million.
Endgame in Sight
In an Avengers-level team mission, the combined forces of Ukrainian, British, EU, and US law enforcement agencies exposed a hacking group that broke into the internal networks of long-established companies and sold that access to other hackers.
In a joint operation codenamed ‘Endgame’, four key hackers were arrested in Ukraine and Armenia, with a further eight added to Europe’s most wanted list. The largest-ever operation against botnets resulted in the arrest of a suspect earning 69 million in cryptocurrency for renting out infrastructure sites to deploy ransomware.
The operation took down 100 servers in just three days to neutralise numerous malware variants that infected millions of computers and conducted attacks worldwide, specifically focusing on healthcare and critical infrastructure.
EyeExtend
Fourscout launched the eyeExtend integration for Tanium, delivering automated security governance and reduced customer risk. Available now in the Forescout marketplace, eyeExtend delivers comprehensive asset intelligence between Tanium and Forescout platforms, an essential addition for cybersecurity businesses.
Relying on its global leadership in robust security tools, Forescout has included real-time device context, automated workflows across multiple tools, and verification of endpoint agents to create a more detailed risk picture for Tanium users.
From the Penthouse to the Courthouse
Two Estonian nationals found themselves heading from the big time to jail time following their arrest in November 2022 and extradition to a US criminal court in Seattle. The duo was charged with direct involvement in a sizable cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that persuaded unknowing victims to rent percentages of a fake crypto-mining operation involving Hashflare.
Following the knowing deception of thousands of victims in purchasing contracts entitling them to shares of virtual currency in exchange for a fee, the criminal duo used the fraud proceeds to buy 75 real estate properties and six luxury automobiles. The two men were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud (16 counts) and money laundering with a maximum penalty of 20 years per count.
These stories and more highlight cybersecurity events this year and fuel talks with every cybersecurity consultant and internet security conference in the UK.
Cybersecurity businesses of all sizes will be on hand at Cybersecurity Events UK to deep dive into the emerging stories from the sector for 2024.
