The International Union of Railways is launching cybersecurity courses specifically for the transport industry. Developed by industry specialists, the CYRUS training program aims to address the growing need for cybersecurity awareness in the industry, particularly among non-technical staff.
The US is the top target for cyber-attacks focusing on mobile devices and those connected by the Internet of Things (IoT) plus the operational technology (OT) systems than run facilities such as power plants.
According to cybersecurity firm Zscaler’s ThreatLabz 2024 Mobile, IoT, and OT Threat Report, mobile remains a top threat vector, with 111% growth in spyware and 29% growth in banking malware. Technology (18 percent), education (18 percent) and manufacturing (14 percent) continue to be the sectors most targeted by mobile malware. The education sector saw the most dramatic rise in blocked transactions, with a 136 percent increase on the previous year.
In a public statement, Alex Haurek, TikTok’s spokesperson, announced the hack on CNN’s TikTok account, among other high-profile accounts.
“We have taken measures to stop this attack and prevent it from happening in the future. We’re working directly with affected account owners to restore access if needed,” he added.
Highlighting the severity of the University of Winnipeg data breach, Cybersecurity consultant Kathy Knight asserts that the education sector is one of the most vulnerable to cyber attacks, potentially leading to significant data loss and privacy breaches.
“The thing about universities is they’re very big, complex institutions … and they collect a lot of information and data that is very attractive to cyber criminals. So that puts them really, at the top of the list, in terms of attack targets,” she said.
As part of the US Biden-Harris administration’s “Investing in America” agenda, the US energy sector received a $45M investment to bolster the sector’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
The announcement strengthens the US government’s initiatives to boost cybersecurity efforts for critical infrastructure, in light of attacks on US critical infrastructure.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in collaboration with partners from the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand revealed the Russian-state-backed threat actors terrorizing UK political systems.
The NCSC identified the group ‘Star Blizzard’ to be a subordinate to Centre 18 from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Star Blizzard targeted UK parliamentarians, UK-US trade documents, UK think tanks, universities, journalists, and NGOs using various sophisticated phishing tactics.
General Electric (GE) recognized the data theft from threat actor IntelBroker pertaining to a project involving the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, sparking national security concerns.
The GE Spokesperson commented on the data theft, saying they are thoroughly investigating the claims, will work on further protecting the integrity of their security systems, and that business operations will not be affected.
In what the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is billing as “their first-ever joint public appearance”, the heads of the intelligence services of five Western governments, known as the “Five Eyes” are now meeting in Palo Alto, California, the heart of Silicon Valley.
It seems that no one and no business is immune to hacker activity. Recent reports say that Pizza Hut Australia has again been the victim of threat actors a year after its newsmaking Optus cyber attack.
Reports allege customers’ data has been compromised by the incident, which occurred in early September, with the fast food outlet having contacted clients to notify them of the data breach.
Editorial Team
