Ransomware Gangs Increase Efforts to Enlist Insiders for Attacks
A recent survey of 100 large (over 5,000 employees) North American IT firms shows that ransomware actors are making greater effort to recruit insiders in targeted firms to aid in attacks.
The survey was conducted by Hitachi ID, which performed a similar study in November 2021. Compared to the previous survey, there has been a 17% rise in the number of employees offered money to aid in ransomware attacks against their employer.
Powerful Remedies Against Trade Secret Misappropriation Abroad Appear Here to Stay
It has now been two years since a U.S. district court issued a ruling providing an additional avenue for U.S. trade secrets owners to take legal action against alleged misappropriation abroad. The decision in the Northern District of Illinois case, Motorola Solutions Inc. v. Hytera Communications Corp. LTD, made foreign companies take notice. It held that the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) permits U.S. trade secret owners to seek civil remedies for acts of misappropriation that occurred abroad including the recovery of the defendants’ profits on the sale of products incorporating the misappropriated trade secrets anywhere in the world.
Since that pivotal decision was issued, several other district courts have upheld DTSA’s extraterritorial reach in civil law. Trade secret owners now have at their disposal a powerful tool to combat international trade secret theft in the U.S. civil court system.
Third of Employees Admit to Exfiltrating Data When Leaving Their Job
Nearly one-third (29%) of employees admitted taking data with them when they leave their job, according to new research from Tessian.
The findings follow the ‘great resignation’ of 2021, when workers quit their jobs in huge waves following the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsurprisingly, close to three-quarters (71%) of IT leaders believe this trend has increased security risks in their organizations.
Fake Influencer Flags Hacking Tactics
The campaign by pCloud uses a fake influencer account on Instagram (@thealiceadams) to highlight how users unintentionally give away pieces of sensitive data through their bios and the content they post.
In one post from the mock account, the influencer reveals her date of birth by sharing an image of birthday balloons that spell out her age. Other seemingly harmless posts give away information commonly used in passwords and security questions, including her pet’s name, where she went to school and her favorite movie.
9 Potential Signs of Corporate Espionage
If you suspect that your business has been a target of corporate espionage, it’s essential to take action immediately — from doing an in-house investigation to hiring a private professional. If you see any of the below signs, don’t ignore them, but also take care not to make any unfounded accusations or statements. Keep your thoughts closely held and get the evidence first.
FBI Chief says Threat from China ‘More Brazen’ than Ever Before
“When we tally up what we see in our investigations, over 2,000 of which are focused on the Chinese government trying to steal our information or technology, there’s just no country that presents a broader threat to our ideas, innovation, and economic security than China,” Wray said, according to a copy of the speech provided by the FBI.
