InfoSecSherpa Newsletter — 15 May 2021
3 min readMay 15, 2021
- With cyber attacks on the rise, the Royal Family seeks a cyber security expert
(TEISS, 14 May 2021)
The Royal Household is looking for a cyber security engineer to monitor networks and systems and protect the Royal Household’s digital systems from hacking attacks. The salary on offer is in the range of £50,000 and £60,000 per annum. - Paying cyber ransoms sets a bad precedent but happens often
(The Detroit News, 15 May 2021)
The decision went against FBI and Treasury Department warnings that such payouts will only spread pain down the line by encouraging more hacking, raising questions around the ethics of paying the ransoms. - How Joe Biden’s Venmo Account Was Found So Quickly & What It Means
(Screen Rant, 15 May 2021)
U.S. president Joe Biden’s secret Venmo account was recently discovered by reporters. Here’s what it means for national security and regular users. - HSE ransomware attack: All you need to know
(TEISS, 15 May 2021)
Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) suffered a major ransomware attack on Thursday that forced it to activate a crisis response plan, shut down all IT systems, and cancel non-essential medical appointments immediately. - Hong Kong Monetary Authority Reveals Implementation Roadmap for Ongoing Development of Open API Framework
(Crowdfund Insider, 15 May 2021)
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), which is Hong Kong’s central banking institution that reports directly to the Financial Secretary, has announced the implementation plans for the third and fourth stages of its Open API framework. - U.S. Air Force readies for return to enhanced CHES collaboration
(Mirage News, 15 May 2021)
Sayers is referring to the Air Force Cloud Hosted Services version of Microsoft Office 365 Teams, which the service rolled out enterprise-wide in 2019. It offers many of the same capabilities as CVR Teams, re-engineered to ensure the interoperability and security of information in the virtual environment. - Why You Should Stop Sending Texts From Your Android Messages App
(Forbes, 15 May 2021)
Android Messages is trying to fix the major security holes in its architecture. But after launching improvements in beta last year, Google has confirmed to me that there are still no public dates for an actual platform update and that those improvements are still heavily restricted. Until that changes, you should switch to an alternative. - Massive database of fake Amazon reviews exposed
(Fox Business, 15 May 2021)
A server containing direct messages between Amazon vendors and customers who provide fake reviews was discovered by the cybersecurity website SafetyDetectives. - Clark County investigating malware attack that took down network servers; some service gradually returning
(Springfield News-Sun, 15 May 2021)
The county reported on Thursday that all of their computer servers where down. However, the 911 system remained working amid the incident. - North Carolina moves toward ban on ransomware payments
(State Scoop, 14 May 2021)
The North Carolina House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed legislation that would prohibit state and local agencies from paying ransomware demands or communicating with criminal actors who attempt to encrypt government networks or steal data.
