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Cyber Daily: Threat of Cyberattack by Iran Still Critical, Experts Warn; Corporate Incident Response Requires Layers of Planning
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Good day. De-escalation of tension between the U.S. and Iran did little to stem concern about cybersecurity threats, WSJ Pro’s James Rundle reports. Companies of all sizes should take such concerns seriously, according to experts at Thursday’s WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Symposium.
Also today: Security veterans says the first call after a cyber incident should be to legal counsel. The second should be to professional investigators. Conference attendees also heard lessons about the 2014 attack at Sony Pictures Entertainment from its former head of global protection services.
Other news: Amazon takes action against Ring employees; ransomware hits Barney’s retail chain; and New York City picks cyber startups for accelerator.
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Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed Jan. 3, is shown on a screen in Tehran on Thursday. PHOTO: VAHID SALEMI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Threat of cyberattack by Iran still critical, experts say. The risk of nation-state cyberattacks against U.S. interests remains high amid simmering geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, cybersecurity experts said.
Stark warnings over possible Iranian action through cyberattacks from the Department of Homeland Security this week prompted discussions at a WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Symposium in San Diego on Thursday about how concerned businesses should be about a specific nation-state threat.
“Not to be melodramatic, but every critical infrastructure sector in the United States will need to worry about [Iranian cyberattack],” said Mark Morrison, chief information security officer at Options Clearing Corp., the Chicago-based central clearinghouse serving as a backstop for trades in the options market.
Read the full article.
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A worker removing a poster for Sony's 'The Interview' from a movie theater in Atlanta in December 2014. The U.S. government had accused North Korea of organizing a cyberattack on Sony because of the film. PHOTO: DAVID GOLDMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Security veterans say first steps after cyberattacks are most crucial. Immediately looping in lawyers and law enforcement after a cyberattack is critical to recovery efforts, say security experts who have experienced large-scale attacks.
Involving legal counsel from the outset is particularly important, said Chris Rose, chief executive of cybersecurity firm Ariento Inc., speaking at a WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Symposium in San Diego on Thursday.
The second call should be to professional investigators, who can start piecing together what happened, Mr. Rose said.
Involving law enforcement at an early stage is also critical, said Stevan Bernard, founder and chief executive of Bernard Consulting Group Inc., speaking at the same event.
Mr. Bernard was the executive vice president of global protection services at Sony Corp.’s film and television unit, Sony Pictures Entertainment, during the December 2014 cyberattack that exposed the personal information of thousands of current and former employees, as well as Hollywood celebrities.
Read the full article.
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49.5%
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Percentage of 370 business leaders who wouldn’t consider paying a ransom to hackers, according to a poll by WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Research. Just over 43% said they would consider paying and about 7% weren’t sure.
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PHOTO: HAMAD I. MOHAMMED/REUTERS
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Iranian hackers allegedly attacked Bahrain oil company. State-sponsored hackers from Iran allegedly attacked Bahrain’s national oil company Bapco with data-wiping malware last month, ZDNet reports. The new strain of malware deletes data on infected computers, according to Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity agency. The agency sent a security alert to local companies in the energy sector last week.
Prior incidents: Researchers have attributed previous attacks involving similar wiper malware on oil and gas companies to Iranian hackers. These incidents didn’t appear to be connected to political tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Amazon’s Ring fired staff for accessing user videos. Amazon.com Inc.’s smart home company, Ring, fired employees who accessed users’ video data when doing so wasn’t necessary for their job functions, CNET reports. Amazon’s vice president of public policy, Brian Huseman, described the measures in a letter to five Democratic U.S. senators this week. In one instance, a hacker took control of a Ring security camera in December and used it to yell obscenities at a child. Ring has started notifying users when new devices access their accounts and when their passwords were compromised in breaches on other websites, according to the letter.
Barney’s staff goes without pay after ransomware attack. Employees of department store Barney’s New York Inc. didn’t receive paychecks after a ransomware attack last week, the New York Post reports.
New York picks startups for cyber accelerator. Ten startups will receive $15,000 in financing without giving up equity as part of a cybersecurity accelerator that starts next month at Columbia University, the WSJ reports. The startups will also receive mentoring and networking assistance. Companies that advance to a second phase can receive $25,000 in capital in exchange for equity. One startup selected for the accelerator is developing a technical tool to prevent the spread of revenge porn, and another develops anti-phishing software for small businesses. The accelerator is funded with $3.2 million from Cyber NYC, New York City’s cybersecurity initiative.
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