The threat actors behind the BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware group have claimed responsibility for the recent data breach of the Japanese watchmaker, Seiko, and posted the stolen data to their dark web leak site. Officials for Seiko confirmed the data breach on August 10th and revealed that their systems had been infiltrated several weeks prior, leading to an exfiltration of an unknown amount of sensitive data. It is believed the stolen data includes scans of employee passports, production information and confidential design drafts for watches, which falls under the umbrella of protected intellectual property (IP).
Cyberattack forces Mississippi healthcare system offline
Late last week, officials for the Singing River Health System (SRHS) in Mississippi were forced to take several critical systems after identifying unauthorized activity on their network, stemming from an undefined cyberattack. While there are continued efforts to restore normal operations, staff are resigned to keeping paper records at dozens of hospitals and clinics along the Gulf Coast. Officials for SRHS have yet to confirm if this incident was the result of ransomware, or if any plans were being made to pay a ransom or attempt to restore their systems from backups.
Researchers find multiple vulnerabilities in smart lightbulbs
Collaborating academic researchers from both Italy and the UK have discovered 4 vulnerabilities in TP-Link smart lightbulbs that could be used by threat actors to obtain local network data and gain authenticated access between the smart lightbulb and the controlling mobile app, Tapo. They also found that any attacker within a reasonable distance of the lightbulb and connected Wi-Fi network could exploit the communication between the two and obtain login credentials for the Tapo app and the Wi-Fi network it was connected to. Fortunately, the researchers informed the manufacturer of the vulnerabilities and they have already begun working to correct the issues.
Teenage Lapsus$ members convicted in British court
Recently, a British court found two teens guilty of direct involvement in hacking a series of tech companies, including Rockstar Games and Uber, in connection with the Lapsus$ hacking group. The first teen independently gained illicit access to Rockstar Games’ systems and began leaking previously unreleased images and documentation on the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 video game. The second teen was complicit in blackmailing BT telecommunications and breaching the network of tech manufacturer, NVIDIA, in relation to a Lapsus$ group campaign.
Department of Defence South Africa suffers data breach
The Snatch ransomware group has recently published a data trove of 1.6TB to their dark web leak site, that came from a cyberattack on the Department of Defence South Africa in July. While the authenticity of the data trove has yet to be proven, there has also been no indication from the Department of Defence South Africa of a data breach. It is believed that the data trove includes sensitive information on personnel and military contracts.
