Also on today’s menu:
Small Businesses Hit Hardest
Situation Deteriorates In Korea
Homicide In Manchester
The White House sponsored the Second International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) Summit on October 31-November 1, bringing together 36 countries and the European Union, along with private-sector partners, to discuss and develop concrete, cooperative actions aimed at countering the spread and impact of ransomware around the globe.
The group announced plans to establish an International Counter Ransomware Task Force (ICRTF), with Australia as the inaugural chair and coordinator, to address resilience and avoid disruption, and to counter illicit financial activities. It also created a fusion cell at the Regional Cyber Defense Centre (RCDC) in Kaunas, led by Lithuania, to test a scaled version of ransomware-related threat information-sharing commitments to “a wide spectrum of stakeholders” about ransomware tools, tactics, and procedures.
To be successful, the effort will require the sharing of information by the private sector to make it possible to offer warning and mitigation measures to the international community and law enforcement groups.
That type of sharing runs against some private-industry concerns about being held liable for any harm resulting from a ransomware incident. Lisa Sotto, a partner at the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, recently advised companies to avoid producing a report in the wake of a cyber incident, suggesting it could be used in a lawsuit against the company, despite efforts to invoke attorney-client privilege. “[I]f we have a report, we tend to have a fight over privilege with respect to that report,” Sotto said. “Even if we retain a forensic investigation firm, under privilege, there’s always a fight, so if you don’t need it, chances are good you probably shouldn’t be getting it.”
The White House emphasized the need to “actively share information between the public and private sectors, including through new platforms, on actors and tradecraft. CRI members will also share information about ransomware strains on an active and enduring basis.”
Small Businesses Hit Hardest
The BBC reports that the cyber-security research firm Cyber Ventures has estimated that cyber-crimes are expected to cost the world $10.5 trillion by 2025, and small businesses will absorb most of the hit. They are three times more likely to be attacked by cyber-criminals than large businesses, cloud security firm Barracuda Networks has found.
Cyber-attacks on small companies surged by more than 150 percent between 2020 and 2021, according to RiskRecon, a Mastercard company that evaluates companies’ cyber-security risk. “The pandemic created a whole new set of challenges and small businesses weren’t prepared," said Mary Ellen Seale, chief executive of the National Cybersecurity Society, a non-profit that helps small businesses create cyber-security plans.
Working remotely meant more personal devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops had access to sensitive corporate information. However, lockdowns strained budgets, limiting how much companies could spend to protect themselves, and many executives decided that costly in-house experts and cyber-security software were out of reach.
Situation Deteriorates In Korea
After North Korea launched the most missiles it has fired in a single day, including one that landed less than 37 miles off the South Korean city of Sokcho, Seoul responded by firing three air-to-ground missiles over the disputed maritime demarcation line. Pyongyang then fired six more missiles and a barrage of 100 artillery shells.
The North says the launches are in response to the large-scale military exercises being held by South Korea and the United States, which it calls “aggressive and provocative”. On November 1, Pyongyang warned they would pay “the most horrible price in history” if they continued their joint military drills.
South Korea’s military said it was the first time since the division of the Korean peninsula following the 1950-53 Korean Conflict that a ballistic missile had “landed south of the NLL [Northern Limit Line] near our territorial sea”.
Homicide In Manchester
An autopsy confirmed that Dzemal Cardakovic, 45, died from a gunshot wound to the face into the neck. His body had been found on South Willow Street, in the area of Kaye Street, Manchester, on October 29.
Tyrese Harris, 22, has been charged with two alternative counts of second-degree murder in Cardakovic’s death. Harris waived arraignment on October 31, and is being held on preventive detention.
Police were called to the area of the shooting about 3:24 p.m. on Saturday when several witnesses reported that a person had been shot in the roadway. Officers found Cardakovic unresponsive, and he later was pronounced dead at the scene.
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