Title: Calpers Joins the Ranks of Cyberattack Victims: 770,000 Members Affected
Introduction:
In the realm of cybersecurity, no organization is immune to the growing threat of cyberattacks. Even the largest public pension plan in the United States, Calpers, has fallen victim to a massive data breach. With approximately 770,000 members affected, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of personal information in today’s interconnected world.
I. The Calpers Cyberattack:
A. Impact on Members:
1. In a statement posted on its website, Calpers revealed that personal information, including birth dates and Social Security numbers, of its retired members and their families was compromised.
2. The breach originated from a zero-day vulnerability in a third-party vendor’s MOVEit file transfer service, which allowed unauthorized access to Calpers’ data.
B. Calpers’ Response:
1. Marcie Frost, the CEO of Calpers, expressed outrage and a commitment to swift action to protect members’ financial interests.
2. Calpers reported the incident to federal law enforcement and received assurances from the vendor, PBI Research Services/Berwyn Group, that the vulnerability had been addressed.
II. The MOVEit Hack and Russian Criminal Group:
A. Spread of the Hack:
1. The MOVEit hack, orchestrated by a Russian-speaking criminal gang, initially compromised the personal data of tens of thousands of employees at major British companies.
2. Experts anticipated the hack to spread to the United States, inevitably ensnaring more victims.
B. Clop: The Alleged Russian Group:
1. The hackers behind the MOVEit hack are believed to be the notorious group known as Clop, according to cybersecurity experts.
2. Clop has a history of demanding substantial ransoms, ranging from $1 million to an astonishing $35 million.
III. Vulnerabilities in Secure File Transfer Software:
A. Importance of Secure File Transfer:
1. Companies are often legally obligated to entrust their most valuable data to secure file transfer software vendors to maintain compliance.
2. Hacking groups like Clop target these vendors, recognizing the potential vulnerabilities in their systems.
B. Weaknesses in MOVEit Software:
1. The maker of MOVEit notified customers of an unknown vulnerability that allowed hackers to steal extensive amounts of data.
2. The incident highlights the need for constant vigilance and timely software updates to address emerging threats.
Additional Piece: Enhancing Cybersecurity Measures in an Evolving Landscape
Introduction:
The Calpers cyberattack serves as a stark reminder of the increasingly sophisticated nature of cyber threats and the pressing need for organizations to enhance their cybersecurity measures. In this rapidly evolving landscape, technological advancements and the ever-expanding interconnectedness of systems demand a proactive and multi-layered approach to safeguard valuable data.
I. Understanding the Shift in Cyberattacks:
A. Growing Sophistication:
1. Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly resourceful, leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and techniques that continually evolve to evade detection.
2. Traditional security measures, like antivirus software, are no longer sufficient to protect against advanced persistent threats (APTs) and zero-day vulnerabilities.
B. Exploiting Human Vulnerabilities:
1. Social engineering and phishing attacks target human vulnerabilities, exploiting individuals’ trust, curiosity, or lack of awareness.
2. Organizations must prioritize ongoing employee training and awareness programs to foster a cybersecurity-conscious culture.
II. Implementing Effective Cybersecurity Measures:
A. Robust Endpoint Security:
1. Endpoint protection solutions, including next-generation antivirus software and advanced threat detection, are vital for detecting and mitigating threats at the device level.
2. Continuous monitoring and regular software updates must be integrated into an organization’s cybersecurity strategy.
B. Network Segmentation:
1. Utilizing network segmentation helps contain a potential breach, limiting lateral movement within an organization’s infrastructure.
2. By creating logical divisions, organizations can minimize the impact of an attack on their overall systems.
C. Proactive Threat Hunting:
1. Adopting proactive threat hunting techniques, such as leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, allows organizations to detect and neutralize threats before they cause significant damage.
2. Bolstering incident response capabilities enables organizations to respond swiftly to mitigate potential risks.
III. The Role of Automation and Artificial Intelligence:
A. Automating Security Operations:
1. Automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks in security operations frees up skilled professionals to focus on more critical aspects of threat identification and response.
2. Security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platforms streamline incident response workflows, reducing response times and minimizing human error.
B. Harnessing the Power of AI:
1. AI-powered threat intelligence platforms enhance threat hunting capabilities, leveraging large datasets and machine learning algorithms to identify anomalous activities.
2. Deep learning algorithms enable the identification and categorization of new and emerging threats with remarkable accuracy.
Summary:
The Calpers cyberattack underscores the persistent and evolving threat landscape organizations face in the digital age. The incident highlights the urgency for organizations to adopt comprehensive cybersecurity measures that encompass robust endpoint security, network segmentation, proactive threat hunting, as well as harnessing the power of automation and artificial intelligence. By staying vigilant, enhancing employee awareness, and implementing advanced security technologies, organizations can better protect themselves against cyber threats and safeguard their valuable data.
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Calpers, the largest public pension plan in the United States, has become the latest organization to be affected by the MOVEit cyberattack with approximately 770,000 of its members affected by the global data breach.
In a statement posted on its website, the $442 billion pension fund warned its retired members and their families that some of their personal information, including birth dates and Social Security numbers, was downloaded during an incident affecting its third-party vendor PBI Research. Services/Berwyn Group. The incident involved the MOVEit file transfer service.
“On June 6, 2023, PBI notified Calper that a previously unknown “zero-day” vulnerability in their MOVEit transfer application allowed our data to be downloaded by an unauthorized third party,” Calpers said in the statement. A zero-day vulnerability is a security flaw that is not yet been identified or corrected by the software vendor.
The California-based fund estimates that the security incident affected the personal information of approximately 769,000 members.
“This exterior violation of information is inexcusable,” said Marcie Frost, chief executive officer of Calpers.
“Our members deserve better. As soon as we learned of the incident, we took swift action to protect our members’ financial interests, as well as steps to ensure long-term protections.”
PBI has reported the matter to federal law enforcement and told Calpers it has fixed the vulnerability by also implementing additional security measures.
Earlier this month, the personal data of tens of thousands of employees of some of Britain’s largest companies was compromised by a Russian-speaking criminal gang behind the MOVEit hack. At the time, experts said they expected the hack to spread across the United States and ensnare more victims.
Earlier claims of the alleged Russian gang, nicknamed Clop by cybersecurity experts, it has regularly been more than $1 million and up to $35 million.
Hacking group Clop is known to look for vulnerabilities in secure file transfer software, as companies are often required by law to deal with some of their most valuable data with such vendors.
On May 31, the maker of MOVEit informed customers that its software had an unknown weakness that allowed hackers to steal large amounts of data.
https://www.ft.com/content/5da0ed72-b1ab-4ed9-b154-2358bcce3043
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