Page 7 - Threat Intelligence 9-24-2019

Regulatory and

Privacy News

Travis Central Appraisal District hit by a ransomware attack. Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) which
looks into the market evaluation process of public and private properties in Travis County, Texas has admitted
that it became a victim of a ransomware attack on September 11th,2019. However, the District organization
says that it did not bow down to the demands of hackers and will recover its data assets within a few working
days. As per the update was given to Cybersecurity Insiders, the real estate federal organization says that it
became aware of the incident at 9:30 PM on Sept 11 and learned that the malware encrypted data related to
property search, phone, email, and computer-assisted mass appraisal systems.

Source: https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/travis-central-appraisal-district-hit-by-a-ransomware-
attack/

Mac Malware that Spoofs Trading App Steals User Information, Uploads it to Website. Unlike in the pre-
internet era, when trading in the stock or commodities market involved a phone call to a broker — a move
which often meant additional fees for would-be traders — the rise of trading apps placed the ability to trade in
the hands of ordinary users. However, their popularity has led to their abuse by cybercriminals who create fake
trading apps as lures for unsuspecting victims to steal their personal data. We recently found and analyzed an
example of such an app, which had a malicious malware variant that disguised itself as a legitimate Mac-based
trading app called Stockfolio.
Source: https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/mac-malware-that-spoofs-
trading-app-steals-user-information-uploads-it-to-website/

Businesses Can Lose Half of Customers after a Data Breach, Research Shows. Consumers across the globe are
seriously concerned about the data security practices of the companies they do business with, and would take
their money elsewhere after a data breach, according to a new study. Recent high-profile data breaches in the
United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada and elsewhere have heightened consumers’ caution
regarding data privacy and cybersecurity A surge in cybercrime is making consumers increasingly aware that
they are not exempt from data breaches. People are also finding themselves forced to take matters into their
own hands and resolve the damages caused by an organization’s weak data privacy practices. Because of this,
they are starting to abandon businesses that fail to secure their data, according to a survey by PCI Pal. For
example, 83% of consumers in the US claim they will stop spending at a business for several months
immediately after a security breach. 21% will never return to that business. In Canada, the results were similar.
58% of consumers claim they will stop spending at a business for several months post-breach, and a fifth will
abandon their services outright.

Source: https://securityboulevard.com/2019/09/businesses-can-lose-half-of-customers-after-a-data-
breach-research-shows/

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