Page 11 - Threat Intelligence 9-3-2019

Internal Threats

Turn off your Bluetooth, warn security experts - Your Bluetooth connection is unsafe. Very
unsafe. That’s the message from the largest hacker convention. Bluetooth, which is a wireless
technology for connecting everything from wireless earphones to car entertainment systems, is
hacker heaven. It's bad enough that attendees at the hacker convention DEF CON are advising to
turn it off when not in use, as noted in reports from Security Boulevard and Mashable. “People
can track you with your Bluetooth devices. The problem is chronic with devices like headphones
[and] fitness trackers,” noted Security Boulevard in a post entitled “Securing devices for DEF CON,”
adding that many Bluetooth devices “seem to have gaping holes just waiting to be hacked.” The
recent KNOB attack, disclosed on Aug. 13, is an example of how unsafe Bluetooth connections can
be. The “severe” vulnerability in the Bluetooth specification can allow an attacker to potentially
change the content of nearby Bluetooth devices, according to a web page on the attack. If you use
your Bluetooth for music or audio, the danger is small, said Adam Kujawa, director of
Malwarebytes Labs, to Fox News.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/turn-off-your-bluetooth-warn-security-experts

Cheap Black-Market PHI drives ransomware, espionage - Hospitals are a treasure trove of
valuable information for a wide range of online actors. Data can be held hostage through
ransomware or can even be sought after by other nations as a means of espionage. Despite being
uniquely appealing to thieves, hospitals are still struggling with security, and data still is exposed
on a variety of fronts. A new study by the security firm FireEye examines how the healthcare
industry is impacted by these threats and finds that there are key troves of information hackers
are most likely to exploit. Compromised health information can be bought cheaply online and a
malicious attack can occur long after any breach. Because of the disparity between different
organizations’ network strengths, hospitals with poorly secured networks are more frequent
targets.

Source: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cheap-black-market-phi-drives-
ransomware-espionage

Can't bear to part with that well-worn copy of Windows 7? Microsoft might let you keep it
updated an extra year - With Windows 7's official retirement less than five months away,
Redmond is offering some business customers a way to squeeze a bit more life out of the beloved
OS. A recently unearthed provision in the Windows 7 and Office 2010 end of support FAQ notes
that companies running Windows 10 Enterprise E5, Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 E5 Security,
and Government E5 plans will be able to receive their first year of patch support for Windows 7
free of charge. The idea, says Microsoft, is to allow businesses a bit more time to iron out their
plans for migrating to Windows 10 from Windows 7 when official support for the later ends on
January 14th, 2020.

Source: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/08/27/windows7_free_updates/

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