Malware

The malware, called RedXOR because it was compiled on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and uses a network data encoding scheme based on XOR, creates a backdoor in systems that gives an attacker near full control over infected machines.

If ransomware and data exfiltration attacks that targeted hospitals and vaccine researchers during the pandemic signaled a cyber hygiene crisis in health care, the SolarWinds supply chain attack demonstrated just how deep the problem goes.

HP supports many causes to attract women into the cyber field, including work with Black Girls Code. Today’s columnist, Joanna Burkey of HP, says with millions of cyber jobs unfilled, the industry has to do a better job recruiting women and minorities.

The program is designed to be an educational tool for testing anti-virus protections; however, it’s possible that cybercriminals could adopt and modify the code in order to launch their own attacks.

Microsoft released details Thursday on later-stage malware the company says was used by the group behind the SolarWinds espionage campaign that breached several government agencies and private firms.

Effective security can help companies save in excess of $1 million on a nation-state attack from the likes of Russia, China and North Korea. Today’s columnist, Dan Pitman of Alert Logic, says as part of the security equation, companies should focus requests-for-proposals around business goals vs. looking to bring on too many products.