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Introduction Cyber threats aren’t just a big-business problem – they’re knocking on the doors of small and mid-size companies every day. In fact, nearly 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses fundera.com. Yet many owners still believe “we’re too small to be on a hacker’s radar,” which simply isn’t true. A single breach can cause devastating […]

Introduction Cybercrime keeps rising, yet fewer than half of Los Angeles small and mid‑sized businesses (SMBs) employ a single full‑time security professional. Meanwhile, 59 % of organizations worldwide were hit by ransomware in 2024. Sophos News As a result, the true expense for companies under 500 employees is not the ransom at all; it is the payroll that sits […]

Introduction: Cybersecurity has become a board-level priority for small and medium-sized enterprises in 2025, and for good reason. Attackers now see SMEs as prime targets: 46% of all reported breaches involve companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, and 70% of small businesses admit they’ve already suffered an attack. The financial fallout can be brutal—costs can […]

Introduction Companies still spend countless hours and help-desk dollars resetting forgotten passwords—while attackers automate credential-stuffing at scale. Passwords remain the single largest entry point for breaches, responsible for more than half of confirmed incidents last year OneSpan. A growing number of enterprises now move to passwordless authentication, a model that replaces knowledge-based secrets with cryptographic […]

Introduction Small businesses in Los Angeles are increasingly in the crosshairs of cyber criminals. In fact, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses – yet only 14% of those businesses are prepared to defend themselves​ (sba.gov) For a local company with limited IT staff, this cybersecurity gap is alarming. Hiring a full-time Chief Information Security Officer […]

A recent phishing campaign has emerged, exploiting Google’s own infrastructure to deceive users into revealing their credentials. By leveraging Google’s DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and the Google Sites platform, attackers have crafted emails that appear legitimate, making them difficult to detect.​ How the Attack Works The phishing emails originate from what seems to be a […]

​In recent cybersecurity developments, the advanced persistent threat (APT) group known as ToddyCat has been exploiting a vulnerability in ESET’s security software to deploy a novel malware dubbed TCESB. This sophisticated attack highlights the urgent need for organizations to audit their security protections and ensure they have the capabilities in place to defend against threats […]

As the April 15 tax filing deadline approaches in the United States, cybercriminals are intensifying their efforts to exploit taxpayers through sophisticated phishing campaigns. Microsoft has recently highlighted a surge in tax-themed email attacks designed to steal personal information and deploy malware. ​ Understanding Tax-Themed Phishing Attacks Phishing attacks involve deceptive emails or messages that […]

Microsoft has exposed a new wave of sophisticated password spray attacks led by the Chinese state-sponsored threat actor, Storm-0940, which leverages a botnet called CovertNetwork-1658—also known as Quad7 or xlogin. This botnet infrastructure, comprising thousands of compromised SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) routers, enables highly evasive cyberattacks against Microsoft 365 accounts across sectors in North America and […]

Microsoft recently announced the general availability of Inbound SMTP DANE with DNSSEC for Exchange Online customers, aiming to enhance email security and prevent sophisticated attacks. This move integrates two advanced security standards: SMTP DANE (DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities) and DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions), creating a robust barrier against email-based threats. Background and Rollout Details […]

Zyxel recently addressed several critical security vulnerabilities across a range of its networking devices, including a particularly severe flaw identified as CVE-2024-7261. This vulnerability is an OS command injection issue, which received a CVSS v3 score of 9.8, placing it in the “critical” category. The flaw stems from improper input validation in the “host” parameter […]

The BlackByte ransomware group, a significant and persistent threat in the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) ecosystem, has introduced a new iteration of its encryptor, further intensifying its attacks on organizations globally. Believed to be a splinter group from the infamous Conti gang, BlackByte’s recent activities demonstrate its relentless evolution and strategic shift in targeting methodologies. Cisco Talos, […]

Cybercriminals have adopted a sophisticated new tactic that uses Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) to impersonate legitimate banking apps, enabling them to steal credentials from iOS and Android users. These PWAs, which are cross-platform web applications that mimic native apps, allow attackers to bypass security restrictions, evade detection, and gain access to sensitive device permissions without […]

Recent discoveries by cybersecurity researchers at Cisco Talos highlight critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s popular macOS applications, posing significant security risks despite Microsoft labeling them as low-severity threats. Attackers could exploit these flaws to gain unauthorized access to a user’s microphone, camera, sensitive data, and even escalate privileges. Although these issues affect apps like Word, Excel, […]

Cybersecurity researchers from Elastic Security Labs have uncovered significant vulnerabilities in Windows SmartScreen and Smart App Control (SAC). These flaws can potentially allow cybercriminals to execute malicious applications on Windows devices without triggering security warnings. Windows SmartScreen and Smart App Control Overview Windows SmartScreen, integrated into the Microsoft Edge browser, helps protect users against phishing […]

Hunters International, a formidable ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group, has deployed a sophisticated new remote access trojan (RAT) known as SharpRhino. Quorum Cyber researchers who discovered the new malware report that this malware, written in C#, specifically targets IT professionals by impersonating the legitimate Angry IP Scanner tool through typosquatting domains. Hunters International uses this approach to […]

Cybersecurity experts at Trend Micro have discovered a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-38112, within the Microsoft MHTML protocol handler. This vulnerability, dubbed ZDI-CAN-24433, was reported to Microsoft and later patched. However, the advanced persistent threat (APT) group Void Banshee actively exploited it. Exploitation by Void Banshee Void Banshee, known for targeting […]

Exim, the widely used Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) on Unix-like operating systems, faces a critical vulnerability, CVE-2024-39929, with a CVSS score of 9.1. This vulnerability affects Exim releases up to and including version 4.97.1. It allows remote attackers to bypass security filters, delivering malicious executable attachments directly to user inboxes. Immediate action is required to […]

In June 2024, eSentire’s Threat Response Unit (TRU) identified a significant case involving a Vidar Stealer infection. This infection began when a victim searched online for solutions to a Windows Update Error code such as 0x80070643. During their search, they landed on a site named PCHelper Wizards, which offered a supposedly simple fix through a […]

In early June 2024, a hacker known as “Sp1d3r” listed a database for sale on the dark web, claiming it contained data from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) stolen from their Snowflake account. Pricing the database at $150,000, Sp1d3r included sensitive information such as student names, addresses, family details, demographics, financial records, grades, […]