4/6/16 Weekly Security News: Law Firms and Cyberattacks, Trump Hotels Breached, FBI Cracks iPhone

This week the articles we found cover why law offices are becoming increasingly targeted by cyber-crime, another possible breach of Trump Hotel Collection customers, and what the FBI plans to do with it's methods for breaking into iPhones.


1. 4/1/2016 Security Week: "Why Are Law Firms Targeted by Cyberattacks?"  

In this article, Security Week investigates cyber-attacks on law firms, and what precisely makes them such ideal targets. Clearly with the amount of personal data they would be high value targets, but other factors, such as stock market information, could also be fueling attacks on these firms. Knowing what was purchased by who and at what price could be valuable information for cyber-thieves looking to play the stock market.

But, as the article says, “The biggest surprise about these hacks, however, is that there is any surprise at all.” Unfortunately, it seems law firms are often simply much easier targets to attack than others, as they often do not invest enough into cyber-security. The author even cites examples from white-hat hackers breaking into a prestigious law firm, and gaining access to essentially everything within 48 hours. Being a relatively short time compared to other possible targets (it took three weeks with a top ten technology company), it is little wonder that law firms are becoming targets for hackers.

2. 4/4/2016 Krebs on Security: "Sources: Trump Hotels Breached Again."

It appears that in less than the span of a year, the Trump Hotel Collection has been breached twice. Krebs on Security author Brian Krebs reported that his banking industry sources have noticed patterns indicative of breaches in some or even all of the credit card data of this group of hotels. Krebs was the first to report on the previous incident as well back in July of 2015: a breach that was only confirmed by the hotel management three months later. Hopefully, should this breach prove to be accurate, the Trump Hotel Collection administration will find the source faster and notify their customers of the incident quickly.

3. 4/1/2016 Mac World: "FBI takes heat for keeping iPhone hack under wraps."

Last week, the FBI, assisted by an unnamed party, was reportedly able to crack into the San Bernadino case iPhone, and now they may also be assisting other government branches in breaking into other criminals’ cell phones for use in evidence. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in particular is adamant that the FBI disclose the methodology to Apple, both to aid in Apple securing their products and to aid in the business’ relationship with the government in the future. The FBI has yet to determine if it will publicly disclose the flaw, disclose the flaw to Apple, or keep the technique to themselves for possible use in the future. At any rate, it shows once more that Apple security is far from perfect, and iPhone users still need to be cautious of what data they process on their phones. If one organization found a way in, other hackers may indeed follow.

That’s all for this week, check back next Tuesday for further news from across the web, all here at Astria Horizon. If you want more information on how Astria Business Solutions can assist you in your Information Security goals, visit our website at AstriaBiz.com