The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts is warning small businesses that received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of a dramatic increase in reports of business email-compromise schemes related to the program. Scammers are using information about PPP recipients posted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to impersonate PPP lenders requesting
Coronavirus
FTC Warns of COVID-19 Scam Targeted at Small Businesses
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning small businesses that they are being targeted by scammers through a new coronavirus-related scam. The scam “starts with an email that claims to come from the ‘Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance.’ It says you’re eligible for a loan of up to $250,000 and asks for personal…
The Drone Industry: Lessons Learned in 2020
Let’s take a look at the lessons learned in 2020 and where the drone industry might be heading in 2021. Here are some key takeaways from the past year:
- Continued Industry Maturity: In 2020, drones are now seen as more of a tool than a novel piece of technology. That means that we will
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Greater Baltimore Medical Center Hit with Ransomware
The Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) was hit with a ransomware attack over the weekend (December 5-6) that potentially delayed procedures planned for Monday. Cyber-attacks against medical providers and hospitals are at an all-time high, which is particularly difficult while hospitals are trying to address the rising need for services during the pandemic.
GMBC has…
Dealing with Two Schoolyard Bullies: Schools Are Forced to Contend with Cyber-attacks While Also Trying to Manage Covid-19 Crisis
Criminals are apparently not taking any time off during this pandemic, and in fact by all accounts have increased their attacks, particularly targeting entities whose attention is diverted to dealing with the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. In particular, educational institutions across the country have faced a recent onslaught of ransomware attacks, often crippling an…
Secureworks 2020 Incident Response Report Confirms Increased Vulnerabilities with At Home Workers During Pandemic
Secureworks issues an annual Incident Response Report that is very helpful in obtaining information on what types of incidents are occurring in order to become more resistant to threats. The 2020 IR Report was recently issued, and it contained some conclusions that made sense, while others were surprising.
The Report, entitled Pandemic-Driven Change: The Effect …
Privacy Tip #256 – COVID-19 Scams Continue to Plague U.S. Public
It has been widely reported that hackers are taking advantage of the pandemic to perpetrate scams and frauds. We have seen attacks against workers of companies through phishing emails that include an attachment or link offering information or access to specialized treatment for COVID-19 to lure people to click on them. Once they click on…
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and FICO Release Security Guidelines on Telework During COVID-19
It is no secret that companies are experiencing an increase in security incidents following the transition from work in the office to work from home during the pandemic. There are a number of causes, including the difficulty of controlling the security of at-home technology equipment such as routers, printers, personal assistants and other IoT devices,…
OFAC Issues Advisory on Sanctions for Facilitating Ransomware Payments
On October 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an advisory “to highlight the sanctions risks associated with ransomware payments related to malicious cyber-enabled activities.”
The advisory acknowledges that the incidents of ransomware attacks on U.S. companies have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the advisory does…
City of Hartford Hit with Ransomware Attack, Causing School Delay
Cyber-attackers know that city and town officials have been gearing up for the start of school and the potential for remote learning, in school or a hybrid model all summer. The daily monitoring of the coronavirus has kept officials alert and flexible as they focus on the start of school.
Cyber-attackers also know that cities…