The cost of the average data breach is on the rise, the SEC recently approved new data breach regulations, and four AI powerhouses have come to an agreement on a new joint initiative. Catch up on these stories and more in this week’s Friday Five!

Although the DORA compliance deadline is further away, financial institutions regulated by the Act should start preparing their journey now, before the last minute panic keeps knocking on your door. Antonio Sanchez breaks down the five DORA pillars and highlights what it takes to evolve your security effort.

We’ve summarized the Verizon 2023 DBIR into top points. Find out which attack methods hackers leveraged to drive breaches and how Fortra can help you stay safe.

Data fulfills its purpose and potential when deployed for the right uses. This often requires moving data across systems, platforms, and networks to the target endpoints where it is utilized.

Considering DLP? In this blog, we look at a handful of factors to consider when selecting a solution.

A rise in cyberattacks’ volume and sophistication, lawmakers cracking down on privacy, the rising threats to critical infrastructure, and more. Catch up on these stories and more in this week’s Friday Five!

Most companies understand the importance of data protection but don't always know how to implement an effective data loss prevention program. Here's a quick primer.

The most secure document collaboration software for businesses prevent data loss, theft, and misuse while preserving their organization’s competitive advantage. Let's look at five secure document collaboration solutions.

Read about the rise in cyberattacks against Android users, Chinese cyberattacks in Europe, a new ransomware decryptor, and more—all in this week’s Friday Five!

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controls the sale, manufacture, import, and export of defense-related services, articles, and technical data on the United States Munitions List (USML). ITAR is a set of US regulations overseen and administered by the State Department designed to protect the national security interests of the United States. ITAR applies to defense companies that handle military and defense-related information, including universities and research centers. Due to its security implications and foreign relations interests, the United States highly regulates information relating to its defense industry. Therefore, there are stiff penalties for violating or mishandling the sensitive data specified by USML. ITAR Regulations The overall thrust of ITAR regulations is to ensure military technology, both physical materials and technical data related to defense, are restricted to only United States citizens or those otherwise authorized, with access provided on a compliant network. The overriding objective of ITAR is to safeguard defense-related goods, especially defense technologies and information, to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands, such as unauthorized parties. Below are the items subject to ITAR control, organized by their 21 USML categories based on the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR): Category I—Firearms and related articles Category II—Guns and Armament Category III—Ammunition and ordnance Category IV—Launch vehicles, guided missiles, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs, and mines. Category VI—Surface vessels of war and special naval equipment Category VII—Ground vehicles Category VIII—Aircraft and related articles Category IX—Military training equipment and training Category X—Personal protective equipment Category XI—Military electronics Category XII — Fire control, laser, imaging, and guidance equipment Category XIII — Materials and miscellaneous articles Category XIV—Toxicological agents, including chemical agents, biological agents, and associated equipment. Category XV— Spacecraft and related articles. Category XVI—Nuclear weapons-related articles. Category XVII—Classified articles, technical data, and defense services not otherwise enumerated. Category XVIII — Directed energy weapons. Category XIX — Gas turbine engines and associated equipment. Category XX — Submersible vessels and related articles. Category XXI — Articles, technical data, and defense services not otherwise enumerated. In addition to weaponry and equipment, the defense-related articles profusely mentioned in the list include military gear, technical documentation, software, and instruments. What Does It Mean to be ITAR-Compliant? To be ITAR-compliant means to dutifully abide by its regulations. First and foremost, ITAR applies to any company that conducts business with the US military. Secondly, it involves any organization, whether third-party or otherwise, that deals with defense services, articles, or data specified in USML. This applies to various types of organizations, such as contractors, manufacturers, wholesalers, technology/hardware/software vendors, and third-party suppliers involved in manufacturing, distributing, and selling ITAR services or products. If you are among these companies or work with companies in your supply chain that handle ITAR-controlled items, then you must remain ITAR-compliant. All of the following are the necessary steps to become or remain ITAR-compliant: Step 1: Register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs under the State Department's auspices. First-time entrants pay the $2,250 application fee. ITAR registration must be renewed every 12 months with a renewal fee of between $2,250 and $2,750 per year. However, your registration renewal documents must be submitted 60 days before the registration expiration date. Step 2: Setting up formal ITAR compliance programs inside the business. There are procedures necessary for the protection of ITAR-related technical data. Implementing this requires understanding how ITAR regulations apply to the company’s USML goods, services, or data. This understanding equips the organization to define and implement the processes and programs needed to demonstrate and strengthen a commitment to ITAR compliance. Step 3: Utilizing cloud-compliant storage A secure data center to protect technical data is cardinal to ITAR compliance. This cloud storage should have sufficient controls to prevent access to unauthorized foreigners, individuals, or governments. This demands implementing data security controls to ensure technical data that travels through the cloud and endpoints with end-to-end encryption. Moreover, strict key management protocols must be applied such that the decryption keys aren’t accessible by a third party. Step 4: Keeping a comprehensive record of defense goods This includes the recipients' identity and their country, including the end-use and end-users of the defense item. While the steps enumerated above should be followed, the best practice for companies handling ITAR-regulated materials is to adhere to the data security guidelines specified in NIST SP 800-53, which defines the standards for safeguarding information systems that federal agencies should comply with. ITAR Penalties and Violations Due to the high-security stakes involved, there are severe penalties for violating ITAR:

Cyber insurance is not the most glittering side of cybersecurity, but it has certainly earned its place in today's security debate. According to Statista, as of 2021, an average of 48 percent of organizations in selected countries worldwide had cyber insurance, with numbers being slightly higher for countries such as the U.S. (50 percent), Sweden (55 percent), and Austria (66 percent). Current...

We provide a high-level overview of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act or DPDP Act, including how data privacy law in India has evolved over the years and outline the rights and responsibilities of the recently passed bill.

Infosecurity Europe has closed its doors for another year. The aftermath of these events can be a strange time; still reeling from the chaos of the show floor and nursing feet unaccustomed to such intense use, it’s often difficult to make sense of everything we’ve learned.

What is code encryption? In this blog we describe the benefits of code encryption, how it differs from code obfuscation, and how it relates to data loss prevention.

Josh Davies, Principal Technical Manager at Fortra, reflects on everything he’s learned at day one of Infosecurity Europe 2023.

DOJ ESTABLISHES CYBERCRIME ENFORCEMENT UNIT AS U.S. WARNINGS MOUNT OVER CHINESE HACKING BY AJ VICENS The Department of Justice (DOJ) has established a new cyber-focused section called the National Security Cyber Section (NatSec Cyber) to combat digital crimes. The section has been approved by Congress and aims to address cyberthreats on equal footing with other national security issues. It will enhance the DOJ's efforts to disrupt and prosecute nation-state cyberthreats, state-sponsored cybercriminals, money launderers, and other cyber-enabled threats to national security. The establishment of NatSec Cyber aligns with President Biden's cybersecurity strategy, emphasizing cross-agency collaboration to fight cybercrime. The move comes amidst growing concerns about nation-state cyberattacks, particularly from Russia and China. Read more NEW MYSTIC STEALER MALWARE INCREASINGLY USED IN ATTACKS BY BILL TOULAS A new malware called 'Mystic Stealer,' an information-stealing malware that has been actively promoted on hacking forums and darknet markets, has gained popularity in the cybercrime community since April 2023. The malware targets various web browsers, browser extensions, cryptocurrency applications, MFA and password management applications, as well as credentials for platforms like Steam and Telegram. A joint report from InQuest and Zscaler, along with a separate report from Cyfirma, highlight the malware's sophistication and a surge in sales, leading to the emergence of new campaigns. Veterans in the field have verified the malware's effectiveness, confirming its capability as a potent information stealer. Read more about the malware’s technical details and capabilities in the full story from BleepingComputer. Read more BIDEN TO MEET WITH AI EXPERTS TO TALK REGULATION AND SAFETY BY ALEXANDRA KELLEY This past week, President Joe Biden held a meeting with experts and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) to integrate private sector and academic expertise into federal technology policy, which was reportedly focused on studying the impact of AI on work, bias, prejudice, and children's issues. The Biden administration aims to address societal risks associated with AI and promote a secure software development approach. The Office of Management and Budget is set to release new draft policy guidance for federal agencies, emphasizing civil liberties in AI procurement and usage. This meeting followed the administration's efforts to involve leading tech companies in AI discussions and seek their commitment to addressing AI-related challenges. Read more EVEN WITH NO RECESSION, SMALLER FIRMS AIM TO CONSOLIDATE SECURITY TOOLS BY ROB LEMOS In the face of economic headwinds, partially brought on in the wake of COVID-19, small and mid-sized companies are increasingly looking to consolidate their security tools and embrace managed security service providers. This is according to a new survey released this week that found that a staggering 86 percent of SMB customers are using managed service providers to reduce their security solution inventory. Those findings more or less echo what Gartner, one of the larger information security analyst firms, has found of late. Patrick Long, an analyst with the firm, told DarkReading this week that most midsized companies, organizations with $50 million to $1 billion in revenue and up to 2,500 employees, are looking to downsize the number of security vendors they utilize but mainly by optimizing their security operations. Read more APPLE PATCHES ZERO DAYS USED IN TARGETED iOS ATTACKS BY DENNIS FISHER High risk iPhone, iPad, and other Apple users should heed a recent advisory issued via the company and patch their devices sooner than later, according to a story in Duo's Decipher blog this week. One of the vulnerabilities fixed in the most recent version of iOS addresses a trio of zero days that have apparently been exploited in the wild. Among the bugs fixed are CVE-2023-32434, a bug that could have led to remote code execution on a compromised device, CVE-2023-32435, a memory corruption bug, and a type confusion bug in WebKit. Those interested in the full breakdown of patches released by Apple this week, for iOS, along with Safari, macOS, and watchOS, should head to the Apple security updates section of its website. Read more