Ministers and civil servants are being advised not to discuss political affairs via Whatsapp, as they could be at risk of hacker targeting. In a letter to Labour, the cabinet secretary Simon Case revealed that new guidance had now been published, calling into question the use of personal phones to discuss governmental matters. In particular, the discussion of Covid contracts was criticised. The letter was issued in May and recommended security techniques such as using two-factor authentication – though this is nowhere near as strong as a decentralised password system.
Experts suggest we need to embrace the concept of a ‘digital identity’ to support the development of fintech and other modern innovations. With tools such as zero knowledge, verifiable credentials and strong authentication, we can now each establish our own digital identity. But some say that enforcing it, for example, using a passport or driving licence to verify the opening of a social media account, is a breach of privacy. Likewise, it does not account for representatives, fan accounts or parody accounts.
Kaseya, an IT provider based in Florida, was the subject of one of the biggest ever ransomware attacks at the beginning of July. Kaseya’s cybersecurity team worked across the Independence Day weekend to try and limit the effects of the attack. However, it was soon clear that they’d been hit by sophisticated ransomware that had stolen customer data. As Kaseya is a managed service provider, the malware was also pushed to clients’ systems. Kaseya estimated that between 800-1,500 customers were affected. The hacker group responsible, REvil, demanded $70million as ransom.
The consequences of the Kaseya ransomware attack were seen across the globe in early July. A hundreds of businesses were hit, causing a knock-on effect to many essential suppliers. One company affected was the Swedish supermarket chain Coop. Around 500 Coop shops closed in the days following the attack, leaving many people having to travel further to buy essential supplies. The attack, which spread to many of Kaseya’s clients through its software, left Coop’s checkouts and self-service sections unable to operate. This attack is one of many seen recently which have directly affected the daily lives of ordinary people.
US president Joe Biden spent an hour on the phone to Russian president Vladimir Putin following the Kaseya attack, insisting that Russia do more to prevent hacker gangs. Cybersecurity has rapidly become one of Biden’s biggest concerns since he took office in January, following a series of high-profile attacks on US organisations. It is suspected that many gangs responsible for these attacks are based in Russia. Biden has made it clear that he expects Russia to do more to combat the attacks and that he is prepared to retaliate if incidents continue.
A Russian-linked hacker organisation disappeared from the internet on 13th July. REvil, one of the most prolific ransomware gangs, has claimed responsibility for several high-profile hacks in 2021, including JBS and Kaseya. Several of REvil’s websites, including a blog and a ransom payment site, were taken offline without warning. It is not yet clear if this was carried out by REvil or by outside security forces. However, it comes after President Biden warned that retaliation could be carried out against attackers. Security services have threatened to crack down on ransomware gangs after a number of high-profile incidents in 2021.
