Welcome reader to your CybersecurityHQ report.

Headlines

The CDK hack we reported last week continues to develop, with a new report by Bloomberg showing a group has claimed responsibility and is asking for millions of dollars in ransom to end the hack. CDK serves over 15,000 auto dealers in North America with a host of software services. Many dealerships are saying they’ve resorted to making all sales by paper while CDK is down.

Major car dealer network AutoNation stated, “As the incident is ongoing, the full scope, nature and impact of the incident is not yet known.” But AutoNation, along with several other companies, have moved on to other contingency plans as the hack continues to bring down CDK services.

After the US announced it would ban Russia-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky on Thursday, the company has announced it will pursue legal action. The company stated that the decision was not based on “a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky's products and services.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also made a statement on the ban, saying the ban is not about safety but about hindering Kaspersky’s competitive edge in the global market. He continued to explain that these kinds of legal moves are a “favourite technique of unfair competition from the United States.”

An unprotected instance in Baltimore’s 311 Services revealed the identities behind 13.5 million complaints since 1989. The exposure was revealed by a Cybernews research team on May 8, finding that the database had no authentication or authorization systems to protect it.

Viewable details included the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of people who sent in complaints. That information could be used to retaliate against people reporting crimes. The database was not longer available to the public by May 20.

Interesting Read

In a new article for Wired Magazine, Matt Burgess outlines how red tape meant to protect hospitals from legal risk is making ransomware attacks on medical systems more prolonged—with potentially lethal consequences.

It’s no secret that cyber attacks on major hospital networks have been on the rise, and this viewpoint helps to explain why these end up being protracted events, often causing outages in care.

Employment Tip: Evaluate Offers Carefully

When searching for a position, it can be quite a thrill to get a response. But it’s important to evaluate every offer carefully. Make sure that you are on board for the salary, benefits, work-life balance, and growth opportunities.

For the latest openings in cybersecurity careers, check CybersecurityHQ.

Stay Safe, Stay Secure.

The CybersecurityHQ Team