On October 19, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that six Russian GRU officers had been charged in connection with a series of destructive cyber-attacks that affected victims around the globe and caused billions of dollars of damage. The Russian hackers are alleged to be a part of the group known as Sandworm, which […]
Cybercrime
State Financial Regulators Issue Ransomware Mitigation Tool
On October 13, 2020, state financial regulators in partnership with the Bankers Electronic Crimes Taskforce and the U.S. Secret Service, released the Ransomware Self-Assessment Tool (R-SAT) to help financial institutions mitigate the risks of ransomware. The R-SAT is a detailed questionnaire designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an institution’s general security controls as well as […]
FinCEN Alerts Financial Institutions on Role in Facilitating Ransomware Attacks
With an increase in the frequency, sophistication, and cost of ransomware attacks, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory on October 1, 2020 alerting financial institutions to ransomware trends and typologies, and related financial red flags, that may result in a regulatory obligation to report and share information related to ransomware attacks. Based […]
DOJ Charges Seven Individuals in Connection with Global Hacking Campaigns Against More Than 100 Companies
On September 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that seven individuals believed to be part of a hacking group known as APT41 or “Wicked Panda,” including five Chinese nationals and two Malaysian nationals, have been charged in connection with a global hacking campaign that affected more than 100 companies around the world. […]
EU Announces First Sanctions under EU Cyber Sanctions Regime
On July 30, 2020, the European Council announced sanctions against six individuals and three organizations for their involvement in a series of cyber-attacks that have caused significant damage in the EU and around the world over the last several years. The announcement follows the EU’s adoption last year of Decision (CFSP) 2019/797, which established the […]