**LONDON, UK – 1 February 2023 –** Leading cybersecurity provider Hornetsecurity has today launched two new tools – the QR Code Analyzer and Secure Links - to combat growing cyber threats. These launches come in response to a rise in fake QR codes and the ongoing threat of phishing, which represents 40% of all cyber threats.   

Hornetsecurity has also released a new automated mailbox migration solution, which helps partners efficiently and securely deploy and operate Microsoft 365 in the cloud for their customers – and remain safe from cyberattacks. In addition, the cybersecurity specialist has simplified its partner program to enable partners to work on projects and MSP business equally and centrally.   

**QR code phishing**

Research from Hornetsecurity’s Security Lab has discovered that cybercriminals are using QR codes in emails to obtain confidential data. To counter this latest threat, Hornetsecurity is expanding its Advanced Threat Protection and 365 Total Protection Suite for Microsoft 365 with the launch of its QR Code Analyzer. This unique technology determines whether QR codes link to malicious sites when scanned.   

The launch of Hornetsecurity’s ‘Secure Links’ functionality will also help limit cyber-attacks, especially ransomware attempts. This new service runs all email links through a secure analyzer before enabling the recipient to safely open the link. Both new technologies provide businesses and their employees with extra reassurance that their email communications are safe.   

Hornetsecurity CEO, Daniel Hofmann, said: “Hornetsecurity is committed to pre-empting and responding to new cybersecurity threats and customer concerns. Phishing attacks and fake QR codes are on the increase, so we are pleased to launch unique technologies that will combat these ever-growing threats. The QR Code Analyzer and Secure Links tools will benefit businesses by fighting cybersecurity attacks in a safe, reliable and cost-effective way.”  

**Migrate mailboxes in a safe and efficient way**

In response to challenges that Hornetsecurity partners have faced in transferring mailboxes from on-prem to Microsoft 365 cloud, the cybersecurity specialist has developed the Mailbox Migration Tool. This new offering enables Hornetsecurity partners to automatically migrate customers securely, efficiently and with major time-savings – in turn, enabling them to provide peace of mind by offering full security for Microsoft 365 via 365 Total Protection.  

**New simplified partner program** 

Hornetsecurity has also created a new simplified partner program. The newly adjusted program aims to unify partner levels and includes both managed service (MSP) and project business. These updates make entry barriers negligible, so partners can provide Hornetsecurity's services with minimal effort and investment.  

Hornetsecurity COO, Daniel Blank added: “Hornetsecurity has listened to our partners’ needs, which has led to the launch of our efficient and safe Mailbox Migration Tool, at the same time as our new partner program is rolled out.  

“This launch package is just the start of what will be a busy 2023 for Hornetsecurity as we monitor, learn and respond to new sophisticated cyberattacks, and continue to keep our customers’ data safe from ever-present threats.”   

**Further information**

For more information on Hornetsecurity’s new cybersecurity tools, please visit Advanced Threat Protection and

Hornetsecurity Combats QR Code Phishing With Launch of New Technology

Denver-based business secures Series A Funding through partnerships with Iron Gate Capital and Kozo Keikaku Engineering.

**DENVER****,** **Feb. 2, 2023** **/PRNewswire/ --** KoreLock, an emerging IoT Smart Lock technology company, is pleased to announce funding to support the development and expansion of its Smart Lock technology and software platform. Private equity firm Iron Gate Capital and engineering firm Kozo Keikaku Engineering, Inc. have invested in the company alongside management.

KoreLock serves a vast market of lock manufacturers, specialty lock brands, and software companies looking to convert their existing offline locks into cloud-connected Smart Locks.

"KoreLock addresses the market need for OEM Smart Lock technology with wireless integration to access control software services," said Grant Walter, KoreLock President and CEO. "Traditional lock companies have tried to develop their own Smart Locks but abandoned these efforts lacking the capabilities to do it themselves."

KoreLock specializes in embedded printed circuit board solutions that help lock manufacturers overcome the complexities of developing connected Smart Locks, reduce costs, and shorten their overall time-to-market.

"KoreLock offers a unique access control solution for the lock manufacturing industry that fits well with our focus on early-growth stage B2B technology companies," said AJ Dye, Partner, Iron Gate Capital.

KoreLock's patent-protected technology is embedded in over 50,000 locking devices in 65+ countries and has been tested and proven for over a decade.

"KoreLock is well-positioned for accelerated growth, anchored by partnerships with industry-leading lock brands worldwide," added Walter. "We are investing meaningfully to expand our team, solutions, and customers." 

**About KoreLock** 

KoreLock, Inc. is an IoT technology company that provides turnkey embedded Smart Lock solutions that enable manufacturers of door locks or access control hardware to build and sell connected locking devices. Korelock, Inc. is a privately held company based in Denver, Colorado.

**About Iron Gate Capital**  

Iron Gate Capital, LLC is a nationally recognized deal-by-deal private equity firm investing in market leading "early growth" technology companies on behalf of over 60 families. Iron Gate Capital is based in Boulder, Colorado.

**About Kozo Keikaku Engineering, Inc. (KKE)**  

KKE is a professional design and engineering firm that acts as a bridge between the academic and business worlds. KKE strives to solve various issues and challenges that society faces, utilizing its engineering expertise acquired through knowledge exchanges in diverse fields. KKE is based in Tokyo, Japan.

SOURCE KoreLock, Inc.

Korelock Launches IOT Smart Lock Technology Company

The Russia-linked LockBit ransomware group claims to be behind the attack that fouled automated transactions for dozens of clients of financial technology firm ION Group.

A cyberattack on a subsidiary of a Dublin-based financial technology and trading firm ION Group has disrupted transactions for dozens of major clients in both Europe and the United States, impacting the market for exchange-traded derivatives, the firm and other sources stated this week.

The attack, reportedly carried out by the Russia-linked LockBit ransomware group, has resulted in the trading company isolating servers and taking them offline. The company's subsidiary ION Cleared Derivatives, which provides order management and execution services, acknowledged the "cybersecurity event" in a statement on Jan. 31.

"The incident is contained to a specific environment, all the affected servers are disconnected, and remediation of services is ongoing," ION Cleared Derivatives said in a statement, adding that it would provide further updates as more information becomes available.

Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is tied to an underlying asset or a benchmark, such as the price of oil, portfolios of debt, or stocks. The four broad categories of derivatives are options, futures, swaps, and forwards, with massive sums traded every day. The value of assets traded as options and futures in North America, for example, totaled $30.1 trillion and $23.5 trillion, respectively, in the third quarter last year, according to the Bank for International Settlements.

The cyberattack on ION Cleared Derivatives has affected at least 42 of the company's clients, disrupting their processing of derivative trades, according to a Bloomberg News report. Several members of two large industry groups in the United States — the CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange — have also been impacted by the attack on the ION Group, an article in the Financial Times stated.

    

The LockBit group claims they have hacked ION Group's network. Source: Recorded Future

The Futures Industry Associations (FIA) — which represents one area of derivatives, futures contracts — is investigating the attack's effects on its members, the group said in a statement.

"FIA is aware of network issues caused by a cyber incident on certain ION Group systems which are impacting the trading and clearing of exchange traded derivatives by ION customers across global markets," the group stated. "We are working with impacted members, including clearing firms and exchanges, as well as market regulators and others, to assess the extent of the impact on trading, processing, and clearing."

**LockBit Claims Credit for Carnage**

The infamous LockBit group — responsible for recent attacks on the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and a host of chemical and industrial targets — posted a breach notice to its extortion site on Feb. 2 naming the ION Group as a victim. In addition, a ransom note, purportedly from the group, is currently circulating on private forums and names the ION Group as a compromised business, says Allan Liska, a senior analyst with threat intelligence firm Recorded Future.

How the LockBit group gained access to the ION Group's subsidiary and the extent of the damage are questions that will likely take a while to answer, Liska says.

"Unfortunately, not a lot is known yet about the tools used in the attack," he says. "The ION Group is likely still assessing the damage and conducting incident response and disaster recovery, so they may not know the full scope yet."

The LockBit cybercrime group uses a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model, creating the tools to compromise and infect victims and then relying on affiliates to infect companies, healthcare organizations, and government agencies. While ransomware groups relied in the past on encrypting data and holding the keys for ransom, the modern variant of the scheme typically also steals sensitive data and threatens its release.

**How Widespread Is the ION Attack's Impact?**

The immediate impact to clients of ION Cleared Derivatives' services is that the post-trade processes — such as "trade matching and keeping track of risk and margin requirements" activities normally automated by the company's services — have to be completed manually, according to the Financial Times.

Yet the service outage is also affecting markets in the United States and parts of Asia, underscoring the interconnectedness of today's financial and technological infrastructure.

"ION Group is used by financial institutions all over the world, so this attack is likely having wide-ranging impact on those institutions," Record Future's Liska says. "This is, unfortunately, an increasingly common problem with ransomware attacks: The attack doesn't just impact the affected organization but every organization that organization works with."

While the attack has had widespread — and in some cases, surprising — effects, a senior US Treasury official stated that the disruption to the ION Cleared Derivative's platform does not pose a "systemic risk to the financial sector," according to Bloomberg News.

Cyberattack on Fintech Firm Disrupts Derivatives Trading Globally

Examining some key examples of recently found fraud sites that target the lucrative retail shoe industry helps us understand how brand impersonation sites evolve.

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6 Examples of the Evolution of a Scam Site

The group's wanton attacks demonstrate that business email compromise is everything a hacker can want in one package: low risk, high reward, quick, easy, and low effort.

Business email compromise (BEC) has become one of the most popular methods of financially motivated hacking. And over the past year, one group in particular has demonstrated just how quick, easy, and lucrative it really is.

In a Feb. 1 blog post, Crane Hassold, director of threat intelligence at Abnormal Security, profiled "Firebrick Ostrich" a threat actor that's been performing BEC at a near-industrial scale. Since April 2021, the group has carried out more than 350 BEC campaigns, impersonating 151 organizations and utilizing 212 malicious domains in the process.

This volume of attacks is made possible by the group's wholesale gunslinging approach. Firebrick Ostrich doesn't discriminate much when it comes to targets, or gather exceptional intelligence in order to craft the perfect phishing bait. It throws darts at a wall because, evidently, when it comes to BEC at scale, that's enough.

"BEC is attractive to bad actors," Sean McNee, CTO at DomainTools, explains to Dark Reading, "due to the lower barriers to entry than malware, less risk, faster scaling opportunities, and way more profit potential to higher echelons than other methods of attack."

These factors may explain why such attacks are "absolutely _the_ emerging trend," as Hassold tells Dark Reading, leaving even ransomware in the dust. "There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of these groups out there."

**Firebrick Ostrich's BEC M.O.**

Firebrick Ostrich almost always targets organizations based in the United States. Beyond that, though, there doesn't appear to be a pattern — it dips into retail and education, transportation and healthcare, and everything in between.

The group specializes in third-party impersonations, reflecting a shift in BEC more generally. "Since its inception, BEC has been synonymous with CEO impersonation," Hassold notes. But more recently, "threat actors have identified third parties as a sort of soft target in the B2C attack chain. More than half of the B2C attacks that we see now are impersonating third parties instead of internal employees."

The degree of reconnaissance Firebrick Ostrich requires to perform such an attack is frustratingly minimal. All that's needed is an understanding that two organizations connect to one another somehow — most often, that one provides a product or service to the other.

Such information is publicly available on many government websites. In commerce, it might be found on a vendor's website, on a landing page gallery of customer logos. If not, a simple Google search might do the trick. It's enough to go on, Hassold says, even if "they haven't compromised an account or a document that provides them with insight into payments that are going back and forth."

Having identified a vendor, the group registers a lookalike Web domain, and a series of email addresses for imaginary employees and executives in the vendor's finance department. "Firebrick Ostrich copies all of the additional fake accounts on their emails to make it look like they are including others in the conversation," Abnormal Security researchers wrote in the analysis, "which adds credibility and social proof to the message."

Finally the group sends the email, impersonating an accounts payable specialist, to the accounts payable division at the target organization. The note will typically begin with some flattery, like how the vendor "greatly appreciates you as a valued customer and we want to thank you for your continued business."

Firebrick Ostrich doesn't seek out bank information from its victims. Rather, its operatives request to update their own (the "vendor's") bank details, for future payments.

"These attackers are playing a longer game," according to the report, "hoping that a simple request now will result in a payment to their redirected account with the next payment." The group always opts for ACH, as it requires only an account and routing number — no other identifying information — to send a lump sum.

For good measure, these emails also include a vague inquiry regarding outstanding payments.

Source: Abnormal Security

What's notable in all this is how quick and easy the entire attack flow is. Case in point: Abnormal Security found that in 75% of cases, Firebrick Ostrich registered a malicious vendor domain within just two days of sending an opening phishing email, and 60% of the time within 24 hours.

**BEC Is Big-Time Cybercrime**

In 2018, the FBI released a public service announcement about a "12 billion dollar scam." From October 2013 to May 2018, the agency estimated, organizations worldwide had lost about $12.5 billion to BEC.

That seemed like a lot at the time. One year later, though, the Feds released a new PSA. Now, BEC was a $26 billion arena. And in 2022, a third PSA appeared, declaring BEC a $43 billion scam.

These numbers may even be underestimated, considering the cases that go unreported.

Firebrick Ostrich is a prime example of why BEC is so popular, according to Abnormal Security: "They have seen massive success, even without the need to compromise accounts or do in-depth research on the vendor-customer relationship." The campaigns are effective yet quick, low effort, with a low barrier to entry.

BEC can also be, as McNee calls it, a "'gateway drug' to other illicit, illegal activities" like ransomware.

"There’s an accessible underground economy of suppliers that make account takeover fairly trivial, so if a BEC-focused bad actor is interested in pivoting to other activities or selling the access they gain to others, they can easily do so." This relationship goes both ways, with ransomware double extortions feeding follow-on BEC attacks.

To prevent a costly compromise, Hassold recommends that organizations "have a really structured and rigid process for any financial transaction. Make sure that the account change is confirmed with the actual party offline, in a separate communication thread, before the change is actually implemented."

Most of all, employees must be aware of phishing tactics. "A key reason BEC attacks are difficult to defend against," McNee adds, "is that they attack people and not technology per se. Everyone is susceptible to social engineering because we’re all human."

Rising ‘Firebrick Ostrich’ BEC Group Launches Industrial-Scale Cyberattacks

Analysts find that 98% of QNAP NAS are vulnerable to CVE-2022-27596, which allows unauthenticated, remote SQL code injection.

A critical security vulnerability in QNAP's QTS operating system for network-attached storage (NAS) devices could allow cyberattackers to inject malicious code into devices remotely, with no authentication required.

According to researchers from security firm Censys, more than 30,000 hosts are running a vulnerable version of the QNAP-based system as of press time, meaning that approximately 98% of these devices could be attacked.

The issue (CVE-2022-27596) is a SQL injection problem that affects QNAP QTS devices running versions below 5.0.1.2234, and QuTS Hero versions below h5.0.1.2248. It carries a score of 9.8 out of 10 on the CVSS vulnerability-severity scale.

In its advisory this week, QNAP said the bug has a low attack complexity, which, when combined with the popularity of QNAP NAS as a target for Deadbolt ransomware and other threats, could make for imminent exploitation in the wild. And unfortunately, according to Censys, it's a target-rich environment out there.

"Censys has observed 67,415 hosts with indications of running a QNAP-based system; unfortunately, we could only obtain the version number from 30,520 hosts," the firm explained in a blog post on Feb. 1. "We found that of the 30,520 hosts with a version, only 557 were running \[patched versions\], meaning 29,968 hosts could be affected by this vulnerability."

To protect themselves, companies should upgrade their devices to QTS version 5.0.1.2234 and QuTS Hero h5.0.1.2248.

"If the exploit is published and weaponized, it could spell trouble to thousands of QNAP users," Censys researchers warned. "Everyone must upgrade their QNAP devices immediately to be safe from future ransomware campaigns."

Patch Critical Bug Now: QNAP NAS Devices Ripe for the Slaughter

The total number of 61,000 open vulnerabilities, including 1,700 critical ones that have been open for 180+ days, exposes businesses to potential attacks.

Indusface's research on 1,400+ Web apps, mobile apps, and APIs revealed that open vulnerabilities remain cybercriminals' most significant attack vector.

According to the report, 829 million attacks were blocked on the AppTrana WAF in the fourth quarter of 2022, a 79% increase from the third quarter.

The alarming finding is that 61,713 open vulnerabilities were found, which is a 50% jump from the third quarter. The number of open vulnerabilities directly relates to the increased threat actors.

How can you protect them? The best option is to fix known vulnerabilities using virtual patching at the WAF level while blocking attacks.

**Critical Vulnerabilities Found on Applications**

While any vulnerability carries a risk to your business, here are the top 10 high/critical vulnerabilities that hackers attempted to exploit during the fourth quarter of 2022:

*   Server-side request forgery
*   HTML injection
*   Cross-site scripting (XSS)
*   TLS/SSL server certificate will expire soon
*   Script source code disclosure
*   SQL injection
*   SSL certificate common name mismatch
*   TLS/SSL server certificate expired
*   Untrusted TLS/SSL server certificate
*   Insecure Direct Object References

Prioritize addressing these vulnerabilities if you have not done so already.

**Cost of Vulnerabilities**

A single vulnerability can invite thousands of cybersecurity troubles. Poodle, Heartbleed, EternalBlue, and Shellshock are just a few of the vulnerabilities that open businesses to security threats.

The report found 31% of vulnerabilities have been open for 180+ days. And 1,700+ of these are rated as critical and high vulnerabilities.

So, what happens if you don't patch the vulnerabilities? A failure to maintain this responsibility could have severe effects, including potential security breaches.

Back in 2017, the massive Equifax security breach made headlines. Hackers exploited the known vulnerability CVE-2017-5638 in their app framework and gained access to the company's system.

This breach exposed the personally identifiable information (PII) of 147 million people. Two years after the breach, the company said it spent $1.4 billion on cleanup costs and revamping its security program. Equifax agreed to pay up to $700 million to settle claims related to the breach.

The breach's total cost is likely higher than the reported settlements and expenses. It also includes intangible costs such as loss of trust, brand reputation, and long-term impact on the business.

**Managing Vulnerabilities With Virtual Patching**

Security patches play a vital role in dealing with vulnerabilities. They patch up the security gaps and resolve the risks. After all, successful exploitation means an insecure configuration or missing security control.

The patching process can, at times, be challenging. Many companies turn to virtual patching to protect their apps on the Web application firewall (WAF) when a system can't be patched immediately.

Virtual patching is a vulnerability shield that secures apps during your risk window and beyond. It enables you to scale your coverage and responses accordingly with appropriate defense, which can be applied in minutes or hours. Thereby, it reduces the risk of exposure to vulnerabilities.

Virtual patching is attained by implementing a security policy layer in the WAF. It eliminates application vulnerabilities without changing the codebase.

Companies can leverage virtual patching in two ways to mitigate vulnerabilities:

1.  Core rules
2.  Custom rules

The Indusface report found that the WAF core rule set blocks 40% of requests, and custom rules block 60%.

**Why Are the Custom Rules Gaining Momentum?**

Core rules are predefined, standardized, based on industry best practices, and designed to protect against known vulnerabilities. Security experts typically create these rules. Core rules are easy to implement and can provide high protection.

Since most dev teams work on sprints that are a few weeks long, vulnerabilities keep getting added with the changing code.

Most companies leverage weekly scans and periodic penetration testing on applications. Since fixing these on code will be long and arduous, product owners rely on WAF's custom rules to plug these vulnerabilities while their dev team focuses on shipping features.

Whenever the teams get to a security-focused sprint, they fix these vulnerabilities in the code.

Virtual patching is also used as a risk mitigation mechanism. For instance, we have observed that geofencing is gaining popularity in the custom rule category as application owners look to limit traffic from geographies where the application is not designed to be used. The other example is blacklisting or whitelisting IPs that are used to allow traffic to the application.

**False Positive Monitoring**

While the power of custom rules is undisputed, they also add the burden of monitoring applications for false positives.

In talking to several security leaders, one consistent theme that we keep hearing about is the lack of skilled security practitioners who can manage a complex application like a WAF/WAAP.

The other challenge is the worsening economy; security teams are increasingly being asked to do more with less.

We are seeing an increased trend of product owners relying on managed services to help with virtual patches and guarantee no false positives.

**Conclusion**

If the attackers discover a piece of exploitable code, the next step is taking advantage of the vulnerability.

The sooner you deploy the virtual patching, the sooner attackers look elsewhere. Keep your WAF running to ensure your security and bottom line.

**About the Author**

    

Venky is an application security technologist who built the new-age Web application scanner and cloud WAF AppTrana at Indusface as a founding CTO. Currently, he spends his time on driving product road map, customer success, growth, and technology adoption for US businesses.

AppSec Playbook 2023: Study of 829M Attacks on 1,400 Websites

Forward-leading business and technology leaders are seeing the value of the "do-It-yourself" approach.

The no-code approach has changed the nature of software development. However, if you're in IT, the idea of no-code apps being written without the involvement of professional developers may trigger some immediate concerns. How should enterprises prepare themselves for the shift toward no-code apps? Clearly, it's not a good strategy to simply ignore potential risks. But at the same time, the no-code approach continues to grow. The best way to approach it is to have a clear plan and process in place.

Start by challenging the common assumption that all "shadow IT" is bad, and embrace the desire of non-technical employees to build apps for themselves. Shadow IT reflects the business's continued drive for more innovation. Just keep in mind that a realistic governance model is essential for the process.

Let's discuss the three Ps of a governance model for no-code: process, people, and platform.

**Process **

If you implement too heavy a governance process for simple no-code apps, you run the risk of stifling innovation by imposing too many checklists on the building of simple apps. This defeats the underlying benefits of faster speed and agility of no-code. However, being too lax on governance for more mission-critical applications can run the risk of security issues, data breaches, or compliance risks.

We recommend formalizing a framework to help your teams avoid a one-size-fits-all mentality regarding no-code governance. This framework should evaluate your no-code project from three different dimensions: business (i.e., complexity of process and organization), governance (i.e., internal and external compliance with laws, guidelines, and regulations), and technical (i.e., how much assistance teams need from professional developers). Use a checklist to "score" the complexity of your app and selectively apply governance practices in a manner that scales based on complexity. You want to apply just the right amount of governance that doesn't discourage business innovation, while balancing the need to appropriately control and secure apps.

**People **

The next dimension is people, which defines the organization for no-code delivery. Again, you want to scale your approach to be neither too small nor too large/complex. You generally categorize no-code development teams into three delivery models: 

*   "Do-it-yourself" is the simplest model, where all primary roles of the no-code project are contained within a team sitting inside a single business unit and a single sponsor. This makes the business highly autonomous and in charge of their own destiny.
*   "Center of excellence" (or CoE) delivery is typically owned and led by a single overall cross-functional CoE leader. It has skilled knowledge workers whose mission is to maximize efficiency through consistent definition and adoption of best practices for no-code across the organization. 
*   "Fusion team" represents a multidisciplinary team comprised of both business and IT resources collaborating together. Typically, this is because of greater technical requirements and complexity. They may also be tapped to provide expertise around specific technical areas, such as security or DevOps. 

These delivery models often evolve over time. The CoE and fusion approaches typically do not get formed immediately but emerge after the organization has started building some no-code expertise from multiple DIY projects and more technically challenging and mission-critical applications.

**Platform**

No-code apps run on an underlying no-code platform. It's essential to be thorough in your diligence when selecting a no-code platform provider: understand the measures they take to maintain and harden their platform against security attacks and meet any necessary industry compliance certifications (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc.). \[Editor's note: The author's company is one of a number of platform providers in this area.\] The first time the no-code platform is implemented, plan for thorough security and compliance reviews to validate the platform. Subsequent governance checks to build individual no-code apps will likely be streamlined.

Work with your organization's chief information security officer (CISO) and/or security department to create a no-code security checklist. This should identify security-related issues, determine the level of risk associated with those issues, and make informed decisions about risk mitigation or acceptance. The checklist should be applied by the business teams (and automated by a modern no-code platform) to provide a repeatable approach to security governance as they build no-code apps. The checklist should build upon the existing standards and practices within the organization, augmented with additional guidance from industry groups (like the OWASP Foundation), which are increasingly creating new checklists specific to low-code/no-code development.

Forward-leading business and technology leaders understand the value of no-code approach — and you should too. However, business teams that want to build DIY software need guidance with the right strategy that applies the "right amount" of governance.

Managing the Governance Model for Software Development in a No-Code Ecosystem

Current and former cybersecurity leaders from Microsoft, Google, GitLab, Check Point, OWASP, Fortinet and others have already joined the open framework initiative, which is being led by OX Security.

**TEL AVIV, Israel****,** **Feb. 1, 2023** **/PRNewswire/ --** OX Security, the first end-to-end software supply chain security solution, today announced the launch of OSC&R (Open Software Supply Chain Attack Reference)_,_ the first and only open framework for understanding and evaluating existing threats to entire software supply chain security.

The founding consortium of cybersecurity leaders behind OSC&R include: David Cross, former Microsoft and Google cloud security executive; Neatsun Ziv, Co-Founder and CEO of OX Security; Lior Arzi, Co-Founder and CPO at OX Security; Hiroki Suezawa, Senior Security Engineer at GitLab; Eyal Paz, Head of Research at OX Security; Phil Quade, former CISO at Fortinet; Dr. Chenxi Wang, former OWASP Global Board member; Shai Sivan, CISO at Kaltura; Naor Penso, Head of Product Security at FICO; and Roy Feintuch, former Cloud CTO at Check Point Technologies.

Discussions with hundreds of industry leaders revealed that there was a very concrete need for a MITRE-like framework that would allow experts to better understand and measure supply chain risk, a process that until now could only be  based on intuition and experience. OSC&R is designed to provide a common language  and structure for understanding and analyzing the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by adversaries to compromise the security of software supply chains.

"Trying to talk about supply chain security without a common understanding of what constitutes the software supply chain isn't productive," said Neatsun Ziv, who served as Check Point's VP of Cyber Security before founding OX. "Without an agreed-upon definition of the software supply chain, security strategies are often siloed."

OSC&R is now ready to be used by security teams to evaluate existing defenses and define which threats need to be prioritized, how existing coverage addresses those threats, as well as to help track behaviors of attacker groups.

"OSC&R helps security teams build their security strategy with confidence," said Hiroki Suezawa, Senior Security Engineer at Gitlab. "We wanted to give the security community a single point of reference to proactively assess their own strategies for securing their software supply chains and to compare solutions," he continued.

The OSC&R framework will update as new tactics and techniques emerge and evolve. It will also assist red-teaming activities by helping set the scope required for a pentest or a red team exercise, serving as a scorecard both during and after the test. The framework will also now be open for other cybersecurity leaders and practitioners to contribute to OSC&R.

"I believe the OSC&R framework will help organizations reduce their attack surface," said Naor Penso, Head of Product Security at FICO. "I am proud to take part in a project that can have such a major impact on the future security landscape, and to share our knowledge and expertise."

The OSC&R framework is now online: https://pbom.dev/

**About OX Security**

OX Security believes that security should be an integral part of the software development process, not an afterthought. Founded by Neatsun Ziv and Lior Arzi, who previously led Check Point's Security Group, OX  is the first end-to-end software supply chain security solution. OX provides DevSecOps teams with the automation, visibility, and risk insights they need to bring security and integrity to every step of the supply chain, from the earliest planning stages until deployment to production.

SOURCE Ox Security

Cybersecurity Leaders Launch First Attack Matrix for Software Supply Chain Security

**WATERLOO, ON****,** **Feb. 2, 2023** **/PRNewswire/ --** BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today released new research revealing that half (51%) of IT professionals predict that we are less than a year away from a successful cyberattack being credited to ChatGPT, and 71% believe that foreign states may already be using the technology for malicious purposes against other nations.

The survey of 1,500 IT decision makers across North America, UK, and Australia exposed a perception that, although respondents in all countries see ChatGPT as generally being put to use for 'good' purposes, 74% acknowledge its potential threat to cybersecurity and are concerned. Though there are differing views around the world on how that threat might manifest, ChatGPT's ability to help hackers craft more believable and legitimate sounding phishing emails is the top global concern (53%), along with enabling less experienced hackers to improve their technical knowledge and develop more specialized skills (49%) and its use for spreading misinformation (49%).

Shishir Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Cybersecurity at BlackBerry explains: "ChatGPT will likely increase its influence in the cyber industry over time. We've all seen a lot of hype and scaremongering, but the pulse of the industry remains fairly pragmatic – and for good reason. There are a lot of benefits to be gained from this kind of advanced technology and we're only beginning to scratch the surface, but we also can't ignore the ramifications. As the maturity of the platform and the hackers' experience of putting it to use progresses, it will get more and more difficult to defend without also using AI in defense to level the playing field."

Indeed, BlackBerry's research results also revealed that the majority (82%) of IT decision-makers plan to invest in AI-driven cybersecurity in the next two years and almost half (48%) plan to invest before the end of 2023. This reflects the growing concern that signature-based protection solutions are no longer effective in providing cyber protection against an increasingly sophisticated threat.

Whilst IT directors are positive that ChatGPT will enhance cybersecurity for businesses, the survey also revealed that 95% believe governments have a responsibility to regulate advanced technologies.  However, at present, there is an optimistic consensus that technology and research professionals will gain more than cyber criminals from the capabilities of ChatGPT.

Singh concludes: "It's been well documented that people with malicious intent are testing the waters but, over the course of this year, we expect to see hackers get a much better handle on how to use ChatGPT successfully for nefarious purposes; whether as a tool to write better mutable malware or as an enabler to bolster their 'skillset.' Both cyber pros and hackers will continue to look into how they can utilize it best. Time will tell who's more effective." 

For more information on how BlackBerry's comprehensive, prevention-first, AI-driven cybersecurity solutions can help your business prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to cyber threats, please visit BlackBerry.com.

_Note: Research conducted in_ January 2023 _by_ OnePoll _on behalf of_ BlackBerry_, into 1,500 IT Decision Makers across_ North America _(_USA _and_ Canada_), the_ United Kingdom _and_ Australia_._

**About BlackBerry**

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world.  The company secures more than 500M endpoints including over 215M vehicles.  Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint management, endpoint security, encryption, and embedded systems.  BlackBerry's vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust. 

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere. 

For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

Source

DARKReading