Computer Security News and Insights
In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the Colonial Pipeline and triggered fuel shortages across the eastern United States. The attackers used a legacy VPN account that had no multi-factor authentication. One credential. No additional verification. That's all it took to paralyze critical infrastructure. If you&
In May 2021, Colonial Pipeline paid a $4.4 million ransom after a single compromised VPN credential gave attackers the keys to the kingdom. One password. No multi-factor authentication. No segmentation between IT and operational technology networks. The attackers from the DarkSide group walked through a flat network like it
The Colonial Pipeline Made "Never Trust, Always Verify" a Boardroom Priority In May 2021, a single compromised password shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Colonial Pipeline paid a $4.4 million ransom — and the real costs ran far deeper. The attack exploited a legacy
In July 2021, a remote employee at a Florida IT management firm clicked a link that looked like a routine software update. Within hours, the REvil ransomware gang had compromised Kaseya's VSA platform and cascaded the attack to an estimated 1,500 downstream businesses. The initial foothold? A
The Breach That Started on a Kitchen Table In December 2020, a SolarWinds contractor working from home reportedly used the password "solarwinds123" on a critical server. That single weak credential contributed to one of the most devastating supply chain attacks in history, compromising at least nine U.S.
In July 2021, a ransomware attack on Kaseya's VSA software cascaded through managed service providers and hit up to 1,500 businesses — many of them small companies with remote workers connecting through poorly secured endpoints. The REvil gang demanded $70 million. That single incident crystallized what I'
The Pulse Secure Breach Should Have Been Your Wake-Up Call In April 2021, CISA issued an emergency directive after threat actors exploited vulnerabilities in Pulse Connect Secure VPN appliances to compromise federal agencies and defense contractors. Attackers maintained persistent access for months before anyone noticed. The tool that was supposed
An Open Door You Didn't Know You Left Unlocked In August 2021, the FBI and CISA issued a joint advisory warning that threat actors exploiting Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) was the single most common initial access vector in ransomware attacks. Not phishing emails. Not zero-day exploits. RDP. The
In December 2020, a SolarWinds employee reportedly used the password "solarwinds123" on a critical server. That single credential failure contributed to one of the most devastating supply chain breaches in modern history, compromising at least nine federal agencies and over 100 private companies. The root cause wasn'
The Policy Nobody Reads Until It's Too Late In December 2020, a SolarWinds employee reportedly used the password "solarwinds123" on a critical server — a credential so weak it became a punchline at Congressional hearings. But here's the question nobody asked loudly enough: did SolarWinds
