The latest cybersecurity incidents that make the news

A major international collaborative operation led to the shutdown of the IT infrastructure controlled by the cybercriminal group responsible for the Qakbot malware. Thanks to coordination between the FBI, the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies of various countries, including France, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Latvia and the United Kingdom, it was possible to compromise the botnet used by the criminals , in order to put a stop to malicious activities related to Qakbot. These included the spread of ransomware, DDoS attacks, financial fraud and social engineering practices. The collaboration unearthed over 700,000 infected computers worldwide, including over 200,000 in the United States, highlighting the scale and impact of this malware.

Loss of network connections at the University of Michigan due to suspicious activity

The University of Michigan has made the precautionary decision to shut down network connections for students and staff effective August 27, 2023, following the detection of suspicious activity within the institution's computer network on its campuses. The university's IT teams are working tirelessly to resolve the situation and restore network services as quickly as possible. During the reset process, students and staff were temporarily granted permission to access certain applications such as Zoom, Adobe, Dropbox, Slack, Google and Canva from external networks using university-provided devices.

Protective measures taken by Hospital Sisters Health System against network malware

The Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) has taken a proactive approach to prevent any network malware infections. In the last two days, the healthcare company has decided to isolate its IT network in order to contain potential threats and guarantee the security of its clinical and administrative applications. HSHS announced the temporary discontinuation of services such as MyChart Communications, a platform used by patients to manage appointments, view test results, access their medical history and make payments. The network will remain inactive until further notice, reflecting HSHS' commitment to protecting the integrity of patient data and the proper functioning of healthcare operations.