Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a significant outage, impacting various Amazon-owned services and businesses, including Whole Foods, Alexa devices, and Amazon delivery operations. The issue originated from increased contention in the Kinesis data processing subsystem within the US-EAST-1 region. This degradation affected multiple AWS services, including CloudWatch, ECS Fargate, and API Gateway. AWS engineers identified the root cause and were working to resolve it, but recovery progress was slower than expected. The outage also disrupted other Amazon-owned services such as Ring and Goodreads.

AWS Outage Hits Amazon Services, Ring, Whole Foods, Alexa crn.com

A recent Gartner survey highlights that chief information security officers (CISOs) who prioritize response and recovery alongside prevention deliver more value than those focused solely on prevention. The report suggests CISOs should develop cyber fault tolerance, minimize their toolsets to essential technologies, and build a resilient cyber workforce. Key recommendations include focusing on adaptive strategies for generative AI and third-party risks, eliminating redundant tools, and fostering a workforce culture that supports resilience and learning from failures. By embracing these strategies, organizations can better navigate the increasing prevalence and impact of cyberattacks.

CISOs' Evolving Cybersecurity Approach Los Angeles Times

CrowdStrike, a leading U.S. cybersecurity company, reported a breach where a hacker leaked internal data on hacker groups it monitors and threatened to reveal more sensitive information. The leaked data, which includes details on 244 hacker groups, largely mirrors CrowdStrike’s publicly available information but also allegedly contains “Indicators of Compromise” used by cybersecurity experts. The hacker, identified as USDoD, posted the data on BreachForums, a major hacker forum. This leak follows shortly after CrowdStrike admitted responsibility for a massive computer crash caused by a software update error, indicating no direct link between the two incidents. CrowdStrike stated that the stolen data was likely taken in June.

CrowdStrike says hackers are threatening to leak sensitive information about adversaries nbcnews.com

A recent report by TRM Labs highlights that Russian-speaking cybercriminals dominated the ransomware landscape in 2023, accounting for 69% of the total illicit crypto proceeds, amounting to over $500 million. Major players like LockBit and BlackCat collectively collected $320 million in ransom payments. Additionally, Russian dark web markets represented 95% of global sales for illicit items and services, generating $1.4 billion in transactions compared to $100 million from Western counterparts. The report also noted Russia's significant role in cryptocurrency money laundering, with platforms like Garantex handling substantial amounts to fund military supplies from China for the conflict in Ukraine. TRM attributes this predominance to historical, regulatory, and geopolitical factors.

Russian ransomware gangs account for 69% of all ransom proceeds bleepingcomputer