The Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC) analyzed more than 3,000 popular Android applications to assess the state of mobile app security during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study targeted the most downloaded and highest grossing apps across 18 categories, many of which have seen explosive growth during the pandemic.

Clop ransomware group has allegedly hacked the grades and social security numbers for students at the University of Colorado and patient data of the University of Miami. 

Cyberinsurance firm CNA Financial was reportedly hit by a possible cyberattack. The company is one of the largest insurance providers in the U.S. The company's website is experiencing widespread network disruptions and employee services have been down for more than three days. CNA says it was hit by a sophisticated cyberattack and has engaged a team of third-party forensic experts to investigate and determine the full scope of this incident, which is ongoing.

WhiteHat Security released AppSec Stats Flash Volume 3, the latest installment of the company’s monthly report and podcast reflecting on the current state of application security and the wider cyber threat landscape.

Another challenge is the new home office, where spouses may be working remotely, often alongside their children attending school online. Home networks lack typical protections and bifurcations of the corporate office and may be prone to attacks using lateral movement techniques. In these scenarios, after gaining initial access through an insufficiently protected device, such as a family computer, attackers move deeper into a network, searching for other devices to compromise or obtain increased privileges. This continued probing could eventually lead to the exfiltration of sensitive corporate data or high-value intellectual property. 

As economic uncertainty continues alongside the ongoing pandemic, IT and Security budgets are likely to see modest - if any – growth this year. Therefore, it will fall to CIOs to focus on maximizing existing investments, getting back to the basics, and doing more with the same (or less). There are some core principles I believe are important to keep top of mind when it comes to minimizing risk and maximizing budgets.

An online site used to book COVID-19 vaccines in the London area was attacked by bots, as thousands attempted to register for their vaccine appointments. According to the London Free Press, just before 10:15 a.m., the Middlesex-London Health Unit tweeted the booking system had experienced challenges. “We have addressed the issues and will continue to monitor the booking system closely,” the organization claimed.

American arts and crafts giant Hobby Lobby has exposed a large amount of customer data, including names, phone numbers, physical and email addresses, and the last four digits of payment cards, and the source code for the company's app, according to a security researcher known as "boogeyman," who discovered the leak.