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Mar 15, 2023
CVE-2023-23397 - Microsoft Outlook Elevation of Privilege Zero-Day Vulnerability
THE THREAT On March 14th, as part of Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday release, the company disclosed a critical, actively exploited vulnerability impacting Microsoft Office and Outlook. The…
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eSentire is The Authority in Managed Detection and Response Services, protecting the critical data and applications of 2000+ organizations in 80+ countries from known and unknown cyber threats. Founded in 2001, the company’s mission is to hunt, investigate and stop cyber threats before they become business disrupting events.
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Exertis and eSentire Partner to Deliver 24/7 Multi-Signal MDR, Digital Forensics & IR Services and Exposure Management to Organisations Across the UK, Ireland, and Europe
Basingstoke, UK– 20 March, 2023. Leading technology distributor, Exertis, announced today that it has bolstered its cybersecurity services, adding eSentire, the Authority in Managed Detection and Response (MDR), to its Enterprise portfolio of offerings. eSentire’s award-winning, 24/7 multi-signal MDR, Digital Forensics & Incident Response (IR), and Exposure Management services will be available…
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News releases — Dec 18, 2018

Cryptocurrency craze drives 1,500% increase in coin-mining malware

Botnet Activity Spikes as More Exploits are Published
2 minutes read

CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO – December 18, 2018eSentire, Inc., the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider, today released its Annual Threat Report revealing that the cryptocurrency craze of 2018 helped drive a 1,500 percent increase in coin-mining malware when compared to 2017.

Coin-mining malware mines cryptocurrency (typically Monero) directly on infected endpoint devices (CoinMiner) or in web browsers (Coinhive) when a user visits a website running malicious code. Once infected, the coin-mining malware silently mines cryptocurrency while consuming a significant amount of processor cycles, resulting in devices with sluggish performance and reduced battery life.

With the recent decline in the value of cryptocurrencies, the computing, power and cooling costs to legitimately mine cryptocurrencies now exceeds their value on the open market. Monero-based malware does not face these same economic challenges as all of the mining costs are absorbed by the device owner, while all of the profit goes to the threat actor.

eSentire Threat Intelligence also observed that activity from botnets saw a 500 percent increase over 2017. New exploits for multiple Internet of Things (IoT) devices including door controllers, security cameras, and digital video recorders (DVRs) helped massive global botnets such as Mirai and Satori to add even more compromised devices to their arsenal. This issue will only continue to grow as IoT forms the foundation of connected devices and smart city grids.

“The exponential growth of cybersecurity threats each year represents a new normal that organizations must be prepared to deal with, as sophisticated tools like machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) make it easier and more profitable for threat actors to execute attacks,” said Kerry Bailey, CEO, eSentire. “Staying ahead of emergent threats like botnets and coin-mining malware presents significant financial, operational and personnel challenges for organizations, and underscores how crucial adopting emerging technologies such as AI blended with Managed Detection and Response (MDR) are to protecting assets."

Additional 2018 Annual Threat Report Findings:

Report Methodology

The eSentire Threat Intelligence team used data gathered from 2,000+ proprietary network and host-based detection sensors distributed globally across multiple industries. Raw data were normalized and aggregated using automated machine-based processing methods. Processed data was reviewed by a visual data analyst applying quantitative analysis methods. Quantitative intelligence analysis results were further processed by a qualitative intelligence analyst resulting in a written analytical product.

eSentire’s 2018 Threat Report provides a yearlong overview, analyzing all cyber threat events investigated by the eSentire Security Operations Center (SOC) while addressing three key areas: threat types, threat volume, and attack types. Each topic is divided into multiple sections, including visual data analysis, written analytical analysis, practical recommendations, and key assumptions.

About eSentire:

eSentire® is the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service provider, keeping organizations safe from constantly evolving cyber attacks that technology alone cannot prevent. Its 24x7 Security Operations Center (SOC), staffed by elite security analysts, hunts, investigates and responds in real-time to known and unknown threats before they become business disrupting events. Protecting more than $5.7 trillion AUM in the financial sector alone, eSentire absorbs the complexity of cybersecurity, delivering enterprise-grade protection and the ability to comply with growing regulatory requirements. For more information, visit www.esentire.com and follow @eSentire.