Highlights Q2 2023 saw an 8% surge in global weekly cyberattacks, with organizations facing an average of 1258 attacks per week Education and Research experiencing highest number of attacks per week 1 out of every 44 organizations worldwide experience a…
Tag: Check Point Blog
Check Point Software Prevents Potential ChatGPT and Bard data breaches
Preventing leakage of sensitive and confidential data when using Generative AI apps Security Risk Assessment Like all new technologies, ChatGPT, Google Bard, Microsoft Bing Chat, and other Generative AI services come with classic trade-offs, including innovation and productivity gains vs.…
Check Point scored highest for Public Cloud Security Use Case in May 2023 Gartner® Critical Capabilities for Network Firewalls
Gartner has just released its latest report on “Gartner Critical Capabilities for Network Firewalls” and the results are in – Check Point scored highest and is ranked first for the Public Cloud Security Use Case! “We see this is an…
Microsoft Inspire 2023: New Check Point tools and integrations for Azure
Check Point is announcing two new offerings for Microsoft customers—and if you’re a Microsoft and/or Check Point channel partner, you’ll want to come by our virtual booth! At Microsoft Inspire, a virtual event held July 18-19, Check Point will showcase…
The Security Challenge: Mapping and Securing Your Distributed Data
Here’s a quick-fire question: do you know where all your sensitive data is? As businesses of all sizes generate, accumulate, store, and process more data records in more places than ever, it’s increasingly challenging to classify and track all that…
Security Flaws unraveled in Popular QuickBlox Chat and Video Framework could exposed sensitive data of millions
Highlights · Check Point Research (CPR) in collaboration with Claroty Team82 uncovered major security vulnerabilities in the popular QuickBlox platform, used for telemedicine, finance and smart IoT devices · If exploited, the vulnerabilities could allow threat actors to access applications’…
Lowering the Bar(d)? Check Point Research’s security analysis spurs concerns over Google Bard’s limitations
Highlights: Check Point Research (CPR) releases an analysis of Google’s generative AI platform ‘Bard’, surfacing several scenarios where the platform permits cybercriminals’ malicious efforts Check Point Researchers were able to generate phishing emails, malware keyloggers and basic ransomware code CPR…
Secure and Scalable Cloud Networking with Oracle Cloud Intra-VCN Routing and Check Point CloudGuard
When it comes to cloud computing, security is one of the most important considerations. Moreover, even the best cloud security must be easy and intuitive to deploy, configure, use and maintain. Customers of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) can streamline their…
June 2023’s Most Wanted Malware: Qbot Most Prevalent Malware in First Half of 2023 and Mobile Trojan SpinOk Makes its Debut
Check Point Research reported that multipurpose Trojan Qbot has been the most prevalent malware so far in 2023. Meanwhile, SpinOk mobile Trojan took top spot in June for the first time and ransomware was rife following MOVEit zero-day vulnerability Our…
Amazon Prime Day: This Year Already Started for Cybercriminals. Check Point Research calls online shoppers to be wary
Highlights: Amazon prime related phishing campaigns grew 16- folds higher in June, compared to May. The overall increase in all Amazon related phishing was 8% During this period, there were almost 1,500 new domains related to the term “Amazon” of…
SmugX: Unveiling a Chinese-Based APT Operation Targeting European Governmental Entities: Check Point Research Exposes a Shifting Trend
Highlights: Check Point Research uncovers a targeted campaign carried out by a Chinese threat actor targeting foreign and domestic policies- focused government entities in Europe The campaign leverages HTML Smuggling, a technique in which attackers hide malicious payloads inside HTML…
Your IAM Framework is Insecure Unless it Protects from this Unknown Threat
Do you ever cover the credit card reader with your hand so no one can see the PIN? Of course you don’t; non-contactless is so 2019. But if you did, you’d do it to prevent prying eyes from viewing your…
The newest threat CISOs are facing that nobody is talking about
How Check Point’s new MIND’s CISO Academy course can help For modern-day CISOs, the growing cyber threats and security breaches waiting around every corner are not the only concern anymore. Today, the need to stay ahead of the curve and up…
The newest threat CISOs are facing and nobody is talking about
How Check Point’s new MIND’s CISO Academy course can help For modern-day CISOs, the growing cyber threats and security breaches waiting around every corner are not the only concern anymore. Today, the need to stay ahead of the curve and up…
Don’t be fooled by app-earances: Check Point Researchers spot hidden malwares behind legitimate looking apps
By: Michal Ziv, Or Mizrahi, Danil Golubenko Highlights: A modified version of the popular messaging app Telegram found to be malicious The malware within the malicious app can sign up the victim for various paid subscriptions, perform in-app purchases and…
Breaking GPT-4 Bad: Check Point Research Exposes How Security Boundaries Can Be Breached as Machines Wrestle with Inner Conflicts
Highlights Check Point Research examines security and safety aspects of GPT-4 and reveals how limitations can be bypassed Researchers present a new mechanism dubbed “double bind bypass”, colliding GPT-4s internal motivations against itself Our researchers were able to gain illegal…
Think Your Secrets are Safe in their Vault? Think Again
“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” You might be surprised to learn that this wise quote comes from George Orwell’s famous 1984, not a ‘how to code’ textbook. Although if developers want…
Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration Recognized as MVP APAC by Pax8
With more than 347 billion emails sent and received every day, email plays an important role in connecting us in our professional and personal lives. And yet, email remains an easy target for cyber criminals looking for a way into…
Stealthy USB: New versions of Chinese espionage malware propagating through USB devices found by Check Point Research
Highlights: Check Point Research (CPR) puts a spotlight on a Chinese state sponsored APT malware propagating via infected USB drives The new malware version shows malware spreading rampantly via USB, crossing network borders and physical continents with ease CPR calls…
Top Considerations for Securing AWS Lambda, part 3
Serverless computing or function-based computing, is a way by which customers can develop backend systems or event-driven pipelines without worrying about the underlying infrastructure, which is managed by the cloud provider. It is billed based on the invocations and the…
Phishing Tools for Purchase: A Closer Look at Facebook Scamming Groups
By Gal Yogev Highlights: Facebook groups are hosting scammers who offer tools for creating phishing pages, facilitating brand impersonation and victim deception. Check Point researchers have identified numerous Facebook pages playing host to these hacker groups, aiding the exchange and…
‘Sign in to continue’ and suffer : Attackers abusing legitimate services for credential theft
Highlights: Check Point Research (CPR) detected an ongoing phishing campaign that uses legitimate services for credential harvesting and data exfiltration in order to evade detection. HTML files are one of the most common attack vectors and are used by attackers…
PyPI Suspends New Registrations After Malicious Python Script Attack
PyPI, the official repository for Python packages, has recently announced that it has suspended new users and new project registrations. This announcement might be related to an interesting attack that shows how a seemingly harmless Python script can hide a…
Preventing Cyber Attacks is Critical to Improve Healthcare Outcomes
It’s become painfully obvious that cybersecurity is critical to enabling clinicians to provide quality care to their patients. This week, a hospital in Illinois is closing its doors after a devastating ransomware attack. Recent cyberattacks against CommonSpirit Health compromised the…
When “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough for Cloud Migration Security
What does it take to secure your cloud network during and after your cloud migration? This question is growing even more complex as most organizations migrate to hybrid-cloud and multi-clouds, which are now in use among 76 percent of enterprises,…
Massive global scale phishing campaign using malicious PDFs, identified and blocked by new ThreatCloud AI engine
Highlights: Check Point has recently identified and blocked a massive global scale phishing campaign leveraged malicious PDF files The campaign was identified and blocked by a New AI powered engine which provides accurate and precise identification of malicious PDF’s without…
MOVEit Vulnerability Weaponized in Ransomware Attack
What is MOVEit? MOVEit is a managed file transfer (MFT) software solution developed by Progress Software Corporation (formerly Ipswitch). It is designed to securely transfer files within or between organizations. MOVEit offers a centralized platform for managing file transfers, providing…
Forrester Names Check Point a Leader in Enterprise Email Security Wave
We’re proud to be named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Email Security, Q2 2023 report. Harmony Email & Collaboration (HEC) received the highest score possible in nine criteria, including email filtering and malicious email detection, content analysis and…
Unified Security from Code to Cloud at AWS re:Inforce
In the last year, Check Point and AWS have strengthened their partnership by leaps and bounds. The Check Point release of CloudGuard CNAPP on AWS Marketplace and the upcoming CloudGuard Network Security-as-a-Service offering are just the beginning. In the last…
May 2023’s Most Wanted Malware: New Version of Guloader Delivers Encrypted Cloud-Based Payloads
Check Point Research reported on a new version of shellcode-based downloader GuLoader featuring fully encrypted payloads for cloud-based delivery. Our latest Global Threat Index for May 2023 saw researchers report on a new version of shellcode-based downloader GuLoader, which…
Getting started: Deploy Azure Virtual WAN security in just a few minutes
Introduction Many organizations are transitioning to Azure Virtual WAN as their preferred networking service. Their objective is to reduce the operational effort required for connectivity and to reduce possible misconfiguration issues. However, the challenge they face lies with their need…
Check Point Research Warns of New Backdoor used in Targeted Espionage Attacks in North Africa
Highlights: Check Point Research identified a backdoor used for highly targeted espionage attacks in Libya. The new backdoor, dubbed “Stealth Soldier,” specializes in surveillance functions like file exfiltration, screen recording, keystroke logging, and stealing browser information. The infrastructure associated with…
Beware of Summer Scams: Vacation-Related Online Scams are on the rise, Warns Check Point Research
Highlights: Check Point Research (CPR) warns about online phishing scams related to summer vacations 1 in every 83 new summer vacation related domain registered in the previous month was malicious or suspicious CPR provides examples of vacation-related scams and tips…
Lessons from Denmark: Why knowledge sharing is the most important weapon against cyber threats
Most business and cybersecurity leaders believe that geopolitical instability will lead to a catastrophic cyber event within two years. Global cyber attacks rose by 38% in 2022 on the year, pushing cybersecurity to the top of the agenda at a…
Check Point’s Interactive Cyber Center Teaches Thousands of Young People to Be Safe Online
Since opening the Check Point Cyber Center in January 2023, thousands of young people have already visited to learn about the history and future of cyber security. Located in our Tel Aviv headquarters, the Cyber Center is an educational hub,…
Check Point offers new OffSec course via the MIND Learning and Training Portal
Check Point MIND organization has recently finalized all arrangements to add OffSec’s “OSCP / OSEP / OSDA Course & Certification Bundle” to MIND’s Learning and Training portal. This course will be the fourth training product offered by Check Point’s official…
Latest Chinese state-sponsored attacks on critical US infrastructure spies a continuation of trend, Reports Check Point Research
Last Wednesday, Microsoft issued a warning claiming Chinese state-sponsored hackers have compromised “critical” cyber infrastructure in a variety of industries, including government and communications organizations. “The United States and international cybersecurity authorities are issuing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to…
Azure Virtual WAN security is enhanced by Check Point CloudGuard, now Generally Available
We are very pleased to announce the general availability of CloudGuard Network Security for Azure Virtual WAN on May 18. This integration provides Azure customers with an industry-leading cloud firewall – enabling them to confidently migrate to Azure with maximum…
Check Point Announces Quantum DDoS Protector X Series with Advanced SecOps Capabilities
An Upgraded Line of DDoS Security Appliances with Zero-Day DDoS Protection, Industry-Leading Threat Performance, and Scalable Management with Enriched Visibility Join us on May 31st to learn more about how Check Point DDoS Protector X can help keep you protected…
Secure Your Netflix Account: Limited Sharing Can Result in Dark Web Sales for €2 per Month
Check Point Research Sees Illicit Sale of Premium Subscriptions on the Dark Web Netflix, the globally renowned streaming and entertainment platform, recently discontinued one of its popular features: shared accounts. This controversial decision caused a significant user exodus, with Netflix…
Mitigating Risks in Cloud Native Applications
As organizations move their operations to the cloud, they face a difficult challenge in ensuring secure configurations and consistent security posture across multiple cloud services and platforms. In addition, they must do all of this in a way that does…
Cyberattacks Worst Threat to Local Governments in 2023: Here’s How to Stay Protected
Highlights: 58% of local governments are facing ransomware attacks. $2.07 million is the average ransom demand. Save the Date – May 30th: Protect local government services & data. Register Here: APAC|EMEA|AMER At a Royal Mail distribution office in Ireland, on Wednesday…
Check Point Software Celebrates Success of its Channel Partners at Annual Awards Gala
Channel partners recognized for their outstanding achievements in 2022 Check Point Software Technologies has proudly announced the winners of the Check Point Channel Awards 2022 at an exclusive gala dinner event held on May 15th in London. The partner awards…
Six things you do every day on the Internet that can leave you unprotected
Although the Internet has been with us for 50 years now, we still repeat basic mistakes such as using weak passwords, avoiding updates, or browsing unsecured pages that open the doors of our devices to cyber threats. Nowadays we cannot…
Malicious VSCode extensions with more than 45K downloads steal PII and enable backdoors
Highlights: CloudGuard Spectrals detected malicious extensions on the VSCode marketplace Users installing these extensions were enabling attackers to steal PII records and to set remote shell to their machines Once detected, we’ve alerted VSCode on these extensions. Soon after notification,…
Check Point Research reveals a malicious firmware implant for TP-Link routers, linked to Chinese APT group
Highlights Check Point Research (CPR) exposes a malicious firmware implant for TP-Link routers which allowed attackers to gain full control of infected devices and access compromised networks while evading detection. CPR attributes the attacks to a Chinese state-sponsored APT group…
Identify and Protect against Endpoint vulnerabilities
57% of ransomware attacks leverage unpatched vulnerabilities. Are you protected? By Noa Goldstein, Product Marketing Manager and Bar Yassure, Harmony Endpoint Product Manager Endpoint vulnerabilities represent a “hole in the fence” of an operating system or application, through which…
April 2023’s Most Wanted Malware: Qbot Launches Substantial Malspam Campaign and Mirai Makes its Return
Check Point Research uncovered a substantial malspam campaign for Trojan Qbot, which came in second in last month’s threat index. Meanwhile Internet-of-Things (IoT) malware Mirai made it back on the list for the first time in a year, and Healthcare…
Protecting your password: Create an unbreakable one
Brute-force attacks to obtain passwords have moved from CPUs to GPUs, improving their effectiveness by checking more than a million keys per second. Passwords now need new requirements to be truly secure: a minimum number of 12 characters, the use…
FluHorse – Check Point Research Exposes Newly Discovered Malware Disguised as Legitimate and Popular Android Apps Targeting East Asia
Highlights Check Point Research (CPR) uncovered a fresh strain of malware that is cleverly disguised as popular Android applications from East Asia. The malware campaign is highly sophisticated and is directed at a variety of sectors in Eastern Asia. It…
Check Point Software Applauds U.S. Senators for Investigating Use of AI to Create Malicious Phishing Emails with the IRS
This week, United States Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and James Lankford (R-OK), raised their concerns over the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create malicious phishing emails designed to trick Americans into sharing…
Fake Websites Impersonating Association To ChatGPT Poses High Risk, Warns Check Point Research
Highlights Check Point Research (CPR) sees a surge in malware distributed through websites appearing to be related to ChatGPT Since the beginning of 2023, 1 out of 25 new ChatGPT-related domain was either malicious or potentially malicious CPR provides examples…
KuppingerCole names Check Point A Market Leader in SASE Leadership Compass
We’re proud to be named a Leader in KuppingerCole’s Leadership Compass for SASE Integrated Suites with Harmony Connect SASE receiving strong positive ratings in security and usability, among other areas. “Organizations looking for rigorous security in a SASE solution should…
Understanding and Minimizing the Security Risks of the Quantum Revolution in Computing
Recently we covered the state of quantum computing and its potential societal benefits. Now we will cover the potential impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity and how we at Check Point Software are innovating to ensure our customers receive the…
Global Cyberattacks Continue to Rise with Africa and APAC Suffering Most
Highlights: Global weekly attacks rose by 7% in Q1 2023 versus same quarter last year, , with each organization facing an average of 1248 attacks per week. Education/Research sector faced the highest number of attacks, rising to an average of…
When Cyberattacks Have Nothing to Do with You – The Escalation of DDoS Cyberattacks due to Hacktivism
Hacktivist attacks have been escalating across the world in recent years with reputed hacktivist groups growing in both size and influence. Last year, a Malaysia-linked hacktivist group attacked targets in India, seemingly in reprisal for a representative of the ruling…
Top Considerations for Securing AWS Lambda, part 2
Serverless computing or function-based computing is a way by which customers can develop backend systems or event-driven pipelines without worrying about the underlying infrastructure, which is managed by the cloud provider. It is billed based on the invocations and the…
Join Check Point at RSA Conference in San Francisco
The RSA Conference is just around the corner, and the Check Point team has a full agenda planned for you to make the most of your visit. In addition to the conference sessions, we will host breakout and theater sessions,…
Check Point Software Technologies and BBT.live Join Forces to Bring Enhanced Cybersecurity to Remote Networks with Secure SD-WAN Solution
At Check Point, we understand that cybersecurity is more important than ever in today’s digital world. As businesses and individuals become more reliant on digital technology, they become more vulnerable to cyber threats such as hacking, phishing, and malware. To…
Check Point Research uncovers rare techniques used by Iranian-affiliated threat actor, targeting Israeli entities
Highlights: Check Point Research reveals new findings related to Phosphorus APT group, an Iranian APT group operating in the Middle East and North America. CPR dubbed this activity cluster Educated Manticore Educated Manticore has substantially enhanced its toolkit by incorporating…
Securing our Sustainable Future
This Earth Day 2023, people from around the world will come together to “Invest in Our Planet” to accelerate the transition to an equitable and prosperous green economy for all. From planting trees to cleaning up beaches to lobbying elected…
Top Considerations for Securing AWS Lambda, part 1
Serverless computing or function-based computing is a way by which customers can develop backend systems or event-driven pipelines without worrying about the underlying infrastructure, which is managed by the cloud provider. It is billed based on the invocations and the…
Cloud Risk Mitigation: Putting it in Context
For many cloud security teams, prioritizing alerts on a day-to-day basis can be overwhelming and impossible to manage. For every cloud application, server, and workload added, the number of alerts piles up. Security teams have no time to go into…
The 3Cs of Best Security: Comprehensive, Consolidated, and Collaborative
Cybercriminals are constantly finding new ways to exploit governments, major corporations and small to medium sized businesses. Motivated by political, financial, or social gain, criminal groups are taking advantage of both the rising geopolitical tensions and the volatile economic climate.…