Soteria Technology Solutions

06/15/2026

🚨INDUSTRY ALERT🚨
The Silent Ransom Group (SRG), also known as Luna Moth, Chatty Spider, and UNC3753, is targeting law firms using social engineering techniques. Through phone calls and phishing emails, SRG actors pose as IT support to establish access to victim computers and exfiltrate data, usually through legitimate remote access tools or by sending an individual in-person to the victim company’s location to gain physical access to computers. While SRG has victimized companies in many sectors including those in the insurance, finance, and healthcare industries, the group has consistently targeted US-based law firms since Spring 2023.
Learn more and review recommendations to protect your data: ic3.gov/CSA/2026/260526.pdf

06/10/2026

Always fun to have a peek behind the curtain...

Banks spend millions on cybersecurity. Turns out the most secure-looking machine on the street is just a Windows PC having a bad day in public.

This is a real ATM. The cash software gave up and dropped straight to the Windows lockscreen underneath, telling anyone walking past exactly what sits behind your money. And what surprises most people is that this is completely normal. An ATM is a Windows machine with a cash drawer bolted on.

→ Around 2014, when Microsoft ended support for Windows XP, roughly 95% of US ATMs were still running it. Many kept running XP for years after that deadline on paid extended-support deals.

→ Plenty of smaller community banks still run Windows 7 today, sometimes fully air-gapped, because replacing a single ATM can cost between $40,000 and $60,000.

→ The ATM industry leaned heavily on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2016 LTSB. Microsoft ends support for it on October 13, 2026, which is exactly why the rush to Windows 11 is happening right now.

A few more facts:

→ Roughly half of the smaller retail ATMs, the ones in shops and bars, run Windows CE instead of desktop Windows.

→ Running an unsupported OS can push a bank out of PCI DSS compliance, with fines that hit small institutions hard.

→ When the app dies and the OS is exposed like this, you are looking at the exact layer attackers go after with jackpotting malware that forces the machine to dump its cash.

In my Ethical Hacking Complete Course Zero to Expert I take you from reconnaissance and scanning all the way through real exploitation, including Windows privilege escalation from a normal user up to full SYSTEM control.

→ https://www.udemy.com/course/ethical-hacking-complete-course-zero-to-expert/?couponCode=JUNE2026

Hacking is not a hobby but a way of life. 🎯

Research & writing: Jolanda de Koff | HackingPassion.com
Sharing is fine. Copying without credit is not.

05/27/2026

Attn: Law Firms! Yesterday, the FBI issued a warning about recent attacks on law firms by ransomware group SRG. The exploit uses a social engineering scheme where SRG actors pose as an employee from the victim’s IT
department. They either directly call or send phishing emails to urge employees to call a fake IT support for help. While on the phone, the SRG actor directs the employee to grant access to a remote desktop session, where they then exfiltrate data to use for ransomware and extortion later.

If that attempt fails, SRG sends someone to the victim’s office to try to access the victim's computer in person. (!) Again, posing as someone from the firm's IT department, the threat actor says they need to image the device or create a backup file to address potential impacts from the phishing email they sent.

I'm sharing this with you to spread awareness, and let your people know to be EXTRA CAREFUL to verify that the IT person they think they are talking to actually is IT.

Link the the FBI's warning in the comments for more info.

05/21/2026

Hey so as a reminder, if you get an email that looks like you sent it to yourself, and is asking you to review a document - that's not a time-traveling version of future-you sending you insider trading advice - it's an attack.

Here's how it works: the email uses a spoofed address and usually asks the receiver to review a "Docusign" document that requires a code to view. If someone enters the code, the attacker gains access to the account - without having to mess around with passwords or MFA or anything. Boom. Done.

So if you get one of these emails, do not click any links or enter any codes. Delete it immediately and let your favorite IT person know.

Stay safe out there friends!

05/13/2026

Just your daily affirmation to be mindful of where you put your sensitive information.

Vibe-coded apps are leaking users' sensitive personal information directly to any motivated hackers, a new report found.

05/04/2026

Big Congratulations to the team at CMMC Midwest Conference - you knocked it out of the park with the conference this year. It's really something to get to watch you all do what you do. As a hosting sponsor, we couldn't be prouder. Can't wait to see what you all cook up next.

04/21/2026

It's time to haiku some cybersecurity news. you ready? Let's go...

Ancient one rises
Office 04 user beware
new Excel exploit

I feel this one might need some 'splaining... CISA issued a report warning against a 17-year old Excel bug that has been resurrected and has been caught in active exploits, and it's a nasty one, but... it only affects some versions of Excel made between 2000-2008 sooooo if you haven't updated since then, watch out I guess.

04/15/2026

Safe Travels and best of luck to Tariq, who is presenting a workshop tomorrow at CS5 West: "Stop Assessing a Whiteboard: The Shop Floor Realities of CUI Compliance." If you're headed that way, don't miss it!

04/07/2026

The FBI's annual Internet crime report came out yesterday, and it's a doozy. Some highlights: Americans were defrauded of nearly $21 billion in 2025, with cryptocurrency and ai-related complaints among the costliest.

Phishing/spoofing, extortion, and investment schemes were the most frequently reported complaints, with Americans over 60 being heavily targeted. Cryptocurrency fraud created the highest losses, with 181,565 complaints totaling more than $11 billion.

As a fascinating snapshot of crime on the internet, it's worth taking a few moments to peruse the report.

The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report shows cyber-enabled crimes defrauded Americans of nearly $21 billion, with cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence-related complaints among the costliest.

04/03/2026

I got a kick out of this story - It's so relatable, in a "wherever you go, there you are" sort of way... even in outer space you still have to call in to the IT helpdesk for support.

The mission commander’s email inbox failed during the journey to the moon. Have they tried turning the computer off and back on again?