Ross Decker, Chief Executive Officer of REAL, posts regularly regarding important news breaks. Loads of pertinent information to the cybersecurity and dental industries.
April 2, 2025
FBI Warning: Fake File Converters, Real Malware – And Why You Are the Target
You’ve probably used a free online tool to convert a file at some point—PDF to Word, JPG to PNG, you name it. Innocent, right? That’s exactly what cybercriminals are counting on. MORE
March 24, 2025
Cybercrime is Now National Security — The New Face of Global Conflict
We’ve been talking a lot about the growing sophistication of cyber threats—and now Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) is confirming it: financially motivated cybercrime is no longer just about money—it’s a national security threat. MORE
March 21, 2025
$1.5B Crypto Hack — The Dark Side of Emerging Tech
Bybit, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, just suffered a staggering $1.5 billion breach—the result of a highly sophisticated attack on smart contract logic and user interface vulnerabilities within the Safe.global platform. MORE
March 20, 2025
Critical Infrastructure at Risk — The Talent Gap is Global
Just days after discussing China’s Volt Typhoon breach into the US grid, we’re now seeing similar concerns in Europe. Power-grid operators there are struggling to hire cybersecurity talent—at the worst possible time. MORE
March 19, 2025
Investing in the Future: Cyber + AI = Leadership
The University of South Florida (USF) is making a power move with a $40M gift from Arnie and Lauren Bellini to establish the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing—the first U.S. school to combine AI and cybersecurity in one program. MORE
March 18, 2025
Critical Infrastructure Under Attack — And SMBs Are in the Crosshairs
The recent Volt Typhoon breach into the US electric grid should have every business owner on high alert. Chinese state-backed hackers maintained access to the Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments (LELWD) for over 300 days before detection. MORE
March 17, 2025
Cyberattacks on Hospitality: It’s Not Just an Inconvenience — It’s a Supply Chain Threat
Microsoft recently flagged a wave of cyberattacks targeting the hospitality sector, specifically through a vulnerability called ClickFix. But this isn’t just about hotel Wi-Fi going down or key cards failing—it’s a much bigger problem with wide-reaching consequences. MORE
March 14, 2025
Breach Before the Breach: Why Most Cyberattacks Go Undetected
It turns out that the massive data breach at PowerSchool—impacting sensitive student and staff data—wasn't the first breach. MORE
March 12, 2025
The Latest Phishing Scam Targets Parking Fines — And It's Alarmingly Sophisticated
It starts with a text: "Final notice for your unpaid parking ticket. A $35 daily fine will apply if not paid today." Seems official, right? Except it’s not. MORE
March 11, 2025
Healthcare Data Breaches Are Escalating — And Practices Aren’t Safe
Another week, another major healthcare data breach — or in this case, four breaches, exposing the sensitive information of over 560,000 patients. MORE
March 7, 2025
Are Your Passwords Putting You at Risk?
Let’s be honest—no one enjoys managing passwords. But reusing the same password... MORE
March 6, 2025
Microsoft Sounds the Alarm on Silk Typhoon Hackers—Are Healthcare Practices the Next Target?
Microsoft has identified a Chinese-backed cyber threat group, Silk Typhoon, actively exploiting vulnerabilities in U.S. networks. MORE
March 4, 2025
AI is revolutionizing healthcare—but at what cost?
A recent investigation found nearly 12,000 API keys and passwords exposed in an AI training dataset. Let’s break that down: MORE
February 28, 2025
This morning I am not going to share the latest Cyber attack or security strategy. I want to share a brief thought about AI.
Like may of you I have begun to explore the benefits of utilizing these powerful tools for productivity and efficiency in many areas of my personal and professional life. I have been impressed with the capabilities of the tools and the flexibility with with they may be employed. MORE
February 27, 2025
🚨 DISA Global Solutions Data Breach: 3.3 Million Individuals Affected 🚨
Another major third-party data breach—this time at DISA Global Solutions, a company specializing in background screening and compliance services. 3.3 million individuals had their personal data exposed, including Social Security numbers and drug test results. MORE
February 26, 2025
🚨 Cyber Warfare: The Modern Battlefield 🚨
Russia's National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents (NKTsKI) has issued a warning after a major cyberattack on LANIT, Russia’s largest IT service provider. MORE
February 25, 2025
The UK government's recent demand for backdoor access to encrypted data is a significant threat to consumer privacy and security.
By compelling companies like Apple to weaken their encryption, the Home Office is not just targeting criminals but is also exposing everyday users to potential data breaches and unauthorized surveillance. MORE
February 24, 2025
Anne Arundel County Government Hit by Cyberattack – A Wake-Up Call for All Organizations
Anne Arundel County government services have been disrupted due to an ongoing cyber incident of external origin. While 911 and emergency services remain operational, many public-facing services are unavailable.... MORE
February 20, 2025
Texas Takes Cybersecurity Into Its Own Hands
In a decisive move to bolster cybersecurity, Governor Greg Abbott has established the Texas Cyber Command as a critical priority... MORE
February 19, 2025
I was honored to win the Golden Cone award at the last Robin Robins TMT quarterly meeting. What is a Golden Cone?
A powerful lesson learned from your business summarized into a 12-minute presentation focused on a single idea... MORE
February 18, 2025
Surviving the Hack is Just the Beginning—The Lawsuits Will Follow.
MGM Resorts just settled a $45M lawsuit after their data breaches in 2019 & 2023. The real cost? Over $100M. MORE
February 13, 2025
Chinese Hackers Are Exploiting Cisco Router Vulnerabilities—Is Your Network at Risk?
Recent reports confirm that Chinese hacker group Salt Typhoon has been infiltrating telecommunications networks by exploiting vulnerabilities in Cisco’s IOS software on routers and switches. MORE
February 12, 2025
Microsoft Just Patched 55 Vulnerabilities, Including 4 Zero-Days—Are You Already Behind?
Another Patch Tuesday, another reminder that cyber threats aren’t waiting for you to “get around to it.” MORE
February 11, 2025
New York Bans DeepSeek—What Healthcare & Business Owners Need to Learn From It.
Another AI ban. Another warning. Another reminder that we keep getting this backward. MORE
January 24, 2025
Millions of student and teacher identities compromised in breach of K-12 administrative software provider Powerschool.
This article from BleepingComputer details what is currently known about a major data breach at the aforementioned company. There is more detail available now than initially about who was impacted. MORE
January 23, 2025
In a somewhat predictable move the FCC has ORDERED (isn't that cute) US telecoms to "Secure the Networks" following the revelations about last years Salt Typhoon breaches.
If you are a little hazy on the details Salt Typhoon was/is a Chinese sponsored/operated/funded/orchestrated/sanctioned cyber attack group....whatever descriptor you choose (the Chinese) government is/will deny it so it really isn't important. MORE
January 22, 2025
Easy to read this story and see a win for the good guys.....
However, hear me out.
If you take time to read the article you will discover that what the FBI actually DID was take control of the criminal malware server and utilize that server to destroy its own (the criminals) malware downstream on thousands of infected computers. MORE
January 21, 2025
Software is often deployed before it is understood. This creates risks. Period.
The focus of the release and subsequent guidance is software deployed in infrastructure systems. However, the premise and guidance are applicable across the entire western world, public or private. MORE
January 20, 2025
Large breach of widely used hotel management software highlights unique issues facing modern companies.
Many modern businesses find themselves relying on POS (point of sale), inventory management, logistics or scheduling software for their day to day operations. MORE
January 17, 2025
An update from CISA regarding the Treasury attack in December indicates that there were no other Federal agencies impacted.
I don't pretend to KNOW if what I suspect is FACT. However, my gut leans towards the implications being far wider spread than anyone will admit for some time (or ever). MORE
January 16, 2025
As you read stories like the one below you must sit quietly and ask your self several hard questions.
Is AI and the hardware associated "critical to national security"? MORE
January 16, 2025
Allstate has been illegally tracking consumers vehicles (Texas AG lawsuit alleges) via tracking software embedded in apps. ...
This story is developing so here are the highlights: MORE
January 15, 2025
Your personal information is stored ALL OVER the place, and almost no one is doing what I would call a stellar job at protecting that information...
Ashford Inc, a hotel asset manager with earnings of roughly $750 million in 2023 (the company has since gone private) is settling with the SEC for failing to disclose... MORE
January 10, 2025
The entire thing is worth the read but I will let you in on one little line that should be repeated to everyone you know for as long as it takes...
"prepositioning and intelligence collection by the hackers “are designed to ensure they prevail by keeping the U.S. from projecting power, and inducing chaos at home" ... MORE
January 8, 2025
The National Guard has been called in to assist in recovery efforts in Winston Salem North Carolina following a cyber attack late in December that has crippled certain city systems....
Initially reported on several news outlets the attack prompted shutdowns... MORE
January 7, 2025
Presumably an organization as big and intricate as the Packers has an annual cyber security budget totaling in the millions....
That being said, the organization is disclosing that for a period of 10 days... MORE
January 6, 2025
What were they doing? Listening to you of course. Is that really surprising? I guess still to some people...
This story from Bleeping Computer details a $95,000,000 settlement Apple has agreed to pay for violations of consumer privacy... MORE
January 3, 2025
At this point it seems a bit common place to point out the damage that can be done by an attack from cyber space......
The US portion of iconic vodka distiller and spirit distributer Stoli has filed for bankruptcy citing a ransomware attack that has crippled its business. .... MORE
January 1, 2025
The depth to which these breaches are impacting critical systems and agencies is embarrassing.
Happy New Year! This story is on all the major news outlets as it should be. Honestly at this point.... MORE
December 30, 2024
Why do hackers want your health information?
I found this article from the WSJ to be interesting for two reasons and I wanted to share them with you and then get feedback.... MORE
December 20, 2024
Telehealth software provider ConnectOnCall is in the process of notifying over 900,000 patients that their information was compromised in an attack earlier this year...
Was this a privilege access issue? Lost credentials? Human error?.... MORE
December 16, 2024
Texas Tech University Health System reported a breach of their confidential systems in September of this year in a new filing...
See what happened there? You weren't even surprised.... MORE
December 16, 2024
Well done Krispy Kreme for stepping into the modern era...
An SEC filing by Krispy Kreme reveals they have been dealing with a cyber security incident since November.... MORE
December 11, 2024
Safe shopping this holiday season...
Ahh the Holidays.....
Warm lights, cocoa in your morning coffee, a different playlist, texting family and friends about upcoming parties...for a lot of people this time of year is infectiously positive.
However .... MORE
December 2, 2024
Multilayered security isn't just a recommendation...
Security is about layering defense and offense. It is a team sport.... MORE
November 26, 2024
The US Coast Guard has issued directives to port operators
Infrastructure security is an interesting topic. Since WWII the west has been enamored with this idea of a peaceful and enterprising planet (in totality). Unfortunately for the idealistic westerner not everyone is playing along... MORE
November 22, 2024
Banking service/software giant Finastra dealing with a potential breach
Banking service/software giant Finastra is dealing with a potential breach of up to 400GBs of data... MORE
November 14, 2024
Major US Telecoms breached in widespread attack
The PRC (Peoples Republic of China) is implicated in a wide spread campaign to infiltrate the major us communications... MORE
November 13, 2024
What is a Zero Day vulnerability
Zero Day refers to a problem that you didn't know you had... MORE
October 26, 2024
The Global Surveillance Free-For-All...
Raise your hand if you are aware that anyone can purchase the ability to track your location... MORE
October 24, 2024
Fidelity says databreach exposed personal data of 77,000 customers...
Fidelity has confirmed access to an internal customer information... MORE
October 2, 2024
Cyber security expert calls ransomware attack on UMC a ‘national security issue’
Ransomware attacks on hospitals considered a National Security issue... MORE
October 2, 2024
Timeshare Owner? The Mexican Drug Cartels Want You
I know it seems cliché, but I am a huge proponent of intelligent, engaging... MORE
September 27, 2024
Hacker plants false memories in ChatGPT to steal user data in perpetuity
AI memory vulnerability highlights the incredible complexity of securing... MORE
September 27, 2024
US Capital responding to leaked information from more than 3000 congressional staffers.
A developing story at a time when there seem to already be so many... MORE
September 16, 2024
Cracks in the Foundation: Intrusions of FOUNDATION Accounting Software
Huntress has discovered and subsequently released details on an emerging threat targeting... MORE
September 16, 2024
Iran-based Cyber Actors Enabling Ransomware Attacks on US Organizations
Perceived Threat is something I talk about quite a bit during my Security Awareness training... MORE
September 16, 2024
Cyber security incident
Transport for London (think MTA in New York) has been dealing with a hugely disruptive... MORE
September 16, 2024
Grandma Thinks She's Talking to a Celebrity on Facebook
Last week I posted an article that detailed a breach of Medicare enrollee data... MORE
September 13, 2024
Personal Data Breached for Nearly 1 Million Medicare Enrollees
I am going to be releasing a few articles regarding elder safety and I hope you... MORE
September 11, 2024
Qilin ransomware now steals credentials from Chrome browsers
I have been speaking with business owners and teams about this very threat for the past year... MORE
September 11, 2024
United States Files Suit Against the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech Research Corporation Alleging Cybersecurity Violations
Did you see this story? To be honest I sat down right where I was and read the entire thing... MORE
August 28, 2024
Ransomware payouts have increased "fivefold in the past year, from $400,000 in 2023 to $2 million"
30 million dollars. Earlier this year a pharmaceutical company quietly filed a required... MORE
August 30, 2024
CISA and Partners Release Advisory on Iran-based Cyber Actors Enabling Ransomware Attacks on US Organizations
FBI Cyber along with partners at the DoD Cyber Crime Center have released... MORE
August 28, 2024
New 0-Day Attacks Linked to China’s ‘Volt Typhoon’
As additional material regarding my posting from earlier regarding Chinese... MORE
August 28, 2024
Chinese hackers breach US internet firms via Silicon Valley startup, Lumen says
Several times this year I have referenced state actors specifically targeting US ... MORE
August 16, 2024
Secure by Demand Guide: How Software Customers Can Drive a Secure Technology Ecosystem
How many of you work in a business/field where software is REQUIRED to perform? Answer:... MORE
August 14, 2024
When Trust Becomes a Trap: How Huntress Foiled a Medical Software Update Hack
This story from Cyber Security firm Huntress hits very close to home for me. Let me set... MORE
August 14, 2024
Another day, another massive data breach being publicly shared.
How many companies, rental applications or school volunteer programs require background... MORE
July 31, 2024
Just a friendly reminder that cybercriminals sell access to your RMM for $2/endpoint
Criminals are buying access to your business... These stories are a bit nuanced. I hesitate... MORE
July 19, 2024
Widespread IT Outage Due to CrowdStrike Update
CISA has reported threat actors are taking advantage of the chaos today and are employing... MORE
July 19, 2024
Federal agencies affected by worldwide IT outage
As this story develops in the western world we are now being told the Federal agency impact... MORE
July 19, 2024
The World is Shaking! CrowdStrike Update Pushing Windows Machines Into a Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) Loop - "Massive Outage in IT History"
Did you come in to work this morning and your computer would not boot up?... MORE
July 12, 2024
Massive AT&T data breach exposes call logs of 109 million customers
What a way to start the weekend... AT&T reporting that threat actors have extracted call... MORE
July 10, 2024
People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ministry of State Security APT40 Tradecraft in Action
Advisory from CISA on cyber security threats... MORE
July 10, 2024
Pretty sure this isn't the outcome Amazon had in mind when they decided to integrate OpenAI into their product.
Artificial Intelligence - What do you think of when you hear the term?... MORE
July 9, 2024
How prepared are my local utility/government/emergency services....
Utility billing and permit applications in Apex North Carolina were halted last week... MORE
July 9, 2024
CDK Global restoring systems after cyber incident disrupts over 15,000 retail locations
I am honestly so excited to be writing this on Monday morning! CDK Global... MORE
July 3, 2024
TeamViewer's corporate network was breached in alleged APT hack
TeamViewer. Even for the non techy the name may ring a bell. The popular remote access... MORE
July 3, 2024
LockBit lied: Stolen data is from a bank, not US Federal Reserve
Federal Reserve Hack a HOAX! Last week the notorious LockBit ransomware gang claimed... MORE
June 25, 2024
Lockbit 3.0 Claims Attack on Federal Reserve: 33 Terabytes of Sensitive Data Allegedly Compromised
Breaking! Federal Reserve reportedly breached by infamous ransomware gang Lockbit.... MORE
June 24, 2024
CDK Global shuts down car dealership software after cyberattack
Deja Vu? No, unfortunately CDK Global which we just highlighted... MORE
June 24, 2024
Change Healthcare lists the medical data stolen in ransomware attack
Change Healthcare Finally Ready to Tell You What They Lost... MORE
June 24, 2024
Panera Bread likely paid a ransom in March ransomware attack
Panera Quietly Cleaned up a Breach in March by paying the ransom and restoring their systems... MORE
June 19, 2024
Cyberattack led to harrowing lapses at Ascension hospitals, clinicians say
How do Cyber attacks impact real life? Tangible, touchable, living, breathing life?... MORE
June 19, 2024
CDK Global: Most core dealership management system functionality has been restored following cyberattack
CDK Global a nationwide provider of POS/logistics management software for the automotive... MORE
June 19, 2024
Truist Bank confirms data breach after stolen data appears online
Months after the initial story was rumored but not confirmed, TRUIST Bank now acknowledges... MORE
June 19, 2024
Democratic People's Republic of Korea Leverages U.S.-Based Individuals to Defraud U.S. Businesses and Generate Revenue
Who are we up against? Who is really targeting us? We just own a small business... MORE
June 19, 2024
Disgruntled ex-employee costs company over $600,000 after he deletes all 180 of its test servers — found server deletion scripts on Google
Firing employees is tough, it is even more difficult if you have been putting off the... MORE
June 11, 2024
361 million stolen accounts leaked on Telegram added to HIBP
I read this post and wanted to quickly share because it highlights something we talked... MORE
June 11, 2024
North Korean Actors Exploit Weak DMARC Security Policies to Mask Spearphishing Efforts
DMARC Policies? Spearphishing? Odds are that if you are a business owner operating...MORE
June 11, 2024
Hacking group claims it breached Ticketmaster and stole data for 560 million customers
Details are a little hazy on this one. Sources are releasing different information and sometimes... MORE
May 29, 2024
DOJ charges Chinese national with operating ‘world’s largest botnet’ that stole $5.9 billion in Covid relief funds
5.9 Billion in covid relief funds stolen... MORE
May 28, 2024
'Malign actor' hacked UK defense ministry payroll, Sunak says after China reports
"Malign Actor" breaches UK Defense Ministry Payroll. MORE
May 24, 2024
Cybersecurity investigators worry ransomware attacks may worsen as young, Western hackers work with Russians
FBI Cyber is one of the primary (if not the primary) law enforcement agencies engaged... MORE
May 22, 2024
10 Critical Endpoint Security Tips You Should Know
Endpoint? What the heck is an endpoint? MORE
May 16, 2024
Interconnected Devices Inject Risk into Patient Safety
Patient care is more complex and involves more digital integration than ever before... MORE
May 15, 2024
Lessons From Change Healthcare and System Interoperability
Kyle Hanslovan CEO of Huntress speaks eloquently about the challenges presented by... MORE
May 14, 2024
City of Wichita shuts down IT network after ransomware attack
Wichita Kansas is having a rough couple of weeks... MORE
May 13, 2024
JPMorgan Chase Suffers Data Breach Affecting Personal Information of 451,809 Customers
Banking....what a comforting breach this is for the 1/2 million users affected... MORE
May 12, 2024
Developing story from DELL Technologies.
This message was sent to customers late last night: An important message about your... MORE
May 9, 2024
Ascension reports cyberattack, operations disrupted, patients diverted
Details are still to come but initial reports are clear: This attack HAS impacted patient... MORE
May 8, 2024
FBI Warns of Credible Cybersecurity Threat to Dental Practices
Credible Threat! Ominous words in this warning from the FBI. MORE
May 7, 2024
Change Healthcare hacked using stolen Citrix account with no MFA
Stolen credentials and no MFA... Let's break this down: MORE
May 2, 2024
So excited and humbled today to be a guest at The Practice Growth Institute
Financial Mastery event in Atlanta! MORE
May 1, 2024
Man Who Mass-Extorted Psychotherapy Patients Gets Six Years
Just had a conversation with a clinician about these types of concerns... MORE
April 16, 2024
UnitedHealth: Change Healthcare cyberattack caused $872 million loss
Most people are aware of this hack, and now we know the enormous impact it created... MORE
April 14, 2024
Russians team up with young, English-speaking hackers for cyberattacks | 60 Minutes
Why have cyber attacks seemingly exploded? Why is there a new story not just daily but... MORE
