This Month in Cyber Security: September 2022

Every month brings evolving, exciting, and sometimes detrimental developments to the world of cyber security, and September has been no different.

We’ve seen some intriguing and inspiring announcements not just within TryHackMe, but throughout the industry, alongside new alarming threats that have taken the world by storm.

We're delving into some of the key evolutions and news in cyber security this month - including tougher security regulations for EU manufacturers, Uber’s systems’ breach, an exciting Red Team learning pathway release, and a bundle of fantastic wins and prizes during TryHackMe’s Red Team Month.

Let’s dive into the news of September 2022!

Uber Systems Breach

Earlier this month, Uber fell victim to a severe systems breach through social engineering targeting an internal Uber employee to obtain login credentials.

Employees at Uber received a message that read, “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach”, before listing several internal databases that had supposedly been compromised. As a result of the attack, internal systems were inaccessible, and Uber employees were instructed not to use Slack. Access was also gained to the organisation’s email dashboard, endpoints, Windows domain and Amazon Web Services console.

The ride-hailing company has since revealed no evidence that the incident involved access to sensitive user data and that all systems are back in full operation. However, Uber’s share price was marked 5.5% lower following the incident, erasing all of the stock's gain over the past six months. News articles have also flooded the internet since the breach took place.

Uber’s data breach sheds light on the severity of social engineering techniques and suggests that organisations of all sizes should reevaluate security defence and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to secure their accounts. Through cyber security education, this could have been avoided. As the fastest-growing cyber security training platform, TryHackMe empowers and upskills over one million users with guided, gamified training that’s enjoyable, easy to understand and applicable to the trends that impact the future of cyber security. Don't let this happen to your business!

Tougher Cyber Security Rules for Smart Devices

Mobile phones, computers, virtual assistant devices, cars and other appliances we use every day are all critical entry points that hackers aim to exploit.

Under the new proposed legislation, manufacturers within the European Union could be forced to ensure devices connected to the internet meet cyber security standards during the design and development stages. This law will not only reduce attacks but also improve data and privacy protection for consumers.

Manufacturers will remain responsible for the security of devices for a minimum of five years, and in some cases, throughout the products’ lifetime.

Global Cyber Security Industry Projected to Reach $266 Billion

The global cyber security market size is anticipated to grow from an estimated value of 173.5 billion (USD) in 2022 to 266.2 billion (USD) by 2027.

Factors driving the cyber security market growth include difficulties reducing vulnerabilities, consequences of complex cyber networks, and the increasing rate of data breaches worldwide. With that being said, the lack of cyber security professionals and budget constraints among some SMEs and start-ups are expected to hinder market growth.

Red Team Month

As part of TryHackMe’s Red Team Month, we launched 48 hours' worth of juicy red team training - packed to the brim with 36 training labs.

To celebrate the launch of our Red Team pathway, we gave away over 170,000 tickets and  $21,000 worth of exciting prizes to those participating in the new pathway. Prizes included OSEP Vouchers, Wifi Pineapples, HAK5 Rubber Duckies, and a whole bunch of awesome TryHackMe swag!

In honour of Red Team Month, we also launched some super handy guides to bring you all the relevant resources you could need:

• Introducing Red Team Month
• What is Red Teaming?
• Becoming a Penetration Tester: The Ins and Outs With an In-Market Pentester
• What You Can Achieve With Red Teaming Training
• Red Teaming: Job Roles, Salaries & Opportunities
• Red Teaming in Your Business: Offence is the Best Defence