Bluepurple Pulse: week ending November 6th

Guy Fawkes edition and not in the V for Vendetta sense...

Welcome to the weekly highlights and analysis of the blueteamsec subreddit (and my wider reading). Not everything makes it in, but the best bits do.

Operationally this week was the damp squid that was the OpenSSL vulnerability mentioned last week. Outside of that seeing a ticking over of ransomware activity and also some potential bleed into European heavy industry from the Ukraine/Russia conflict.

In the high-level this week:

• FinCEN Analysis Reveals Ransomware Reporting in BSA Filings Increased Significantly During the Second Half of 2021

• Digitalizing the Red Cross, Red Crescent and Red Crystal Emblems - humanitarian effort identifiers which indicate they are not to be targeted in conflicts - the idea of a red cross in the digital domain to indicate hackers should in the spirit of humanitarianism stay away. Interesting, but I feel only those observing norms would adhere.

• Norms vs. Realities: Cyber at the UN - OEWG stagnation is evidence of a further fracturing geopolitical environment, as…