(This is our CINS Army Brief for September 2021. Learn more and subscribe here.)

And the “CINSY” for Baddest Actor in Cybersecurity goes to …

Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS).
From REvil to DarkSide to BlackMatter, these probably-not-state-sponsored organizations have matured into highly organized and profitable businesses, with 24/7 customer service departments and enterprise-level administration. Umm, congratulations?

Check out the links below on RaaS and more, and catch up on everything you missed last month.

• Infamous ransomware gang REvil returns to the dark web
  https://siliconangle.com/2021/09/08/infamous-ransomware-gang-revil-returns-dark-web/
• Officials urge Congress to consider fining companies that fail to report cyber incidents
  https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/573706-officials-urge-congress-to-consider-fining-companies-that-fail-to-report
• Cyber Should be a Proactive and Team Sport, SBA CTO Says
  https://www.meritalk.com/articles/cyber-should-be-a-proactive-and-team-sport-sba-cto-says/
• Ransomware now accounts for 69% of all attacks that use malware
  https://www.techrepublic.com/article/ransomware-now-accounts-for-69-of-all-attacks-that-use-malware/
• Hackers Are Going ‘Deep-Sea Phishing,’ So What Can You Do About It?
  https://threatpost.com/hackers-deep-sea-phishing/174868/
• Millions of malicious emails are still slipping past security filters
  https://www.techradar.com/news/millions-of-malicious-emails-are-slipping-past-security-filters
• This phishing-as-a-service operation is responsible for many attacks against businesses, says Microsoft
  https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-phishing-as-a-service-operation-is-responsible-for-many-attacks-against-businesses-says-microsoft/
• Russian state hackers use new TinyTurla malware as secondary backdoor
  https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/russian-state-hackers-use-new-tinyturla-malware-as-secondary-backdoor/
• Attackers Spread Cobalt Strike Through Backdoor in Common Apps
  https://securityintelligence.com/news/cobalt-strike-spread-backdoor-common-apps/
• Rapid digitalization may leave smart cities open to cyberattacks
  https://gcn.com/articles/2021/09/15/smart-city-cyber-vulnerabilities.aspx
• U.S. Cyber Chief Says ‘Cyber Bullets’ Are Part of War on Hacks
  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-14/u-s-cyber-chief-says-cyber-bullets-are-part-of-war-on-hacks
• Bot attacks grow 41% in first half of 2021: LexisNexis
  https://www.zdnet.com/article/bot-attacks-grow-41-in-first-half-of-2021-lexisnexis/
• 4 Steps for Fostering Collaboration Between IT Network and Security Teams
  https://www.darkreading.com/operations/4-steps-for-fostering-collaboration-between-it-network-and-security-teams
• 91% of IT teams have felt ‘forced’ to trade security for business operations
  https://www.zdnet.com/article/91-of-it-teams-have-felt-forced-to-trade-security-for-business-operations/