Officials say at least 20 Texas government entities targeted in cyber attack

At least 20 local government entities across Texas were hit by a ransomware attack, authorities announced Friday.

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) said in a statement that officials from state agencies were responding to the cyber attack, but did not release the identities of affected agencies.

"Currently, DIR, the Texas Military Department, and the Texas A&M University System’s Cyberresponse and Security Operations Center teams are deploying resources to the most critically impacted jurisdictions. Further resources will be deployed as they are requested," the department said in the press release.

Broadcom-Symantec deal troubles cybersecurity experts

Broadcom laid down a $10.7 billion bet in buying Symantec's enterprise security software. While some are optimistic, security experts predict another Intel-McAfee deal.

Chipmaker Broadcom Inc. continued its quest to buy its way into the software market with the acquisition of Symantec's enterprise security business in a straight cash deal for $10.7 billion.

The Broadcom-Symantec deal is the second software acquisition Broadcom has made in less than a year. The first was its $18.9 billion takeover of CA Technologies, a 40-year-old company best known for its mainframe software, although the company was in the process of refocusing its business on a number of cloud and open-source initiatives.

Google reveals fistful of flaws in Apple's iMessage app

A team of bug-hunters at Google have shared details of five flaws in Apple's iMessage software that could make its devices vulnerable to attack.

In one case, the researchers said the vulnerability was so severe that the only way to rescue a targeted iPhone would be to delete all the data off it.

Another example, they said, could be used to copy files off a device without requiring the owner to do anything to aid the hack.

The 10 Biggest Cybersecurity Stocks

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing segments of the technology industry. As more people around the globe connect to the internet and hundreds of millions of devices get connected to a network every year, the need to keep all of that data secure is on the rise.

In fact, according to research firm Global Market Insights, cybersecurity is expected to go from a $120 billion-a-year endeavor in 2017 to more than $300 billion in 2024, good for an average 12% annual growth rate. It's no wonder, then, that so many businesses are getting in on the movement. Old tech titans like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), and Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) all offer cybersecurity as part of their service suites. Other names are investing in the action, too. Old smartphone maker BlackBerry (NYSE: BB), for example, bought small cybersecurity outfit Cylance in early 2019 to further its transformation as a software company.

Flaw allows attackers to alter media files sent via WhatsApp, Telegram, say researchers

Researchers have reported a vulnerability in the Android versions of WhatsApp and Telegram that could allow malicious actors to manipulate media files sent via the apps.

This “media file-jacking” flaw could allow attackers to alter photographs, modify invoices (to aid in a financial scam), swap out files in a particular channel feed, or potentially even manipulate audio messages, warned cyber-software firm Symantec in a July 15 company blog post.

How public cloud continues to drive demand for cybersecurity solutions

Ongoing investment in cybersecurity solutions continues to grow. According to the latest worldwide market study by Canalys, cybersecurity solutions for public cloud and 'as a service' accelerated in the first quarter of 2019. Those deployment models collectively grew 46 percent year-on-year.

These type of solutions accounted for 17.6 percent of the total cybersecurity market value -- that's up from 13.8 percent in the same period a year ago. Virtual security appliances and agent solutions also grew significantly, up by 18.2 percent on an annual basis.

OneNote Audio Note Phishing Scam Looks For Victims Microsoft Account Credentials

One more phishing scam has made it to the news due to another innovative trick. This time, the scammers strive to fool users by exploiting audio notes. This OneNote Audio Note phishing campaign seemingly aims at stealing your Microsoft accounts’ credentials.