#hackers

May 8, 2020
1 min

Spike in Snake Ransomware Activity Attributed to New Campaign

"Security researchers attributed a spike in Snake ransomware activity to a new campaign that’s targeted organizations worldwide. Snake ransomware first attracted the attention of malware analysts in January 2020 when they observed the crypto-malware family targeting entire corporate networks. Shortly after this discovery, the threat quieted down. It produced few new detected infections in the wild for the next few months. That was until May 4, when ID Ransomware registered a

May 4, 2020
1 min

Kaspersky: RDP brute-force attacks have gone up since start of COVID-19

"Cyber-security firm Kaspersky says the number of brute-force attacks targeting RDP endpoints rose sharply since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to a report published today, RDP brute-force attacks increased last month, when most countries around the globe imposed quarantines and stay-at-home orders, forcing companies to deploy more RDP systems online, increasing the attack surface for hackers. "Since the beginning of March, the number of Bruteforc

May 1, 2020
1 min

Researchers Find Vulnerabilities in Popular Remote Learning Plug-ins

As more students move to online learning platforms, vulnerability researchers are revealing security flaws in some common software plug-ins. "Three popular WordPress plug-ins for online learning have significant software vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to access student information, steal money from course creators, or escalate their privileges to become teachers, according to an advisory published by security firm Check Point Software Technologies. Researchers fro

Apr 29, 2020
1 min

Ransomware Shuts Down Colorado Hospital IT Network Amid COVID-19

"Parkview Medical Center is continuing to recover from a ransomware attack that shut down its IT network over a week ago; another ransomware attack and an email hack complete this week’s breach roundup. Colorado-based Parkview Medical Center’s technology infrastructure was hit with a ransomware attack a week ago on April 21, which caused a number of IT network outages, according to local news outlet KOAA. The hospital is currently serving patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Apr 21, 2020
1 min

Detroit hospital network says data breach affected more than 100,000 patient accounts

"A Detroit-area health care organization is alerting patients that their information may have been compromised in a recent data breach. Beaumont Health, a network of eight hospitals through the Detroit area, said in a letter Friday that “an unauthorized third party” accessed names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and medical conditions about some 112,000 people. Hackers also accessed bank account data and driver’s license numbers about some of those affected, the Detroit

Apr 17, 2020
1 min

5 Things Ransomware Taught Me About Responding in a Crisis

What happened in Atlanta is worth studying because it was one of the earliest cases of a major city ransomware attacks and because it came out the other side stronger and more resilient. When I first flew to Atlanta in March 2018, the city was in crisis. It had been hit by a massive ransomware attack, one that took down multiple critical departments and systems and made headlines around the country. It's a story that's unfortunately repeated itself around the country since, w

Apr 16, 2020
1 min

FBI Alerts to BEC Scams Targeting COVID-19 PPE Supply Procurement.

"Hackers are targeting those attempting to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19-related medical supplies with business email compromise (BEC) scams, FBI warns. Cybercriminals are again leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic for financial benefit. The latest FBI alert warns hackers are targeting the government and other healthcare industry buyers attempting to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) with business email compromise (BEC) scams. The alert fol

Apr 10, 2020
1 min

Travelex reportedly paid millions to hackers after ransomware attack.

"Travelex reportedly paid hackers $2.3 million to regain access to its own computer systems after they were compromised in a ransomware attack that was discovered on New Year’s Eve. Ransomware is malicious software that locks a computer system by encrypting files. Once locked, hackers demand payment from the owner of the system in return for a decryption key to regain access to the data. The world’s largest foreign-exchange provider paid the money in the form of Bitcoin, acco

Apr 9, 2020
1 min

Zoom Signs-Up Ex-Facebook CSO as Google Bans Platform

"Zoom has brought former Facebook CSO Alex Stamos on board to bolster a new security push, as reports emerged that Google and the US Senate have told users to avoid the video conferencing platform. As promised by CEO Eric Yuan las week, the firm has formally launched a CISO Council and Advisory Board comprising security leaders from across industries. The idea is that they’ll collaborate on new ideas to help improve security and privacy in the app. CISOs and security leaders

Apr 7, 2020
1 min

Health care cybersecurity: new front in coronavirus battle.

"Health care professionals battling the coronavirus now face a second front in the war -- cyberattacks -- that threaten to disrupt operations and broadcast disinformation. Cyberattacks against health care agencies have skyrocketed in the past decade, with almost 70% of the population affected by a data breach through the theft of personal information and health data. The attacks occur, on average, at a rate of 1.4 a day, according to the HIPAA Journal. But the arrival of the

Mar 18, 2020
1 min

Most ransomware attacks take place during the night or over the weekend

"FireEye: 27% of all ransomware attacks take place during the weekend, 49% after working hours during weekdays. The vast majority of ransomware attacks targeting the enterprise sector occur outside normal working hours, during the night or over the weekend. According to a report published today by US cyber-security FireEye, 76% of all ransomware infections in the enterprise sector occur outside working hours, with 49% taking place during nighttime over the weekdays, and 27% t

Mar 17, 2020
1 min

U.S. health agency was under cyberattack during its response to coronavirus

"The U.S Health and Human Services Department was targeted in a cyberattack over the weekend as the agency grapples with the coronavirus crisis, which has killed 69 people in the country as of Monday. The HHS said it put early protections in place, in case a hacking attempt were to occur during its COVID-19 response efforts. Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted the news Monday saying, "The attack appears to have been intended to slow the agency’s systems down." The HHS

Mar 13, 2020
1 min

Hackers use fake coronavirus maps to infect visitors with malware

"Hackers are once again taking advantage of concerns of COVID-19 by using fake coronavirus maps to infect visitors with malware. Detailed Monday by cybersecurity researcher Shai Alfasi from Reason Cybersecurity Ltd., the fake maps were founded to be attempting to infect unsuspecting visitors with the AZORult malware. The malware, first discovered in 2016, is an information stealer that makes off with browsing history, cookies, ID/passwords, cryptocurrency and more. An AZORult

Mar 4, 2020
1 min

Casinos in Las Vegas Hit by Suspected Ransomware Attack

“We are actively monitoring the situation” "Slot machines in two Las Vegas casinos were out of action for almost a week in an incident that bears all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack. Investigations are currently underway by the Nevada State Game Control Board, which told us it is “actively monitoring the situation”. Four Queens Hotel and Casino and Binion’s Casino in downtown Las Vegas are open for business but for several days were only able to trade in cash, while star

Feb 24, 2020
1 min

Over 120 Million US Consumers Exposed in Privacy Snafu

Security researchers have discovered a publicly exposed cloud database containing personal data and behavioral profiles on 120 million Americans. Security company UpGuard found the misconfigured Amazon S3 bucket on February 3 this year, eventually tracing it back to market analysis company Tetrad. Around half of the 747GB trove appears to have been sourced from client organizations. It included: data extracted from Chipotle employees’ mobile phones for tracking, a spreadsheet

Feb 18, 2020
1 min

Bug in WordPress plugin can let hackers wipe up to 200,000 sites.

Same bug can also let attackers gain access to the admin account. WordPress site owners who use commercial themes provided by ThemeGrill are advised to update one of the plugins that come installed with these themes in order to patch a critical bug that can let attackers wipe their sites. The vulnerability resides in ThemeGrill Demo Importer, a plugin that ships with themes sold by ThemeGrill, a web development company that sells commercial WordPress themes. https://www.zdnet

Feb 4, 2020
1 min

witter says an attacker used its API to match usernames to phone numbers

Twitter discloses security incident involving the abuse of one of its official API features. "In a statement published today, Twitter disclosed a security incident during which third-parties exploited the company's official API (Application Programming Interface) to match phone numbers with Twitter usernames. In an email seeking clarifications about the incident, Twitter told ZDNet that they became aware of exploitation attempts against this API feature on December 24, 2019,

Jan 27, 2020
1 min

Wyden calls on NSA to examine White House cybersecurity following Bezos hack.

"Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Friday pressured the National Security Agency (NSA) on efforts to secure personal devices of government employees from foreign hackers and surveillance following news that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos's phone was allegedly hacked by Saudi officials. Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone asking for an update on a commitment made by former NSA Director Michael Rogers in 2018 that the agency wo

Jan 10, 2020
1 min

Las Vegas hit by cyberattack as it hosts CES

The attack, discovered Tuesday, came as people gathered for the world's largest tech show. Whoever came up with the slogan, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," wasn't prepared for a cyberattack. But that's what happened in the early morning hours on Tuesday, when the team monitoring computers for the City of Las Vegas detected it had been "compromised". The city, which tweeted about the attack, didn't say which systems were affected or how the attack happened, though the

Jan 3, 2020
1 min

Iran's 'forceful revenge' against the US is likely to include cyber warfare...

Iran's leaders vowed to exact "a forceful revenge" against the US Friday in response to an American drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force head Qassem Soleimani. Now, cybersecurity and defense experts are bracing for a possible Iranian cyber-offensive that could target online infrastructure across the US military and private sector. Experts told Business Insider that Iran has spent years building out its computer warfare capabilities. Since 2010, when Iran faced a cyber