Symantec says the Tortoiseshell APT group is hitting targets via supply chain attacks. (Photo: My Photo Journeys, via Flickr/CC)

Supply Chain Attacks: Hackers Hit IT Providers

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 19, 2019

A hacker group called Tortoiseshell has been hitting targets in the Middle East since at least July 2018, apparently targeting IT service providers to gain access to many potential targets at once. The campaign is fresh proof that criminals and nation-state attackers alike continue to favor supply chain attacks.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Attacks Targeting IoT Devices and Windows SMB Surge

Latest

Cybercrime

Cryptoming Botnet Smominru Returns With a Vengeance

Jeffrey Burt • September 19, 2019

The crypotmining botnet Smominru, which has been around since at least 2017, has resurfaced with a new campaign that has infected 90,000 devices worldwide, including in the U.S., China and Russia, according to security analysts at Guardicore.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Facebook Removes Hundreds of Fake Accounts

Akshaya Asokan • September 19, 2019

Facebook announced this week that it has removed hundreds of fake accounts and pages. The majority of these originated in Ukraine or Iraq and used phony user identifications to spread misinformation in an attempt to influence local politics, the company says.

Governance

Lumin PDF Leak Exposed Data on 24 Million Users

Jeremy Kirk • September 18, 2019

Ignoring a breach disclosure can have ugly consequences. Case in point: Lumin PDF, a PDF editing tool, which saw data for much of its user base - about 24.3 million - published in an online forum late Monday. Data breach expert Troy Hunt says it's sign of the dysfunction in the breach disclosure process.

Governance

Justice Department Sues Snowden Over Memoir

Scott Ferguson • September 18, 2019

The U.S. Justice Department has sued Edward Snowden over his new memoir, claiming that the former NSA contractor violated a nondisclosure agreement he signed when he worked for the government before becoming the world's best-known whistleblower. The suit seeks to collect all profits from the book.

HIPAA/HITECH

Victim Total Soars in County Health Data Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • September 18, 2019

A Minnesota county that originally reported last December that a hacking incident affected about 600 individuals now says about 118,000 may have had healthcare data exposed. What's behind the huge spike?

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Senators Urge FCC to Review Licenses for Chinese Telecoms

Apurva Venkat • September 18, 2019

U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., are asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider operating licenses granted to two Chinese telecommunications companies, citing concerns over national security and foreign espionage.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Investigation Launched After Ecuadorian Records Exposed

Akshaya Asokan • September 17, 2019

An unsecured database owned by an Ecuadorian consulting company left over 20 million records on the South American country's citizens exposed to the internet, according to a report from two independent security researchers. An official investigation is underway.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Using Artificial Intelligence to Combat Card Fraud

Nick Holland • September 17, 2019

Artificial intelligence is playing an important role in the fight against payment card fraud, says Gord Jamieson, senior director of Canada risk services at Visa. He'll offer a keynote presentation on the latest fraud trends at Information Security Media Group's Cybersecurity Summit in Toronto Sept 24-25.

Governance

Life After Snowden: US Still Lacks Whistleblowing Rules

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 16, 2019

Ahead of the release of Edward Snowden's memoirs chronicling his decision to bring illegal "big data" domestic U.S. surveillance programs to light, a former NSA intelligence specialist points out that the U.S. still lacks a whistleblowing law to protect intelligence workers who spot illegal activity.

Multi-factor & Risk-based Authentication

PSD2 Authentication Requirements: The Implementation Hurdles

Geetha Nandikotkur • September 13, 2019

Because banks, fintech firms, merchants and payments processors in the EU have struggled to meet the Sept. 14 deadline for compliance with the new PSD2 "strong customer authentication" requirements for electronic payments, it may take a while for European consumers to notice authentication changes.

Cybercrime

For Sale: Admin Access Credentials to Healthcare Systems

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • September 13, 2019

Cybercriminals are "upping their game" by stealing and then auctioning off on the dark web administrative access credentials to healthcare organizations' clinician and patient portals, says Etay Maor of IntSights.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Ransomware Gangs Practice Customer Relationship Management

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 13, 2019

Ransomware-wielding attackers treat infecting endpoints as a business and put customer relationship management principles to work, says Bill Siegel, CEO of ransomware incident response firm Coveware. He notes criminals "go after the low-hanging fruit because it's cheap and the conversion rate is high."