Scott Ferguson

Managing Editor, News Desk

Ferguson is the managing editor for the news desk at Information Security Media Group. He's been covering the IT industry for more than 13 years. Before joining ISMG, Ferguson was editor-in-chief at eWEEK and director of audience development for InformationWeek. He's also written and edited for Light Reading, Security Now, Enterprise Cloud News, TU-Automotive, Dice Insights and DevOps.com.

Report: FBI Subpoenaed Data From Banks, Credit Agencies

Scott Ferguson • September 20, 2019

The FBI has issued hundreds of subpoenas to major banks, the big three credit rating agencies and other corporations as part of an ongoing counterterrorism program that collects personal and financial data, the New York Times reports.

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.

Credit Card Theft Ringleader Pleads Guilty

Scott Ferguson • September 13, 2019

One of the three Ukrainian men charged with leading the notorious Fin7 hacking group, which prosecutors say stole 15 million payment cards, has pleaded guilty to two federal charges.

Iranian Hacking Group Continues Targeting Universities

Scott Ferguson • September 12, 2019

"Cobalt Dickens," a threat group with suspected ties to Iran, is continuing its attempts to steal intellectual property from schools and universities, according to an analysis by SecureWorks. The group's work continues even though several alleged members have been indicted by the Justice Department.

Microsoft Patches 2 Windows Flaws Already Being Exploited

Scott Ferguson • September 11, 2019

As part of its September Patch Tuesday security update, Microsoft issued software fixes for two vulnerabilities in several versions of Windows that it says are being exploited by attackers in the wild. Security experts are urging IT teams to quickly patch these flaws.

US Government Ban on Kaspersky Formalized

Scott Ferguson • September 10, 2019

A final rule published in the Federal Register Tuesday officially bans U.S. government agencies and their contractors from buying or supporting Kaspersky security products.

Alleged Capital One Hacker Pleads Not Guilty

Scott Ferguson • September 6, 2019

Paige A. Thompson, who prosecutors allege hacked into Capital One's network to access millions of credit card applications, has pleaded not guilty to federal computer crime charges. Her tentative trial date is Nov. 4.

Privacy Advocates Criticize FTC's Google Settlement

Scott Ferguson • September 4, 2019

Google will pay a $170 million fine to settle allegations that its YouTube subsidiary illegally collected personal information about children without their parents' consent, according to the Federal Trade Commission. But some children's right groups and members of Congress say the penalty is far too low.

Satori Botnet Co-Creator Pleads Guilty

Scott Ferguson • September 4, 2019

Kenneth Currin Schuchman, 21, who authorities charged with co-creating the massive Satori botnet that was used to wage several large-scale DDoS attacks, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single federal charge.

Magecart Group Continues Targeting E-Commerce Sites

Scott Ferguson • August 29, 2019

In a series of recent attacks attributed to the umbrella criminal group known as Magecart, malicious JavaScript code was injected into over 80 e-commerce websites to steal credit card and other customer data, according to a new report from the security firm Arxan, which highlights the sites' vulnerabilities.

Cybersecurity: Building Better Teams

Scott Ferguson • August 29, 2019

When it comes to rethinking how enterprises structure their cybersecurity teams, Deborah Kish of Fasoo says that teamwork and better coordination among stakeholders are essential.

Sizing Up Impact of US Cyberattack Against Iran

Scott Ferguson • August 28, 2019

The United States' June cyberattack against Iran wiped out a critical database used by the nation's paramilitary arm to plan attacks against oil tankers and at least temporarily degraded Iran's ability to covertly target Persian Gulf shipping traffic, the New York Times reports.