Security News

German COVID-19 Contact-Tracing Vulnerability Allowed RCE
2020-11-19 21:34

A security vulnerability in the infrastructure underlying Germany's official COVID-19 contact-tracing app, called the Corona-Warn-App, would have allowed pre-authenticated remote code execution. Researcher Alvaro Muñoz wrote in a report this week that he and his team at GitHub Security Lab was chasing down RCE vulnerabilities on the platform and found one in the infrastructure supporting CWA for Android and OS. The team said it worked with SAP to mitigate the issue, adding as a server-side issue, the mobile apps themselves were not impacted, and that no data was collected beyond a device's IP address.

Laptop mega-manufacturer Compal hit by DoppelPaymer ransomware – same one that hit German hospital
2020-11-09 23:35

The world's second-largest white-label laptop manufacturer, has been hit by the file-scrambling DoppelPaymer ransomware gang - and the hackers want $17m in cryptocurrency before they'll hand over the decryption key. Compal staff say they arrived at work on Monday to be told of the outbreak, and that they needed to back up their files.

EU sanctions Russian hackers over 2015 German parliament attack
2020-10-22 13:26

Image: Tauno Tõhk. The Council of the European Union today announced sanctions imposed on Russian military intelligence officers part of the 85th Main Centre for Special Services for their involvement in a 2015 hack of the German Federal Parliament. EU's sanctions include both travel bans and asset freezes and also block EU organizations and individuals from making fund transfers to sanctioned entities and individuals.

Police Raided German Spyware Company FinFisher Offices
2020-10-14 11:27

German investigating authorities have raided the offices of Munich-based company FinFisher that sells the infamous commercial surveillance spyware dubbed 'FinSpy,' reportedly in suspicion of illegally exporting the software to abroad without the required authorization. Investigators from the German Customs Investigation Bureau, ordered by the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office, searched a total of 15 properties in Munich, including business premises of FinFisher GmbH, two other business partners, as well as the private apartments of the managing directors, along with a partner company in Romania from October 6 to 8.

German Privacy Watchdog Fines H&M $41M for Spying on Workers
2020-10-02 03:42

A German privacy watchdog said Thursday that it is fining clothing retailer H&M 35.3 million euros after the company was found to have spied on some of its employees in Germany. Hamburg's data protection commissioner said in a statement that the Swedish company collected private information about employees at a customer service center in Nuremberg, "Ranging from rather harmless details to family issues and religious beliefs."

Doppelpaymer ransomware crew fingered for attack on German hospital that caused death of a patient
2020-09-23 16:26

The Doppelpaymer ransomware gang were behind the cyber-attack on a German hospital that led to one patient's death, according to local sources. The Aachener Zeitung newspaper carried a report from the German Press Association that Doppelpaymer's eponymous ransomware had been introduced to the University Hospital Düsseldorf's network through a vulnerable Citrix product.

Doppelpaymer ransomware crew fingered over attack on German hospital that allegedly caused death of a patient
2020-09-23 16:26

The Doppelpaymer ransomware gang were behind the cyber-attack on a German hospital that led to one patient's death, according to local sources. The Aachener Zeitung newspaper carried a report from the German Press Association that Doppelpaymer's eponymous ransomware had been introduced to the University Hospital Düsseldorf's network through a vulnerable Citrix product.

German Experts See Russian Link in Deadly Hospital Hacking
2020-09-22 12:46

German authorities probing a cyber attack on a hospital's IT system that led to a fatal delay in treatment for a critically ill woman believe the software used can be traced back to Russian hackers. In an update to lawmakers published on Tuesday, prosecutors wrote that hackers used malware known as "Doppelpaymer" to disable computers at Duesseldorf University Hospital on September 10, aiming to encrypt data and then demand payment to unlock it again.

A Patient Dies After Ransomware Attack Paralyzes German Hospital Systems
2020-09-21 03:34

German authorities last week disclosed that a ransomware attack on the University Hospital of Düsseldorf caused a failure of IT systems, resulting in the death of a woman who had to be sent to another hospital that was 20 miles away. The attack, which exploited a Citrix ADC CVE-2019-19781 vulnerability to cripple the hospital systems on September 10, is said to have been "Misdirected" in that it was originally intended for Heinrich Heine University, according to an extortion note left by the perpetrators.

German Hospital Hacked, Patient Taken to Another City Dies
2020-09-17 13:30

German authorities said Thursday that what appears to have been a misdirected hacker attack caused the failure of IT systems at a major hospital in Duesseldorf, and a woman who needed urgent admission died after she had to be taken to another city for treatment. As a consequence, systems gradually crashed and the hospital wasn't able to access data; emergency patients were taken elsewhere and operations postponed.