Security News

Google disrupts massive Glupteba botnet, sues Russian operators
2021-12-07 16:57

Google announced today that it has taken action to disrupt the Glupteba botnet that now controls more than 1 million Windows PCs around the world, growing by thousands of new infected devices each day. Glupteba is a blockchain-enabled and modular malware that has been targeting Windows devices worldwide since at least 2011, including the US, India, Brazil, and countries from Southeast Asia.

Apple Sues NSO Group
2021-11-24 15:29

To prevent further abuse and harm to its users, Apple is also seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services, or devices. NSO Group's Pegasus spyware is favored by totalitarian governments around the world, who use it to hack Apple phones and computers.

Apple Sues Israel's NSO Group for Spying on iPhone Users With Pegasus Spyware
2021-11-24 04:10

Apple has sued NSO Group and its parent company Q Cyber Technologies in a U.S. federal court holding it accountable for illegally targeting users with its Pegasus surveillance tool, marking yet another setback for the Israeli spyware vendor. "State-sponsored actors like the NSO Group spend millions of dollars on sophisticated surveillance technologies without effective accountability. That needs to change," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering in a statement.

Apple sues 'amoral 21st century mercenaries' NSO for infecting iPhones with Pegasus spyware
2021-11-23 20:58

Apple today sued NSO Group, which sells spyware to governments and other organizations, for infecting and snooping on people's iPhones. In a strongly worded filing [PDF] Apple described NSO as "Amoral 21st century mercenaries who have created highly sophisticated cyber-surveillance machinery that invites routine and flagrant abuse." Cupertino wants damages and a ban on NSO interacting or interfering any further with Apple services and products.

Apple sues spyware-maker NSO Group, notifies iOS exploit targets
2021-11-23 18:31

Apple has filed a lawsuit against Pegasus spyware-maker NSO Group and its parent company for the targeting and spying of Apple users with surveillance tech. NSO's FORCEDENTRY exploit was used by state-backed attackers to break into Apple devices to install the latest version of Pegasus spyware, as revealed by the Citizen Lab in August.

China Telecom's US arm sues in last-ditch bid to retain license
2021-11-16 06:15

The US subsidiary of China Telecom has filed an emergency appeal it hopes will prevent the impending revocation of the company's license to operate in the USA, which the The US Federal Communications Commission terminated in October on grounds the carrier is a national security threat. The FCC terminated China Telecom Americas Corporation's authority to provide telecom services within the USA on October 26, citing the telecom's potential for exploitation, influence and control by the Chinese government and other national security risks, such as the ability to access or disrupt US communication leading to espionage and other harmful activities.

Facebook sues scraper who sold 178 million phone numbers and user IDs
2021-10-25 08:01

Facebook has sued a Ukrainian national for allegedly harvesting and selling personal data describing 178 million of the Social NetworkTM's users - actions it says violates the service's terms of service. The suit alleges that Alexander Alexandrovich Solonchenko created millions of virtual Android devices, each with a different phone number, and used them to deliver automated requests to Facebook systems using the Messenger app.

U.S. govt to sue contractors who hide breach incidents
2021-10-07 00:01

Under the new Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative that the U.S. Department of Justice announced today, government contractors are accountable in a civil court if they don't report a breach or fail to meet required cybersecurity standards. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said that the initiative allows the DoJ to pursue government contractors that keep silent about a breach incident or don't comply with cybersecurity standards.

Man Sues Parents of Teens Who Hijacked Nearly $1M in Bitcoin
2021-08-26 20:50

When Colorado resident Andrew Schober downloaded the Electrum Atom Bitcoin wallet from Reddit, he also picked up a piece of clipboard hijacking malware that eventually redirected his 16.4552 Bitcoin to a wallet controlled by two teenagers living in the U.K. At today's price, 16.4552 Bitcoin would be worth ~$773,000. Because they were juveniles at the time of the alleged theft, Schober is suing their parents for the nearly $1 million he lost in the heist.

Surveillance tech company sues Police Digital Service over 'flawed' scoring of bids on £18m contract
2021-08-26 09:27

A company is suing the Police Digital Service over a framework worth up to £18m after losing a bid to provide a mass surveillance platform, claiming police managers broke laws on the awarding of public contracts. Excession Technologies Ltd is suing the organisation formerly known as the Police ICT Company on the grounds that it broke the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations after allegedly misunderstanding Excession's platform was capable of doing.