Security News
Texas electric utility Austin Energy today warned of unknown individuals impersonating the company and threatening customers over the phone that their power will be cut off unless they pay fictitious overdue bills. During these ongoing scam attempts, the scammers warn the customers that their utilities will be disconnected if they don't make immediate payments, "Typically using a reloadable prepaid debit card or other non-traceable form of payment."
Tech giant Oracle Corp. said Friday it will move its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, and let many employees choose their office locations and decide whether to work from home. "We believe these moves best position Oracle for growth and provide our personnel with more flexibility about where and how they work," the company said in a regulatory filing.
The company's response was less than solid gold - it took months to notify its users of the breach. In a notice sent to its online customers, the company said that it became aware of suspicious activity on its website on July 6.
Tyler C. King, a 31-year-old from Dallas, Texas, was sentenced this week to 57 months in prison for crimes related to the hacking of an unnamed major tech company based in New York. According to the Justice Department, King gained access to the technology firm's systems in 2015 with the help of Ashley St. Andria, who at the time was an employee of the company.
"There doesn't seem to be any mitigation of the growing trend of online crime. The first line of defense from online fraud is not a technology solution or even law enforcement; it's user awareness. From a policy perspective, governments and other institutions should get the word out more so that individuals and organizations are more sensitive to online threats." The most popular internet crimes tracked by the FBI were extortion, government impersonation, and business email compromise, which cost victims $1.8 billion in 2019.
Texas' transportation agency has become the second part of the state government to be hit by a ransomware attack in recent days. On Thursday, someone hacked into the Texas Department of Transportation's network in a "Ransomware event," according to a statement the department posted on social media Friday.
A ransomware attack has hit the information technology office that supports Texas appellate courts and judicial agencies, leading to their websites and computer servers being shut down. Specifically affected is the Office of Court Administration, which is the IT provider for the appellate courts and state judicial agencies within the Texas Judicial Branch.
Texas revealed on Monday that a ransomware attack has forced the shutdown of its judicial branch network, including websites and servers. In a notice shared on Twitter, the Office of Court Administration, which provides IT services to appellate courts and state judicial agencies, revealed that the attack was discovered on Friday morning, and that the network was taken down to prevent further compromise.
Science Applications International has been awarded a contract from the State of Texas Department of Information Resources to provide cybersecurity services protecting data center infrastructure and network systems. "We are thrilled to expand SAIC's state and local portfolio into Texas, and to strengthen our multi-sourcing integration capabilities through the provision of cross-functional cybersecurity operations," said Bob Genter, executive vice president and general manager of SAIC's Civilian Markets Customer Group.
A Texas school district, based outside of Austin, Tex., has lost $2.3 million after falling victim to an email scam. The Manor Independent School District encompasses 8,000 students from elementary to high school.