Security News

Phishing campaign lures US businesses with fake PPP loans
2021-02-01 19:15

Threat actors are sending phishing emails impersonating a Small Business Administration lender to prey on US business owners who want to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan to keep their business going during the COVID-19 crisis. The attackers behind this phishing campaign are taking advantage of the ongoing financial problems some businesses are experiencing due to the pandemic to lure them into handing over sensitive business and personal info.

Russian Hack Brings Changes, Uncertainty to US Court System
2021-02-01 14:30

How he'll handle the logistics of the case could feel old school: Under new court rules, he'll have to print out any highly sensitive documents and hand-deliver them to the courthouse. The new rules for filing sensitive documents are one of the clearest ways the hack has affected the court system.

US charges NetWalker ransomware affiliate, seizes ransom payments
2021-01-27 20:32

The U.S. Justice Department announced today the disruption of the Netwalker ransomware operation and the indictment of a Canadian national for alleged involvement in the file-encrypting extortion attacks. Earlier today, BleepingComputer reported that law enforcement in the U.S. and Bulgaria seized Netwalker sites on the dark web used for leaking data from non-paying victims and for negotiating payments for data decryption.

US cyber intelligence officer jailed for kidnapping her kid, trying to hawk top secrets to Russia in Mexico
2021-01-26 22:59

A US Air Force intelligence officer who kidnapped her daughter to Mexico and attempted to defect to Russia with top-secret information is set to spend the better part of a decade behind bars. According to court documents [PDF] her unusual story started in July 2019, when she fled her Hedgesville home and flew to Mexico City where she contacted the Russian embassy, offering classified documents that she had removed from secure locations over the past 20 years.

US cyber intelligence officer given 11 years for kidnapping her kid, trying to hawk top secrets to Russia in Mexico
2021-01-26 22:59

A US Air Force intelligence officer who kidnapped her daughter to Mexico and attempted to defect to Russia with top-secret information is set to spend the better part of a decade behind bars. According to court documents [PDF] her unusual story started in July 2019, when she fled her Hedgesville home and flew to Mexico City where she contacted the Russian embassy, offering classified documents that she had removed from secure locations over the past 20 years.

Verizon Fios fiber cut causes Internet outage in Northeastern US
2021-01-26 17:11

Verizon Fios is experiencing an Internet outage making it impossible to access many websites after a fiber connection was cut in Brooklyn. Starting at approximately 11:00 AM EST, Verizon Fios users found they were no longer able to access popular services, such as Google, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Azure, and even Verizon's own website and My verizon app to check for known outages.

Verizon Fios Internet outage affecting Northeastern US
2021-01-26 17:11

Verizon Fios is experiencing an Internet outage making it impossible to access many websites after a fiber connection was cut in Brooklyn. Starting at approximately 11:00 AM EST, Verizon Fios users found they were no longer able to access popular services, such as Google, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Azure, and even Verizon's own website and My verizon app to check for known outages.

Biden said to be assembling cyber dream team to sort out US govt computer security
2021-01-25 22:00

President Biden is preparing to assemble a crack US government cybersecurity team, and has pledged $10bn in funding to shore up the defenses of Uncle Sam's computer networks. Former NSA and National Security Council official Jen Easterly will reportedly be put forward as National Cyber Director, a role that will oversee the federal government's cybersecurity activities.

Russian Hack of US Agencies Exposed Supply Chain Weaknesses
2021-01-25 14:24

In general terms, a supply chain refers to the network of people and companies involved in the development of a particular product, not dissimilar to a home construction project that relies on a contractor and a web of subcontractors. The most recent case targeting federal agencies involved Russian government hackers who are believed to have sneaked malicious code into popular software that monitors computer networks of businesses and governments.

Russian government warns of US retaliatory cyberattacks
2021-01-23 14:41

The Russian government has issued a security warning to organizations in Russia about possible retaliatory cyberattacks by the USA for the SolarWinds breach. The US government believes that this attack was conducted by a Russian state-sponsored hacking group whose goal was to steal cloud data such as email and files from high profile US corporations and government agencies.