Security News

US government unveils $10 million bounty for DarkSide ransomware gang leaders
2021-11-05 15:11

The $10 million is for intel that leads to the identification or location of anyone who holds a leadership position in the DarkSide group. Any bounty hunters out there could potentially score a cool $10 million if they help the US government snag one of the leaders of the DarkSide ransomware gang.

US defense contractor Electronic Warfare hit by data breach
2021-11-05 14:59

US defense contractor Electronic Warfare Associates has disclosed a data breach after threat actors hacked their email system and stole files containing personal information. As detailed in a notice to the Montana Attorney General's office, EWA discovered that a threat actor took over one of their email accounts on August 2, 2021.

US targets DarkSide ransomware, rebrands with $10 million reward
2021-11-04 21:00

The US government is targeting the DarkSide ransomware and its rebrands with up to a $10,000,000 reward for information leading to the identification or arrest of members of the operation. The US Department of Statement announced today that they are now offering a $10,000,000 reward for the identification or location of DarkSide ransomware members operating in key leadership positions.

US Bans Trade With Pegasus Spyware Maker
2021-11-04 18:03

NSO Group - the Israeli-based maker of the notorious, military-grade Pegasus spyware that's been linked to cyberattacks against dissidents, activists and NGOs at the hands of repressive regimes - has been blacklisted by the United States. NSO Group is one of four spyware developers or traffickers that the U.S. Commerce Department added to its "Entity List" on Wednesday, effectively banning trade with the company.

US government orders federal agencies to patch 100s of vulnerabilities
2021-11-04 16:56

In the latest effort to combat cybercrime and ransomware, federal agencies have been told to patch hundreds of known security vulnerabilities with due dates ranging from November 2021 to May 2022. In a directive issued on Wednesday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ordered all federal and executive branch departments and agencies to patch a series of known exploited vulnerabilities as cataloged in a public website managed by CISA. SEE: Patch management policy.

US Blacklists NSO Group
2021-11-04 11:52

The Israeli cyberweapons arms manufacturer - and human rights violator, and probably war criminal - NSO Group has been added to the US Department of Commerce's trade blacklist. Aside from the obvious difficulties this causes, it'll make it harder for them to buy zero-day vulnerabilities on the open market.

US Sanctions Pegasus-maker NSO Group and 3 Others For Selling Spyware
2021-11-04 00:27

The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday added four companies, including Israel-based spyware companies NSO Group and Candiru, to a list of entities engaging in "Malicious cyber activities." The agency said the two companies were added to the list based on evidence that "These entities developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers."

US Sanctions Pegasus-maker NSO Group and 3 Others For Selling Spyware
2021-11-04 00:27

The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday added four companies, including Israel-based spyware companies NSO Group and Candiru, to a list of entities engaging in "Malicious cyber activities." The agency said the two companies were added to the list based on evidence that "These entities developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used these tools to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers."

US Dept of Commerce sanctions NSO Group, Positive Technologies, other makers of snoopware
2021-11-03 20:50

The US government's Dept of Commerce on Wednesday sanctioned four companies in Israel, Russia, and Singapore for selling software used to break into computer systems and by foreign governments to suppress dissent. "The United States is committed to aggressively using export controls to hold companies accountable that develop, traffic, or use technologies to conduct malicious activities that threaten the cybersecurity of members of civil society, dissidents, government officials, and organizations here and abroad," said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement.

US sanctions NSO Group and three others for spyware and exploit sales
2021-11-03 15:19

The U.S. has sanctioned four companies located in Israel, Russia, and Singapore for the development of spyware or the sale of hacking tools used by state-sponsored hacking groups. Israeli companies NSO Group and Candiru are being sanctioned for creating and selling spyware used to target journalists and activists.