Other – Page 20 – Computer Security Articles

Extortionists Wipe Thousands of Databases, Victims Who Pay Up Get Stiffed

January 23, 2017 admin extortion, MongoDB, Niall Merrigan, Other, Victor Gevers

Tens of thousands of personal and possibly proprietary databases that were left accessible to the public online have just been wiped from the Internet, replaced with ransom notes demanding payment for the return of the files. Adding insult to injury, it appears that virtually none of the victims who have paid the ransom have gotten their files back because multiple fraudsters are now wise to the extortion attempts and are competing to replace each other’s ransom notes.

Independent Krebs

Holiday Inn Parent IHG Probes Breach Claims

January 23, 2017 admin Holiday Inn breach, IHG breach, InterContinental Hotels Group, Other

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the parent company for more than 5,000 hotels worldwide including Holiday Inn, says it is investigating claims of a possible credit card breach at some U.S. locations.

Independent Krebs

Happy Seventh Birthday, KrebsOnSecurity!

January 23, 2017 admin ceo fraud, ddos, KrebsOnSecurity birthday, Other, ransomware

Hard to believe it’s time to celebrate another go ’round the Sun for KrebsOnSecurity! Today marks exactly seven years since I left The Washington Post and started this here solo thing. And what a remarkable year 2016 has been!

Independent Krebs

The Download on the DNC Hack

January 23, 2017 admin Andrew Kramer, Dmitry Artimovich, DNC hack, Donald Trump, Festi, Forbes, Kaleev Leetaru, King Servers, Nina Agrawal, Other, power grid hack, Rolling Stone, Spam Nation, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, ThreatConnect, Vladimir M. Fomenko

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been inundated with questions from readers asking why I haven’t written much about two stories that have consumed the news media of late: The alleged Russian hacking attacks against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and, more recently, the discovery of malware on a laptop at a Vermont power utility that has been attributed to Russian hacker groups. I’ve avoided covering these stories mainly because I don’t have any original reporting to add to them, and because I generally avoid chasing the story of the day — preferring instead to focus on producing original journalism on cybercrime and computer security.

Independent Krebs

The FTC’s Internet of Things (IoT) Challenge

January 23, 2017 admin Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Gartner Inc., Internet of Things, IoT, IoT Home Inspector Challenge, LG, Other

One of the biggest cybersecurity stories of 2016 was the surge in online attacks caused by poorly-secured “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices such as Internet routers, security cameras, digital video recorders (DVRs) and smart appliances. Many readers here have commented with ideas about how to counter vulnerabilities caused by out-of-date software in IoT devices, so why not pitch your idea for money? Who knows, you could win up to $25,000 in a new contest put on by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Independent Krebs

Stolen Passwords Fuel Cardless ATM Fraud

January 23, 2017 admin ATM fraud, avivah litan, cardless ATM, Chase bank, Fox28, gartner, Kristina Markula, Mike Fusco, Other, Regulation E, twofactorauth.org

Some financial instutitions are now offering so-called “cardless ATM” transactions that allow customers to withdraw cash using nothing more than their mobile phones. But as the following story illustrates, this new technology also creates an avenue for thieves to quickly and quietly convert stolen customer bank account usernames and passwords into cold hard cash. Worse still, fraudulent cardless ATM withdrawals may prove more difficult for customers to dispute because they place the victim at the scene of the crime.