AnnaMaria Andriotis reports: Equifax is nearing a deal to settle a slew of state and federal investigations into a 2017 data breach that exposed nearly 150 million Americans’ Social Security numbers and other sensitive personal information. Under the agreement, the credit-reporting firm would pay around $700 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission, the…
Category: U.S.
Former Government Contractor Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Willful Retention of National Defense Information
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Harold Thomas Martin, III, age 54, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, to nine years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for willful retention of national defense information. According to his plea agreement, from December 1993 through Aug. 27, 2016, Martin was employed by at least…
Hackers breach 62 US colleges by exploiting ERP vulnerability
Catalin Cimpanu reports: Hackers have breached the systems of 62 colleges and universities by exploiting a vulnerability in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) web app, the US Department of Education said in a security alert sent out this week. The vulnerability is in Ellucian Banner Web Tailor, a module of the Ellucian Banner ERP that…
SC: Hackers attack Midlands Tech
Cyber criminals hit Midlands Technical College computers Wednesday. They inserted a virus that could have affected the entire college system.. Officials shut down the system to prevent the virus from being spread. For several hours, administrators, faculty and students could not use email or online classes, Midlands Tech spokesperson Stefanie Goebeler told The State newspaper….
Update: Indiana county just paid hackers $132k in ransom – and they’re not alone
There’s a follow-up to the report that LaPorte, Indiana was hit by malware more than one week ago. The county has reportedly paid $132k to the attackers. FoxNews reports: In a written statement, the president of the county’s Board of Commissioners said, “This particular virus, Ryuk, that was used by the bad actors in this…
Security increased at Baltimore city buildings after fired IT employee gains access to sensitive areas
Kevin Rector reports: Security is being increased at Baltimore’s municipal buildings after a former employee, fired for having alleged hacking tools on his city computer, managed to gain “unfettered access” to sensitive areas at the Abel Wolman Municipal Building downtown, according to a report by the city’s inspector general and multiple sources familiar with the…