Elinor Mills reports: Hackers have released consumer data stolen from an online loan provider, after the company refused to pay an extortion fee. “On June 12, AmeriCash Advance received a fax, telling us that part of our Web site had been hacked. The letter went on to demand initial payment of $15,000 from us,” AmeriCash Advance, an…
Category: Hack
Should we send in CSI to figure out the source of a data dump?
Here’s a great example of the perils in trying to report on hacks or breaches disclosed on Twitter or Pastebin. A hacker who self-identified as Reckz0r initially claimed to have hacked Visa and MasterCard and to have dumped 50GB worth of data (without credit card numbers). I had my doubts, and wasn’t surprised to read…
LinkedIn sued over inadequate security
It was, of course, only a matter of time. VentureBeat reports that LinkedIn has been sued over the security breach that affected 6.5 million passwords. You can read the complaint on VentureBeat. The lawsuit claims that the firm’s policy promised “industry standard protocols” to protect the data, and that hashed passwords just don’t live up…
Hacked companies fight back with controversial steps
Joseph Menn of Reuters reports that some U.S. firms are fighting back against hackers in unorthodox – if not downright illegal – ways: “Not only do we put out the fire, but we also look for the arsonist,” said Shawn Henry, the former head of cybercrime investigations at the FBI who in April joined new…
Penn Station breach mushrooms to 80 locations; Heartland Payment and Secret Service investigating
Ruh oh. Tracy Kitten reports: Restaurant chain Penn Station Inc. has upped the number of franchise locations affected by a payments breach to 80, almost double what it originally reported. The breach, which Penn Station says it’s still investigating, is connected to a point-of-sale processing hack that may have exposed credit and debit details, but…
TX: Tilted Kilt pub hit by credit-card hackers
Karen Grace reports: Anyone who has recently grabbed a drink or two at the Tiled Kilt off Loop 1604 might want to check their bank statement. That’s because a sophisticated theft ring hacked into their computer system and is shopping on the East coast with the stolen information. Management is not keeping the crime a…