Jeremiah Jacobsen has an update to the “encryption event” previously disclosed by Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). [Note: MPS’s phrase “encryption event” appeared to be a ridiculous — and dare we say, sleazy– attempt not to call it a “ransomware attack.” The district still has not described it as ransomware attack.] Minneapolis Public Schools released a…
Category: Malware
Nearly 800 people affected by possible data breach during College of the Desert malware attack last summer
KESQ has an update on a malware attack on College of the Desert last year: College of the Desert has begun alerting the approximately 800 people who may be affected by a possible data breach during a malware attack last summer. The malware attack occurred in early July. The attack took down the school’s phone…
CrowdStrike: Threat actors shifting away from ransomware
Alexander Culafi reports: Threat actors are shifting away from traditional ransomware and toward malware-free cyber attacks, according to a new report from CrowdStrike. The cybersecurity vendor this week published its “2023 Global Threat Report,” which annually compiles CrowdStrike’s research related to cybercrime, or “eCrime,” from the previous year. Major topics covered in the 2023 report include malware-free…
How Offensive Action is Countering Ransomware
Intel471 writes: Ransomware attacks have crossed a red line for many countries with continued merciless attacks. The threat to national economies and critical infrastructure marked a turning point. Governments are fighting back, and one of the strategies now routinely employed is infiltrating the servers and infrastructure of ransomware gangs. A recent offensive action against a…
Hackers Extort Less Money, Are Laid Off as New Tactics Thwart More Ransomware Attacks
Robert McMillan, Dustin Volz, and Aruna Viswanatha report: Extortion payments from ransomware, a hacking scourge that has crippled hospitals, schools and public infrastructure, fell significantly last year, according to federal officials, cybersecurity analysts and blockchain firms. One of the examples cited surprised me, as I had no idea a Conti call center had so many…
6 Class Actions: Lawyers Across the Country Move Quickly After Hospital Data Breach
Charles Toutant reports: A New Jersey hospital has been hit with six class action suits after hackers obtained patient information in a data breach. CentraState Medical Center allegedly failed to take adequate precautions to prevent such attacks, and then compounded the error by waiting six weeks to notify plaintiffs and class members about the breach,…