Craig McCulloch of RNZ reports: A top tech boss at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (MCH) reviewed the Tuia 250 website’s security and declared it “fit for purpose” just two months before a major breach was uncovered, new correspondence shows. […] Correspondence obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act shows the website –…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
New PwndLocker Ransomware Targeting U.S. Cities, Enterprises
Lawrence Abrams reports: Driven by the temptation of big ransom payments, a new ransomware called PwndLocker has started targeting the networks of businesses and local governments with ransom demands over $650,000. This new ransomware began operating in late 2019 and has since encrypted a stream of victims ranging from local cities to organizations. Read more on…
Ransomware victims are paying out millions a month. One particular version has cost them the most.
Steve Ranger reports: Ransomware victims have paid out more than $140 million to crooks over the last six-and-a-half years, according to calculations by the FBI. […] Ryuk was the leading ransomware variant, generating roughly $61m between February 2018 and October 2019. Crysis/Dharma was the second most lucrative ransomware, generating $24m between November 2016 and November 2019. Third on the…
AU: Alinta Energy accused of putting customers’ sensitive information at risk
Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett report on documents leaked by a whistleblower: Leaked documents obtained by 7.30, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reveal the Chinese-owned energy giant does not appear to have proper systems in place to protect sensitive customer information. Through its retail operations Alinta collects names, addresses, birth dates, mobile numbers,…
The RNC stopped paying a data firm after a serious breach — then paid a mysterious LLC with the same address
The RNC Stopped Paying a Data Firm After A Serious Breach. Then It Paid A Mysterious LLC With the Same Address. Three years after the Republican National Committee publicly sidelined the sullied firm, it paid an LLC with the same address $900,000 for “data services.” The RNC said it wouldn’t “waste any more breath explaining…
Meet the white-hat group fighting Emotet, the world’s most dangerous malware
Catalin Cimpanu reports: For more than a year, a group of security researchers and system administrators have banded together to fight back against Emotet, today’s most active and dangerous malware operation. By working together, the Cryptolaemus group has seriously hindered Emotet operations. Daily, the group publishes updates on its website and Twitter account. They share so-called indicators of…