Alexander Martin reports: Researchers from the Chinese cybersecurity company Qi An Pangu Lab believe they have identified six members of the “Against The West” hacking group, according to a report published Sunday by state-controlled media. The report implicitly alleges without evidence that the hackers are connected to or sponsored by Western nation-states. The six display…
Category: Government Sector
Washington State city allegedly hit by ransomware
Jurgita Lapienytė reports: Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, with a population of over 63,000. BlackCat claimed it had breached Lakewood City Council and stolen over 250GB worth of data. “Because of their misunderstanding and inability to negotiate, we share information with you,” BlackCat said and shared a link to download 252GB of…
Ways and means committee demands investigation into 2021 taxpayer info leak
Katie Kerekes reports: Nineteen months after the confidential tax filings of American citizens were leaked, the House Committee on Ways and Means is seeking answers. In a letter to the Inspector General for Tax Administration, committee chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) relays his “expectations” regarding the “egregious and unprecedented” leak of this tax information, a duty which he affirms the…
Oops! ‘Phishing’ scam cost small Ohio city $219,000, finance director his job
Dean Narciso reports: Phishing-scam training has become a commonplace requirement in many workplaces these days. But not everyone is adhering to its lessons. When emails from a fake paving company landed in the inbox of an accounting assistant working for a small Ohio city last month, the assistant was hooked. The author pretended to be an existing vendor and persuaded…
Weeklong ransomware attack on Oakland government drags on
Da Lin reports: OAKLAND – 10 days after the City of Oakland experienced a ransomware attack, many of its departments remain shut down to the public. Emergency services like police and fire are operational. The lobby at the Oakland Police Department is one of few places still open to the public, but there are signs…
UK: Lancashire County Council has referred itself following a data breach
Amy Farnworth reports: Lancashire County Council has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office following a data breach involving its new HR and finance system. At this point there is no evidence that personal data has been publicly available, only that this information has been visible to internal users should someone want to find it….