David Canellis reports: Powerful attacks on blockchains are increasing. So far this year, hackers have effectively executed a minimum of five separate “51-percent attacks” on cryptocurrency projects, with profits amounting to almost $20 million. This represents a remarkable increase in success, after renowned cybersecurity firm Group-IB recorded no completed 51-percent attacks last year. Group-IB has just released…
Category: Hack
Hack on 8 adult websites exposes oodles of intimate user data
Dan Goodin reports: A recent hack of eight poorly secured adult websites has exposed megabytes of personal data that could be damaging to the people who shared pictures and other highly intimate information on the online message boards. Included in the leaked file are (1) IP addresses that connected to the sites, (2) user passwords…
Hackers breach HealthCare.gov system, get data on 75,000
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar reports: A government computer system that interacts with HealthCare.gov was hacked earlier this month, compromising the sensitive personal data of some 75,000 people, officials said Friday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made the announcement late in the afternoon ahead of a weekend, a time slot agencies often use to release unfavorable…
Ex-Virginia teacher charged in hack of celebrities, others
Denise Lavoie reports: A former Virginia high school teacher has agreed to plead guilty in a hacking scheme that allowed him to obtain nude photographs and other private information from more than 200 people, including celebrities. Christopher Brannan, 30, a former teacher at Lee-Davis High School, was charged in April with aggravated identity theft and…
Information of 396K Users Exposed in Facepunch Data Breach
Sergiu Gatlan reports: As reported by Troy Hunt’s Have I Been Pwned breach notification service, the Facepunch game studio was the victim of a data breach in June 2016 which led to sensitive information of 396,650 users being exposed. […] Furthermore, the Facepunch studio said they knew about the security breach and that all people…
Hackers accused of ties to Russia hit three East European companies: ESET researchers
Jack Stubbs reports: Hackers have infected three energy and transport companies in Ukraine and Poland with sophisticated new malware and may be planning destructive cyber attacks, a software security firm said on Wednesday. Read more on Reuters.