Catalin Cimpanu reports: A sophisticated threat actor has gained access and has backdoored the internal network of a US federal government agency, antivirus maker Avast reported this week. The security firm did not name the agency in its report, but The Record understands that the target of the attack was the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)….
Category: Malware
Coles, Westpac, AMP and Department of Defence caught up in ‘significant’ data breach of Finite Recruitment
Simon Elvery, Emily Sakzewski, and Matt Liddy report: The personal details of job applicants and staff at a range of major Australian companies and government agencies have potentially been exposed in a “significant” data breach and extortion attempt against Australian recruitment company Finite. Hackers have accessed and released sensitive data that includes resumes, offers of employment,…
McMenamins hit by ransomware attack; chain says customer data appears secure but employee info at risk
Mike Rogoway reports: Portland hotel and brewpub chain McMenamins has been hit by a ransomware attack that left many of its computer systems inoperable. Intruders may have accessed some of its employee records, the company said Wednesday night, but appear to have left customer data untouched. McMenamins said it identified and blocked the attack on…
Growing Cyberthreats, Surging Insurance Costs
Suzanne Smalley reports: Higher education institutions seeking cybersecurity insurance today are not unlike homeowners living on the water in a hurricane-prone coastal community: the riskier the environment, the harder it is to get insured. For both community colleges and four-year institutions, cyberthreats are now very pronounced, and that reality has led to more institutions facing…
French police detain suspect who laundered €19 million in ransomware payments
Catalin Cimpanu reports: French authorities have arrested a suspect this week for allegedly laundering more than €19 million (~$21.4 million) in ransomware payments. Authorities have not released the suspect’s name, who was only identified as a male from the Vaucluse department in southeast France, nor the name of the ransomware group with whom he collaborated….
Ie: Ransomware cyberattack hits Coombe hospital, IT services locked down as precaution
Eoghan Moloney and Eilish O’Regan report: The Coombe Hospital has been the subject of a ransomware cyberattack overnight, the hospital has confirmed. The maternity and infants hospital said that services are continuing as normal despite the cyberattack on Wednesday night. The hospital isolated and locked down its IT services once the attack was discovered “on…