Wade Goodwyn reports: It’s been a bad summer so far for government information systems. Hackers have used ransomware to attack the data networks of Baltimore, the Georgia courts system and Lake City, Fla., to name a few. And the decision as to whether to pay the extortionists ransom is fraught. Pay them, get the decryption…
Category: Malware
CA: KHSU Hit by Cyber Attack
A university radio station has gone silent after being hit with a ransomware attack. Thaddeus Greenson reports: The dead air you’ve been hearing on KHSU is the result of a ransomeware attack that disabled most of the station’s programming systems and storage servers, according to Humboldt State University. A university spokesperson tells the Journal the…
New versions of FinFisher mobile spyware discovered in Myanmar
Catalin Cimpanu reports: Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab have discovered new and improved versions of the FinFisher spyware. The new versions, which target Android and iOS phones, have been in use since 2018, and the most recent FinFisher implants have been discovered active as late as last month, in Myanmar, a country in the midst…
Malware attack disables government computer systems in LaPorte, Indiana
Nick Pappas reports: According to LaPorte County Commission President Dr. Vidya Kora, county employees will not have access to any government email or website for at least a couple days. Authorities say that the county experienced a malware attack that occurred on Saturday morning, disabling computer and email systems. Read more on ABC.
ICO statement: Intention to fine British Airways £183.39m under GDPR for data breach
In September, 2018, the International Airlines Group (IAG) announced that British Airways was investigating a possible data breach involving its website and mobile application. Soon after, we learned that 380,000 payments had been compromised in a few weeks between August 21, when Magecart malware was injected, and early September. Today, the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office…
Sometimes, paying the ransom doesn’t solve the problems
Paying ransom doesn’t always guarantee that a ransomware victim will be able to recover all of the encrypted data. Some more food for thought in a news story today about ransomware in the New York Times that highlights how small government entities are being targeted recently: The F.B.I. said it had received nearly 1,500 ransomware…