Myles Illidge reports: The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD) is taking the Information Regulator to court to appeal the R5 million fine the agency slapped it with after falling prey to a ransomware attack in 2021, TechCentral reports. Departmental spokesperson Steven Mahlangu reportedly said the court application was issued on 29 September 2023…
Category: Malware
INC Ransomware claims to have hit Federal Labor Relations Authority
On September 20, a relatively new ransomware gang called INC Ransomware added the Federal Labor Relations Authority to their leak site. As proof, they offered six images of files, two of which appear to contain personal information from cases or submissions involving care. In response to a request from this site, INC also provided DataBreaches…
Ransomware gang QakBot resurfaces after Feds’ botnet takedown
Simon Hendery reports: Evidence suggests the notorious Qakbot malware gang continued staging cyberattacks in August, even as authorities seized its‘ infrastructure and dismantled the formidable botnet it had built up over several years. Before the FBI-led operation that took down the botnet, QakBot (also known as “QBot,” “QuackBot” and “Pinkslipbot”) was the most common malware…
Against advice of board attorney and feds, David Archie reveals how much Hinds County paid hackers after cyberattack
Bravo for standing up for transparency! C.J. LeMaster reports: Hinds County Supervisor David Archie revealed how much officials paid hackers after a cyberattack crippled county services for weeks, against the advice of the board’s attorney and federal investigators, with Archie arguing taxpayers have a right to know what’s going on with their tax dollars. The…
Melissa: ransomware prevention partnership
From Politie, this press release: Driebergen – The Public Prosecution Service (OM), the police, the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), Cyberveilig Nederland and various private parties* from the cybersecurity sector today signed the ‘Melissa’ covenant. Melissa is a partnership between these public and private parties to combat ransomware attacks. The shared goal is to make the Netherlands…
HC3: Analyst Note: LokiBot Malware
Report: 202309291200 Executive Summary Active since 2015 and among the most prevalent and persistent strains of malware families since 2018, LokiBot has matured over time to target multi-sector industries. Despite its apolitical targeting of critical infrastructure, the malware’s adverse effect on the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector shows its reach. In March 2020, a…