Chris Quevatre reports: Step inside the offices of Bluescreen and you’ll find some of the UK’s most talented teenage hackers, dragged from a world of crime to fight for the other side. These young computer experts have swapped the confines of their bedrooms for a fairly ordinary looking cyber security company in Plymouth. Bluescreen employs…
Category: Of Note
How hackers use ransomware to hide data breaches and other attacks
Dan Swinhoe reports: Although ransomware attacks are on the decline — Darktrace suggests infections have decreased by as much as 28 percent between 2017 and 2018 — the threat these extortion attacks pose is still very real and for reasons beyond disruption to operations. More sophisticated attackers are using ransomware to cover their tracks in…
So your payment card hasn’t been misused after you used it at Planet Hollywood or Buca di Beppo? Don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet.
Several days ago, Earl Enterprises, the hospitality industry firm behind several well-known restaurant brands like Planet Hollywood, Buca di Beppo, Earl of Sandwich, Chicken Guy!, Mixology, and Tequila Taqueria announced a security breach of its payment card processing systems. Their announcement came as no surprise to Brian Krebs, who had found Buca di Beppo customer…
Michigan practice folds after cyberattackers wipe out all their files
On March 29, WWMT in Michigan reported: Hacked and held for ransom by a computer virus, a doctor’s office in Battle Creek was forced to close its doors after, doctors said, they refused to pay and their entire system was wiped out. Dr. William Scalf told Newschannel 3 ransomware locked up the system at Brookside…
HHS security policies should focus on incentives, not penalties, health IT leaders say
Heather Landi reports: The federal government needs to provide more resources and incentives to help healthcare organizations better protect their IT systems and data from cyberattacks, according to health IT security leaders. Currently, the Department of Health and Human Services’ privacy and security standards are too focused on compliance and are unduly punitive to healthcare…
Russia blocks encrypted mail service provider ProtonMail
Tamer Sameeh reports: Russian federal authorities have directed internet service providers across the country to block access to ProtonMail, an encrypted email service provider, as confirmed by the company’s CEO. The block order came directly from the Russian Federal Security Service, which was formerly known as the KGB. As reported via a Russian blog post…