Following the Internet Organised Crime Assessment (IOCTA) 2023, today Europol published the spotlight report “Cyber Attacks: The Apex of Crime-as-a-Service”. It examines developments in cyber-attacks, discussing new methodologies and threats as observed by Europol’s operational analysts. The report also outlines the types of criminal structures that are behind cyber-attacks, and how these increasingly professionalised groups are exploiting…
Category: Of Note
HC3: Sector Alert: Akira Ransomware
September 12, 2023 TLP:CLEAR Report: 202309121400 Akira Ransomware Executive Summary Akira is a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) group that started operations in March 2023. Since its discovery, the group has claimed over 60 victims, which have typically ranged in the small- to medium-size business scale. Akira has garnered attention for a couple of reasons, such as their…
Chambersburg Area School District answers some questions about ransomware attack, won’t say if they paid hackers
A statement and FAQ by the Chambersburg Area School District, as shared by TriState Alert, appears below.The district offers its reasons (translation: excuses) for not answering the questions parents and the public really want to know: did the district pay ransom, and was personal information acquired by the attackers? Although the district did not name…
Disclose data breaches to us proactively, and we’ll lower any fines — ICO
Emma Woollacott reports: British businesses could face lower fines if they proactively report data breaches, thanks to an agreement between the UK’s data protection regulator and cybersecurity agency. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) say they plan to encourage engagement with the NCSC in the event of a breach, and allow meaningful…
Conti member indicted for role in 2021 Scripps Health ransomware attack
On September 7, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in coordination with the United Kingdom, sanctioned 11 individuals who are alleged to be part of the Russia-based Trickbot cybercrime group. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed indictments against nine individuals in connection with the…
Facebook Messenger phishing wave targets 100K business accounts per week
Bill Toulas reports: Hackers use a massive network of fake and compromised Facebook accounts to send out millions of Messenger phishing messages to target Facebook business accounts with password-stealing malware. The attackers trick the targets into downloading a RAR/ZIP archive containing a downloader for an evasive Python-based stealer that grabs cookies and passwords stored in…