Bill Toulas reports: The number of ransomware victims paying ransom demands has dropped to a record low of 29% in the final quarter of 2023, according to ransomware negotiation firm Coveware. This trend became apparent in mid-2021 when the payment rate dropped to 46% after previously being 85% at the start of 2019. According to Coveware, the…
Italy government proposes tougher jail terms for cybercriminals
Reuters reports: Italy’s government is set to propose tougher jail terms for cybercrime and stricter disclosure rules for public bodies that come under attack from hackers, according to a draft law seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The bill, set for discussion at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, comes after repeated instances of ransomware and other…
SolarWinds Seeks Dismissal of ‘Unfounded’ SEC Cybersecurity Suit
Skye Witley reports: SolarWinds Corp. issued a full-throated denial of wrongdoing in how it handled one of the worst cyberattacks in history in a Friday court filing seeking the dismissal of US Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that its software security representations defrauded investors and violated rules on controls. SolarWinds argued that it disclosed risks…
Facebook suffers big loss in lawsuit against data-scraping company
Jon Brodkin reports: One year after Meta sued a data-scraping company, a federal judge this week threw out Meta’s breach-of-contract claim because the defendant obtained only public data from Facebook and Instagram. Meta sued Bright Data in January 2023, making claims of breach of contract and tortious interference with contract. Bright Data is an Israeli company that collects data…
NYS Comptroller Audit: Garrison Union Free School District – Information Technology (2023M-127)
Issued Date: January 19, 2024 [read complete report – pdf] Audit Objective Determine whether Garrison Union Free School District (District) officials secured the District’s network user accounts, established physical controls and maintained inventory records for information technology (IT) equipment, and developed an IT contingency plan. Key Findings District officials did not adequately secure the District’s…
Ottawa-based cyberfraudster sentenced to 2 years
CBC reports: An Ottawa man convicted on charges related to a ransomware attack affecting hundreds of victims was sentenced to two years behind bars on Friday. Matthew Philbert, 33, was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in late 2021 following a lengthy investigation that also involved the RCMP, the FBI and Europol. Philbert was accused of co-ordinating…