Shaun Nichols reports: The CIA was so focused on developing whizzbang exploit code, it left any thought of basic computer security principles on the kitchen counter before dashing off to work each morning. That oversight led to the super-agency inadvertently spilling its hacking tools ultimately into the hands of WikiLeaks, which duly disclosed details of the spies’…
North Korea’s state hackers caught engaging in BEC scams
Catalin Cimpanu reports: At the ESET Virtual World security conference on Tuesday, security researchers from Slovak antivirus maker ESET have disclosed a new operation orchestrated by the Pyongyang regime’s infamous state-sponsored hacker crews. Codenamed “Operation In(ter)ception,” this campaign targeted victims for both cyber-espionage and financial theft. Read more on ZDNet.
RCMP warn of ransomware scam after business hacked
A news release from the Halifax District RCMP, seen on Halifax Today: RCMP is warning the public about a type of scam targeting businesses after a recent report received by Halifax District RCMP. Police received the report from a business that had their network hacked with ransomware. The hackers demanded $270,000 to reinstate their network….
The major hack alleged by Anonymous didn’t actually happen
Mikael Thalen reports: A popular Anonymous Twitter account spread unsubstantiated claims regarding hackers on Monday that eventually made their way into the feed of a sitting U.S. congressman. The account which helped spread the allegation, @YourAnonCentral, tweeted out an image of a map purporting to show a significant distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack underway against much of…
Warning issued over hackable security cameras
Amer Owaida reports: Around 3.5 million security cameras installed in homes and offices mainly in Asia and Europe have serious vulnerabilities that expose the gadgets’ owners to the risk that attackers will spy on them, steal their data or target other devices on the same networks, the United Kingdom’s consumer watchdog Which? has warned. “Brands with…
‘Vendetta’ hackers are posing as Taiwan’s CDC in data-theft campaign
Sean Lyngaas reports: A mysterious hacking group has been posing as Taiwan’s top infection-disease official in an attempt to steal sensitive data from Taiwanese users, researchers said Monday. The hackers sent meticulously written spearphishing emails to a select group of targets, which may have included Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control employees, according to ElevenPaths, the cybersecurity unit of…