Ionut Ilascu reports: Fake extortionists are piggybacking on data breaches and ransomware incidents, threatening U.S. companies with publishing or selling allegedly stolen data unless they get paid. Sometimes the actors add the menace of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack if the message recipient does not comply with the instructions in the message. Read more about…
‘Vulkan files’ leak reveals Putin’s global and domestic cyberwarfare tactics
Luke Harding, Stiliyana Simeonova, Manisha Ganguly, and Dan Sabbagh at The Guardian provide some background on the Vulkan Files: ….. The Vulkan files, which date from 2016 to 2021, were leaked by an anonymous whistleblower angered by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Such leaks from Moscow are extremely rare. Days after the invasion in February last…
FDA requires medical devices be secured against cyberattacks
Jennifer Korn reports: The Food and Drug Administration will now require medical devices meet specific cybersecurity guidelines after years of concerns that a growing number of internet-connected products used by hospitals and healthcare providers could be hit by hacks and ransomware attacks. Under FDA guidance issued this week, all new medical device applicants must now submit a…
Agencies hunt for hacker “9Near” (updated)
The Bangkok Post reports: Authorities are hunting down a hacker who has threatened to release the personal data of 55 million Thais if the government agency allegedly involved in the leakage of information fails to meet a ransom demand by April 5. Read more at The Bangkok Post. See also Thaiger. As of publication time,…
“A crucial learning experience.” – ICO calls for highest standards in HIV services after NHS Highland reprimand
From the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): NHS Highland reprimanded for a “serious” data breach amongst those accessing HIV services ICO calls for higher standards when protecting data of people living with HIV Service providers could be fined or reprimanded for exposing sensitive data The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a reprimand to NHS Highland for…
Consumer lender TMX discloses data breach impacting 4.8 million people
Bill Toulas reports: TMX Finance and its subsidiaries TitleMax, TitleBucks, and InstaLoan have collectively disclosed a data breach that exposed the personal data of 4,822,580 customers. TMX is a public financial service that operates equities, fixed income, derivatives, and energy markets exchanges, with a business presence in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Australia, and…