Phil Muncaster reports: Ukrainian law enforcers have arrested a suspected botnet herder responsible for controlling an automated network of around 100,000 compromised machines to launch DDoS and other attacks. The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) claimed the resident of Ivano-Frankivsk also used the botnet to launch spam campaigns, scan for vulnerabilities in websites to exploit, and brute-force…
Dutch police send warning letters to customers of DDoS booter service
Catalin Cimpanu reports: Dutch police have taken a rare step this week and sent letters to 29 individuals who used a now-defunct DDoS-for-hire service —also known as a DDoS booter— to launch DDoS attacks against various targets. In the letters, Dutch officials warned users that they’d been added to a database of past miscreants, and…
Cyberattack shuts down Ecuador’s largest bank, Banco Pichincha
Lawrence Abrams reports: Ecuador’s largest private bank Banco Pichincha has suffered a cyberattack that disrupted operations and taken the ATM and online banking portal offline. The cyberattack occurred over the weekend, causing the bank to shut down portions of their network to prevent the attack’s spread to other systems. Read more on BleepingComputer.
Olympus US systems hit by cyberattack over the weekend
Sergiu Gatlan reports: Olympus, a leading medical technology company, was forced to take down IT systems in the Americas (U.S., Canada, and Latin America) following a cyberattack that hit its network Sunday, October 10, 2021. “Upon detection of suspicious activity, we immediately mobilized a specialized response team including forensics experts, and we are currently working…
Verizon-owned Visible network suffers suspected data breach
Corbin Davenport reports on an unconfirmed (as yet?) breach: Visible is a “digital” carrier owned by Verizon, with a greater emphasis on fair pricing and shared plans. The company has gained popularity for its relatively low pricing for unlimited data plans, and earlier this year, Visible introduced 5G service and eSIM support. However, Visible subscribers…
How I hacked ALL displays in my high school district to play Rick Astley
Minh Duong writes: On April 30th, 2021, I rickrolled my high school district. Not just my school but the entirety of Township High School District 214. It’s the second-largest high school district in Illinois, consisting of 6 different schools with over 11,000 enrolled students. This story isn’t one of those typical rickrolls where students sneak…