Friday’s release of suspected NSA spying tools is bad news for companies running Windows Server. The cyberweapons, which are now publicly available, can easily hack older versions of the OS. The Shadow Brokers, a mysterious hacking group, leaked the files online, setting off worries that cybercriminals will incorporate them in their own hacks. “This leak basically puts nation-state tools into the hands of anyone who wants them,” said Matthew Hickey, the director of security provider Hacker House.He’s been among the researchers looking over the files and has found they contain about 20 different Windows-based exploits -- four of which appear to leverage previously unknown software vulnerabilities.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Friday’s release of suspected NSA spying tools is bad news for companies running Windows Server. The cyberweapons, which are now publicly available, can easily hack older versions of the OS. The Shadow Brokers, a mysterious hacking group, leaked the files online, setting off worries that cybercriminals will incorporate them in their own hacks. “This leak basically puts nation-state tools into the hands of anyone who wants them,” said Matthew Hickey, the director of security provider Hacker House.He’s been among the researchers looking over the files and has found they contain about 20 different Windows-based exploits -- four of which appear to leverage previously unknown software vulnerabilities.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A hacking group has released suspected U.S. government files that show the National Security Agency may have spied on banks across the Middle East.Numerous Windows hacking tools are also among the new batch of files the Shadow Brokers dumped Friday. In recent months, the mysterious group has been releasing hacking tools allegedly taken from the NSA, and security researchers say they actually work.Friday’s leak includes an archive describing the internal architecture at EastNets, a Dubai-based anti-money laundering company that also offers services related to SWIFT, the financial banking network.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A hacking group has released suspected U.S. government files that show the National Security Agency may have spied on banks across the Middle East.Numerous Windows hacking tools are also among the new batch of files the Shadow Brokers dumped Friday. In recent months, the mysterious group has been releasing hacking tools allegedly taken from the NSA, and security researchers say they actually work.Friday’s leak includes an archive describing the internal architecture at EastNets, a Dubai-based anti-money laundering company that also offers services related to SWIFT, the financial banking network.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The future seems bright for the automobile. A whole host of technologies -- including self-driving systems – is set to reinvent the auto industry, making cars more computerized than ever.But not everyone shares a rosy outlook. “I know what is going to happen in the future and I don’t like it,” said Bruce Perens, a leading open source advocate. “And I would like to guide it in a somewhat different direction.”His fear is that consumers who buy next-generation cars will face obstacles to modifying or repairing them -- like purchasing a smartphone, only far more expensive, with manufacturers in sole control over the tech upgrades.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The future seems bright for the automobile. A whole host of technologies -- including self-driving systems – is set to reinvent the auto industry, making cars more computerized than ever.But not everyone shares a rosy outlook. “I know what is going to happen in the future and I don’t like it,” said Bruce Perens, a leading open source advocate. “And I would like to guide it in a somewhat different direction.”His fear is that consumers who buy next-generation cars will face obstacles to modifying or repairing them -- like purchasing a smartphone, only far more expensive, with manufacturers in sole control over the tech upgrades.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A previously unknown Microsoft Office vulnerability was recently used to deliver spyware to Russian-speaking targets, in a possible case of cyberespionage.Security firm FireEye noticed the intrusion attempt, which taps a critical software flaw that hackers are using to craft malicious Microsoft Word documents.On Wednesday, FireEye said it uncovered one attack that weaponized a Russian military training manual. Once opened, the malicious document will deliver FinSpy, a surveillance software that’s been marketed to governments.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A previously unknown Microsoft Office vulnerability was recently used to deliver spyware to Russian-speaking targets, in a possible case of cyberespionage.Security firm FireEye noticed the intrusion attempt, which taps a critical software flaw that hackers are using to craft malicious Microsoft Word documents.On Wednesday, FireEye said it uncovered one attack that weaponized a Russian military training manual. Once opened, the malicious document will deliver FinSpy, a surveillance software that’s been marketed to governments.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The arrest last week of a Russian man in Spain was apparently for his role in a massive spam botnet and not related to an ongoing investigation into foreign tampering with last year's U.S. election.The botnet, called Kelihos, has enslaved hundreds of thousands of computers, and distributed spam and malware to users across the globe. However, the U.S. has taken action to dismantle the illegal operation, the Department of Justice said on Monday.The arrest of 36-year-old Peter Yuryevich Levashov, the botnet's alleged operator, was at first thought to be related to the ongoing U.S. investigation of presidential election-related hacking, but the DOJ said on Monday that wasn't the case.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The arrest last week of a Russian man in Spain was apparently for his role in a massive spam botnet and not related to an ongoing investigation into foreign tampering with last year's U.S. election.The botnet, called Kelihos, has enslaved hundreds of thousands of computers, and distributed spam and malware to users across the globe. However, the U.S. has taken action to dismantle the illegal operation, the Department of Justice said on Monday.The arrest of 36-year-old Peter Yuryevich Levashov, the botnet's alleged operator, was at first thought to be related to the ongoing U.S. investigation of presidential election-related hacking, but the DOJ said on Monday that wasn't the case.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The suspected CIA spying tools exposed by WikiLeaks have been linked to hacking attempts on at least 40 targets in 16 countries, according to security firm Symantec.The tools share “close similarities” with the tactics from an espionage team called Longhorn, Symantec said in a Monday post. Longhorn has been active since at least 2011, using Trojan programs and previously unknown software vulnerabilities to hack targets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The suspected CIA spying tools exposed by WikiLeaks have been linked to hacking attempts on at least 40 targets in 16 countries, according to security firm Symantec.The tools share “close similarities” with the tactics from an espionage team called Longhorn, Symantec said in a Monday post. Longhorn has been active since at least 2011, using Trojan programs and previously unknown software vulnerabilities to hack targets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A group of hackers who claimed to hold millions of iCloud accounts for ransom said on Friday they'd been paid. But one bitcoin expert says that's bogus. The Turkish Crime Family grabbed headlines last month by claiming they had the stolen login credentials for more than 700 million icloud.com, me.com and mac.com accounts. They demanded increasing ransoms from Apple while threatening to wipe the data from devices connected to the affected accounts if it did not.On Friday, the hackers tweeted that they had been paid US$480,000 in bitcoin. As proof, the group posted a link showing a transaction on Blockchain.info, a popular bitcoin wallet. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A group of hackers who claimed to hold millions of iCloud accounts for ransom said on Friday they'd been paid. But one bitcoin expert says that's bogus. The Turkish Crime Family grabbed headlines last month by claiming they had the stolen login credentials for more than 700 million icloud.com, me.com and mac.com accounts. They demanded increasing ransoms from Apple while threatening to wipe the data from devices connected to the affected accounts if it did not.On Friday, the hackers tweeted that they had been paid US$480,000 in bitcoin. As proof, the group posted a link showing a transaction on Blockchain.info, a popular bitcoin wallet. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
When the source code to a suspected Russian-made malware leaked online in 2013, guess who used it? A new release from WikiLeaks claims the U.S. CIA borrowed some of the code to bolster its own hacking operations.On Friday, WikiLeaks released 27 documents that allegedly detail how the CIA customized its malware for Windows systems.The CIA borrowed a few elements from the Carberp financial malware when developing its own hacking tool known as Grasshopper, according to those documents.Carberp gained infamy as a Trojan program that can steal online banking credentials and other financial information from its victims' computers. The malware, which likely came from the criminal underground, was particularly problematic in Russia and other former Soviet states.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
When the source code to a suspected Russian-made malware leaked online in 2013, guess who used it? A new release from WikiLeaks claims the U.S. CIA borrowed some of the code to bolster its own hacking operations.On Friday, WikiLeaks released 27 documents that allegedly detail how the CIA customized its malware for Windows systems.The CIA borrowed a few elements from the Carberp financial malware when developing its own hacking tool known as Grasshopper, according to those documents.Carberp gained infamy as a Trojan program that can steal online banking credentials and other financial information from its victims' computers. The malware, which likely came from the criminal underground, was particularly problematic in Russia and other former Soviet states.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The U.S. might add other airports to its ban restricting passengers from bringing laptops and other electronics into the cabin for certain flights from the Middle East.“We may take measures in the not too distant future to expand the number of airports,” said Homeland Security secretary John Kelly on Wednesday during a congressional hearing.Last month, the U.S. announced the ban, which affects ten airports, all of which are in Muslim-majority countries. Passengers flying to the U.S. are barred from bringing any electronic devices larger than a smartphone into a plane’s cabin, and must instead check them in as baggage. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The U.S. might add other airports to its ban restricting passengers from bringing laptops and other electronics into the cabin for certain flights from the Middle East.“We may take measures in the not too distant future to expand the number of airports,” said Homeland Security secretary John Kelly on Wednesday during a congressional hearing.Last month, the U.S. announced the ban, which affects ten airports, all of which are in Muslim-majority countries. Passengers flying to the U.S. are barred from bringing any electronic devices larger than a smartphone into a plane’s cabin, and must instead check them in as baggage. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Companies that choose to outsource their IT operations should be careful. Suspected Chinese hackers have been hitting businesses by breaching their third-party IT service providers. Major IT suppliers that specialize in cloud storage, help desk, and application management have become a top target for the hacking group known as APT10, security providers BAE Systems and PwC said in a joint report.That's because these suppliers often have direct access to their client's networks. APT10 has been found stealing intellectual property as part of a global cyberespionage campaign that ramped up last year, PwC said on Monday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Companies that choose to outsource their IT operations should be careful. Suspected Chinese hackers have been hitting businesses by breaching their third-party IT service providers. Major IT suppliers that specialize in cloud storage, help desk, and application management have become a top target for the hacking group known as APT10, security providers BAE Systems and PwC said in a joint report.That's because these suppliers often have direct access to their client's networks. APT10 has been found stealing intellectual property as part of a global cyberespionage campaign that ramped up last year, PwC said on Monday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Michael Kan