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Cybercrime

Report: FBI Subpoenaed Data From Banks, Credit Agencies

Scott Ferguson  •  September 20, 2019

The FBI has issued hundreds of subpoenas to major banks, the big three credit rating agencies and other corporations as part of an ongoing counterterrorism program that collects personal and financial data, the New York Times reports.

Cybercrime

Other Attackers Reuse Old Magecart Domains: Report

Jeffrey Burt  •  September 20, 2019

Decommissioned domains that were part of the pervasive Magecart web-skimming campaigns are being put to use by other cybercriminals who are re-activating them for other scams, including malvertising, according to researchers at RiskIQ.

Account Takeover

Accused JPMorgan Chase Hacker Plans to Plead Guilty

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  September 20, 2019

Russian national Andrei Tyurin, who was extradited last year from Eastern Europe to the United States, has stated that he plans to accept a plea deal he's reached with federal prosecutors. Tyurin has been charged with numerous crimes, including hacking JPMorgan Chase and stealing 83 million customer records.

Application Security

Eight US Cities See Payment Card Data Stolen

Jeremy Kirk  •  September 20, 2019

Click2Gov municipal payment portals for eight U.S. cities were compromised after an apparent vulnerability in the software. More than 20,000 stolen payment card records have turned up in underground markets, says Gemini Advisory.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Analysis: Fallout From the Snowden Memoir

Nick Holland  •  September 20, 2019

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features a discussion of the controversies surrounding the release of whistleblower Edward Snowden's memoir. Also featured: An update on Lumen PDF's breach disclosure; insights on financial services identity management issues.

Cybercrime

Phony IRS Emails Promise Refund, But Deliver Botnet Instead

Apurva Venkat  •  September 19, 2019

A new phishing email campaign promises to deliver a tax refund, but instead helps spread a botnet called Amadey, according to researchers at the security firm Cofense.

Cybercrime

Cryptoming Botnet Smominru Returns With a Vengeance

Jeffrey Burt  •  September 19, 2019

The crypotmining botnet Smominru, which has been around since at least 2017, has resurfaced with a new campaign that has infected 90,000 devices worldwide, including in the U.S., China and Russia, according to security analysts at Guardicore.

Cybercrime

Supply Chain Attacks: Hackers Hit IT Providers

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  September 19, 2019

A hacker group called Tortoiseshell has been hitting targets in the Middle East since at least July 2018, apparently targeting IT service providers to gain access to many potential targets at once. The campaign is fresh proof that criminals and nation-state attackers alike continue to favor supply chain attacks.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Adoption of AI Surveillance Technology Surges

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  September 18, 2019

Governments are rapidly adopting AI surveillance technology to advance political goals, according to a new report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. While Chinese suppliers dominate, liberal democracies and authoritarian regimes alike are developing and procuring such technology.

Governance

Lumin PDF Leak Exposed Data on 24 Million Users

Jeremy Kirk  •  September 18, 2019

Ignoring a breach disclosure can have ugly consequences. Case in point: Lumin PDF, a PDF editing tool, which saw data for much of its user base - about 24.3 million - published in an online forum late Monday. Data breach expert Troy Hunt says it's sign of the dysfunction in the breach disclosure process.

Governance

Justice Department Sues Snowden Over Memoir

Scott Ferguson  •  September 18, 2019

The U.S. Justice Department has sued Edward Snowden over his new memoir, claiming that the former NSA contractor violated a nondisclosure agreement he signed when he worked for the government before becoming the world's best-known whistleblower. The suit seeks to collect all profits from the book.

Cybercrime

Researchers: Emotet Botnet Is Active Again

Apurva Venkat  •  September 17, 2019

Emotet, one of the most powerful malware-spreading botnets, is active again after a four-month absence, according to several security researchers who noticed a surge in activity primarily against U.S., U.K. and German targets starting on Monday.