Richard A. Clarke (left) and Robert K. Knake

Will Cyberattacks Lead to Prolonged Conflicts?

Nick Holland • July 16, 2019

There's good news and bad news about the current state of cybersecurity, according to Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake, two former federal advisers who have written a new book. Learn about their concerns that cyberattacks could escalate into prolonged conflicts.

3rd Party Risk Management

DDoS Attacker Austin 'DerpTrolling' Thompson Gets Sentenced

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Cybercrime

Impact of AMCA Breach Continues to Grow

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • July 17, 2019

The impact of the massive American Medical Collection Agency data breach continues to grow. At least two more laboratories have said their patients' data was potentially compromised by the breach. Meanwhile, court filings accuse AMCA of a lack of "cooperation and transparency" in the wake of the incident.

Cybercrime as-a-service

Suspected Rubella Toolkit Mastermind Arrested

Scott Ferguson • July 17, 2019

A 20-year-old Dutch man suspected of creating the Rubella Macro Builder toolkit and distributing it on underground forums has been arrested by the Dutch National Police, which received assistance from McAfee. Rubella and other toolkits enable attackers to distribute malware through weaponized Office documents.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery

Ransomware: As GandCrab Retires, Sodinokibi Rises

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 17, 2019

With the GandCrab ransomware-as-service gang promising to retire - and free decryptors now aiding victims - rival Sodinokibi has already stepped into the void, security experts warn. Driven also by attackers wielding Ryuk, Dharma and Phobos, ransom payments by victims have been surging.

Active Defense & Deception

How Deception Technology Is Evolving

Nick Holland • July 17, 2019

Deception technology is becoming more sophisticated, enabling organizations to battle against emerging threats, says Alissa Knight, senior analyst at Aite Group, a research and advisory company.

Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

Senators Scrutinize Facebook's Cryptocurrency Plans

Scott Ferguson • July 16, 2019

At a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers grilled a Facebook executive about the company's plans to launch a cryptocurrency. One Democratic senator said Facebook "does not respect the power of the technologies they are playing with - like a toddler who has gotten his hands on a book of matches."

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Insider Medicaid Fraud Case: 'An Important Reminder'

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • July 16, 2019

The sentencing of a former worker at a substance abuse treatment provider in connection with a Medicaid fraud conspiracy "is an important reminder about the threats from insiders," one privacy attorney says.

Application Security

Security Flaw Exposed Valid Airline Boarding Passes

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 16, 2019

A vulnerability in global airline check-in software used by 500 airlines could have been exploited to download other individuals' valid boarding passes, potentially giving them access to restricted airport spaces, warns security expert David Stubley. The flaw in Amadeus travel software has now been fixed.

Application Security

How a Big Rock Revealed a Tesla XSS Vulnerability

Jeremy Kirk • July 16, 2019

Software vulnerabilities sometimes have an uncanny knack of revealing themselves, even when a bug hunter is looking someplace else. Sam Curry's probing eventually revealed a cross-site scripting flaw in a Tesla service, which netted him a $10,000 bounty.

Endpoint Security

Broadcom Reportedly Suspends Bid for Symantec

Scott Ferguson • July 15, 2019

Broadcom has reportedly suspended its effort to acquire Symantec after the two companies failed to agree on a price for the deal. The negotiations had been ongoing for several weeks.

Cybercrime

'Sea Turtle' DNS Hijackers Expand Reach

Jeffrey Burt • July 15, 2019

The group behind the Sea Turtle espionage campaign that was exposed in April is expanding its geographic reach and claiming new victims, according to researchers with Cisco's Talos unit.

Account Takeover

Payment Fraud: Criminals Enroll Stolen Cards on Apple Pay

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 15, 2019

Fraudsters continue to get new tricks up their sleeves. Criminals are increasingly using Apple Pay, setting up mobile call centers to socially engineer victims as well as tricking consumers via fake e-commerce sites that never fulfill orders, fraud-fighting experts warn.

Cybercrime

Phishing Campaign Tied to Amazon Prime Day

Akshaya Asokan • July 15, 2019

In the run-up to Amazon Prime Day, some of the company's customers were being targeted by a phishing kit called 16Shop, according to McAfee researchers. The campaign is similar to an earlier attack that focused on Apple users.