Tag: Cybersecurity
Massive hike in phishing and malware attacks in Q3 – October 18th
Reports show that phishing and malware attacks have spiked by 173% and 110% respectively in the third quarter of this year, compared with the second quarter of the year. A staggering 493.2 million phishing attacks and 125.7 million malware attacks were logged during this period.
Discord called a ‘hotbed’ of malware activity – October 17th
Discord continues to be used by threat actors to launch malware attacks. Researchers have warned the online platform continues to be used to distribute malware and exfiltrate data. Three ways threat actors have been using Discord include stealing passwords, abusing webhooks, and stealing passwords.
Women leaders hit by ROMCOM attacks
Leading women politicians have become the latest targets of the now-notorious Void Rabisu threat actor following a cyber-campaign aimed at the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Summit in Brussels in June. A new report from Japan-based cybersecurity company Trend Micro shines a light on Void Rabisu’s extensive recent cyber-espionage activities.
Q3-2023 shows ransomware attacks have doubled since last year – October 16th
The Q3-2023 Ransomware Report of cyber threat intelligence company Cyble has shown that ransomware attacks have doubled over the past year. The reports also show the healthcare sector to be the most targeted in these attacks, and the US as being the most targeted area.
Israel conflict spreads to cyberspace
Israel-based cybersecurity firm Check Point Software said that the company has tracked over 40 groups conducting attacks that overwhelmed and disrupted more than 80 websites starting with the day of the Hamas onslaught. These included government and media sites and have the appearance of a concerted cyber follow-up to the genocidal terrorist attacks that took place on the ground.
Ransomware gangs start to fight dirty
According to cybersecurity company SecureWorks’ annual State of the Threat Report, over the last 12 months, attackers have shortened the time between the initial penetration of the corporate network to the ransomware demand itself from 4.5 days to less than one day. This period, known in the cybersecurity industry as ‘dwell time’, offers well-equipped cybercriminals a leisurely opportunity to drain the company of funds and its most sensitive secrets. In 10 percent of cases, ransomware was even deployed within five hours of initial access.
Google responds to increase in malware-related money theft – October 13th
Google has warned users of Android devices to take specific precautionary measures to prevent malware infection. This warning comes after a reported increase in malware aimed at stealing information and money. Precautionary measures advised by the service provider include turning on Google Play Protect, updating software, and removing untrusted apps.
Senior citizens targeted in Phantom Hacker scam – October 12th
State security in Pennsylvania, US has warned against a new hacker scam targeting senior citizens, called Phantom Hacker. The scam artists attempt to convince senior citizens that their accounts holding financial details have been hacked. They then suggest transferring money into an 'alias' account under the guise of being federal agency officials.
Cost of texting fraud rises fivefold in three years
The official cost of texting fraud in 2022 rose to $330 million, representing a fivefold increase since 2019, with an average cost of $1,000 to the victims concerned. But the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which issued the figures, acknowledges that this is only the tip of a gigantic cybercrime iceberg, as most phone scams go unreported.
Taiwan hit by major cyber-espionage attack
A cyber-espionage campaign in the Pacific, directed principally at Taiwan, which took place in the Spring, has now come to light. According to cybersecurity company, Symantec, a large-scale program of cyber-enabled international espionage began in February 2023 and continued until at least May 2023.
LockBit threatens another major data leakage – October 11th
The LockBit ransomware gang has threatened to release data stolen from CDW Corp, a major IT reseller and services provider in the US, UK, and Canada after discussions over the ransom fee for the data commenced. The notorious ransomware gang demanded $80 million, with CDW offering just $1.1 million as their ransom counteroffer.
Millions of individuals’ DNA selling for a dollar a piece
At least seven million customers of San Francisco-based DNA company, 23andMe, are now seeing their confidential and highly personal genetic data up for sale on the internet. The hackers are also offering the millions of victims’ personal email addresses for good measure and to best assist potential blackmailers and fraudsters.