Tag: hackers

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4 million fed workers victimized by hack

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By Cory Bennett – 06/04/15 05:17 PM EDT

Roughly 4 million current and former federal employees have had their data exposed by a hack, the Obama administration said Thursday.

The notification from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was short on details, but it appears troves of sensitive information had been pilfered.

Separate media reports cited China as being behind the massive hack.

The digital assailants first infiltrated the system in December, four months before they were discovered, The Washington Post reported.

“Protecting our Federal employee data from malicious cyber incidents is of the highest priority at OPM,” said OPM Director Katherine Archuleta. “We take very seriously our responsibility to secure the information stored in our systems.”

The FBI said it had opened up an investigation into the breach, which The Wall Street Journalreported is believed to have come from hackers in China.

An unnamed U.S. official told NBCNews that the data breach might touch every federal agency.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said it noticed “malicious activity affecting its information technology (IT) systems and data in April.”

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/244084-hackers-make-off-with-4-million-federal-employees-data

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Rutgers’ Internet on the fritz again

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Susan Loyer, @SusanLoyerMyCJ5:46 p.m. EDT April 27, 2015

RUTGERS – University officials reported late Monday afternoon that they are working to restore Internet service.

“The Rutgers University network is currently experiencing technical difficulties,” spokesman Steve Manas said. “OIT (Office of Information Technology) staff are aware of the issue and are working to restore services.”

Manas said status updates will be provided when they become available.

Numerous posts on Twitter earlier in the afternoon reported issues with the Internet.

https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2015/04/27/rutgers-internet-fritz/26466805/

Network Failure or Cyberattack? Rutgers Quiet About Breach Affecting Key Server

Rutgers Has Not Yet Acknowledged Problem, Which Has Affected Residential Internet Service and Numerous Other Services Including Sakai, eCollege, and ScartletMail https://newbrunswicktoday.com/article/network-failure-or-cyberattack-rutgers-quiet-about-breach

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FAA COMPUTER SYSTEMS HIT BY CYBERATTACK EARLIER THIS YEAR

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By Aliya Sternstein

April 6, 2015

Hackers earlier this year attacked a Federal Aviation Administration network with malicious software, agency officials said Monday.

In early February, FAA discovered “a known virus” spread via email on “its administrative computer system,” agency spokeswoman Laura Brown told Nextgov.

“After a thorough review, the FAA did not identify any damage to agency systems,” she added.

An upcoming competition among contractors to help run an FAA cybersecurity center might be altered as a result of the incident, according to an April 2 interim award notice that casually mentioned the attack.

FAA drew up a short-term agreement for incumbent contractor SRA International without reviewing competitors’ services to avoid disrupting operations while preparing a new solicitation, according to the notice.

“Due to a recent cyberattack, the FAA requires additional planning time to determine the impact to the competitive procurement’s requirements,” agency officials said in the notice.

https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2015/04/faa-computer-systems-hit-cyberattack-earlier-year/109384/?oref=govexec_today_nl

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Anonymous joins the legions of anti-Semites

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ADL warns Jewish groups of ‘digital terrorism’
By Elise Viebeck – 04/06/15 11:30 AM EDT

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is warning Jewish institutions and individuals to prepare for a potential hacking campaign mounted by an affiliate of Anonymous.

The ADL said a pro-Palestinian hacking collective known as AnonGhost is threatening an “electronic Holocaust” against Jews on Tuesday, including hacks targeting individuals’ cellphones. The effort was scheduled to coincide with the celebration of Passover.

“In the past three years, anti-Israel hackers participating in this campaign have targeted Israeli sites with limited success, but they are now widening their attacks to target individual Israelis with threatening anti-Semitic rhetoric,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, in a statement released Saturday.

“Israel and Jewish communities worldwide should be on alert, as digital terrorism takes many forms and hackers are getting more sophisticated,” Foxman said.

The campaign — dubbed #OpIsrael on Twitter — is intended to “erase” Israel from cyberspace, according to its organizers. Anonymous and its affiliates have a history of targeting Jewish institutions over Israel’s activities in the Palestinian conflict.

Online hostilities against Israel previously spiked during a 50-day battle with Palestinians that left more than 1,500 civilians dead. Security expert Isaac Ben-Israel of Tel Aviv University said cyberattacks against Israel jumped from 100,000 to more than one million per day during the conflict.

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/237972-adl-warns-jews-of-digital-terrorism-campaign

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Fairleigh Dickinson, Rutgers report cyberattacks

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Fairleigh Dickinson, Rutgers report cyberattacks

March 30, 2015, 10:26 AM    Last updated: Monday, March 30, 2015, 2:38 PM
By HANNAN ADELY and STEFANIE DAZIO
Staff Writers |
The Record

A second New Jersey university has reported that it was the target of a weekend cyberattack that crippled Internet-based services — similar to the one that struck Rutgers University a day earlier.

Fairleigh Dickinson University experienced an attack “on one of the university’s computers from the outside of the FDU network, causing an excessive amount of traffic,” according to an alert sent Saturday to students and faculty.

Reports came in Saturday morning that the network was slow and that later it was unavailable for Internet and other services, wrote Brian Domenick, director of Information Systems and Technology, in the email.

“The attack had the effect of flooding the network; sort of like trying to fit too many cars into the Holland Tunnel all at the same time. This situation, which is known as a ‘Denial of Service,’ severely impaired the university’s network to the point of effectively shutting it down,” he stated.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/fairleigh-dickinson-rutgers-report-cyberattacks-1.1298926

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Target agrees to pay $10 million to settle lawsuit from data breach

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Target agrees to pay $10 million to settle lawsuit from data breach

WASHINGTON Thu Mar 19, 2015 6:19am EDT

(Reuters) – Target Corp (TGT.N) has agreed to pay $10 million in a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit related to a huge 2013 data breach that consumers say compromised their personal financial information, court documents show.

Under the proposal, which requires federal court approval, Target will deposit the settlement amount into an interest bearing escrow account, to pay individual victims up to $10,000 in damages.

The claims will be submitted and processed primarily online through a dedicated website, according to the court documents.

The proposal also requires Target to adopt and implement data security measures such as appointing a chief information security officer and maintaining a written information security program.

“We are pleased to see the process moving forward and look forward to its resolution,” said Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder.

https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/19/us-target-settlement-idUSKBN0MF04K20150319

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Feds: Hackers stole 1 billion email addresses in spam scheme

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Feds: Hackers stole 1 billion email addresses in spam scheme

MARCH 6, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015, 3:44 PM
WIRE SERVICE

The Associated Press

ATLANTA – Computer hackers stole a whopping 1 billion email addresses from U.S. marketing companies in what federal authorities Friday described as a massive spam scheme.

Three people were indicted on federal charges in what John Horn, the acting U.S. attorney based in Atlanta, called “one of the largest reported data breaches in United States history.” He said they netted $2 million in commissions from millions of spam emails that routed recipients to websites selling software and other products.

That means the defendants would have averaged just a fraction of a penny for each of the stolen email addresses.

Still, authorities said the case is significant because of the scale of the information stolen. Horn said hackers targeted marketing companies that send bulk emails to customers of their commercial clients. They gained access to the firms’ computer systems by sending emails with hidden malware to the marketing companies’ employees.

The hackers not only stole hundreds of millions of email addresses, Horn said, but they also succeeded in using the marketing firms’ own systems to send the hackers’ spam messages.

One of the defendants, 25-year-old Vietnamese citizen Giang Hoang Vu, pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud before a federal judge last month. He has not been sentenced.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/feds-hackers-stole-1-billion-email-addresses-in-spam-scheme-1.1284168

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Hackers steal up to $1 billion from banks

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Hackers steal up to $1 billion from banks

Cybersecurity firm says international hacking ring steals up to $1 billion from banks

By Mae Anderson, AP Technology Writer4 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — A report from a cybersecurity firm says an international hacking ring has stolen up to $1 billion from banks around the globe in what would be one of the biggest banking breaches known.

The hackers have been active since at least the end of 2013 and infiltrated more than 100 banks in 30 countries, according to Russian security company Kaspersky Lab.

After gaining access to banks’ computers through phishing schemes and other methods, they lurk for months to learn the banks’ systems. Then the hackers have programmed ATMs to dispense money at specific times or set up fake accounts and transferred money into them.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hackers-steal-1-billion-banks-184427767.html

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Hackers access records for millions of Anthem customers

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Hackers access records for millions of Anthem customers

Feb 5, 11:23 AM (ET)

By TOM MURPHY

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hackers broke into a health insurance database storing information for about 80 million people in an attack bound to stoke fears many Americans have about the privacy of their most sensitive information.

Anthem, the nation’s second-largest health insurer, said it has yet to find any evidence that medical information like insurance claims or test results was targeted or taken in a “very sophisticated” cyberattack that it discovered last week. It also said credit card information wasn’t compromised, either.

The hackers did gain access to names, birthdates, email address, employment details, Social Security numbers, incomes and street addresses of people who are currently covered or have had coverage in the past.

An Anthem spokeswoman said Thursday the insurer was working with federal investigators to figure out who was behind the attack. They had not pinned down the exact number of people affected.

https://apnews.myway.com/article/20150205/us–anthem-hack-a8b630345b.html

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FBI briefed on alternate Sony hack theory : disgruntled employee

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FBI briefed on alternate Sony hack theory : disgruntled employee

By TAL KOPAN

12/29/14 7:41 PM EST

FBI agents investigating the Sony Pictures hack were briefed Monday by a security firm that says its research points to laid-off Sony staff, not North Korea, as the perpetrator — another example of the continuing whodunit blame game around the devastating attack.

Even the unprecedented decision to release details of an ongoing FBI investigation and President Barack Obama publicly blaming the hermit authoritarian regime hasn’t quieted a chorus of well-qualified skeptics who say the evidence just doesn’t add up.

Researchers from the cyber intelligence company Norse have said their own investigation into the data on the Sony attack doesn’t point to North Korea at all and instead indicates some combination of a disgruntled employee and hackers for piracy groups is at fault.

The FBI says it is standing by its conclusions, but the security community says they’ve been open and receptive to help from the private sector throughout the Sony investigation.

Norse, one of the world’s leading cyber intelligence firms, has been researching the hack since it was made public just before Thanksgiving.

Norse’s senior vice president of market development said that just the quickness of the FBI’s conclusion that North Korea was responsible was a red flag.

“When the FBI made the announcement so soon after the initial hack was unveiled, everyone in the [cyber] intelligence community kind of raised their eyebrows at it, because it’s really hard to pin this on anyone within days of the attack,” Kurt Stammberger said in an interview as his company briefed FBI investigators Monday afternoon.

He said the briefing was set up after his company approached the agency with its findings.

Stammberger said after the meeting the FBI was “very open and grateful for our data and assistance” but didn’t share any of its data with Norse, although that was what the company expected.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/fbi-briefed-on-alternate-sony-hack-theory-113866.html#ixzz3NNfE6sfl

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Hackers could control your car by attacking safety features

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Hackers could control your car by attacking safety features

Safety and security features can be exploited by hackers to steal information, extort money or even control vehicles, motoring experts have warned.

Modern cars are being fitted with internet connections and wireless networks to allow for music streaming, internet searches and news updates.

Through these, hackers can access and control a vehicle’s systems, including steering, braking and acceleration, according to experts.

Edmund King, president of the AA, told The Times: “You’re getting cars that are connected to the internet 24 hours a day. If cybercriminals targeted automobiles like they’re targeting other things we’d be in for a hard and fast ride.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/hackers-could-control-your-car-by-attacking-safety-features-9946247.html

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Critics hate ‘The Interview’

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Critics hate ‘The Interview’

As we had long speculated  , the Interview is a bad movie with great PR , in now looks like Sony concocted the whole North Korea nonsense to deflect form the second serious Hacker breach in as many years , PJ Blogger

Movie critics say the controversy surrounding “The Interview” is much more interesting than the movie itself

The movie is scoring just a 50 percent positive review from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

It’s fairing even more poorly with top critics, who give it a measly 32 percent positive rating.

The film is doing better with regular fans, however. It gets a 73 percent “liked it” audience score from Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics say the satire about a television host and producer asked by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jung-un doesn’t deliver the goods.

“Characterizing it as satire elevates the creative execution of the film’s very silly faux assassination of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un far beyond what it merits,” writes Betsy Sharkey in the Lost Angeles Times.

https://thehill.com/homenews/news/228085-critics-hate-the-interview

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Fooled Again : No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony

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Fooled Again : No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony
12.24.14

The FBI and the President may claim that the Hermit Kingdom is to blame for the most high-profile network breach in forever. But almost all signs point in another direction.

So, “The Interview” is to be released after all.

The news that the satirical movie—which revolves around a plot to murder Kim Jong-Un—will have a Christmas Day release as planned, will prompt renewed scrutiny of whether, as the US authorities have officially claimed, the cyber attack on Sony really was the work of an elite group of North Korean government hackers.

All the evidence leads me to believe that the great Sony Pictures hack of 2014 is far more likely to be the work of one disgruntled employee facing a pink slip.

I may be biased, but, as the director of security operations for DEF CON, the world’s largest hacker conference, and the principal security researcher for the world’s leading mobile security company, Cloudflare, I think I am worth hearing out.

The FBI was very clear in its press release about who it believed was responsible for the attack: “The FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions,” they said in their December 19 statement, before adding, “the need to protect sensitive sources and methods precludes us from sharing all of this information”.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/24/no-north-korea-didn-t-hack-sony.html

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Hack Friday : Black Friday cybercrime is unstoppable.

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Hack Friday : Black Friday cybercrime is unstoppable.

By Tal Kopan

11/28/14 8:06 AM EST

This holiday shopping season, kicking off with post-Thanksgiving deals, millions of Americans will almost certainly have their credit or debit card information stolen by overseas hackers.

Just like last year.

Twelve months after data from 40 million cards were stolen from Target, beginning a year of escalating hacks of retailers’ payment card systems, not much has changed beyond awareness.

The absence of federal action reflects the difficulty of improving cybersecurity. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree on the goal of improving the security of the nation’s networks, but disputes over even small details can sidetrack progress. Congressional action has been bogged down in side fights, and industry-led changes have been slow and narrow. Executive action, and power, on the issue is limited, and most administration efforts have been designed to encourage retailers to take extra precautions against theft, rather than apply new regulations.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/black-friday-cybercrime-113192.html#ixzz3KOb2m6zP

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Atlantic Stewardship Bank is hosting a Cyber Security/Cyber Crimes Education Program

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Atlantic Stewardship Bank is hosting a Cyber Security/Cyber Crimes Education Program

Atlantic Stewardship Bank is hosting a Cyber Security/Cyber Crimes Education Program in conjunction with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Computer Crimes Task Force.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014
5:30 – 6:30 PM
Powerhouse Christian Church, 500 W. Main Street #2, Wyckoff, NJ 07481

Guest speakers Det. Jeff Angermeyer and Task Force Officer Bill Dietrich of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Computer Crimes Task Force will present relevant information and answer your questions about cyber security and cyber crimes. The program will cover topics such as PC Security, virus protection, up-to-date patching, email habits, internet safety, Identity Theft and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to get helpful tips on protecting yourself and your business from cyber threats. 

RSVP to [email protected]

201-444-7100