Ransomware – pressnews

Lockbit cybercrime gang faces global takedown with indictments and arrests

21Feb

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Lockbit cybercrime gang faces global takedown with indictments and arrests

[ad_1] An international law enforcement operation led by Britain's National Crime Agency and the FBI has arrested and indicted members of the Lockbit ransomware gang, in an unprecedented police operation that has struck one of the world's most notorious cybercrime gangs.The United States has charged two Russian nationals with deploying Lockbit ransomware against companies and groups around the world. Police in Poland and Ukraine made two arrests. The NCA, U.S. Department of Justice, FBI and Europol gathered in London to announce the disruption of the gang, which has targeted over 2,000 victims worldwide, received more than $120 million in ransom payments and demanded hundreds of millions of dollars, the DOJ said. Britain's National Crime Agency Cyber Division, with the U.S. Department o...

Crypto needs a killer app more than a chastened Binance

23Nov

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Crypto needs a killer app more than a chastened Binance

[ad_1] Here's a question few of us will ever have to answer. Would you rather have $23 billion living in the United Arab Emirates with no US extradition treaty, or sacrifice a chunk of your wealth and perhaps spend 18 months behind bars to resolve all your issues with the US Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission?Binance Holdings Ltd. CEO Changpeng Zhao appears to have chosen the latter. We don't know all the details of the deal — most importantly the length of time, if any, Zhao must spend in prison — but it appears to clear the way for Binance to continue as the world's largest crypto exchange and for Zhao to keep his top-100 status on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. I see a major risk that the deal itself, as well as the strengthened controls it will require, ...

Cyberattack keeps hospitals’ computers offline for weeks

20Aug

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Cyberattack keeps hospitals’ computers offline for weeks

[ad_1] Key computer systems at hospitals and clinics in several states have yet to come back online more than two weeks after a cyberattack that forced some emergency room shutdowns and ambulance diversions.Progress is being made “to recover critical systems and restore their integrity,” Prospect Medical Holdings said in a Friday statement. But the company, which runs 16 hospitals and dozens of other medical facilities in California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas, could not say when operations might return to normal. “We do not yet have a definitive timeline for how long it will be before all of our systems are restored,” spokeswoman Nina Kruse said in a text message. “The forensic investigation is still underway and we are working closely with law enforcement offici...

AI DANGER! Artificial intelligence being used to carry out malware attacks, warns FBI

1Aug

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AI DANGER! Artificial intelligence being used to carry out malware attacks, warns FBI

[ad_1] The generative artificial intelligence revolution has brought new avenues of growth and potential for massive advancements, but along with that have come new threats to security and privacy. Recently we have seen instances of cybercrimes emerge where criminals and bad actors have been leveraging generative AI for malicious purposes. Just last month, a man in Thiruvananthapuram was scammed of Rs. 40,000 after the scammer used deepfakes to impersonate someone the victim knew. These crimes, which now use advanced AI malware, have risen so much that even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the USA had to issue a warning to the public to raise awareness of such crimes.According to a report by PCMag, The US agency held a meeting with journalists to discuss how generative AI ma...

Government warns internet users about ‘AKIRA’ ransomware; hackers using AnyDesk, WinRAR

24Jul

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Government warns internet users about ‘AKIRA’ ransomware; hackers using AnyDesk, WinRAR

[ad_1] The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a warning about a new internet ransomware virus called 'Akira,' which is causing significant concern. This malicious software is designed to target both Windows and Linux-based systems. According to a PTI report. the attackers behind Akira first steal vital personal information from their victims and then proceed to encrypt the data on their systems. To coerce the victims into paying the ransom, they engage in double extortion tactics. According to CERT-In's latest advisory, if the victim refuses to pay the ransom, the attackers will publish the stolen data on their dark web blog. The agency emphasizes that Akira's operators are known to exploit VPN services, particularly when users have not enabled multi-factor au...

Ransomware criminals are dumping kids’ private files online after school hacks

5Jul

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Ransomware criminals are dumping kids’ private files online after school hacks

[ad_1] The confidential documents stolen from schools and dumped online by ransomware gangs are raw, intimate and graphic. They describe student sexual assaults, psychiatric hospitalizations, abusive parents, truancy — even suicide attempts.“Please do something,” begged a student in one leaked file, recalling the trauma of continually bumping into an ex-abuser at a school in Minneapolis. Other victims talked about wetting the bed or crying themselves to sleep. Complete sexual assault case folios containing these details were among more than 300,000 files dumped online in March after the 36,000-student Minneapolis Public Schools refused to pay a $1 million ransom. Other exposed data included medical records and discrimination complaints. Rich in digitized data, the nation's schools are p...

‘Lockbit’ digital gang named top ransomware threat by US, 6 other nations

15Jun

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‘Lockbit’ digital gang named top ransomware threat by US, 6 other nations

[ad_1] The United States and six other countries on Wednesday identified the digital extortion gang operating under the "Lockbit" banner as the world's top ransomware threat.In a joint advisory, U.S., Canadian, British, French, German, Australian and New Zealand cyber authorities said Lockbit's extortion software, used to scramble victims' data until a ransom is paid, was the most broadly used by cybercriminals. "In 2022, LockBit was the most deployed ransomware variant across the world and continues to be prolific in 2023," the advisory said, adding that the gang and its affiliates "have negatively impacted organizations, both large and small, across the world." Ransomware has been an online threat for years and the business around it has become increasingly sophisticated. Lockbit is o...

US infiltrates big ransomware gang: ”We hacked the hackers”

27Jan

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US infiltrates big ransomware gang: ”We hacked the hackers”

[ad_1] The FBI quietly gained access to its control panel in July and was able to obtain software keys to decrypt the network of some 1,300 victims globally. The FBI and international partners have at least temporarily dismantled the network of a prolific ransomware gang they infiltrated last year, saving victims including hospitals and school districts a potential USD 130 million in ransom payments, Attorney General Merrick Garland and other US officials announced on Thursday. “Simply put, using lawful means we hacked the hackers,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at a news conference. Officials said the targeted syndicate, known as Hive, operates one of the world's top five ransomware networks and has heavily targeted hospitals and other health care providers. The FB...

Safdarjung Hospital reports cyberattack but not ransomware; AIIMS server down for 11th day

4Dec

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Safdarjung Hospital reports cyberattack but not ransomware; AIIMS server down for 11th day

[ad_1] Medical Superintendent Safdarjung Hospital said, "There was a cyberattack. Our server was also down in November." Safdarjung Hospital officials on Saturday said the hospital was under a cyber-attack, but the damage was not as severe as it had been for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital. According to the officials, the hospital runs OPD services manually therefore it had not been severe. Meanwhile, the AIIMS server remained down for the 11th day today. Medical Superintendent Safdarjung Hospital Dr BL Sherwal said, "There was a cyberattack. Our server was also down in November for a single day, but data was secured. It was handled by IT, National informatics Centre (NIC) which revived the systems." Dr Sherwal further said that the cyber attack wa...

Ransomware attacks: Microsoft reveals 3 biggest security mistakes

1Dec

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Ransomware attacks: Microsoft reveals 3 biggest security mistakes

[ad_1] Microsoft Security shared three main problems found during ransomware attacks. Ransomware attacks are increasing year by year! Every other day, there is some piece of news warning the public about the threat to their personal data which often leads to financial loss. However, several cyber security firms and researchers are coming up with security protocols to improve cyber defence. However, the threat of ransomware and extortion is becoming more audacious with attacks targeting governments, businesses, and critical infrastructure too. Ransomware is basically a type of malware that locks the user out of their files or their device and the hackers demand payment to restore access to information.Microsoft conducted an investigation during ransomware recovery engagements which rev...