ransomware
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FBI warns hospitals of 'increased and imminent' ransomware threat
US federal authorities have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory warning hospitals and healthcare providers that they’re in danger of being targeted by a ransomware attack.
Microsoft helped disrupt the infamous Trickbot botnet
Microsoft has confirmed that it and partners disrupted the Trickbot botnet in a bid to protect US elections.
Ransomware attack on a healthcare firm slowed clinical trials
Ransomware has slowed multiple clinical trials, including at companies involved in COVID-19 studies.
Suspected ransomware attack hits one of the largest hospital networks in the US
One of the US's largest healthcare providers has been hit by what looks like a highly coordinated ransomware attack.
'The Dark Overlord' hacking group member sentenced to five years in prison
A US district judge has sentenced a UK National to five years in federal prison for participating in the cybercrime activities of hacking collective group “The Dark Overlord.” Nathan Wyatt was extradited from the UK to the US in December 2019 for targeting computer networks of American companies.
Ransomware may have led to the death of a German hospital patient
A patient has died after ransomware limited emergency services at a German hospital.
Recommended Reading: Microsoft's Panos Panay on the Surface Duo
Recommended Reading highlights the week's noteworthy writing on technology and more.
Tesla worked with the FBI to block a million dollar ransomware attack
Tesla avoided a ransomware attack with the help of an honest employee and the FBI.
World's biggest cruise line company hit by ransomware attack
The world’s largest cruise operator Carnival has revealed that it suffered a ransomware attack and security breach that could affect customer and employee data.
Canon is the latest to be hit by a possible ransomware attack
After Garmin reportedly paid millions to get its systems online, Canon might also be victim to a ransomware attack, according to Bleeping Computer. More than 20 Canon domains, including its main US site, are affected or down, and attackers may have stolen up to 10TB of data.
Garmin reportedly paid millions to resolve its recent ransomware attack
The company is said to have made the payment through a third party.
Garmin's services are slowly coming back to life after a major outage
Late last week, Garmin suffered a major services outage — and now, more than four days later, things still aren’t back to normal. Yesterday, activity-tracking app Strava confirmed that it was again able to send workout data to Garmin’s Connect service. Ian in Mountain View wrote in to let us know that recent activities were syncing to Strava from his Garmin Fenix watch and that notifications had started to work again, as well.
WSJ: Travelex paid ransomware ring $2.3 million
Travelex reportedly coughed up $2.3 million to the ransomware ring that attacked its systems on New Year's Eve.
Phishing scams leveled up, and we didn’t
More than a bit of "I'm smarter than you" politics creates the divide between hacking headlines and what we actually need to worry about. On one side, researchers present findings at conferences hoping someone will raise the alarm and practical things will get done before things get worse. On the other, we have Jeff Bezos and his iPhone.
US Samsung Pay users can't send money internationally after Travelex hack (update)
Travelex's ransomware attack continues to affect people and businesses around the globe -- including those that might not consider themselves affiliated with the company in any way. Engadget can reveal that Samsung Pay's international money transfer service -- which relies on the Travelex platform -- has been suspended as a result of the issues faced by its partner.
International money transfer service Travelex held ransom by hackers
Foreign exchange company Travelex has been targeted by hackers demanding $6 million (£4.6 million), in an attack many believe could have been averted months ago. The ransomware gang known as Sodinokibi -- also as REvil -- says it has downloaded more than 5GB of sensitive customer data, including dates of birth, credit card information and national insurance numbers, which it will publish if payment is not made within a week. The hackers originally demanded $3 million, but doubled the sum after two days of non-payment.
New Orleans declares state of emergency following cyberattack
New Orleans is the latest city to fall victim to a cyberattack, although it appears to have fared better than some of its peers. The city both declared a state of emergency and shut down most of its computers after detecting suspicious activity, including ransomware and a flurry of phishing emails. It's not clear if the ransomware compromised any systems, although Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that there had been no ransom requests or evidence of employees being tricked into handing over login details.
Recommended Reading: The 'fingerprints' of bourbon
Whiskey webs: Microscale "fingerprints" of bourbon whiskey Stuart J. Williams, Martin J. Brown, VI and Adam D. Carrithers, Physical Review Fluids (PDF) Finish up your weekend with glass of your favorite bourbon. And while you imbibe, these findings from researchers at the University of Louisville (because of course) will keep you company. A team from the school's department of mechanical engineering observed web-like patterns or "fingerprints" when a drop of American whiskey evaporated. The same characteristic isn't present in Scotch whisky or other liquors. What's more, each pattern was a unique indicator of both whiskey type and age.
Dentist offices across the US hit with ransomware
Hundreds of dentist offices around the United States were hit with ransomware this week according to multiple reports from ZDNet, CNN and security researcher Brian Krebs. The incidents are the result of an apparent vulnerability in software provided by The Digital Dental Record and PerCSoft, two Wisconsin-based companies that offer medical record retention and backup services to dental practices.
US officials brace for ransomware attacks against election systems
It's no secret that many American officials are worried about hacks targeting the 2020 election, but there's one fear this time around that wasn't present in 2016: ransomware. Reuters has learned that Homeland Security's Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is worried election databases could be targeted by the same kind of ransomware attacks that have plagued cities like Atlanta and Baltimore. Accordingly, it's teaming with election officials and relevant companies to both safeguard their databases and prepare responses for possible attacks.