Cyber Bites

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a large network of more than 11,000 domains used to promote numerous fake investment schemes to users in Europe. The platforms show fabricated evidence of falsified celebrity endorsements and enrichment to create an image of legitimacy and attract a large number of victims. The operation's goal was to trick users into an opportunity for high-return investments and to convince victims to deposit a minimum amount of 250 EUR to sign up...

Lawmakers on the Hill revealed last week that a cyber-attack on the US justice system had compromised a public document management system. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY),  chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, revealed the discovery at a hearing on oversight in the Justice Department. Nadler disclosed that three hostile actors had breached the Public Access to Court Electronic Records and Case Management/Electronic Case File (PACER) system, which provides access to documents across the US court system. Nadler...

Wooton Upper School in Bedfordshire suffered a ransomware attack this week, with hackers demanding £500,000 in ransom, according to reports. The attack also affected the Kimberley college for 16-19 year olds, with both members of the Wootton Academy Trust. The attack was said to be the work of the Hive ransomware group. The cybercriminals messaged parents and students to inform them of the compromise. Bank details, medical records, home addresses and psychological reviews were stolen...

Microsoft has linked the efforts of the threat group Knotweed to an Austrian spyware vendor. The group has so far used the malware dubbed 'SubZero' to attack groups in Europe and Central America. The Subzero malware, as used by Knotweed, can be used to hack a target's phone, computers, network, and internet-connected devices. DSRIF markets itself as a company that provides information research, forensics, and data-driven intelligence services to corporations. Yet, Microsoft has found multiple...

A new report from GlobalData estimates that up to 22 million US health records have been breached so far in 2022. The same report forecasts that spending on cybersecurity in the global healthcare industry will increase by nearly $400 million in the next 3 years. This increase is sorely needed in a sprawling industry which is so often behind the times in terms of information security. The health care industry is often a prime target...

The average cost of a data breach globally has reached a new high of $4.35m. This figure has increased by 13% since 2020, according to IBM. The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report was compiled from interviews with 550 organisations in 17 countries that were breached between March 2021 and March 2022. The firm's report also stated that consumers were suffering disproportionately from these incidents. The report found that 60% of breached organisations put...

Web3 Security firm TRM Labs has said that attacks carried out on NFT projects implemented through their Discord channels have risen significantly. Most of these attacks are, reportedly, associated with a "wider group" of hackers. In the last two months, over 100 reports of Discord channel hacks have been filed with Chainabuse, a community-led scam reporting platform operated by TRM Labs. Worryingly, in May alone the losses were reported to have been worth more than...

T-Mobile-US has agreed to pay $350m to settle class action claims related to a 2021 cyber-attack which impacted approximately 80 million US residents. On Friday, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it was explained that the money would be used to "fund claims submitted by class members, legal fees of plaintiffs' counsel and the costs of administering the settlement." The mobile network said that it would also put an additional $150million...

A teenager who hacked Snapchat accounts and threatened to post nude images of women online to make money has been jailed for two years. Jasin Bushi, 18, took control of a series of women's social media accounts, posing as the victim to message their friends. He claimed to be facing eviction and asked to borrow money for rent. If the money was not paid, Bushi would threaten to post nude images of the victim on...

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) seized millions of pounds worth of cryptocurrency last year as part of its efforts to crack down on serious and organised crime (SOC) and money laundering. In its annual report, the NCA, the UK agency dedicated to tackling SOC, revealed that during the period April 1st 2021 to March 31st 2022 it confiscated $26.9m (March price) in cryptocurrency assets. In the financial year before no cryptocurrency was seized at...