cybercrime

Why ransomware? Let’s ask the bad guys
I am involved with ransomware because it is ‘fast, easy, and safe”. This was the feedback we got when we asked the bad guys about the motivations for being involved with this …

Exploits and fileless malware drive record new malware surge
McAfee released its McAfee Labs Threat Report: December 2017, examining the growth and trends of new malware, ransomware, and other threats in Q3 2017. McAfee Labs saw malware …

1.4 billion unencrypted credentials found in interactive database on the dark web
A data dump containing over 1.4 billion email addresses and clear text credentials is offered for download in an underground community forum. What’s so special about …

An analysis of 120 mobile app stores uncovers plethora of malicious apps
RiskIQ analyzed 120 mobile app stores and more than 2 billion daily scanned resources. In listing and analyzing the app stores hosting the most malicious mobile apps and the …

Return of Necurs botnet brings new ransomware threat
The Necurs botnet has returned to the top ten most prevalent malware during November 2017, as cybercriminals used it to distribute a new form of ransomware, according to Check …

MoneyTaker’s stealthy hacking spree spread from US to Russia
A stealthy group of Russian-speaking hackers has been targeting financial organizations (banks, credit unions, lenders) in the US and Russia, stealing money and documentation …

Will IoT botnets catapult the industry toward security regulation in 2018?
Attackers demonstrated the power of an IoT-fueled botnet in 2016 when the Mirai botnet took down major websites like Reddit, Twitter and GitHub. Despite the damages, no …

Why phishers love HTTPS
As more and more sites switch to HTTPS, the number of phishing sites hosted on HTTPS domains is also increasing. “In the third quarter of 2017, we observed nearly a …

DDoS attackers increasingly targeting cryptocurrency exchanges
The extraordinary volatility of the price of bitcoin has spurred speculators to employ a wide variety of tricks to make it swing between extremes, so that they can take …

Hacker who tried to spring friend from jail will end up in prison himself
A Michigan man by the name of Konrads Voits pleaded guilty to hacking Washtenaw County’s computer network and changing the Washtenaw County Jail records, with the intent …

Andromeda botnet dismantled in international cyber operation
On 29 November 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in close cooperation with the Luneburg Central Criminal Investigation Inspectorate in Germany, Europol’s …

Phishers target panicking PayPal users with fake “failed transaction” emails
With the end-of-the-year holidays quickly approaching and many users worrying whether the gifts they bought online will be delivered in time for the festivities, an email from …