Author Archives: BrianKrebs

Adobe Fined $1M in Multistate Suit Over 2013 Breach; No Jail for Spamhaus Attacker

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Adobe will pay just $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by 15 state attorneys general over its huge 2013 data breach that exposed payment records on approximately 38 million people. In other news, the 39-year-old Dutchman responsible for coordinating an epic, weeks-long distributed denial-of-service attack against anti-spam provider Spamhaus in 2013 will avoid any jail time for his crimes thanks to a court ruling in Amsterdam this week. Continue reading Adobe Fined $1M in Multistate Suit Over 2013 Breach; No Jail for Spamhaus Attacker→

Chinese IoT Firm Siphoned Text Messages, Call Records

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A Chinese technology firm has been siphoning text messages and call records from cheap Android-based mobile smart phones and secretly sending the data to servers in China, researchers revealed this week. The revelations came the same day the White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued sweeping guidelines aimed at building security into Internet-connected devices, and just hours before a key congressional panel sought recommendations from industry in regulating basic security standards for so-called “Internet of Things” devices. Continue reading Chinese IoT Firm Siphoned Text Messages, Call Records→

Chinese IoT Firm Siphoned Text Messages, Call Records

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A Chinese technology firm has been siphoning text messages and call records from cheap Android-based mobile smart phones and secretly sending the data to servers in China, researchers revealed this week. The revelations came the same day the White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued sweeping guidelines aimed at building security into Internet-connected devices, and just hours before a key congressional panel sought recommendations from industry in regulating basic security standards for so-called “Internet of Things” devices. Continue reading Chinese IoT Firm Siphoned Text Messages, Call Records→

Russian ‘Dukes’ of Hackers Pounce on Trump Win

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Less than six hours after Donald Trump became the president-elect of the United States, a Russian hacker gang perhaps best known for breaking into computer networks at the Democratic National Committee launched a volley of targeted phishing campaigns against American political think-tanks and non-government organizations (NGOs). Continue reading Russian ‘Dukes’ of Hackers Pounce on Trump Win→

Patch Tuesday, 2016 U.S. Election Edition

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Let’s get this out of the way up front: Having “2016 election” in the headline above is probably the only reason anyone might read this story today. It remains unclear whether Republicans and Democrats can patch things up after a bruising and divisive election, but thanks to a special Election Day Patch Tuesday hundreds of millions of Adobe and Microsoft users have some more immediate patching to do. Continue reading Patch Tuesday, 2016 U.S. Election Edition→

Did the Mirai Botnet Really Take Liberia Offline?

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KrebsOnSecurity received many a missive over the past 24 hours from readers who wanted to know why I’d not written about widespread media reports that Mirai — a malware strain made from hacked “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices such as poorly secured routers and IP cameras — was used to knock the entire country of Liberia offline. The trouble is, as far as I can tell no such nationwide outage actually occurred. Continue reading Did the Mirai Botnet Really Take Liberia Offline?→

Ne’er-Do-Well News and Cyber Justice

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Way back in the last millennium when I was a lowly copy aide at The Washington Post, I pitched the Metro Section editor on an idea for new column: “And the Good News Is…” The editor laughed me out of her office. But I still think it’s a decent idea — particularly in the context of cybersecurity — to periodically highlight the good news when people allegedly responsible for spewing so much badness online are made to face justice. Continue reading Ne’er-Do-Well News and Cyber Justice→

Ne’er-Do-Well News and Cyber Justice

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Way back in the last millennium when I was a lowly copy aide at The Washington Post, I pitched the Metro Section editor on an idea for new column: “And the Good News Is…” The editor laughed me out of her office. But I still think it’s a decent idea — particularly in the context of cybersecurity — to periodically highlight the good news when people allegedly responsible for spewing so much badness online are made to face justice. Continue reading Ne’er-Do-Well News and Cyber Justice→

Computer Virus Cripples UK Hospital System

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Citing a computer virus outbreak, a hospital system in the United Kingdom has canceled all planned operations and diverted major trauma cases to neighboring facilities. The incident came as U.K. leaders detailed a national cyber security strategy that promises billions in cybersecurity spending, new special police units to pursue organized online gangs, and the possibility of retaliation for major attacks. Continue reading Computer Virus Cripples UK Hospital System→

Hackforums Shutters Booter Service Bazaar

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Perhaps the most bustling marketplace on the Internet where people can compare and purchase so-called “booter” and “stresser” subscriptions — attack-for-hire services designed to knock Web sites offline — announced last week that it has permanently banned the sale and advertising of these services. Continue reading Hackforums Shutters Booter Service Bazaar→