Author Archives: BrianKrebs

REvil Ransom Arrest, $6M Seizure, and $10M Reward

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The U.S. Department of Justice said today it arrested a Ukrainian man who deployed ransomware on behalf of the REvil ransomware gang, a Russian cybercriminal collective that has extorted hundreds of millions from victim organizations. The DOJ also said it had seized $6.1 million in cryptocurrency sent to another REvil affiliate, and that the State Department is now offering up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of any key leaders of REvil. Continue reading REvil Ransom Arrest, $6M Seizure, and $10M Reward→

‘Tis the Season for the Wayward Package Phish

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The holiday shopping season always means big business for phishers, who tend to find increased success this time of year with a time-honored lure about a wayward package that needs redelivery. Here’s a look at a fairly elaborate SMS-based phishing scam that spoofs FedEx in a bid to extract personal and financial information from unwary recipients. Continue reading ‘Tis the Season for the Wayward Package Phish→

The ‘Groove’ Ransomware Gang Was a Hoax

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A number of publications in September warned about the emergence of “Groove,” a new ransomware group that called on competing extortion gangs to unite in attacking U.S. government interests online. It now appears that Groove was all a big hoax designed to toy with security firms and journalists. Continue reading The ‘Groove’ Ransomware Gang Was a Hoax→

‘Trojan Source’ Bug Threatens the Security of All Code

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Virtually all compilers — programs that transform human-readable source code into computer-executable machine code — are vulnerable to an insidious attack in which an adversary can introduce targeted vulnerabilities into any software without being detected, new research released today warns. The vulnerability disclosure was coordinated with multiple organizations, some of whom are now releasing updates to address the security weakness. Continue reading ‘Trojan Source’ Bug Threatens the Security of All Code→

Zales.com Leaked Customer Data, Just Like Sister Firms Jared, Kay Jewelers Did in 2018

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In December 2018, bling vendor Signet Jewelers fixed a weakness in their Kay Jewelers and Jared websites that exposed the order information for all of their online customers. This week, Signet subsidiary Zales.com updated its website to remediate a nearly identical customer data exposure. Continue reading Zales.com Leaked Customer Data, Just Like Sister Firms Jared, Kay Jewelers Did in 2018→

FBI Raids Chinese Point-of-Sale Giant PAX Technology

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U.S. federal investigators today raided the U.S. offices of PAX Technology, a Chinese provider of point-of-sale devices used by millions of businesses and retailers globally. KrebsOnSecurity has learned the raid is tied to reports that PAX’s systems may have been involved in cyberattacks on U.S. and E.U. organizations. Continue reading FBI Raids Chinese Point-of-Sale Giant PAX Technology→

Conti Ransom Gang Starts Selling Access to Victims

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The Conti ransomware affiliate program appears to have altered its business plan recently. Organizations infected with Conti’s malware who refuse to negotiate a ransom payment are added to Conti’s victim shaming blog, where confidential files stolen from victims may be published or sold. But sometime over the past 48 hours, the cybercriminal syndicate updated its victim shaming blog to indicate that it is now selling access to many of the organizations it has hacked. Continue reading Conti Ransom Gang Starts Selling Access to Victims→

Missouri Governor Vows to Prosecute St. Louis Post-Dispatch for Reporting Security Vulnerability

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On Wednesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a story about how its staff discovered and reported a security vulnerability in a Missouri state education website that exposed the Social Security numbers of 100,000 elementary and secondary teachers. In a press conference this morning, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) said fixing the flaw could cost the state $50 million, and vowed his administration would seek to prosecute and investigate the “hackers” and anyone who aided the publication in its “attempt to embarrass the state and sell headlines for their news outlet.” Continue reading Missouri Governor Vows to Prosecute St. Louis Post-Dispatch for Reporting Security Vulnerability→

How Coinbase Phishers Steal One-Time Passwords

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A recent phishing campaign targeting Coinbase users shows thieves are getting cleverer about phishing one-time passwords (OTPs) needed to complete the login process. It also shows that phishers are attempting to sign up for new Coinbase accounts by the millions as part of an effort to identify email addresses that are already associated with active accounts. Continue reading How Coinbase Phishers Steal One-Time Passwords→

Patch Tuesday, October 2021 Edition

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Microsoft today issued updates to plug more than 70 security holes in its Windows operating systems and other software, including one vulnerability that is already being exploited in active attacks. This month’s Patch Tuesday also includes security fixes for the newly released Windows 11 operating system. Continue reading Patch Tuesday, October 2021 Edition→