Author Archives: BrianKrebs

Meant to Combat ID Theft, Unemployment Benefits Letter Prompts ID Theft Worries

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Millions of Americans now filing for unemployment will receive benefits via a prepaid card issued by U.S. Bank, a Minnesota-based financial institution that handles unemployment payments for more than a dozen U.S. states. Some of these unemployment applications will trigger an automatic letter from U.S. Bank to the applicant. The letters are intended to prevent identity theft, but many people are mistaking these vague missives for a notification that someone has hijacked their identity. Continue reading Meant to Combat ID Theft, Unemployment Benefits Letter Prompts ID Theft Worries→

Tech Support Scam Uses Child Porn Warning

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A new email scam is making the rounds, warning recipients that someone using their Internet address has been caught viewing child pornography. The message claims to have been sent from Microsoft Support, and says the recipient’s Windows license will be suspended unless they call an “MS Support” number to reinstate the license, but the number goes to a phony tech support scam that tries to trick callers into giving fraudsters direct access to their PCs. Continue reading Tech Support Scam Uses Child Porn Warning→

Europe’s Largest Private Hospital Operator Fresenius Hit by Ransomware

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Fresenius, Europe’s largest private hospital operator and a major provider of dialysis products and services that are in such high demand thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been hit in a ransomware cyber attack on its technology systems. The company said the incident has limited some of its operations, but that patient care continues. Continue reading Europe’s Largest Private Hospital Operator Fresenius Hit by Ransomware→

How Cybercriminals are Weathering COVID-19

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In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a boon to cybercriminals: With unprecedented numbers of people working from home and anxious for news about the virus outbreak, it’s hard to imagine a more target-rich environment for phishers, scammers and malware purveyors. In addition, many crooks are finding the outbreak has helped them better market their cybercriminal wares and services. But it’s not all good news: The Coronavirus also has driven up costs and disrupted key supply lines for many cybercriminals. Continue reading How Cybercriminals are Weathering COVID-19→

Would You Have Fallen for This Phone Scam?

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You may have heard that today’s phone fraudsters like to use use caller ID spoofing services to make their scam calls seem more believable. But you probably didn’t know that your bank may be making it super easy for thieves to impersonate the bank, by giving away information about recent transactions on your account via automated, phone-based customer support systems. Continue reading Would You Have Fallen for This Phone Scam?→

Unproven Coronavirus Therapy Proves Cash Cow for Shadow Pharmacies

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Many of the same shadowy organizations that pay people to promote male erectile dysfunction drugs via spam and hacked websites recently have enjoyed a surge in demand for medicines used to fight malaria, lupus and arthritis, thanks largely to unfounded suggestions that these therapies can help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

A review of the sales figures from some of the top pharmacy affiliate programs suggests sales of drugs containing hydroxychloroquine rivaled that of their primary product — generic Viagra and Cialis — and that this as-yet-unproven Coronavirus treatment accounted for as much as 25 to 30 percent of all sales over the past month. Continue reading Unproven Coronavirus Therapy Proves Cash Cow for Shadow Pharmacies→

When in Doubt: Hang Up, Look Up, & Call Back

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Many security-conscious people probably think they’d never fall for a phone-based phishing scam. But if your response to such a scam involves anything other than hanging up and calling back the entity that claims to be calling, you may be in for a rude awakening. Here’s how one security and tech-savvy reader got taken for more than $10,000 in an elaborate, weeks-long ruse. Continue reading When in Doubt: Hang Up, Look Up, & Call Back→

Who’s Behind the “Reopen” Domain Surge?

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The past few weeks have seen a large number of new domain registrations beginning with the word “reopen” and ending with U.S. city or state names. The largest number of them were created just hours after President Trump sent a series of all-caps tweets… Continue reading Who’s Behind the “Reopen” Domain Surge?→

Sipping from the Coronavirus Domain Firehose

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Security experts are poring over thousands of new Coronavirus-themed domain names registered each day, but this often manual effort struggles to keep pace with the flood of domains invoking the virus to promote malware and phishing sites, as well as non-existent healthcare products and charities. As a result, domain name registrars are under increasing pressure to do more to combat scams and misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading Sipping from the Coronavirus Domain Firehose→

COVID-19 Has United Cybersecurity Experts, But Will That Unity Survive the Pandemic?

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The Coronavirus has prompted thousands of information security professionals to volunteer their skills in upstart collaborative efforts aimed at frustrating cybercriminals who are seeking to exploit the crisis for financial gain. Whether it’s helping hospitals avoid becoming the next ransomware victim or kneecapping new COVID-19-themed scam websites, these nascent partnerships may well end up saving lives. But can this unprecedented level of collaboration survive the pandemic? Continue reading COVID-19 Has United Cybersecurity Experts, But Will That Unity Survive the Pandemic?→