Author Archives: BrianKrebs

Trump Revenge Tour Targets Cyber Leaders, Elections

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President Trump last week revoked security clearances for Chris Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) who was fired by Trump after declaring the 2020 election the most secure in U.S. history. The White House memo, which also suspended clearances for other security professionals at Krebs’s employer SentinelOne, comes as CISA is facing huge funding and staffing cuts. Continue reading Trump Revenge Tour Targets Cyber Leaders, Elections→

China-based SMS Phishing Triad Pivots to Banks

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China-based purveyors of SMS phishing kits are enjoying remarkable success converting phished payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google. Until recently, the so-called “Smishing Triad” mainly impersonated toll road operators and shipping companies. But experts say these groups are now directly targeting customers of international financial institutions, while dramatically expanding their cybercrime infrastructure and support staff. Continue reading China-based SMS Phishing Triad Pivots to Banks→

Patch Tuesday, April 2025 Edition

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Microsoft today released updates to plug at least 121 security holes in its Windows operating systems and software, including one vulnerability that is already being exploited in the wild. Eleven of those flaws earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” rating, meaning malware or malcontents could exploit them with little to no interaction from Windows users. Continue reading Patch Tuesday, April 2025 Edition→

Cyber Forensic Expert in 2,000+ Cases Faces FBI Probe

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A Minnesota cybersecurity and computer forensics expert whose testimony has featured in thousands of courtroom trials over the past 30 years is facing questions about his credentials and an inquiry from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Legal experts say the inquiry could be grounds to reopen a number of adjudicated cases in which the expert’s testimony may have been pivotal. Continue reading Cyber Forensic Expert in 2,000+ Cases Faces FBI Probe→

How Each Pillar of the 1st Amendment is Under Attack

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In an address to Congress this month, President Trump claimed he had “brought free speech back to America.” But barely two months into his second term, the president has waged an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment rights of journalists, students, universities, government workers, lawyers and judges.

This story explores a slew of recent actions by the Trump administration that threaten to undermine all five pillars of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedoms concerning speech, religion, the media, the right to assembly, and the right to petition the government and seek redress for wrongs. Continue reading How Each Pillar of the 1st Amendment is Under Attack→

When Getting Phished Puts You in Mortal Danger

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Many successful phishing attacks result in a financial loss or malware infection. But falling for some phishing scams, like those currently targeting Russians searching online for organizations that are fighting the Kremlin war machine, can cost you your freedom or your life. Continue reading When Getting Phished Puts You in Mortal Danger→

Arrests in Tap-to-Pay Scheme Powered by Phishing

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Authorities in at least two U.S. states last week independently announced arrests of Chinese nationals accused of perpetrating a novel form of tap-to-pay fraud using mobile devices. Details released by authorities so far indicate the mobile wallets being used by the scammers were created through online phishing scams, and that the accused were relying on a custom Android app to relay tap-to-pay transactions from mobile devices located in China. Continue reading Arrests in Tap-to-Pay Scheme Powered by Phishing→

DOGE to Fired CISA Staff: Email Us Your Personal Data

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A message posted on Monday to the homepage of the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the latest exhibit in the Trump administration’s continued disregard for basic cybersecurity protections. The message instructed recently-fired CISA employees to get in touch so they can be rehired and then immediately placed on leave, asking employees to send their Social Security number or date of birth in a password-protected email attachment — presumably with the password needed to view the file included in the body of the email. Continue reading DOGE to Fired CISA Staff: Email Us Your Personal Data→

ClickFix: How to Infect Your PC in Three Easy Steps

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A clever malware deployment scheme first spotted in targeted attacks last year has now gone mainstream. In this scam, dubbed “ClickFix,” the visitor to a hacked or malicious website is asked to distinguish themselves from bots by pressing a combination of keyboard keys that causes Microsoft Windows to download password-stealing malware. Continue reading ClickFix: How to Infect Your PC in Three Easy Steps→

Microsoft: 6 Zero-Days in March 2025 Patch Tuesday

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Microsoft today issued more than 50 security updates for its various Windows operating systems, including fixes for a whopping six zero-day vulnerabilities that are already seeing active exploitation. Continue reading Microsoft: 6 Zero-Days in March 2025 Patch Tuesday→