Author Archives: Joe Warminsky

Data-backup service Carbonite acquires long-running cybersecurity firm Webroot

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One of the earliest players in the cloud data-backup business, Carbonite, says it is acquiring Webroot, an internet security company whose reputation stretches back to the 1990s. Boston-based Carbonite is putting up about $618.5 million in cash to buy Webroot. The goal is to improve Carbonite’s endpoint security and threat intelligence as it continues to grow its cloud-based backup and recovery services, according to a news release by the two companies. It’s the latest in a string of acquisitions for Carbonite. “With threats like ransomware evolving daily, our customers and partners are increasingly seeking a more comprehensive solution that is both powerful and easy to use,” said Mohamad Ali, Carbonite’s president and CEO. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter this year. John Post, Webroot’s current chief financial officer, “will be taking general management responsibilities for the Webroot business upon the close of the […]

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Hacked Pakistani bank cards for sale on the dark web again

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Information about thousands of hacked Pakistani bank card accounts appeared on the dark web this week, researchers said, following similar incidents in late October that roiled the country’s financial system and government. Hackers put the purloined details from 177,878 cards for sale on the dark web market Joker’s Stash around Nov. 13, according to Moscow-based cybersecurity company Group-IB, with 150,632 of those records appearing to come from Pakistani banks. An Oct. 27 breach led at least one bank, Karachi-based BankIslami, to shut down certain operations. Soon afterward, the cybersecurity organization PakCERT found thousands of Pakistani bank card records on the dark web. The latest dump does not include cards from BankIslami, Group-IB notes in its blog post about the breach. “The banks affected by this breach included major Pakistani financial organizations such as, Habib Bank, MCB Bank Limited, Allied Bank Limited and many others,” the post said. “Habib Bank was affected most by […]

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RSA Conference: No more all-male panels

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One of the biggest annual cybersecurity trade shows, the RSA Conference (RSAC), says it will no longer allow all-male panels on its keynote stages and is taking several other steps to improve diversity and inclusion at its events. Tuesday’s announcement comes as surveys and studies continue to show that women are vastly underrepresented not only in cybersecurity jobs but also the technology industry in general — a fact only amplified by the prevalence of “manels” at big conferences such as RSA, which holds events in the U.S. and globally throughout the year. The initiatives also include programs intended to improve the environment for conference attendees and reduce bias and exclusion throughout the industry in general for “all genders, orientations, physical abilities, religions, ethnicities and experiences, in every aspect of our events around the globe,” said Sandra Toms, vice president and curator of RSAC. The decision on all-male panels is part of a broader initiative to […]

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JavaScript attack aimed to reroute bitcoin transactions

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A newly identified JavaScript vulnerability in StatCounter, a popular web analytics platform, allowed hackers to attempt to re-route bitcoin transfers associated with a specific cryptocurrency exchange. Attackers were able to inject a piece of their own code into JavaScript associated with StatCounter’s system, according to research from ESET. The malicious code searches for URLs that contain “myaccount/withdraw/BTC,” with the intention of replacing the destination address of transfers with an address belonging to the attackers, ESET reports. The attack target appears to be cryptocurrency trading site Gate.io, the report says, given that it is the only one that uses the “myaccount/withdraw/BTC” Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). “The users’ funds are safe,” Gate.io said, but it urged customers to maximize the security levels on their accounts. ESET said it notified the company as soon as it discovered the hack, which it labeled as a “supply chain” attack, given where the malicious code appeared. The company said Wednesday that it has stopped […]

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Pakistan’s banks and law enforcement clash over severity of hack

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Pakistan’s top criminal investigation agency and the country’s central bank are at odds Wednesday over the breadth of a reported cyberattack that affected customers of at least one commercial bank. An official from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said Tuesday that most of the country’s major banks had been affected by breaches that began in October, but the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) responded with a statement that it “categorically rejects such reports.” “There is no evidence to this effect nor has this information been provided to SBP by any bank or law enforcement agency,” SBP said about comments from FIA Cybercrimes Director Mohammad Shoaib that were reported by the news site Geo.tv. Most of the public information about the cyberattack stems from a Nov. 4 advisory by PakCERT, one of Pakistan’s top cybersecurity organizations, which pointed to activity by Karachi-based BankIslami. The bank “noticed abnormal transactions” on Oct. 27 and “shutdown its international payment scheme.” Other banks followed with […]

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