Category Archives: Hold Security

Kaseya Left Customer Portal Vulnerable to 2015 Flaw in its Own Software

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Last week cybercriminals deployed ransomware to 1,500 organizations that provide IT security and technical support to many other companies. The attackers exploited a vulnerability in software from Kaseya, a Miami-based company whose products help system administrators manage large networks remotely. Now it appears Kaseya’s customer service portal was left vulnerable until last week to a data-leaking security flaw that was first identified in the same software six years ago. Continue reading Kaseya Left Customer Portal Vulnerable to 2015 Flaw in its Own Software→

How Does One Get Hired by a Top Cybercrime Gang?

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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) last week announced the arrest of a 55-year-old Latvian woman who’s alleged to have worked as a programmer for Trickbot, a malware-as-a-service platform responsible for infecting millions of computers and seeding many of those systems with ransomware.

Just how did a self-employed web site designer and mother of two come to work for one of the world’s most rapacious cybercriminal groups and then leave such an obvious trail of clues indicating her involvement with the gang? This post explores answers to those questions, as well as some of the ways Trickbot and other organized cybercrime gangs gradually recruit, groom and trust new programmers. Continue reading How Does One Get Hired by a Top Cybercrime Gang?→

FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent, Credible Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

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On Monday, Oct. 27, KrebsOnSecurity began following up on a tip from a reliable source that an aggressive Russian cybercriminal gang known for deploying ransomware was preparing to disrupt information technology systems at hundreds of hospitals, clinics and medical care facilities across the United States. Today, officials from the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security hastily assembled a conference call with healthcare industry executives warning about an “imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.” Continue reading FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent, Credible Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals→

Security Blueprints of Many Companies Leaked in Hack of Swedish Firm Gunnebo

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In March 2020, KrebsOnSecurity alerted Swedish security giant Gunnebo Group that hackers had broken into its network and sold the access to a criminal group which specializes in deploying ransomware. In August, Gunnebo said it had successfully thwarted a ransomware attack, but this week it emerged that the intruders stole and published online tens of thousands of sensitive documents — including schematics of client bank vaults and surveillance systems.

The Gunnebo Group is a Swedish multinational company that provides physical security to a variety of clients globally, including banks, government agencies, airports, casinos, jewelry stores, tax agencies and even nuclear power plants. The company has operations in 25 countries, more than 4,000 employees, and billions in revenue annually. Continue reading Security Blueprints of Many Companies Leaked in Hack of Swedish Firm Gunnebo→

Report: U.S. Cyber Command Behind Trickbot Tricks

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A week ago, KrebsOnSecurity broke the news that someone was attempting to disrupt the Trickbot botnet, a malware crime machine that has infected millions of computers and is often used to spread ransomware. A new report Friday says the coordinated attack was part of an operation carried out by the U.S. military’s Cyber Command. Continue reading Report: U.S. Cyber Command Behind Trickbot Tricks→

Attacks Aimed at Disrupting the Trickbot Botnet

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Over the past 10 days, someone has been launching a series of coordinated attacks designed to disrupt Trickbot, an enormous collection of more than two million malware-infected Windows PCs that are constantly being harvested for financial data and are often used as the entry point for deploying ransomware within compromised organizations. Continue reading Attacks Aimed at Disrupting the Trickbot Botnet→

Business ID Theft Soars Amid COVID Closures

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Identity thieves who specialize in running up unauthorized lines of credit in the names of small businesses are having a field day with all of the closures and economic uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, KrebsOnSecurity has learned. This story is about the victims of a particularly aggressive business ID theft ring that’s spent years targeting small businesses across the country and is now pivoting toward using that access for pandemic assistance loans and unemployment benefits. Continue reading Business ID Theft Soars Amid COVID Closures→

Florence, Ala. Hit By Ransomware 12 Days After Being Alerted by KrebsOnSecurity

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In late May, KrebsOnSecurity alerted numerous officials in Florence, Ala. that their information technology systems had been infiltrated by hackers who specialize in deploying ransomware. Nevertheless, on Friday, June 5, the intruders sprang their attack, deploying ransomware and demanding nearly $300,000 worth of bitcoin. City officials now say they plan to pay the ransom demand, in hopes of keeping the personal data of their citizens off of the Internet. Continue reading Florence, Ala. Hit By Ransomware 12 Days After Being Alerted by KrebsOnSecurity→

Ukraine Nabs Suspect in 773M Password ‘Megabreach’

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In January 2019, dozens of media outlets raised the alarm about a new “megabreach” involving the release of some 773 million stolen usernames and passwords that was breathlessly labeled “the largest collection of stolen data in history.” A subsequent review by KrebsOnSecurity quickly determined the data was years old and merely a compilation of credentials pilfered from mostly public data breaches. Earlier today, authorities in Ukraine said they’d apprehended a suspect in the case. Continue reading Ukraine Nabs Suspect in 773M Password ‘Megabreach’→

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→