Category Archives: treasury

Treasury Crypto Security Sanction Blocks Exchange Favored by Ransomware Actors

Posted on by

The U.S. government sanctioned the cryptocurrency exchange SUEX for moving money for ransomware actors. In essence, that means U.S. citizens and corporate entities are banned from using it. The statement, released in September, is part of a wider effort to boost crypto security and “disrupt criminal networks and currency exchanges”. The First Crypto Security Sanction […]

The post Treasury Crypto Security Sanction Blocks Exchange Favored by Ransomware Actors appeared first on Security Intelligence.

Continue reading Treasury Crypto Security Sanction Blocks Exchange Favored by Ransomware Actors→

Treasury sanctions cryptocurrency platform for working with ransomware payments

Posted on by

The Treasury Department on Tuesday announced sanctions against a cryptocurrency exchange for facilitating transactions involving money illegally gained via ransomware hacking, the first action of its kind. The sanctions against Russia-based exchange Suex are a significant step by the Biden administration in making it harder for cybercriminals to access payments, with the ultimate goal of disrupting the rapid rise of ransomware attacks. (The government did not disclose which hacking groups allegedly laundered their funds through the service.) “Exchanges like Suex are critical to attackers’ ability to extract profits from ransomware attacks. This action is a signal of our intention to expose and disrupt illicit infrastructure using these attacks,” said Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the Treasury Department. Over 40% of Suex’s transactions are associated with illegal activity, according to the Treasury Department. The new sanctions block all of Suex’s property and business interests in the U.S. and threaten additional sanctions […]

The post Treasury sanctions cryptocurrency platform for working with ransomware payments appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading Treasury sanctions cryptocurrency platform for working with ransomware payments→

DHS Among Those Hit in Sophisticated Cyberattack by Foreign Adversaries – Report

Posted on by

The attack was mounted via SolarWinds Orion, in a manual and targeted supply-chain effort. Continue reading DHS Among Those Hit in Sophisticated Cyberattack by Foreign Adversaries – Report→

US sanctions Russian agent for 2020 election interference efforts, alleged IRA trolls

Posted on by

The Trump administration sanctioned four Russia-linked individuals for their efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections, the Treasury Department announced Thursday. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is specifically sanctioning Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian politician who has been an “active Russian agent for over a decade,” for his efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections in the U.S., it said in a release. Derkach waged a covert influence campaign that relied on edited audio taps and other materials meant to discredit U.S. officials, and sway public opinion, prior to Election Day, according to the Treasury Department. “Derkach has directly or indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed, or otherwise been complicit in foreign interference in an attempt to undermine the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election,” OFAC said in the release. OFAC is also sanctioning three members of the Russian government’s social media troll farm, the Internet Research Agency, […]

The post US sanctions Russian agent for 2020 election interference efforts, alleged IRA trolls appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading US sanctions Russian agent for 2020 election interference efforts, alleged IRA trolls→

US government exposes North Korean government ATM cashout hacking campaign

Posted on by

The U.S. government called out North Korea on Wednesday over a government-led hacking campaign that has been focused on stealing cash from ATMs around the world. The operation, run out of the North Korean government’s Reconnaissance General Bureau — through a hacking group the U.S. government refers to as Hidden Cobra — poses a “significant threat to financial institutions,” the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and U.S. Treasury said in a joint release. The scheme comes as North Korea is under the crush of harsh international sanctions, which is forcing the country to find money through any means necessary. In exposing the campaign, the U.S. government says it aims to throttle those efforts. “We know that North Korea uses cyber-enabled tactics and techniques to steal currency, which it would otherwise be denied under international sanctions,” the Pentagon’s Cyber Command Cyber National Mission Force Commander, Brig. Gen. Joe Hartman, […]

The post US government exposes North Korean government ATM cashout hacking campaign appeared first on CyberScoop.

Continue reading US government exposes North Korean government ATM cashout hacking campaign→

Feds Indict 281 People for Involvement in Massive E-Mail Fraud Scheme

Posted on by

A coordinated effort between multiple agencies arrested suspects in Nigeria, the U.S. and eight other countries as well as seized nearly $3.7 million. Continue reading Feds Indict 281 People for Involvement in Massive E-Mail Fraud Scheme→

Insider Threat: FinCEN Insider Bares Treasury Secrets

Posted on by

In what can only be described as insider gone sideway, a senior adviser within the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Division (FinCEN), Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, shared with media her confidential work and more. Edwards… Continue reading Insider Threat: FinCEN Insider Bares Treasury Secrets→

US Treasury wants national data breach notification standard

Posted on by

A US Treasury report has identified improvements that support non-bank financial institutions, innovation, and financial technology, with the main talking point being the creation of a national data breach notification standard. The US Treasury is aski… Continue reading US Treasury wants national data breach notification standard→

U.S. indicts hackers over terabytes worth of intellectual property theft

Posted on by

The Trump administration has announced indictments and sanctions against multiple hackers who acted as contractors for a secretive branch of Iran’s armed forces. On Friday, the Justice Department unsealed charges against nine Iranian nationals for hacking into the networks of multiple U.S. universities, municipal governments and other American businesses. The hackers sought to steal research and leverage the high bandwidth networks for future operations. A senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity explained the White House believes the punishment will be more damaging than similar indictments against other nation-states that have attacked U.S. companies, like Russia or China. This is because many of those named are private citizens that currently enjoy the ability to travel internationally and some even own assets abroad. Government officials do not expect the same from those indicted in previous instances. “These nine Iranian nationals allegedly stole more than 31 terabytes of documents and […]

The post U.S. indicts hackers over terabytes worth of intellectual property theft appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading U.S. indicts hackers over terabytes worth of intellectual property theft→