As most Americans are still learning about the hacking-for-cash crime of ransomware, the nation's top homeland security official is worried about an even more dire digital danger: killware, or cyberattacks that can literally end lives.
In 2019, federal investigators in Wisconsin were hunting men they believed had participated in the trafficking and sexual abuse of a minor. She had gone missing that year but had emerged claiming to have been kidnapped and sexually assaulted, according to a search warrant reviewed by Forbes.
The suspected Russian hackers who used SolarWinds and Microsoft software to burrow into U.S. federal agencies emerged with information about counter-intelligence investigations, policy on sanctioning Russian individuals and the country's response to COVID-19, people involved in the investigation told Reuters.
Apple has released iOS 15.0.2, and it comes with a warning for all iPhone users to update now. That's because iOS 15.0.2 fixes a security vulnerability that attackers may already be using to attack iPhones. According to Apple's page, iOS 15.0.2 fixes an issue with the IOMobileFrameBuffer that could allow an application to execute code with kernel privileges.
Daniel: Let's say I have a traditional legacy banking application. Users can sign in using their web browser to gain access to financial details or funds, move money around, and receive money.
10,000 high-risk users are being provided with free hardware security keys by Google, with the aim of better protecting their accounts from hackers. Google says it is sending out the free Titan two-factor authentication (2FA) security keys - that provide a phishing-resistant layer of protection - to groups such as politicians, journalists, and human rights activists, who are considered to be particularly at risk from state-sponsored attackers.
At least three US grain distributors have been infected with ransomware in recent weeks, raising concerns that hackers have found an easy target in a vital part of the US food supply chain. All three known victims are midwestern grain cooperatives that buy grain from farmers, and then process, store, and resell it for uses like livestock feed and fuel.
Delta's new "digital identity experience" can also be used to check a bag. Delta Air Lines is expanding its partnership with the Transportation Security Administration with its use of facial recognition technology making getting through airport security even quicker.
French police have detained a 22-year-old suspect on the accusation of breaching a Paris hospital, stealing, and then leaking the COVID-19 test results of more than 1.4 million patients. The suspect, whose name was not released by authorities, was arrested on Wednesday, October 6, in the village of Ollioules dans le Var, in the south of France, according to a press release from the Paris police.
The Justice Department will impose large fines on federal contractors that fail to meet what its second in command said are "required cybersecurity standards," including the disclosure of cybersecurity breaches.