Tech Companies Push Users to Adopt Two-Factor Authentication

Google has spent the better part of 10 years persuading users to add an extra layer of security verification to their accounts. Now, it's done asking nicely. The Alphabet Inc. unit said it plans to automatically enroll 150 million Google accounts and 2 million YouTube accounts in its two-step verification program by the end of the year.

WSJ

A ransomware gang shut down after CyberCom hijacked its site and it discovered it had been hacked

A major overseas ransomware group shut down last month after a pair of operations by U.S. Cyber Command and a foreign government targeting the criminals' servers left its leaders too frightened of identification and arrest to stay in business, according to several U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

Washington Post

12 targeted for involvement in ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure

A total of 12 individuals wreaking havoc across the world with ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure have been targeted as the result of a law enforcement and judicial operation involving eight countries. These attacks are believed to have affected over 1 800 victims in 71 countries.

Europol

Ransomware Has Disrupted Almost 1,000 Schools in the US This Year

Image: Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register via Getty Images Hacking. Disinformation. Surveillance. CYBER is Motherboard's podcast and reporting on the dark underbelly of the internet. Do you have more information about a ransomware incident or a ransomware gang? We'd love to hear from you.

Vice

Europol detains suspects behind LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Dharma ransomware attacks

Europol said it detained 12 suspects this week it believes were part of a professional criminal group that orchestrated a long string of ransomware attacks that targeted large companies and which hit more than 1,800 victims across 71 countries since 2019.

The Record by Recorded Future

The 'Groove' Ransomware Gang Was a Hoax

A number of publications in September warned about the emergence of " Groove," a new ransomware group that called on competing extortion gangs to unite in attacking U.S. government interests online. It now appears that Groove was all a big hoax designed to toy with security firms and journalists.

Krebsonsecurity

NSA and CISA provide cybersecurity guidance for 5G cloud infrastructures

FORT MEADE, Md. - The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have published cybersecurity guidance to securely build and configure cloud infrastructures in support of 5G.

National Security Agency/Central Security Service

'Cyber event' knocks dairy giant Schreiber Foods offline amid industry ransomware outbreak - CyberScoop

A "cyber event" knocked plants and distribution centers offline at Schreiber Foods, a multibillion-dollar dairy company, a spokesperson told CyberScoop Wednesday. The incident began affecting operations Friday evening, according Schreiber Foods' Andrew Tobisch. "We began the process of bringing our plants and distribution centers back up late Monday," he said.

CyberScoop

Facebook gives Kazakhstan government direct access to content reporting system | ZDNet

Facebook parent company Meta has granted the Kazakhstan government direct access to its content reporting system, as part of a joint agreement to work on removing content that is deemed harmful on social network platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

ZDNet

BlackMatter ransomware says its shutting down due to pressure from local authorities

The criminal group behind the BlackMatter ransomware have announced plans today to shut down their operation, citing pressure from local authorities. The group announced its plan in a message posted in the backend of their Ransomware-as-a-Service portal, where other criminal groups typically register in order to get access to the BlackMatter ransomware strain.

The Record by Recorded Future

CISA starts identifying targets most necessary to protect from hacking - CyberScoop

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has begun working to map out the U.S. critical infrastructure that, if hacked, could result in serious consequences for national security and economic interests, CISA Director Jen Easterly said Friday. Labeling such infrastructure is the subject of a proposal of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a congressional committee, which recommended identifying "systemically important critical infrastructure," or SICI.

CyberScoop