Category: data breach

First is regarding a ‘Rapid Security Update’ that is being issued by Apple Inc to all iOS devices and applies to iPads and macOS. The technology giant confirmed that the update is a necessity and can be automatically updated as well, if the settings are tweaked. It disallows hackers from taking control of the device and was released to patch up vulnerabilities within the software. Therefore, all users of the device should focus on getting their device installed with the latest update.

Second is the news about a Sydney-based cancer treatment facility that became a victim of a ransomware attack. The Crown Princess Mary Cancer Center is the healthcare facility that is in discussion and federal government agencies are trying to contain the incident on the servers of the facility, which is part of the Sydney West Cancer Network.

Third is the news related to the City of Dallas, where the servers of the Dallas Police Department have fallen prey to a ransomware attack, thus disrupting systems related to emergencies and other calls. The Royal Ransomware Group is said to be involved in the incident, and the cyber arm of the Dallas Police Department is finding ways to mitigate the risks and recover the data as early as possible.

Another alert has been issued against the ROYAL ransomware gang by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). According to the advisory, all healthcare providers operating in the Indian subcontinent and in the whole of South Asia should be cautious about the said file-encrypting group that mainly targets the healthcare sector. Therefore, computer admins are being warned to be aware of phishing emails, malicious downloads, and be wary of other social engineering attacks.

The next news is related to Pediatric Healthcare Provider Brightline, which is in the field of treating child mental health and trauma. According to sources, a hack has exposed data of over 780,000 children who were patients of Brightline. The data breach took place on January 30th, 2023, impacting about 783,600 people. A related notice has been displayed on the website and investigations revealed that the hackers infiltrated the database with a zero-day vulnerability.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, released a press statement yesterday that its cybersecurity teams have disrupted a malware spread campaign that was discovered to be spreading malware like Ducktail and the newly identified NodeStealer. Primary analysis made by the technology giant stated that the malware was being distributed via browser extensions and fake ads running on compromised business accounts.

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Two unsavoury websites suffer from a worrying leak, scientists are going animal crackers over AI, and the BBC is intercepting scammers’ live phone calls with victims. All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the “Smashing Security” podcast by computer security veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week … Continue reading "Smashing Security podcast #320: City Jerks, AI animals, and is the BBC hacking again?"
Students and teachers at the Minneapolis Public School (MPS) District, which suffered a huge ransomware attack< at the end of February, have had highly sensitive information about themselves published on the web, including allegations of abuse by teachers and psychological reports. Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.

Companies that fail to protect their customers’ information are likely to face lawsuits in the year 2023, as impacted customers are no longer willing to tolerate such acts at the expense of their privacy and financial losses.

This legal turn is supported by a study conducted by BakerHostetler, which confirms that lawsuits against companies that suffer data breaches are becoming more common and may increase by the end of this year.

The 2023 Data Security Incident Response Report was compiled after gathering responses from more than 1,100 cybersecurity professionals, and it suggests that businesses’ tolerance levels have declined. Almost all of those who suffered consequences related to a data spill are likely, or have already, filed a lawsuit against their technology partners.

Among the impacted incidents, 45% were network intrusions, 30% were business email compromise, and 12% were unintended information disclosure.

Surprisingly, the analysis conducted by American law firm BakerHostetler found that victims who made ransomware payments increased in the year 2022 compared to 2021. Additionally, the average ransom amount paid last year was recorded as $600,000, up from the $511,000 payment made in 2021.

Now the big question: Is there any benefit in filing a lawsuit against the technology service provider for a data breach? Well, under certain circumstances, local laws stipulate that all companies dealing with customer data must efficiently use resources and funds to protect the information from cybercriminals and state-funded hacks. Those that fail to do so will be eligible for prosecution by data watchdogs, also known as Information Security Commissioners. Impacted customers are entitled to file a lawsuit against their service provider if sensitive details related to them, individually or as a group, are leaked to hackers. Receiving a monetary favor for the loss is totally idiosyncratic and depends on the intensity of the breach, leaked info, and the failure of the company that was storing the data. By the way, data spills occurring from state-funded hacks are no longer covered under cyber insurance.

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National Crime Agency (NCA) has started a detailed investigation into a cyber attack that took place on the servers of the National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA) members. This attack has led to concerns that they or their family members could be targeted by criminals who could either harm them or threaten them to surrender their firearms at a high price in the black market. This is all because of the strict firearm rules prevailing across the United Kingdom.

The attack took place in mid-last week, and the rifle owners association is busy sharing details with law enforcement to investigate the incident thoroughly and mitigate the risks associated with the attack.

Confirmed sources state that the attack took place on legacy servers, and the fresh smallbore rifle membership details were secure enough as they were stored on a separate set of computer networks. However, a high-ranking source confirmed that the data breach details could put the owners at risk as they could be contacted and threatened by those seeking weaponry on an illegal note.

Strangely, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) was also hit by a cyber-attack at the same time last year. Now the NSRA has hit the news headlines for the same reason.

It is better for gun owners to stay vigilant on what is happening around their homes for the next few months and possibly keep a strict vigil 24×7 via CCTV surveillance cameras or by other means, such as deployment of physical security. Some experts suggest keeping the rifle unloaded and locked up in a safe or a storage cabinet. It is also better to keep the bullets in a separate cabinet and hide the keys. Teens and preteens should be asked not to touch the weapon and handle the gun only under strict adult supervision.

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A boss is bitten in the bottom after being struck by one of the worst crimes in Finnish history, Strava’s privacy isn’t so private, and a private investigator uncovers some TikTok tall tales. All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the “Smashing Security” podcast by computer security veterans Graham … Continue reading "Smashing Security podcast #319: The CEO who also ran IT, Strava strife, and TikTok tall tales"

ICICI Bank, an Indian bank with a business presence in over 15 countries, has become a victim of a data breach, leaking information of more than 3.8 million customers or 38 lakh customers. The banking giant says that the news of the data breach is false, as its preliminary inquiries have revealed that the available information on the web is fake and doesn’t belong to its customers.

However, the multinational Indian bank is still investigating the incident and may take at least 48 hours to offer confirmed details on the customer info leak.

According to sources reporting to Cybersecurity Insiders, the hackers accessed the information by exploiting a misconfigured cloud data bucket that had critical information stored on it. The information that was accessed via misconfigured servers of the Digital Ocean bucket includes bank account transaction details, credit card numbers, bank statements, full names, DOBs, home addresses, contact details, email addresses, PII docs, and employee CVs.

Passport numbers, driving license details, and PAN details belonging to some of the customers were also accessed by hackers on a fraudulent note.

Unconfirmed sources state that the fraudulent access took place from February 1st of this year, and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) data was also compromised in the incident. As soon as the Indian CERT team alerted the bank staff, they blocked the hackers’ access immediately and took appropriate measures to avoid such blunders in the future.

The ICICI Bank data leak seems to be critical as it can expose customers and staff to spear-phishing attacks.

NOTE: At one point in time, around 15-18 years back, ICICI Bank brought a revolution to the Indian banking sector by introducing online banking services. This made the banking customers in the Indian subcontinent compare the services to the government-run banks, which were later forced to introduce similar services that were never on par with the then services of ICICI Bank. Gradually, things improved, and since 2016, all government banks started matching the online and phone banking services of ICICI Bank, after which it was forced to abide by the rules of RBI for various reasons.

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