The ransomware attacks that returned to Europe in late June affected a variety of large companies around the world, including snack company Mondelez, which had to miss some shipments at the crucial end of the quarter after its computer systems were compromised. [More]
ransomware
Security Experts Think Massive Global Ransomware Outbreak May Be Linked To North Korea
By 5.16.17
A massive digital attack that swept the world late last week, holding computers and their data hostage for ransom, has largely petered out (for now). But as the crisis settles down, researchers are now able to take the time to start figuring out who started it all… and fingers are pointing at a familiar target. [More]
Massive Ransomware Attack Has Slowed, But Probably Isn’t Over Forever
By 5.15.17
Ransomware — malicious software that encrypts your computer until you pay up — is, sadly, not new, but a recent, massive global attack on computer networks has pushed ransomware into the spotlight. While security researchers have figured out how to slow the havoc down, another wave of attacks seems likely. [More]
Ransomware Attack Hitting FedEx, Hospitals, Utilities, And More In At Least 74 Countries
By 5.12.17
Security experts say that a cyberattack that first hit British hospitals, holding their computer networks hostage, has now spread beyond the U.K., targeting other healthcare facilities, shipping companies, and utilities, in a rapidly growing number of countries. [More]
Apple Says Systems Not Breached After Hackers Threaten To Wipe Millions Of iPhones
By 3.23.17
Earlier this week, a group of hackers claimed to have email addresses and passwords for hundreds of millions of Apple accounts, and that it would use this information to remotely erase massive numbers of iPhones if a ransom weren’t paid. For its part, Apple says no account information was stolen from its servers. [More]
Hackers Say They Will Wipe iPhones Unless Apple Pays Ransom
By 3.21.17
Hundreds of millions of iPhone owners may be up a creek next month, at least according to a hacker group that claims to have unprecedented access to the devices and is threatening to remotely wipe them clean if Apple doesn’t pay up. [More]
New Hacker Trick: Locking All Hotel Guests Out Of Rooms, Demanding Ransom
By 1.30.17
Ransomware is a type of malware that infects computers and smartphones, encrypting the data on them and locking up the device, making it unusable. This is pretty bad when it happens to your personal device and you have no backup, but imagine an entire hotel full of guests locked out of their rooms because the hotel staff has been locked out of the computer system. [More]
Ransomware Spreading Onto Smart TVs, Is A Pain To Fix
By 1.6.17 — Updated: 1.7.17
Streaming TV has been a boon for consumers. Programming is everywhere, right at our fingertips, as soon as we get our screens online. But that connectivity comes with a big risk: wherever there’s an internet connection, there’s a possibility for bad guys to show up. And now they are showing up in the real world, holding TV sets hostage with ransomware and demanding cash to let you access your own stuff. [More]
Hackers Breached San Francisco Transit System, Held It Hostage All Weekend
By 11.28.16
San Francisco residents bustling around this weekend to visit friends and knock out some holiday shopping were treated to an unexpected surprise: all rides on MUNI rail were free. It wasn’t due to a gesture of goodwill from the transit operator, though; it was because hackers had managed to lock out the fare system and were holding it hostage. [More]
Big Bunch Of Legitimate Business Websites Hijacked To Deliver You Bad Malware
By 7.20.16
You know to avoid sketchy sites, and always double-check your URLs. You like to think that going to a legitimate business website is going to be pretty safe, malware-wise. But alas, even the most legitimate site is vulnerable to security flaws… and a whole wave of them have recently been hijacked to try to extort money from you. [More]
Apple Users Targeted With Widescale Ransomware Campaign For First Time
By 3.7.16
For decades, many Apple users have bragged about their computers not being targeted by viruses and malware in the way that Windows-based computers were. But over the weekend, hackers launched what is believed to be the first widespread ransomware campaign against Mac computers. [More]
Yahoo Removes Malware From Its Advertising Network That Exploited Weakness In Adobe Flash
By 8.4.15
For six days last week, malware known as “malvertising” was reportedly lurking in Yahoo’s advertising network, with the potential for attackers to infect internet users’ computers and hold them for ransom. Security researchers say they notified Yahoo of the malware upon discovering it on Sunday, and the company removed the malicious code immediately. [More]
