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☆ A Silicon Valley executive had $400,000 stolen by cybercriminals while buying a home. Here’s her warning
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Real estate, with its large transaction sizes and frequent use of wire transfers, has proven to be an especially lucrative target for criminals. In early July, Robillard told CNBC she had no idea whether she would ever see her money again. Courtesy: Rana RobillardRobillard says she decided to publicize her story to boost awareness of real estate wire fraud, besides being a last-ditch attempt at getting her money back. "This is not what I thought my public representation would look like, which is that I've lost all this money," Robillard said. While Martinez, California-based Compass Mortgage denies being hacked, it acknowledged that the email with wire directions wasn't from them, according to Robillard.

Persons: Rana Robillard, she'd, Robillard, HackerOne, Fraudsters, Naftali Harris, Harris, Charles Schwab, she's, —, Robillard Robillard, I've, it's, should've, Kristy Aichinger, Aichinger, Kent Donahue, Donahue didn't Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, CNBC, Citigroup, Ally Bank, San, FBI, JPMorgan, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Chase, FTC, OS National, Opendoor, Robillard, Compass Mortgage Advisors, Mortgage Locations: Oakland, Orinda ,, California, Orinda, San Francisco, Real, Martinez

“This outage is historic in scale,” Mikko Hypponen, a research specialist at the software company WithSecure and a cybercrime adviser to Europol, told DealBook. It issued a software update that is causing Microsoft systems, including its Azure cloud service, to crash or not function properly. Long queues of airline passengers could be seen at airports around the world, with some resorting to manual check-in. In France, the television networks TF1 and Canal+ told the public on X that they could not go on the air on Friday morning. The incident points to how reliant the global economy is on a handful of major tech companies to run vital infrastructure.

Persons: ” Mikko Hypponen, Europol, DealBook, George Kurtz, CrowdStrike, ” Organizations: Microsoft, United, Delta, Airlines, Air France, KLM, Japan Airlines, TF1, Sky Locations: Europe, Asia, France

☆ CNBC's Inside India newsletter: An education scandal years in the making
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Yet, the system has also exacerbated the social divide between the haves and have-nots, who are confined to the largely abysmal state-run education system. That means entrance tests and examinations are a high-stakes juncture in a person's life. A half-hearted attempt at testing the country's education system in 2021 was aborted when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country. The company, which offers services ranging from online tutorials to offline coaching, attracted billions of dollars from investors worldwide during the pandemic when online education services were in high demand. One of the companies it bought was an offline test preparation service called Aakash Education Services, which is still expected to IPO this year.

Persons: Firdous Nazir, NurPhoto, Cram, —, Byju's Organizations: Youth Congress, Getty, Testing Agency, Reuters, FIFA, Aakash Education Services Locations: Jammu, Kashmir, India, Kota, Rajasthan, PISA, Kyrgyzstan, Turkish

☆ Russia can’t fight NATO on the battlefield – so it’s waging a hybrid war instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

And while they might look minor in isolation, taken together these incidents amount to what security experts say is Russia’s hybrid war on the West. Thornton said Russia was resorting to a campaign of sabotage as an alternative to a full-on war with NATO, which would be disastrous for Russia. Article 5 is the cornerstone principle that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members. Danylyuk said the Russian security apparatus doesn’t shy away from using criminals to do its dirty work, tapping into its links with international organized crime. Russia can only be strong if the West and NATO are weak.

Persons: –, Petr Fiala, Jens Stoltenberg, Rod Thornton, there’s, ” Thornton, Vladimir Putin, Thornton, “, ”, It’s, ” Nicole Wolkov, Andrei Averyanov, Averyanov, Sergei, Yulia Skripal, d’etat, Oleksandr Danylyuk, …, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Danylyuk, Olga Lautman, Fiala, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Frank Augstein, ” Lautman, Lautman, Alexander Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, Theresa May, Nikolai Glushkov, Salisbury, Putin, ” “, let’s, ’ ”, that’s, Litvinenko, Skripal Organizations: CNN, Occupation, . Police, European Union, NATO, King’s College London, ”, Royal United Services Institute, Czech Police, GRU, London –, German Federal Public, Ukraine, Russian, Russia NATO, Center for, European, of Human, Duma, Metropolitan Police, Command, Soviet, West Locations: Prague, Czech, Moscow, Europe, Riga, London, Warsaw, Germany, Russia, Belarus, Russian, Spain, Lithuania, Canada, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia –, United States, al Qaeda, France, EU, Salisbury, England, Czech Republic, Vrbetice, Montenegro, Moldova, Macedonia, Ukrainian, Poland, Salisbury , England, Finland, Estonia, Lautman, Soviet Union

☆ I'm pulling out my old hedge fund playbook to see which stocks are working — and which ones are not
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

I found this levered concept incredibly valuable when I ran other peoples' money at my hedge fund years ago. My first question to them, usually interjected, rudely, if I were bored or confused was: "What the heck is this business levered to?" Palo Alto Networks To understand this kind of leverage that I am talking about — as opposed to the kind that involves debt —let's start with something easy, let's start with the stock of Palo Alto Networks . We own Palo Alto because its fortunes are levered to something that has the most explosive growth of an industry I know: cybercrime. If we didn't own Palo Alto we would own CrowdStrike.

Persons: —, Nikesh Arora, Estee Lauder, Wynn, Fabrizio Freda, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Virginia Sherwood Organizations: Palo Alto, Palo Alto Networks, Wynn, GE Healthcare, Danaher, Wynn Resorts, Costco TJX Companies, Costco, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, NYSE Locations: Palo, China, Las Vegas, Macao, Maxx

☆ America's drinking water is under attack, with links back to China, Russia and Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The City of Wichita recently had an experience that's become all too common — its water system was hacked. The cyberattack, which targeted water metering, billing and payment processing, followed the targeting of water utilities across the U.S. in recent years. While the methods may be simple, an attack last year by an Iranian-backed activist group against 12 water utilities in the U.S. reinforced how purposeful "an attacker's mindset" can be, according to Witt. The targeted utilities all contained equipment that was Israeli-made. Attacks on U.S. water utilities' IT systems can have a similar psychological impact, and even if the attacks don't directly interfere with the operations of the utility, still lessen public trust in water supply.

Persons: that's, Ryan Witt, Witt, Adam Isles, Stuart Madnick Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, FBI, NSA, Congress, U.S . Air Force, Chertoff Group, CNBC, Colonial Pipeline, Infrastructure Security Agency, Cybersecurity, MIT Sloan Locations: City, Wichita, Iranian, U.S, Israeli, United States, Texas, —

☆ In 'Operation Endgame,' global law enforcement teamed up in their biggest battle against hackers. It's a start.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. 'Largest ever operation against botnets'Europol called the sting the "largest ever operation against botnets, which play a major role in the deployment of ransomware." As part of the operation, the law enforcement agencies shut down at least four malware groups or "droppers" known as "IcedID," "Smokeloader," "Pikabot," and "Bumblebee." Mitrano said "Operation Endgame," is a "very important first step, but we have to keep going." AdvertisementThe "biggest problem" in the malware world, according to Holt, is that there is always a different iteration of malware on the horizon.

Persons: —, Adam Wandt, John Jay, botnets, Europol, Christopher Wray, alarmingly, Wandt, Ransomware, Tracy Beth Mitrano, it's, Mitrano, Thomas Holt, cybercrime, Holt, Cybercriminals, Wray, borderless cybercrime Organizations: Service, Business, European Union, FBI, cybercrime, New, John, John Jay College of Criminal, botnets, Cornell University, of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University Locations: Ukraine, Armenia, Europe, cryptocurrency, United States, Holt, ransomware

CNN —A cyberattack on a contractor to England’s National Health Service has forced several major hospitals in London to cancel operations, blood tests and appointments and send patients elsewhere. King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ have all been affected, as have numerous primary care providers in the UK capital, a spokesperson for the National Health Service (NHS) said Tuesday. The hospitals and providers affected are all partnered with Synnovis, a company that provides lab services to the NHS. Mark Dollar, the CEO of Synnovis, said the company was “incredibly sorry for the inconvenience and upset this is causing to patients, service users and anyone else affected. We are doing our best to minimize the impact and will stay in touch with local NHS services to keep people up to date with developments.”

Persons: Thomas ’, Oliver Dowson, Thomas ’ –, “, ”, Vanessa Welham, Ciaran Martin, ” Martin, Mark Dollar Organizations: CNN, National Health Service, King’s College Hospital, Synnovis, NHS, Royal, Guy’s, Gracefield, Cyber Security, Cyber Operations Locations: London, Guy’s, Royal Brompton, Streatham

☆ Conspiracy theory-fueled newspaper Epoch Times grew revenue 4x thanks to CFO's crypto crime proceeds, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Epoch Times wasn't named in court records, and the Justice Department said the case had nothing to do with its editorial slant. They used the prepaid cards and financial accounts that were opened with stolen personal information to plow millions of dollars into the Epoch Times' bank accounts, prosecutors say. The Epoch Times said in a statement that it had suspended Guan, though it said that he was innocent until proven guilty. Advertisement"The Epoch Times has a guiding principle that elevates integrity in its dealings above everything else," the statement said. ET: This story has been updated to include a comment from Epoch Times received after publication.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Bill, Guan, Damian Williams, it's, Biden Organizations: Service, Times, The Justice Department, Epoch Times, Business, Justice Department, Southern, of, NBC, Gong Locations: New York, Manhattan

☆ US and allies arrest alleged cybercrime ringleader, seize millions in sports cars in major Covid-19 fraud bust
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The alleged cybercriminal conduct and the lavish lifestyle it funded “reads like it’s ripped from a screenplay,” Matthew Axelrod, a senior US Commerce Department official involved in the investigation, said in a statement. Wang used money he earned from renting the botnet to buy property in those locations, according to an indictment unsealed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Authorities in Singapore and Thailand worked with the FBI on the bust, the Justice Department said. The new charges are only the latest alleged example of opportunistic fraud that has been rampant across the US since Covid-19 emerged more than four years ago. The problem got so bad that the Secret Service named a senior official as National Pandemic Fraud Recovery Coordinator to try to claw back some of the many billions that were stolen.

Persons: YunHe Wang, Fraudsters, ” Matthew Axelrod, Brett Leatherman, Wang, Leatherman Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Justice, Treasury, US Commerce Department, Royce, FBI, Court, Eastern, Eastern District of, Authorities, Service, IRS Locations: Singapore, East Asia, Caribbean, Eastern District, Eastern District of Texas, Thailand

☆ He taught cops how to fight crypto crime. Now he's accused of running a $100 million dark web drug market.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lin Rui-siang stands accused of running a $100 million dark web drug market, attempting to blackmail its users, and instructing others on how to evade anti-money-laundering investigators. Federal prosecutors say that he owned and operated Incognito Market, a dark web drug market selling heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and other illicit substances. The DoJ said Lin used the pseudonyms "Pharoah" and "faro." The indictment claims that Lin closed the drug marketplace in or around March, and that he refused to return money stored in the "bank" to vendors and customers. The outlet said that "Pharoah" posted on a dark web market forum that its aim was to help users evade anti-money-laundering investigators.

Persons: —, Lin Rui, siang, Lin, John F, Lucia, Edward A, Caban Organizations: Service, Business, Department of Justice, Kennedy, WIRED, St, Lucia Police, Lucia Police Force, DoJ, Justice Department, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Food, Drug, Criminal Investigations, New York Police Department, NYPD Locations: Royal, faro

☆ ‘Chelsea’ Asked for Nude Pictures. Then the Sextortion Began.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Sarah Maslin Nir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Instagram message popped up from a girl named Chelsea: “Howdy.”David didn’t know anyone named Chelsea, but he clicked through her profile: She had brown hair and a nice smile; under her name was a quote from the Bible. He was hesitant when she asked him to chat, but soon her flirty messages escalated to a volley of explicit pictures, and David, a 32-year-old pharmacy technician, got carried away. When she asked him for a nude, he hardly thought twice, he said. He slipped into the bathroom at the New Jersey hospital where he works, took a picture and hit send. David’s phone lit up with messages: pictures he had sent with his genitals exposed alongside screenshots of his Instagram followers with whom he shares a last name — his family.

Persons: “ Howdy, ” David didn’t, selfies, David, “, ” Organizations: Chelsea, Department of Homeland Security Locations: Chelsea, New Jersey, Nigeria

☆ Underwater superyachts? A CEO is pitching fantastical ships that can go 800ft down and stay submerged for weeks.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It says the M5 will be able to travel 820 feet underwater and stay submerged for a month. A promotional concept rendering for the Migaloo M5, a proposed submersible superyacht. The Migaloo concept clearly aims to cater to an increasing desire for privacy and security among the world's richest people. Bobbing about underwater in a Migaloo M5, Elon Musk wouldn't have to worry about a jet-tracking student any longer. A promotional concept rendering for the Migaloo M5, a proposed submersible superyacht MigalooIt remains to be seen if and when any prospective buyers will bite.

Persons: Christian Gumpold, —, there's, Gumpold, Migaloo, Bond, It's, Elon Musk, it's Organizations: Service, Elon, SAFE, Fast Company Locations: Austria, Austrian

☆ Julian Assange’s mission was to change the world - but at what cost?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Julian Assange leaves a Melbourne court after facing charges of computer hacking in 1995. WikiLeaks/ReutersUnder a global spotlightAs WikiLeaks continued its disclosures, Assange found himself the latest cause célèbre – his every movement intensely scrutinized. … He liked the fuss that (the disclosures) caused but he was oddly incurious actually about the documents.”Others offer alternative explanations for Assange’s eccentricities. There were mounting calls for Assange to leave WikiLeaks and, when he didn’t, many cut ties with it. Outside the confines of his diplomatic shelter, the world questioned whether Assange was trying to circumvent justice.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange, ”, He’s, Chelsea Manning, Joe Biden, Assange’s, Anthony Albanese, Assange, “, ” –, Julian Assange, Ian Kenins, Sarah Palin’s, Atika Shubert, Shubert, ” Shubert, célèbre, Fidel Narvaez, “ Assange, ” Narvaez, James Ball, Joe Raedle, ” Ball, Ball, …, Narvaez, Hans Crescent, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Abu Hamza al, Masri, Stella Assange, Daniel Leal, Stella, “ I’m, Nick Vamos, It’s, Alice Jill Edwards, Agnès Callamard, El País, Der Spiegel, Jameel Jaffer, Xiaofei Xu, Alex Stambaugh Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, Court, Ecuadorian, Army, Australian, Pentagon, NASA, University of Melbourne, Fairfax Media, of Scientology, Republican, CNN, Chelsea, Apache, Reuters, Guardian, Ellingham, Hans, London’s Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, of Justice, Britain's, Getty, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service, Human Rights, UN, Amnesty, The New York Times, Columbia University Locations: United States, Australian, London’s, Australia, Townsville, Queensland, cybercrime, Melbourne, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq, London, Afghanistan, ”, Sweden, Ecuador, UK’s, Belmarsh

☆ Sketches from US animation studios found on North Korean computer server
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The revelation comes from a trove of documents recently discovered by US researchers inside a computer server housed in North Korea. Logs from the North Korean computer server showed multiple visits from internet connections in northeast China, the US cybersecurity firm Mandiant told CNN. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects an artillery firing drill of the Korean People's Army on March 7, 2024. Barnhart, the Mandiant researcher, said any company that hires a North Korean IT worker runs the risk of being targeted by North Korean hackers because of the close relationship between the two. Heinz Insu Fenkl, an expert in North Korean comics, said that animation and comics have been prominent in North Korean society since the country’s founding in 1948.

Persons: “, Nick Roy, Roy, Mandiant, Michael Barnhart, ”, Max ., Hannah Cosgrove, ” Cosgrove, Max, Lion Forge, Martyn Williams, Williams, ” Williams, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Barnhart, ” Barnhart, CNN wouldn’t, Heinz Insu Fenkl, ” Fenkl, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Mike Conte Organizations: CNN, North, US, Amazon Prime, Max, Warner Bros ., Korean, Stimson, FBI, Treasury, North Korean, Entertainment, Amazon, ”, Skybound, YouNeek Studios, Forge Entertainment, Lion Forge Entertainment, South Korean, South, US Treasury Department, Treasury Department, Korean People's Army, State, United Nations, North Korean Embassy Locations: North Korea, Korean, Boston, Washington, State, North Korean, China, CNN , California, Maryland, South Korea, Koreans, Pyongyang, Korea, California, New York, London, cybercrime

☆ LabHost: Police take down $249-a-month global phishing service used by 2,000 hackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Mark Thompson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Thirty-seven suspects were arrested, and more than 70 locations were searched in the UK and across the world between Sunday and Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. LabHost had obtained 480,000 bank card numbers, 64,000 pin numbers, as well as more than 1 million passwords used for websites and other online services, it said. In a separate statement, Europol said four people linked to the running of LabHost, including the developer of the service, had been arrested. At least 40,000 phishing domains, with about 10,000 users worldwide, had been uncovered by the investigation into LabHost, Europol said. “With a monthly fee averaging $249, LabHost would offer a range of illicit services which were customizable and could be deployed with a few clicks,” it said.

Persons: LabHost, Met, Europol Organizations: London CNN —, Metropolitan Police, European, Europol, US Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Locations: United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, LabHost

☆ How to identify an AI imposter in video, audio and text as deepfake technology goes mainstream
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Generative AI video and audio tools are getting deployed, and getting better, quickly. Even as OpenAI limits access to audio and video tools, dark websites have exploded in number in the past few months selling GPT knockoff products. How to identify an AI video imposterThere are many ways to spot an AI imposter, some relatively simple. If the person complies but their head disappears on the video screen, end the call immediately, Hollenbeck said. How to live a multi-factor authentication life offlineEven with more protections techniques, experts predict a spiraling arms race of deepfakes vs. deepfake tools.

Persons: OpenAI, Sora, Froggett, Carl Froggett, —, Rupal Hollenbeck, Hollenbeck, Chris Pierson, Pierson, Nirupam Roy, it's, Roy, Eyal Benishti, Benishti, It's Organizations: Industry, University of Maryland Locations: Hong Kong

☆ A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business. Her post, accompanied by a photo of an opened can of Nagiko Tomato Mix, produced by local company Erisco Foods Limited, sparked varied reactions from commenters, one of whom replied: “Stop spoiling my brother’s product. This case is due to be heard on May 20, her lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, told CNN. National police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi told CNN he could not comment on the case as the matter was in court. Hard to proveNigerian legal and public affairs analyst Kelechukwu Uzoka told CNN that there are limits to the freedom of speech defense.

Persons: Nigeria CNN —, Chioma, ” Okoli, Okoli, Erisco, ”, “, Inibehe Effiong, Nwokolo, who’s, Effiong, couldn’t, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, ” Adejobi, David, ” Effiong, Kelechukwu Uzoka, Eric Umeofia Organizations: Nigeria CNN, CNN, Facebook, Erisco Foods, Nigeria Police Force, Okoli, National, “, Amnesty Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Lagos, West African, ”, ” The Lagos, Erisco’s Lagos

☆ Why UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare were targeted by ransomware hackers, and more cybercrime will hit patients, doctors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Susan Caminiti | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The ransomware attack on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare subsidiary last month not only brought to light how attractive the data-rich U.S. health-care industry is to hackers and how devastating the consequences for patients and doctors, but also how sophisticated cyber criminals are becoming when targeting vulnerable sectors. Change Healthcare is the largest clearinghouse for insurance billing and payments in the U.S. Since the February 21 attack, the thousands of doctors, hospitals and other health providers that depend on Change Healthcare for billing reimbursements have not been paid as the company works to bring its systems back online. UnitedHealth told CNBC in a statement that it will cooperate with the investigation from the OCR. "Our immediate focus is to restore our systems, protect data and support those whose data may have been impacted," the company said.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Sumedh Thakar, Qualys, it's Organizations: Change Healthcare, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, HHS, Civil Rights, CNBC Locations: U.S

☆ Opinion: Trump’s praise of dictators tells us all we need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Opinion Ruth Ben-Ghiat | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, Saddam Hussein: What do they have in common? Some of it is no doubt Trump airing his fantasies of the kind of authority he could exert as president. He praises Hitler, Chinese leader Xi, Russian President Putin and others because of their absolute power, not in spite of it. Thus Xi, in Trump’s telling, is “strong like granite. But Americans are the most important audience for the stream of praise he directs to autocrats.

Persons: Ruth Ben, Ghiat, Strongmen, Mussolini, CNN — Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Saddam Hussein, —, — Donald Trump, “, Jim Sciutto, Trump, Hitler, Xi, Putin, ”, ” Trump, Hussein, Erdogan, Kim, autocrats Organizations: New York University, CNN, GOP, Trump, Turkish, White Locations: Russian, Trump’s, Ukraine, Russia, Hollywood, Iowa, Turkey, cybercrime, Germany

☆ The cybercrime underworld has removed all the guardrails on the AI frontier, but the good guys are catching them there
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Rachel Curry | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

More than half (55%) of all brand impersonation instances consisted of organizations' own brands in 2023, according to the Perception Point report. Tal Zamir, chief technology officer at Perception Point, discussed how criminals can now create polymorphic malware (or malware with many variations) at scale using AI and automation. Plus, they can defend against a wider swath of problems by feeding data into their existing models or generating new data sets using AI. Still, Grobman compares AI detection to weather forecasting, saying "When you're working in the world of AI, things are a lot less deterministic." Just as legitimate businesses are looking to AI to be more productive and more effective, so too are cybercriminals.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Steve Grobman, Tal Zamir, Zamir, Grobman, Kiri Addison, Addison, McAfee, recalibrated Organizations: Hong, McAfee, Google Locations: Hong Kong, deepfakes

☆ CrowdStrike CEO says cybercriminals are leveling up: 'It’s going to be the battle of AI in the future'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

He said generative AI is democratizing "very esoteric techniques and attacks," for adversaries who don't have the same sophistication or skill level. "What we talked about in the earnings call is the ability to create more adversaries with lower skill levels, but operating at a much higher skill level, leveraging generative AI," Kurtz said, "Of course, on the security side, we leverage generative AI to help protect our customers, so it's going to be the battle of AI in the future." CrowdStrike aims to create a single, more simple platform that can stop breaches and "add capabilities seamlessly," he said. He mentioned a seven-figure deal CrowdStrike made during its more recent quarter with a mega cruise line. "People may try to buy something, they may think it's cheaper, it's not: free is not free," he said.

Persons: George Kurtz, CNBC's Jim Cramer, Kurtz, cybercrime, CrowdStrike

☆ 'Cyber-physical attacks' fueled by AI are a growing threat, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

He said with the widespread arrival of generative AI, concerns about physical attacks being the next phase of cybercrime have grown. He added that the technology, now boosted by AI, exists to wreak havoc on physical systems. Attacks on physical infrastructure would be tantamount to war, and so far, that is something nation-states have avoided. Experts, though, vary on the threat level from cyber-physical attacks and how much AI is raising it. But while she views the threat of AI-assisted cyber-physical attacks as growing, she said AI also assists the good guys.

Persons: Stuart Madnick, Christopher Wray, —, Madnick, don't, Tim Chase, CISO, Chase, Sivan Tehila, Tehila, Michael Kenney, Matthew B Organizations: Cybersecurity, MIT Sloan, FBI, Congress, Katz School of Science and Health, Yeshiva University, Israel Defense Forces, . University of Pittsburgh, Ridgway Center for International Security Locations: United States

☆ Ransomware group Blackcat is behind cyberattack on UnitedHealth division, company says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Traders work at the post where UnitedHealth Group is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The company said it's working with Mandiant, which is owned by Google , and cybersecurity software vendor Palo Alto Networks . In a since-deleted post on the dark web, Blackcat said Wednesday that it was behind the attack on Change Healthcare's systems. Change's parent company UnitedHealth Group said it discovered that a cyber threat actor breached part of the unit's information technology network on Feb. 21, according to a filing with the SEC. Brett Callow, a threat analyst at the cybersecurity company Emsisoft, said ransomware groups will often make posts like these in an effort to bring victims to the negotiating table.

Persons: that's, Blackcat, Brett Callow, Emsisoft, Callow, they're, UnitedHealth, John Riggi, Riggi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Healthcare, CNBC, Google, Palo Alto Networks, UnitedHealth, SEC, U.S . Department of Justice, Change Healthcare, American Hospital Association Locations: U.S

☆ Hackers threaten to release Trump documents from Georgia case if they don't get a ransom by Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

LockBit works with affiliates to hack companies and government agenciesLockBit 3.0's targets go far beyond just the Fulton County government. As of Wednesday, it had ongoing ransom demands for 11 different companies on its website in addition to the one for Fulton County. AdvertisementA Fulton County court administration spokesperson declined to comment. AdvertisementAt a press conference on February 20, Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts said no ransom was paid. AdvertisementThe renewed ransom threat comes as Willis's investigation is beleaguered by a series of heated hearings playing out in a Fulton County courtroom.

Persons: —, Donald Trump —, Donald Trump's, Christopher Krebs, Dan Schiappa, LockBitSupp —, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Raedle, Oz, Krebs, Alashe, LockBit, Fulton, Fani Willis, It's, George Chidi, Pool, Schiappa, Robb Pitts, Pitts, Willis Organizations: Service, Fulton, Business, FBI, United, Crime Agency, US Department of Justice, government's, Trump, Justice Department, Boeing, Commercial Bank of China, U.S, Trump Force, Atlanta Hartsfield, Jackson International Airport, Biden, Trump —, Trump . Fulton, Arctic Wolf, Atlanta Journal Locations: Georgia, Fulton, Mexico, Fulton County, Atlanta , Georgia, Russian, Trump . Fulton County, Atlanta, Krebs

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