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☆ How the end of Netflix password sharing will change the way families watch, especially the ones with college-age children
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Back in 2014, allowing people to share passwords was a "terrific marketing vehicle for the next generation of viewers," Plepler once told BuzzFeed. And yes, it looks like the crackdown may include families who share passwords with kids who are away at college. Even two analysts who follow Netflix acknowledged that their college-aged children are piggybacking on the family Netflix account for now. The company's terms of use require people to live at the same location to share a password. The company's terms of use already require customers to agree to Netflix tracking this information in order to deliver the service.

☆ How to find a job in the one tech market that is not seeing layoffs: Cybersecurity
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Kaitlin Balasaygun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn | Istock | Getty ImagesStrong demand for cybersecurity workers is continuing even as big technology companies lay off thousands of employees. But with a supply-demand ratio currently at 68 workers per 100 job openings, the nearly 530,000 more cybersecurity workers need in the U.S. went up year over year. The total number of employed cybersecurity workers was estimated at 1.1 million, steady year over year. Lightcast says that public sector job demand trend isn't a one-year phenomenon, growing by 58% over the past three years in all. Related to that, the Washington, D.C. metro area accounted for 19% of all public sector domestic cybersecurity job listings.

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The FBI revealed on Thursday it had secretly hacked and disrupted a prolific ransomware gang called Hive, a maneuver that allowed the bureau to thwart the group from collecting more than $130 million in ransomware demands from more than 300 victims. They were then able to alert victims in advance so they could take steps to protect their systems before Hive demanded the payments. In that case, the Justice Department seized some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom after the company had already paid the hackers. The Justice Department said that over the years, Hive has targeted more than 1,500 victims in 80 different countries, and has collected more than $100 million in ransomware payments. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the FBI's operation helped a wide range of victims, including a Texas school district.

☆ A New Yorker is suing Twitter for $5 million over a data leak that researchers say exposed the information of more than 200 million users
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Twitter user is suing the company for $5 million over a data leak which exposed users' personal information. According to cybersecurity researchers, the leak impacted over 200 million users. Twitter has denied that the data leak was caused by hackers exploiting a flaw in its systems. In early January, cybercrime intelligence company Hudson Rock suggested that hackers had stolen over 200 million Twitter users' information and published them onto a publicly available online hacking forum. "In response to recent media reports of Twitter users' data being sold online, we conducted a thorough investigation and there is no evidence that data recently being sold was obtained by exploiting a vulnerability of Twitter systems," the post said.

☆ The most-popular big tech default email programs are old and vulnerable
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Elizabeth Macbride | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

All over the world, organizations of all sizes, including small businesses, scrambled to upload patches and to figure out if they'd been infiltrated. Each time big software companies have changed default settings or made blanket changes with cybersecurity in mind, he points out, cybercrime fell measurably. Some of its donors are big technology companies. "Microsoft takes email security very seriously," said Girish Chander, head of Microsoft Defender for Office, in a statement to CNBC. Updating email software default settings.

U.S. concerns about counterterrorism will be among the subjects addressed, a State Department spokesperson said. "This type of dialogue enhances the national security of the United States through improved international law enforcement coordination, which enables the United States to better protect U.S. citizens and bring transnational criminals to justice," the State Department spokesperson said in a statement. A person in Washington familiar with the matter said the talks were expected to take place next week. The Biden administration last May kept Cuba on a short list of countries the United States says are "not cooperating fully" in its fight against terrorism. The State Department spokesperson said the coming talks "provides a forum to raise difficult matters and convey our concerns directly to the Cuban government."

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File PhotoJan 11 (Reuters) - Failure to tackle climate change and environmental degradation dominate the ranking of top risks facing the planet in the next decade, a World Economic Forum (WEF) survey of global risk specialists found. Failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change; natural disasters; biodiversity loss; natural resource loss and large-scale environmental damage dominate the top-10 ranking of global risks deemed most severe over a 10-year period. The WEF report raised the prospect of risks interacting with each other to form a "polycrisis", which it defines as a cluster of related risks with compounding impacts and unpredictable consequences. It cited big-power resource rivalry as having the potential to generate one such cluster of related risks. (For daily Davos updates in your inbox sign up for the Reuters Daily Briefing here.)

Twitter accounts that offer to trade or sell child sexual abuse material under thinly veiled terms and hashtags have remained online for months, even after CEO Elon Musk said he would combat child exploitation on the platform. The tweets reviewed by NBC News offer to sell or trade content that is commonly known as child pornography or child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The tweets do not show CSAM, and NBC News did not view any CSAM in the course of reporting this article. The problem has been pervasive enough to catch the attention of some Twitter users. In 25 tweets, users tagged Musk using at least one of the major hashtags to alert him to the content.

☆ Hackers stole over 200 million email addresses from Twitter users and published them on an online forum, cybersecurity firm says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hackers have stolen email addresses from over 200 million Twitter users, a cybersecurity firm said. Gal warned in an additional LinkedIn post that hackers will take advantage of the database to hack "high profile accounts," "crypto Twitter accounts," and "political accounts." Bleeping Computer reported that it was able to confirm the validity of many of the email addresses listed in Wednesday's leak. Gal had first reported that hackers had stolen the data of 400 million Twitter users in December. Hunt said in a tweet that he had discovered around 211 million unique email addresses linked to the Twitter leak.

☆ IRS Sees Crypto Companies as Potential Crime-Fighting Partners
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

In the alphabet soup of federal law-enforcement agencies, IRS-CI hasn’t attracted as much attention as its counterparts at the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Drug Enforcement Administration. Sometimes it’s hard to compete with private companies. But there are those out there that want to dedicate their life to service, that want to combat fraud, that want to do law-enforcement work. We’ve had several of our cyber agents and managers go to private companies. They’ll go out to the private sector, and they’ll come back to government and back out to the private sector.

☆ U.S. probes how $370 million vanished in hack after FTX bankruptcy - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors are investigating an alleged cybercrime that drained more than $370 million from crypto exchange FTX hours after it filed for bankruptcy, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday citing a person familiar with the case. The criminal probe into the stolen assets, launched by the Department of Justice is separate from fraud case against FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, the report added. FTX filed for U.S. bankruptcy last month and Bankman-Fried stepped down as chief executive, after traders pulled billions from the platform in three days and rival exchange Binance abandoned a rescue deal. The U.S. Department of Justice accused Bankman-Fried of causing billions of dollars of losses related to FTX, which a U.S. prosecutor called a "fraud of epic proportions." The FTX collapse has fanned fears about the future of the crypto industry after the beleaguered exchange outlined a "severe liquidity crisis".

☆ Cyber scams target millions of online shoppers, but you can stay safe with the help of new technology
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Mastercard With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But at the same time, they need to continue to offer frictionless services. We're constantly advancing our behavioral technology solutions to assess data, such as how you hold your phone and how fast you type or swipe. Advancements in technology have the potential to change life as we know it, so we can tap into our ground-breaking technology solutions to seamlessly enable how we want to live, work, and play. Our new Enhanced Contactless (Ecos) technology, an industry first, has security that is 3 million times harder to break. Find out more about how Mastercard is keeping customers safe from fraudThis post was created by Mastercard with Insider Studios

☆ U.S. and Asian allies impose new sanctions on North Korea after ICBM test
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

South Korea’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on seven other individuals, including a Singaporean and a Taiwanese, and eight entities. The latest sanctions follow a Nov. 18 ICBM test by North Korea, part of a record-breaking spate of more than 60 missile launches this year. There are also concerns that the country may be about to resume nuclear weapons testing, which has been suspended since 2017. Decades of U.S.-led sanctions have failed to halt North Korea’s increasingly sophisticated missile and nuclear weapon programs. “Targeting senior officials inside North Korea responsible for WMD and missile activities and working with South Korea and Japan are important, but it is an inadequate and symbolic response to 60+ missile tests, including 8 ICBM tests,” said Anthony Ruggiero, who headed North Korea sanctions efforts under former President Donald Trump.

☆ Stolen checks, fraudulent activity: three major trade association PACs fell victim to theft in what's become a political epidemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An Insider review of FEC filings shows that the National Association of Manufacturers' PAC reported eight instances of stolen and fraudulent checks and bank transfers, amounting to more than $10,000 in losses. Federal Election CommissionAnother trade association, the National Association of Home Builders, reported three instances of "fraudulent debit" during the 2021-2022 election cycle, amounting to more than $20,000 in lost funds. A filing with the FEC from the PAC of the National Association of Home Builders that details money lost from fraudulent disbursements. Federal Election CommissionThe National Association of Home Builders represents more than 140,000 members who construct close to 80% of all the new homes built in the US, per the association's website. The National Association of Home Builders did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Cyberthieves stole $186,000 from a Republican member of Congress as fraud epidemic plagues political committees
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Cyberthieves stole more than $186,000 from Rep. Diana Harshbarger's campaign committee, federal records show. But others haven't been so lucky as a theft epidemic strikes political committees. The 2020 presidential campaign of now-President Joe Biden is among various political committees to experience theft during the past several years. More recently, the American Hospital Association's political action committee and Kanye West's 2020 presidential campaign committee have fallen victim to financial fraudsters. Requiring campaign vendors to "meet or exceed the same security standards" as the campaign committee itself.

☆ FTX Hires Ex-Regulators to Investigate Firm’s Collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX, whose recent collapse has led to questions about lacking regulatory oversight, has hired a fitting team to help untangle the mess: former senior U.S. regulators. FTX said this week it has been in contact with investigators, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. FTX, which is based in the Bahamas, also has hired Nardello & Co., an investigations firm that specializes in anti-corruption and fraud cases, Mr. Bromley said in court Tuesday. The name of the cybersecurity company wasn’t disclosed because of concerns over continuing cyberattacks on FTX, he said. The collapse of FTX has set off the largest crypto-related bankruptcy ever, and court filings are already shedding light on what went wrong and how complicated things could get.

☆ From digital wallet accounts to shares in project ownership, the metaverse will reimagine money as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Mastercard With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In Asia, brands have an opportunity to drive value by creating new experiences for customers in the metaverse. At its core, the metaverse is an interconnection of immersive, real-time virtual experiences. It's still more idea than reality — virtual or otherwise. Making virtual reality realFor "value" in the metaverse, we can substitute the word "experiences." Money will be expressed in new ways, from digital wallet accounts to tokens (like cryptocurrency) that represent rewards, vouchers, or a slice of ownership in a project or service.

☆ Australia unveils joint cyber police taskforce to 'hunt down' hackers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia on Saturday formalised a new cyber-policing model in a stepped-up effort to "hunt down" cyber criminal syndicates, following recent hacks impacting millions of Australians. Australia's biggest health insurer, Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), last month was hit by a massive cyber attack, as Australia grapples with a rise in damaging hacks. O'Neil said around 100 officers would be part of the new partnership between the two federal agencies, which would act as "a joint standing operation against cyber criminal syndicates". The taskforce would "day in, day out, hunt down the scumbags who are responsible for these malicious crimes", she said. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, speaking alongside O'Neil in Melbourne, refused to be drawn on whether the ransomware group REvil was responsible for recent cyber attacks on Australians.

☆ Australia to consider banning paying of ransoms to cyber criminals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil on Sunday said the government would consider making illegal the paying of ransoms to cyber hackers, following recent cyber attacks affecting millions of Australians. Australia's biggest health insurer, Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), last month suffered a massive cyber attack, as Australia grapples with a rise in hacks. Asked on ABC television on Sunday whether the government planned to look at outlawing ransom payments to cyber criminals, O'Neil said "that's correct". Around 100 officers would be part of the new partnership between the two federal agencies, which would act as a joint standing operation against cyber criminals. The AFP earlier this week said Russia-based hackers were behind the attack on Medibank, which compromised data from around 10 million current and former customers.

☆ Australia blames Russians for health insurance data theft
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Moscow must he held to account for Russian cybercriminals accused of hacking Australia’s largest health insurer and dumping customers’ personal medical records on the dark web, Australian officials said Friday. Australian Federal Police took the unusual step of attributing blame for the unsolved cybercrime that resulted in the personal data of 9.7 million current and former Medibank customers being stolen. An old REvil dark web site had started redirecting traffic to a new site that hosts the stolen Medibank data. A Medibank employee’s stolen username and password, which allowed the hackers to enter the company’s database, had been sold on a Russian dark web forum, Hanson said. “These are real people behind this data and the misuse of their data is deplorable and may discourage them from seeking medical care,” he added.

☆ Medibank data breach: Australia blames cyber criminals in Russia for attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Medibank says the stolen data belongs to 9.7 million past and present customers, including 1.8 million international customers. Kershaw said police intelligence points to a “group of loosely affiliated cyber criminals” who are likely responsible for previous significant data breaches around the world, without naming specific examples. “These cyber criminals are operating like a business with affiliates and associates who are supporting the business. An initial ransom demand was made for $10 million (15 million Australian dollars), but the company said after extensive consultation with cybercrime experts it had decided not to pay. In his statement on Friday, Kershaw, the AFP Commissioner, said Australian government policy did not condone paying ransoms to cyber criminals.

☆ U.S. changes sanction reasons on virtual currency service Tornado Cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury has broadened its justification for sanctioning virtual currency mixing service Tornado Cash on allegations it supports North Korea, despite criticism from users that the Treasury is targeting a service and not an organization. The move - which a Treasury representative said reflected the service's support for the North Korean government - still leaves Americans unable to send and receive money through the service. But the move had proven controversial in part because some argued that Tornado Cash was less an organization than a set of software. In a lawsuit filed this year, six Texan users of Tornado Cash said that Treasury officials had overstepped their jurisdiction by effectively blocking access to computer code. "Tornado Cash is not a person, entity, or organization.

☆ Medibank says hacker accessed data of 9.7 mln customers, refuses to pay ransom
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), Australia's biggest health insurer, on Monday said no ransom payment will be made to the criminal responsible for a recent data theft, wherein around 9.7 million current and former customers' data was compromised. Highlighting findings of the firm's investigation to date, Medibank confirmed that name, date of birth, address, phone number, and email addresses for around 9.7 million current and former customers were accessed in the data theft. Koczkar added that paying a ransom could encourage the hacker to extort customers directly, hurting more people. The insurer reiterated that business operations remained normal during the time of the cyberattack, with customers continuing to access health services. Medibank warned its customers must be vigilant as the criminal may leak the data online or attempt to contact customers directly.

☆ Medibank says hacker accessed data of 9.7 million customers, refuses to pay ransom
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Reported Ransomware Incidents, Costs Soared in 2021, Treasury Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( James Rundle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. banks flagged ransomware-related transactions adding up to more than $1 billion in 2021, the Treasury Department said, although risk experts said that barely scratches the surface of cybercrime’s true economic scale. In 2020, such transactions totaled $416 million across 487 reports. FinCEN is an arm of the Treasury that analyzes financial data to identify money laundering, terrorist financing and other crimes. Reports from the first six months of 2021 alone exceeded the total for all of 2020, FinCEN said, noting that around 75% of incidents in 2021 stemmed from Russia-based cyber actors. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors.

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