The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on May 9, 2017, that it has launched a new website that “helps small businesses avoid scams and cyber-attacks.”...more
5/12/2017
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hackers ,
Malware ,
Phishing Scams ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Risk Management ,
Small Business ,
Websites
University of Michigan researchers have discovered that hundreds of applications in Google Play turn Android phones into a server that allow the user to connect the phone directly to a PC and leave open insecure ports...more
5/4/2017
/ Android ,
Cell Phones ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Google Play Store ,
Hackers ,
Malware ,
Mobile Apps ,
Mobile Devices ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Smartphones ,
Telecommunications
We often talk about how anything that is connected to the Internet is hackable and unsafe, and to be careful about how you buy and connect devices, products, appliances, home security systems and other wireless “things.”...more
Remember when TV was free? Okay, most of you don’t, and I was just a tot, but back in the day, it was free. We didn’t have dozens of channels or choices, but everyone could watch the major networks and PBS without a cost....more
Buffalo, New York Erie County Medical Center has announced that its IT system has been shut down since Sunday, April 11, 2017, due to an unnamed virus. The shut-down has affected the medical facility’s email system,...more
Last week, IBM published its X-Force Threat Intelligence Index (Index), which summarizes the state of leaked records and vulnerabilities to data in 2016. It is depressing, but informative....more
4/10/2017
/ Android ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Data Breach ,
Email ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hackers ,
IBM ,
Information Technology ,
Malware ,
Ransomware ,
Spam ,
Wireless Technology
As we previously reported, Arby’s was hit with malware that infected over 1,000 of its fast food locations throughout the U.S. between October 25, 2016, and January 19, 2017, and was hit with multiple class action suits over...more
Here’s some more good news. Not really.
According to a recent report by Nokia, malware infections against mobile devices were at an all- time high in 2016. Infections on smartphones rose almost 400 percent and...more
We have previously discussed the class action case filed against Wendy’s as a result of a data breach. The case was initially dismissed based upon lack of standing, but the plaintiffs were given the opportunity to amend the...more
3/23/2017
/ Article III ,
Class Action ,
Data Breach ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Hackers ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Malware ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Point of Sale Terminals ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Standing ,
Wendy's
A federal judge has preliminarily approved a proposed settlement of $25 million between Home Depot and financial institutions that issued payment cards that were affected by the Home Depot data breach in 2014. This proposed...more
We previously reported that Wendy’s was hit with a putative class action shareholders’ derivative suit in December following its data breach in 2016. Late last week, the executives and Board of Wendy’s filed a Motion to...more
3/20/2017
/ Data Breach ,
Data Security ,
Debit and Credit Card Transactions ,
Derivative Suit ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Hackers ,
Malware ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Point of Sale Terminals ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Wendy's
Medjack is a form of malware that was specifically developed to attack medical devices, such as heart monitors, CT and MRI machines, insulin pumps and PAC systems....more
Cybersecurity experts have been warning users about a Google Chrome scam that targets Windows users in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. The scam, which began in December, uses a pop-up stating “The ‘HoeflerText’ font wasn’t...more
Arby’s has announced that its point-of-sale system had been compromised by intruders over a four month period between October of 2016 and January of 2017, exposing the credit and debit card information of 355,000 customers....more
Arby’s has announced that it is investigating its payment card systems after Brian Krebs first reported the incident.
According to reports, malware placed on Arby restaurants’ payment card systems allowed attackers to...more
My newest hero in the fight against ransomware is Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana (Little Red Door). I am sending a donation to it to celebrate its courage in the last few weeks.
Little Red Door...more
1/26/2017
/ Cancer ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Hackers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Malware ,
PHI ,
Ransomware
On December 30, 2016, the Los Angeles Community College computer network was kidnapped by cyber criminals requesting a ransom for its return.
The ransomware encrypted the college’s entire network system, including...more
1/19/2017
/ Colleges ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Educational Institutions ,
Email ,
Hackers ,
Malware ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Voicemail
A recent IBM study shows that ransomware increased 6,000 percent in 2016 over 2015. According to the report, ransomware was present in almost 40 percent of all spam email messages....more
1/16/2017
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Hackers ,
Malware ,
Phishing Scams ,
Ransomware ,
Spam
The No More Ransom Project, a coalition of security companies and law enforcement, which was launched through a partnership with the European Cybercrime Centre, the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Netherlands police,...more
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a series of cybersecurity proposals that are designed to protect consumers and government entities from cybercrime and identity theft. One of the proposals includes the creation of a...more
Every day I get a call from a client asking for help involving ransomware. Friends have called in a panic when that dreadful message comes up on the screen informing you that you are the victim of ransomware with instructions...more
A new variant of the KillDisk malware is reported to be able to encrypt files and hold them for ransom instead of deleting them. Although KillDisk has been used in attacks aimed at industrial control systems (ICS), experts...more
We have repeatedly reiterated numerous warnings to the healthcare industry about malware and ransomware [see related posts here and here]. Our predictions have unfortunately become true, as November was the worst month ever...more
There are reports of a java keylogger that is able to copy and forward credit card details from online checkout forms that are used on shopping websites. It has reportedly affected several dozen online shopping websites that...more
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced that the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) has agreed to settle an investigation against it as a result of a malware infection for $650,000, along with implementing a...more
12/5/2016
/ Business Associates ,
Corrective Actions ,
Covered Entities ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Data Breach ,
Educational Institutions ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Breach ,
Malware ,
OCR ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI ,
Settlement ,
Universities