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10 Backend Security Risks and 1

And keep in mind, most security risks occur due to misconfigurations, or even the simple lack of scanning. That’s why, in the same way that we recently explored Frontend Security Risks and Best Practices, we’re going to explore some of the most common, yet dangerous, risks within your web application’s backend security. 10 Popular Backend […]

Microsoft Patch Tuesday, March1

On the off chance you were looking for more security to-dos from Microsoft today…the company released software updates to plug more than 82 security flaws in Windows and other supported software. Ten of these earned Microsoft’s “critical” rating, meaning they can be exploited by malware or miscreants with little or no help from users. Top […]

Warning the World of a Ticking1

Globally, hundreds of thousand of organizations running Exchange email servers from Microsoft just got mass-hacked, including at least 30,000 victims in the United States. Each hacked server has been retrofitted with a “web shell” backdoor that gives the bad guys total, remote control, the ability to read all email, and easy access to the victim’s […]

Trojans: Definition, Types and1

On our quest to revisit nearly forgotten, yet still relevant, cyber threats—such as brute force attacks and man-in-the middle attacks—it’s time to dive into trojans. How and why do they still persist? How can organizations protect themselves in the wake of so many new and reinvented campaigns? For a thorough examination, let’s start at the […]

At Least 30,000 U.S. Organizat1

At least 30,000 organizations across the United States — including a significant number of small businesses, towns, cities and local governments — have over the past few days been hacked by an unusually aggressive Chinese cyber espionage unit that’s focused on stealing email from victim organizations, multiple sources tell KrebsOnSecurity. The espionage group is exploiting […]

Three Top Russian Cybercrime F1

Over the past few weeks, three of the longest running and most venerated Russian-language online forums serving thousands of experienced cybercriminals have been hacked. In two of the intrusions, the attackers made off with the forums’ user databases, including email and Internet addresses and hashed passwords. Members of all three forums are worried the incidents […]

Microsoft: Chinese Cyberspies 1

Microsoft Corp. today released software updates to plug four security holes that attackers have been using to plunder email communications at companies that use its Exchange Server products. The company says all four flaws are being actively exploited as part of a complex attack chain deployed by a previously unidentified Chinese cyber espionage group. The […]

Payroll/HR Giant PrismHR Hit b1

PrismHR, a company that sells technology used by other firms to help more than 80,000 small businesses manage payroll, benefits, and human resources, has suffered what appears to be an ongoing ransomware attack that is disrupting many of its services. Hopkinton, Mass.-based PrismHR handles everything from payroll processing and human resources to health insurance and […]

Building a Career in Incident 1

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing industries, while cybersecurity professionals are some of the most valuable workers of any organization, regardless of the industry. There is some talk of a cybersecurity skills gap that claims a shortage of professionals, but is that true? Or is gatekeeping dictating unrealistic expectations for entry-level positions, making it harder […]

Is Your Browser Extension a Bo1

A company that rents out access to more than 10 million Web browsers so that clients can hide their true Internet addresses has built its network by paying browser extension makers to quietly include its code in their creations. This story examines the lopsided economics of extension development, and why installing an extension can be […]

How $100M in Jobless Claims We1

The U.S. Labor Department’s inspector general said this week that roughly $100 million in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims were paid in 2020 to criminals who are already in jail. That’s a tiny share of the estimated tens of billions of dollars in jobless benefits states have given to identity thieves in the past year. To […]

Checkout Skimmers Powered by C1

Easily the most sophisticated skimming devices made for hacking terminals at retail self-checkout lanes are a new breed of PIN pad overlay combined with a flexible, paper-thin device that fits inside the terminal’s chip reader slot. What enables these skimmers to be so slim? They draw their power from the low-voltage current that gets triggered […]

Mexican Politician Removed Ove1

The leader of Mexico’s Green Party has been removed from office following allegations that he received money from a Romanian ATM skimmer gang that stole hundreds of millions of dollars from tourists visiting Mexico’s top tourist destinations over the past five years. The scandal is the latest fallout stemming from a three-part investigation into the […]

U.S. Indicts North Korean Hack1

The U.S. Justice Department today unsealed indictments against three men accused of working with the North Korean regime to carry out some of the most damaging cybercrime attacks over the past decade, including the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures, the global WannaCry ransomware contagion of 2017, and the theft of roughly $200 million and attempted […]

Bluetooth Overlay Skimmer That1

As a total sucker for anything skimming-related, I was interested to hear from a reader working security for a retail chain in the United States who recently found Bluetooth-enabled skimming devices placed over top of payment card terminals at several stores. Interestingly, these skimmers interfered with the terminal’s ability to read chip-based cards, forcing customers […]

What’s most interesting about

Stories about computer security tend to go viral when they bridge the vast divide between geeks and luddites, and this week’s news about a hacker who tried to poison a Florida town’s water supply was understandably front-page material. But for security nerds who’ve been warning about this sort of thing for ages, the most surprising […]

Arrest, Raids Tied to ‘U-Admin

Cyber cops in Ukraine carried out an arrest and several raids last week in connection with the author of a U-Admin, a software package used to administer what’s being called “one of the world’s largest phishing services.” The operation was carried out in coordination with the FBI and authorities in Australia, which was particularly hard […]