The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/cybercrime/)
In a growing menace, scammers try to extort money after phoning parents or other kin and falsely convincing them that a loved one is being held hostage. They sometimes research potential victims on social media.
The Trump administration’s refusal to publicly accuse Russia and others in a wave of politically motivated hacking attacks is creating a policy vacuum that security experts fear will encourage more cyber warfare. The White House “just wants ‘cyber’ to go away,” said one expert.
Ukraine’s prime minister called yesterday’s cyberattack — which targeted government workstations, power companies, banks, state-run TV stations, airports and ATMs — “unprecedented” in scope.
Security experts say ransomware attacks are an Internet scourge, but a new FBI reports suggests that the vast majority of its victims simply don’t bother reporting incidents of this growing financial cyber-menace.
In partnership with a California security firm, U.S. Girl Scouts will now be able to explore the fundamentals of cyber security skills. Officials say the move will help instill “a valuable 21st century skill set” in members of an organization best known for cookie sales.
Preventing violent extremists from accessing the Internet is now critical to the fight against terrorism, argues a cyber security specialist. A recent Facebook announcement may point the way.
The director of a recent Netflix documentary on child sex-traffickers has called for legislation restricting commercial sex sites. But an expert on human trafficking argues police need them to identify –and save—the victims.
“We’ll admit that business is quite nice, and it’s only improving,” a spokesperson for the group told McClatchy in an encrypted chat.
Most private companies provide only token compensation when their customers’ online data is stolen. They should be required to do more, says a former U.S. Navy cyberspecialist.
Criminals have quickly realized that people are willing to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in ransom. “This is a growing business because it works,” said Mikko Hypponen of F-Secure, a security firm based in Helsinki, Finland. “And the attacks are becoming more creative and effective.”