Cryptoming Botnet Smominru Returns With a Vengeance

Jeffrey Burt • September 19, 2019

The crypotmining botnet Smominru, which has been around since at least 2017, has resurfaced with a new campaign that has infected 90,000 devices worldwide, including in the U.S., China and Russia, according to security analysts at Guardicore.

Digital Identity

Chinese APT Group 'Thrip' Powers Ahead

Latest

Cybercrime

Other Attackers Reuse Old Magecart Domains: Report

Jeffrey Burt • September 20, 2019

Decommissioned domains that were part of the pervasive Magecart web-skimming campaigns are being put to use by other cybercriminals who are re-activating them for other scams, including malvertising, according to researchers at RiskIQ.

Account Takeover

Accused JPMorgan Chase Hacker Plans to Plead Guilty

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 20, 2019

Russian national Andrei Tyurin, who was extradited last year from Eastern Europe to the United States, has stated that he plans to accept a plea deal he's reached with federal prosecutors. Tyurin has been charged with numerous crimes, including hacking JPMorgan Chase and stealing 83 million customer records.

Application Security

Eight US Cities See Payment Card Data Stolen

Jeremy Kirk • September 20, 2019

Click2Gov municipal payment portals for eight U.S. cities were compromised after an apparent vulnerability in the software. More than 20,000 stolen payment card records have turned up in underground markets, says Gemini Advisory.

Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Analysis: Fallout From the Snowden Memoir

Nick Holland • September 20, 2019

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features a discussion of the controversies surrounding the release of whistleblower Edward Snowden's memoir. Also featured: An update on Lumen PDF's breach disclosure; insights on financial services identity management issues.

Cybercrime

Supply Chain Attacks: Hackers Hit IT Providers

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 19, 2019

A hacker group called Tortoiseshell has been hitting targets in the Middle East since at least July 2018, apparently targeting IT service providers to gain access to many potential targets at once. The campaign is fresh proof that criminals and nation-state attackers alike continue to favor supply chain attacks.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Facebook Removes Hundreds of Fake Accounts

Akshaya Asokan • September 19, 2019

Facebook announced this week that it has removed hundreds of fake accounts and pages. The majority of these originated in Ukraine or Iraq and used phony user identifications to spread misinformation in an attempt to influence local politics, the company says.

Governance

Lumin PDF Leak Exposed Data on 24 Million Users

Jeremy Kirk • September 18, 2019

Ignoring a breach disclosure can have ugly consequences. Case in point: Lumin PDF, a PDF editing tool, which saw data for much of its user base - about 24.3 million - published in an online forum late Monday. Data breach expert Troy Hunt says it's sign of the dysfunction in the breach disclosure process.

Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Senators Urge FCC to Review Licenses for Chinese Telecoms

Apurva Venkat • September 18, 2019

U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., are asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider operating licenses granted to two Chinese telecommunications companies, citing concerns over national security and foreign espionage.

Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

Report: Encrypted Smartphone Takedown Outed Canadian Mole

Mathew J. Schwartz • September 17, 2019

The Canadian government has arrested a senior intelligence official on charges of working as a mole. He was reportedly unmasked after investigators found someone had pitched stolen secrets to the CEO of Phantom Secure, a secure smartphone service marketed to criminals that authorities shuttered last year.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Using Artificial Intelligence to Combat Card Fraud

Nick Holland • September 17, 2019

Artificial intelligence is playing an important role in the fight against payment card fraud, says Gord Jamieson, senior director of Canada risk services at Visa. He'll offer a keynote presentation on the latest fraud trends at Information Security Media Group's Cybersecurity Summit in Toronto Sept 24-25.

Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

Applying Encryption Widely in Banking

Suparna Goswami • September 17, 2019

Jerald Ray, COO at SecureAge Technology in Singapore, sorts through the complexities of ensuring encryption is applied through every step of banking transactions.

Multi-factor Authentication

PSD2 Authentication Requirements: The Implementation Hurdles

Geetha Nandikotkur • September 13, 2019

Because banks, fintech firms, merchants and payments processors in the EU have struggled to meet the Sept. 14 deadline for compliance with the new PSD2 "strong customer authentication" requirements for electronic payments, it may take a while for European consumers to notice authentication changes.