The Cyber News Rundown brings you the latest happenings in cybersecurity news weekly. Who am I? I’m Connor Madsen, a Webroot Threat Research Analyst and a guy with a passion for all things security. Any questions? Just ask.
Mercedes Keyless Entry Leads to Car Theft
It was discovered this week that criminals are using an unusual technique to steal late-model that are equipped with keyless entry. By using a frequency relay box, the criminals can boost the signal from keys, often still within the home, to trick the car into thinking they are nearby and unlocking or starting the vehicle remotely. Unfortunately, this trick is also capable of deactivating pre-installed tracking systems, leaving the owner unable to locate the stolen vehicle.
Former Employee Cause of Coca-Cola Data Breach
Coca-Cola officials announced this week that a breach had taken place that could affect the personal data of at least 8,000 employees. The breach was discovered after law enforcement contacted the company regarding a mishandled hard drive. The drive itself was removed from the company by a former employee before he left, though it is still unclear if the information was used maliciously.
Honda India Leaves Unsecure Data on Thousands of Customers Online
It was recently revealed that two Amazon S3 buckets were left publicly exposed, leaving the sensitive information on over 50,000 customers widely accessible. The buckets, originally created for users of the Honda Connect app, contain everything from names and addresses to specific car details such as the VIN and Honda Connect login credentials. Additionally, the researcher who reported the exposed S3 servers also found a note from another researcher who discovered the leak and attempted to inform the owners nearly three months prior.
VPNFilter Botnet Nearing 500,000 Units Strong
Researchers have been monitoring a new botnet as it gains significant strength across the globe, currently affecting upwards of 500,000 unique devices. Using a multi-step process, VPNFilter can access the command and control server to begin gathering and sending data, along with allowing remote code execution. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to detect VPNFilter, as it remains relatively hidden while running its processes.
Major Canadian Banks Faced with $1 Million Ransom
Recently, officials from two of Canada’s largest banks announced that the financial information for almost 100,000 customers had been compromised and hackers are demanding $1 million to stop its public release. To make matters worse, neither bank was aware their client’s information had been stolen until the hackers demanded ransom payment, which raises concerns about what, if any, security measures they had in place.
