MongoDB Hacks Spreading Fast
In the past few weeks, researchers have been monitoring the steady rise of hacked MongoDB installations, now surpassing over 28,000 individual systems. While the attacks started with ransoming back the stolen data, the attackers have now begun simply deleting the information from the database and leaving the ransom note for payment anyways. With up to 12 different attackers as well, crossover hacks have occurred on several of the databases, leaving the victim unsure of who to contact or how to retrieve their missing data.
Miami Bank Loses Millions without Notice
Recently, a major Miami Beach bank has been under heavy scrutiny after nearly $4 million USD were stolen from their accounts without any suspicion arising. According to officials, the thefts began in the summer of 2016 and continued until December, when they were given a report showing a large number of fraudulent transactions taking place in the form of automatic billing payments that were being rerouted. Amidst the scandal, several prominent financial executives were forced to resign.
Amazon Phishing Scheme Targeting User Credentials
Users of retailing giant, Amazon, have noticed some oddly suspicious behavior when attempting to purchase items with prices that are too good to be true. Items being posted for sale the fraudulent merchant are available to purchase, until you add the item to your cart and begin checking out. Once in the cart, the item mysteriously disappears and a message stating that it is no long available appears. Users are then contacted by the vendor via email with a new link to purchase the item, though this link does not direct the user back to the legitimate Amazon site, but instead one that looks similar and wants your credentials badly.
Ukraine Power Stations Still the Focus of Cyber Attacks
It’s been almost exactly one year since the major power outages that affected nearly a quarter million Ukrainians, and once again, the hackers are up to their same tricks. In the last month, officials have been working to determine if the latest power substation failure was a legitimate failure or the results of another cyberattack. With the latter being confirmed, it is still surprising how little damage the hackers have actually done, with nothing more than overwriting the firmware used in the power stations to signal a manual reset to engineers on site. Researchers believe these attacks are merely a test of their capabilities and learning what security is in place and how to bypass it.
Spora Ransomware Offering New Encryption Process
With ransomware being the highest grossing cyber-attack vector, it’s no surprise that attackers are coming up with clever new methods for causing user devastation. By adding an additional encryption step, allowing for offline encryption, the attackers are able to create a new set of AES keys on the local machine which will stop decryptors from unlocking all of the victims with one private key. Additionally, Spora has the capability to gather information about the computer itself and determine an appropriate ransom amount, whether it’s for an individual user or a large corporate network.
