Tag: hackers

Hackers stole Social Security numbers during Allianz Life cyberattack | TechCrunch

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Hackers who breached U.S. insurance giant Allianz Life earlier this month stole reams of customer Social Security numbers, according to notifications filed with several U.S. states and seen by TechCrunch.

Allianz Life disclosed the July 16 breach this past weekend, confirming to TechCrunch the unidentified hackers stole the personally identifiable information belonging to the “majority” of its 1.4 million customers, as well as financial professionals and some Allianz Life employees.

The company said its customer relationship database was compromised in a social engineering attack, a ploy in which malicious hackers use deception tricks, such as impersonating an employee claiming to have lost their password, to convince helpdesks into granting them access to a system or network.

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Hackers stole 340,000 Social Security numbers from government consulting firm | TechCrunch

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U.S. consulting firm Greylock McKinnon Associates (GMA) disclosed a data breach in which hackers stole as many as 341,650 Social Security numbers.

The data breach was disclosed on Friday on Maine’s government website, where the state posts data breach notifications.

In its data breach notice sent by mail to affected victims, GMA said it was hit by an unspecified cyberattack in May 2023 and “promptly took steps to mitigate the incident.”

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NY AG sues Citibank for failing to protect customers from fraud | CNN Business

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New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Citibank on Tuesday, alleging the big bank failed to do enough to protect and reimburse victims of fraud.

The lawsuit argues that New York customers lost millions of dollars — in some cases their entire life savings — to scammers and hackers because of Citi’s weak security and anti-fraud measures.

According to the NY AG, Citi does not do enough to prevent unauthorized account takeovers, illegally refuses to reimburse fraud victims, and “misleads” customers about their rights after their accounts are hacked.

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How to Create a Strong Password | business.com

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One of the easiest ways for hackers to get into your network and online accounts is by password. What’s the best way to defend yourself against cyberattacks?

Over the past 20 years, cybercriminals have devised various ways to get people’s passwords. For hackers, it’s worth the effort. To them, your password is the key to potential untold riches. If your personal password is stolen, a hacker could take out a loan in your name, make dozens of unauthorized online purchases, or install malware on your computer. If your business is compromised, the rewards may be even greater. Hackers could access sensitive information and steal your customers’ data. Considering what’s at risk, you need to know how to create secure passwords that will keep cybercriminals at bay.

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Microsoft fixes critical PrintNightmare bug | BBC News

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Microsoft has issued a fix for a critical bug dubbed PrintNightmare.

It says, hackers are using the bug, accidentally disclosed by researchers.

It can help them “install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights” remotely on all versions of Windows.

It affects the Windows Print Spooler, software that manages printing, controlling the order in which print jobs from computers in an office are put in a queue, for example.

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Hackers could shut down satellites — or turn them into weapons | Live Science

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Last month, SpaceX became the operator of the world’s largest active satellite constellation. As of the end of January, the company had 242 satellites orbiting the planet with plans to launch 42,000 over the next decade. This is part of its ambitious project to provide internet access across the globe. The race to put satellites in space is on, with Amazon, U.K.-based OneWeb and other companies chomping at the bit to place thousands of satellites in orbit in the coming month.

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Hackers can ransomware your fancy digital camera | Mashable

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Not even your precious memories are safe from hackers.

That much was made clear at the annual DEF CON hacking conference in Las Vegas, where a security researcher demonstrated just how easy it is to remotely encrypt a digital camera with ransomware. And once that happens, you can say goodbye to all your photos — unless you pay up.

The specific camera in question was a Canon EOS 80D, but, as Eyal Itkin explained to the early Sunday morning crowd of seemingly hungover hackers, it’s likely not the only model vulnerable.

“If you can do something to cameras, you have many potential victims you can affect,” he observed. “Would you pay to get your camera back?”

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A New Breed of ATM Hackers Gets in Through a Bank’s Network | WIRED

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OVER THE PAST few years, scammers have increasingly siphoned cash off of digital payment networks, stealing hundreds of millions of dollars so far. Not only is the problem hard to contain; new findings show that it’s evolving and maturing, with new types of ATM malware on the rise.

Researchers at the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit in Singapore are presenting findings on Wednesday about a new wave of payment system scams. Beyond so-called jackpotting attacks, which cause individual ATMs to spit out money, hackers are manipulating ATM networks and the digital authentication checks in the machines to cash out fraudulent transfers they initiate around the globe.

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Wifi Vulnerability Can Put You In Danger | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

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Computer scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have discovered a security flaw that affects all Wi-Fi routers. Hackers could exploit the weakness in the transmission control protocol (TCP) and perform a web cache poisoning attack to steal passwords, login information, and other private data. Unfortunately, a fix isn’t possible, as the vulnerability stems from a 20-year-old design based on TCP and Wi-Fi. To prevent hackers from using the exploit, researchers recommend that manufacturers build routers that operate on different frequencies for transmitting and receiving data.

Fortunately, this attack technique won’t work with encrypted sites that use HTTPS and HSTS. Users on Ethernet connections are similarly not affected. Given that the attack won’t work on encrypted sites, most users who browse the internet on a modern browser shouldn’t be affected. Many browsers, including Google’s Chrome, already warn users if they visit an unencrypted site.

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Hackers are hiding malware in subtitle files | TechCrunch

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An impressive new exploit gives hackers the ability to control your desktop through malware spread by fake movie subtitles. The exploit, which essentially dumps the malware onto your desktop and then notifies the attacker, affects users of video players like Popcorn Time and VLC.

Checkpoint found that malformed subtitle files can give hackers the ability to embed code into subtitle files popular with pirated movies and TV. Because these subtitles are usually trusted by video players and users alike they were an oft-overlooked vector for hack attacks.

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