Federal Bureau of Investigation
In cybersecurity, where success often relies on doing the unexpected, diversity of thought is a valuable weapon.
US says Iran-backed hackers are now targeting organizations with ransomware
The U.S. government, along with counterparts in Australia and the U.K., have warned that Iranian state-backed hackers are targeting U.S. organizations in critical infrastructure sectors — in some cases with…
US government offers $10M bounty for DarkSide ransomware hackers
The U.S. Department of State is upping the ante in its fight against ransomware by offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that helps identify or track…
BlackMatter ransomware gang says it’s shutting down over law enforcement pressure
The BlackMatter ransomware operation, which came to prominence earlier this year following the demise of the DarkSide ransomware gang, is allegedly shutting down due to “pressure from the authorities.” The…
FBI says ransomware groups are using private financial information to further extort victims
The FBI has warned that ransomware groups are targeting companies involved in “significant, time-sensitive financial events,” like mergers and acquisitions, in an effort to coerce victims into paying their ransom…
CISA, NSA, FBI say BlackMatter ransomware group is targeting the US food industry
A joint advisory issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) has warned that the BlackMatter ransomware…
REvil ransomware group goes dark after its Tor sites were hijacked
REvil, the notorious Russian-linked ransomware gang responsible for the high-profile cyberattacks on Kaseya, Travelex and JBS earlier this year, has disappeared again after its Tor payment portal and data leak…
Washington, D.C’s Howard University has canceled classes after becoming the latest educational institution to be hit by a ransomware attack. The incident was discovered on September 3, just weeks after…
The FBI has warned that the Chinese government is using both in-person and digital techniques to intimidate, silence and harass U.S.-based Uyghur Muslims. The Chinese government has long been accused…
Pearson to pay $1M fine for misleading investors about 2018 data breach
Pearson, a London-based publishing and education giant that provides software to schools and universities has agreed to pay $1 million to settle charges that it misled investors about a 2018…
Featured Article
Apple confirms it will begin scanning iCloud Photos for child abuse images
Later this year, Apple will roll out a technology that will allow the company to detect and report known child sexual abuse material to law enforcement in a way it says will preserve user privacy. Apple told TechCrunch that the detection of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is one of several new features aimed at…
A Silicon Valley VC firm with $1.8B in assets was hit by ransomware
Advanced Technology Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm with more than $1.8 billion in assets under its management, was hit by a ransomware attack in July that saw cybercriminals…
Court orders US Capitol rioter to unlock his laptop ‘with his face’
The FBI argued that compelling Guy Reffitt to unlock his computer by sitting in front of it ‘would not run afoul of the defendant’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.’
US blames China for Exchange server hacks and ransomware attacks
The Biden administration and its allies have formally accused China of the mass-hacking of Microsoft Exchange servers earlier this year, which prompted the FBI to intervene as concerns rose that…
To end cyberterrorism, the government should extend a hand to the private sector
The reality is that while companies can get smarter about cyber defenses and users can get more vigilant in their cyber hygiene practices, only the government has the power to…
Fraud prevention platform Sift raises $50M at over $1B valuation, eyes acquisitions
With the increase of digital transacting over the past year, cybercriminals have been having a field day. In 2020, complaints of suspected internet crime surged by 61%, to 791,790, according…
FBI launches operation to remove backdoors from hacked Microsoft Exchange servers
A court in Houston has authorized an FBI operation to “copy and remove” backdoors from hundreds of Microsoft Exchange email servers in the United States, months after hackers used four…
A grand jury has indicted a California resident accused of stealing Shopify customer data on over a hundred merchants, TechCrunch has learned. The indictment charges Tassilo Heinrich with aggravated identity…
Featured Article
How Jamaica failed to handle its JamCOVID scandal
Amber Group claimed it faced “cyberattacks, hacking and mischievous players.” In reality, the app was just not that secure.
Hackers are exploiting vulnerable Exchange servers to drop ransomware, Microsoft says
Hackers are exploiting recently discovered vulnerabilities in Exchange email servers to drop ransomware, Microsoft has warned, a move that puts tens of thousands of email servers at risk of destructive…
Microsoft says China-backed hackers are exploiting Exchange zero-days
Microsoft is warning customers that a new China state-sponsored threat actor is exploiting four previously undisclosed security flaws in Exchange Server, an enterprise email product built by the software giant.…
This Week in Apps: Elections’ impact on the app store, new app privacy requirements, iOS 14.2 arrives
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the TechCrunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that flows through it all. The app industry is…
Election Day was largely free from disruptive cyberattacks, as efforts shift to combating misinformation
Polls closed in the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday without any significant or disruptive cyberattacks, according to cybersecurity officials and experts. Election Day wasn’t without its problems. Some voting machines…
A QAnon supporter is headed to Congress
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s win in a Georgia House race means that QAnon is headed to Capitol Hill. Greene openly supports the complex, outlandish conspiracy theory, which posits that President Trump…
YouTube bans videos promoting conspiracy theories like QAnon that target individuals
YouTube today joined social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter in taking more direct action to prohibit the distribution of conspiracy theories like QAnon. The company announced that it is…
Venmo’s first credit card is here, a former Amazon employee is arrested for fraud and we review the Nest Audio smart speaker. This is your Daily Crunch for October 5,…
Feds arrest former Amazon employee after company reported him to FBI for fraud
Amazon today disclosed that a former employee has been arrested for committing fraud against the online retailer. The company says it reported Vu Anh Nguyen to the Federal Bureau of…
Shopify blames “rogue” employees for a data breach, Google Maps adds COVID-19 data and China pushes back against the TikTok deal. This is your Daily Crunch for September 23, 2020.…
Daily Crunch: Partial US TikTok ban is imminent
The Trump administration moves forwards with plans to ban TikTok and WeChat (although TikTok gets a partial extension), Unity goes public and we announce the winner of this year’s Startup…
Justice Department charges five Chinese members of APT41 over cyberattacks on US companies
The Justice Department has announced charges against five alleged Chinese citizens, accused of hacking over 100 companies in the United States, including tech companies, game makers, universities and think tanks.…
