Tag Archive for: Academy

Academy Mortgage says data breach hit 284,000 customers

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Academy Mortgage says it stopped a data breach last March that exposed the personal identifiable information of 284,443 customers. 

In a notice to the Office of the Maine Attorney General, the Draper, Utah-based lender did not say whether the incident was related to a ransomware gang’s alleged hack last year. Mortgage customer and employee names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers were compromised, although Academy said it had no evidence information was misused. 

“We have wiped and rebuilt affected systems and have taken steps to bolster our network security,” the company wrote in a consumer notice mailed Dec. 20. “We are also reviewing and altering our policies, procedures and network security software relating to the security of our systems.”

Ransomware as a service group Alphv claimed responsibility in May for holding Academy’s corporate data hostage, and it suggested the lender at that point refused to pay ransom. The gang’s threat to Academy included reference to the lender’s $38.5 million settlement in December 2022 over a False Claims Act case. 

It’s unclear if Alphv released its supposed data captured onto the dark web. International authorities last month seized the ransomware gang’s dark-web leak internet site. 

Academy, following the March breach, worked with unidentified third-party forensic specialists to help with its investigation, which wrapped up in late November. The mortgage firm is offering 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring and fraud assistance service through a Transunion subsidiary, Cyberscout.

The lender, which offers a large suite of residential loans, counts 220 branches nationwide and 846 sponsored mortgage loan originators, according to Nationwide Multistate Licensing System records. Data from S&P Global shows Academy originated $3.8 billion in loan volume in 2023 through September.

Academy’s notice follows recent data breach reports from major industry players Fidelity National Financial, First American Financial and Mr. Cooper. Those firms updated counterparties and customers swiftly following newer disclosure rules for publicly traded firms by the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

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Hive demands £500k from Wootton Academy Trust in ransomware attack

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Russian-speaking ransomware-as-a-service gang Hive has reportedly demanded £500,000 from two sixth-form colleges in Bedfordshire, under threat of leaking stolen data online.

According to a report from security provider Recorded Future, parents of pupils at the two Wootton Academy Trust colleges have been contacted directly by members of Hive, warning that their children’s personal information would be leaked if the Trust fails to pay up.

However, the stolen data is so valuable that it may be sold on the dark web regardless of the Trust’s actions, Recorded Future told Tech Monitor.

Young people’s personal data is especially valuable to criminals. “It’s basically fresh data.” (Image by Clerkenwell / iStock)

The Trust’s executive principal Michael Gleeson confirmed the Hive ransomware attack in a letter to students and their parents. “I can now confirm that the Trust suffered a cyber incident and we are now in the process of putting in place a plan that will enable our IT system to be rebuilt.”

The Trust has informed the Information Commissioner’s Office and the police of the incident.

Hive ransomware attack on Wootton Academy Trust

The £500,000 ransom demand reflects the coverage of the Trust’s cyber insurance policy, which Hive found on its IT systems. “We are very well informed and precise in our operations, so we know that Wootton have cyber insurance that reaches £500k,” the gang said in its message to the parents.

In the past, this has been an effective tactic for ransomware groups, who have used details of their target’s cyber insurance policies to negotiate ransoms worth millions of pounds.

Now, though, cyber insurance policies rarely cover ransom payments, says Allan Liska, an intelligence analyst at Recorded Future. “A £500,000 cyber insurance policy does not mean that an insurance company will pay it,” he explains.

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Introduction to Cyber Security in Maritime and Offshore

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Three from UC San Diego Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

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Three portraits, from left: Ananda Goldrath, Eileen Myles and Stefan Savage

From left: Ananda Goldrath, Eileen Myles and Stefan Savage are joining the ranks of fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Three members of the University of California San Diego community, including two professors and one professor emeritus, have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences—one of the oldest and most esteemed honorary societies in the nation. 

Ananda Goldrath, Eileen Myles and Stefan Savage are among the Academy’s 2021 class of 252 members. They join fellow 2021 classmates who are artists, scholars, scientists and leaders in the public, non-profit and private sectors, including: civil rights lawyer and scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw; computer scientist Fei-Fei Li; composer, songwriter, and performer Robbie Robertson; and media entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey. 

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has honored exceptionally accomplished individuals and engaged them in advancing the public good for more than 240 years. Professor Walter Munk was the first UC San Diego faculty member elected to the Academy. Since then, more than 80 faculty from disciplines that span the entire campus have received this prestigious honor. 

“This year, our faculty are being recognized for three vastly different fields of study: immunology, literature, and cybersecurity,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Having the oldest and most distinguished American national academy honor the career accomplishments of these prestigious faculty both honors their individual successes and spotlights the breadth of expertise and influence of our Triton faculty. UC San Diego’s well-established prowess in science, technology and art offers a truly well-rounded experience for our students, our researchers and our collaborative faculty.”

In the statement announcing this year’s new Academy members, David Oxtoby, President of the American Academy said, “The past year has been replete with evidence of how things can get worse; this is an opportunity to illuminate the importance of art, ideas, knowledge, and leadership that can make a better world.”
Following is more information about each of UC San Diego’s newest Academy…

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