Tag Archive for: central

Amherst Central tightens internet security after audit

/in


Amherst Central School District has tightened access to the district’s information network following an audit from the office of State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The audit discovered there were more than 1,000 user accounts accessing the district network that belonged to former students or staff, including one who retired more than 20 years ago.

While the audit warned that there was a significant risk that the district’s network resources, financial data and student information could intentionally or unintentionally be changed or used inappropriately, it did not say there was any evidence of hacking.

In the district’s response to the audit, Superintendent Anthony J. Panella said Amherst Central put corrective actions in place during the course of the audit, which covered July 1, 2020 to July 7, 2022.

“The district is committed to putting corrective actions into place for any findings listed in the final report,” Panella said in his response.

People are also reading…

The audit said as many as 1,570 accounts were unneeded, but had not been disabled.

Auditors looked at 5,078 network user accounts and found that 2,902 were assigned to current enrolled students, while 1,402 were assigned to students that were not currently enrolled. Others were assigned to non-students or shared user accounts.

There were 90 network accounts still active for people who had left the district, auditors said, writing that “former employee network accounts should be disabled on the day the employee leaves district employment.”

“Because the district’s network had unnecessary enabled network user accounts, it had a greater risk that these accounts could have been used as entry points for attackers to compromise IT resources,” the audit said.

District officials told auditors that the accounts went unnoticed because the district did not have written policies and procedures to disable network accounts.

“Cybersecurity…

Source…

US sanctions Russian accused of being a ‘central figure’ in major ransomware attacks

/in


The U.S. government has indicted a Russian national for his alleged role in ransomware attacks against U.S. law enforcement and critical infrastructure.

U.S. authorities accuse Mikhail Matveev, also known online as “Wazawaka” and “Boriselcin,” of being a “central figure” in developing and deploying the Hive, LockBit and Babuk ransomware variants.

In 2021, Matveev claimed responsibility for a ransomware attack against the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The cyberattack saw the Babuk ransomware gang, which Matveev was allegedly a member of since early 2020, infiltrate the police department’s systems to steal the personal details of police officers, along with sensitive information about gangs, suspects of crimes and witnesses.

Matveev and his co-conspirators also deployed LockBit ransomware against a law enforcement agency in New Jersey’s Passaic County in June 2020, according to prosecutors, and deployed Hive ransomware against a nonprofit behavioral healthcare organization headquartered in nearby Mercer County in May 2020.

These three ransomware gangs are believed to have targeted thousands of victims in the United States. According to the Justice Department, the LockBit ransomware gang has carried out over 1,400 attacks, issuing more than $100 million in ransom demands and receiving over $75 million in ransom payments. Babuk has executed over 65 attacks and has received $13 million in ransom payments, while Hive has targeted more than 1,500 victims around the world and received as much as $120 million in ransom payments.

Matveev is also believed to have links to the Russia-backed Conti ransomware gang. The Russian national is believed to have claimed responsibility for the ransomware attack on the government of Costa Rica, which saw Conti hackers demand $20 million in a ransom payment — along with the overthrow of the Costa Rican government.

According to the U.S. Treasury, which announced sanctions against the Russian national on Tuesday, Matveev has also been linked to other ransomware intrusions against numerous U.S. businesses, including a U.S. airline. The Treasury added that…

Source…

Ransomware attack limiting some Travis Central Appraisal District services

/in


AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis Central Appraisal District was hit with a ransomware attack Monday, affecting several services. The phone lines and online chat services are down, according to a TCAD release.

Property tax bills and payments are unaffected. The TCAD website and online property search tool is also unaffected, the release said.

“We are working with the appropriate agencies to resolve this issue,” said TCAD Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler. “At this time, we do not have an estimate on how long it will take to restore our network.” 

District staff are able to answer property-related questions and process homestead exemption applications, however response times may be delayed, a district release states. 

Property owners with questions about their property tax bills should contact the Travis County Tax Office. 

Travis County property owners who need to contact TCAD are encouraged to do so via email at [email protected]. TCAD said it will provide updates on its website.

TCAD statement

The ransomware attack was discovered Monday morning, a TCAD spokesperson told KXAN. TCAD said it’s “unaware how the ransomware infected [the] system.”

No personal property owner information is at risk or was accessed by this attack. We have numerous safeguards in place that are allowing our operations to continue, though it may take longer than usual for property owners to have their property issues addressed. We appreciate their patience.

TCAD spokesperson

TCAD targeted previously

In April, TCAD’s website was targeted in a DDoS attack.

DDoS stands for distributed denial of service. This type of attack aims to disrupt a website or network by overflowing it with traffic. Attackers use malware to infect hundreds or thousands of computers, creating a botnet they can then use to flood and overwhelm their target, according to U.S. News

Source…

India’s Leading Central Securities Depository Says Malware Compromised Its Internal … – Latest Tweet by TechCrunch

/in


(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user’s social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)

Source…