Tag Archive for: files

China calls the US an “Empire of Hacking,” citing 2017 Wikileaks files

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Facepalm: The term “Chinese hacker” has become a common saying in pop culture, but it seems the Asian nation has a similar term for the US: the “Empire of Hacking.” The name appears in a new Chinese report that accuses the CIA of using cyberattacks against China and other countries.

As per The Reg, an investigation called “The Matrix” conducted by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center of China and local cybersecurity firm 360 Total Security has been published in a report titled Empire of Hacking: The US Central Intelligence Agency – Part I.

The report claims that investigators examining a number of cyberattacks within China captured and extracted a large number of Trojans, functional plug-ins, and attack platform samples alleged to be closely associated with the CIA, revealing an “empire of hackers” under US control, writes the South China Morning Post.

“These cyberweapons have undergone strict, standardised, and professional software engineering management, which is uniquely followed by the CIA in developing cyberattack weapons,” the report states.

But many of the findings come from old information gleaned from a 2017 series of leaks on the CIA by Wikileaks, codenamed Vault7. It included details of the agency’s global covert hacking program, the malware it used, and dozens of zero-day weaponized exploits against a wide range of US and European company products, including Apple and Android phones, Windows, and smart TVs, which were exploited so their microphones could be used as listening devices.

“They have now covered almost all internet and IoT assets globally, allowing control over foreign networks and theft of important, sensitive data at any time,” the report said. “Targets of these attacks include critical information infrastructure, aerospace, research institutions, oil and petrochemical industries, large internet companies, and government agencies in various countries. These attacks can be traced back to 2011 and have continued until now.”

The report also mentions the CIA’s history of trying to…

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Ransomware Attack Locks Up Criminal Investigative Files at Camden County Police Department – NBC10 Philadelphia

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nbc10 investigators 20 mins ago

The Camden County Police Department experienced a ransomware attack that has been locking many criminal investigative files and day-to-day internal administration abilities, several law enforcement officials said. NBC10 investigative reporter Claudia Vargas has the details.

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These files can’t be opened – Your internet security settings prevented

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Ransomware group claims massive data leak but Minneapolis schools files’ whereabouts a mystery

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This story comes from The 74, a nonprofit news organization that covers education in America.

A cyber gang claims it published what could be a startling amount of stolen Minneapolis Public Schools records to the internet after the district failed to meet a $1 million extortion demand, but where the actual files are now remains something of a mystery.

Early Friday morning, after the Medusa gang’s countdown clock on the ransom deadline struck zero, the files weren’t readily available for download on its dark web leak site. Instead, a “Download data now!” button directs users to contact the ransomware gang through an encrypted instant-messaging protocol. Attempts by The 74 to reach the gang have been unsuccessful.

Files from previous Medusa victims are available on a website designed to resemble a technology news blog — a front of sorts. Unlike the Medusa blog, this site is not relegated to the dark web and does not require special tools to access. Download links are also posted in a channel on Telegram, the encrypted social media service that’s been used by terror groups and far-right extremists. Yet as of Friday afternoon, the files purportedly stolen from the Minneapolis district were not available for download on either platform. 

Data breaches from previous victims appear to be uploaded to the faux technology news blog about a month after their ransom expires, suggesting that the Minneapolis files could become available online after a brief lag. 

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Still, in a statement on Friday, the district said it “is aware that the threat actor has released certain MPS data on the dark web today.” 

“We are working with cybersecurity specialists to quickly and securely download the data so that we can conduct an in-depth and comprehensive review to determine the full scope of what personal information was impacted and to whom the information relates,” the district continued. “This will take some time. You will be contacted directly by MPS if our review indicates that your personal information has been impacted.” 

Early indications suggest the files contain…

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