Tag Archive for: hacking

Russian hacking in Ukraine has been extensive and intertwined with military operations, Microsoft says

/in


“Russia’s use of cyberattacks appears to be strongly correlated and sometimes directly timed with its kinetic military operations,” said Tom Burt, a Microsoft vice president.

The Microsoft report is the most comprehensive public record yet of Russian hacking efforts related to the war in Ukraine. It fills in some gaps in public understanding of where Russia’s vaunted cyber capabilities have been deployed during the war.
Burt cited a cyberattack on a Ukrainian broadcast company on March 1, the same day as a Russian missile strike against a TV tower in Kyiv, and malicious emails sent to Ukrainians falsely claiming the Ukrainian government was “abandoning” them amid the Russian siege of the city of Mariupol.

Suspected Russian hackers “are working to compromise organizations in regions across Ukraine,” and may have been collecting intelligence on Ukrainian military partnerships many months before the full-scale invasion in February, the Microsoft report says.

Russia’s military attacks on Ukraine sometimes “correlate with cyberattacks, especially when it involves attacks on telecom infrastructure in some areas,” Victor Zhora, a senior Ukrainian government cyber official, told reporters Wednesday.

In the weeks after Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine, some pundits and US officials were surprised that there hadn’t been more noticeably disruptive or debilitating Russian cyberattacks on the country. Possible explanations ranged from disorganization in Russian military planning to hardened Ukrainian defenses, to the fact that bombs and bullets take precedence over hacking in wartime.

But a barrage of alleged Russian and Belarusian hacks aimed at destabilizing Ukraine has indeed taken place, with some hacks emerging weeks after they took place. Some hacking attempts have been more successful than others.

A multi-faceted cyberattack at the onset of the war knocked out internet service for tens of thousands of satellite modems in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe; US officials are investigating the incident as a potential Russian state-sponsored hack, CNN previously reported.
Earlier this month, a Russian military-linked hacking group targeted a Ukrainian power substation in a hack that, had it…

Source…

Hacking Viruses Cause Criminal Activites

/in


“hacking” is frequently used interchangeably with “illegal computer access.” Hacking originated in the 1950s when a gang of phreaks (short for “phone freaks”) began to take over portions of the world’s telephone networks (Britannica, 2019). 

However, Hacking can be done in many ways, such as when you get phishing emails from unknown senders or children entering data while equipping cheap assignments UK or even any other part of the world or making online payments. Although, Hacking isn’t always considered criminal conduct. A computer hacker can be someone who understands how to get beyond a device’s or software’s limits. Ethical hackers frequently break into computer systems with permission to uncover flaws and improve security. When offenders get access to systems without the owner’s authorization, this is known as Hacking.

Types of Computer Hackers

The efforts of hackers have influenced every area of cyberspace. Hackers take advantage of flaws in security systems and computer applications to gain illegal access. The hacker’s personality determines what they do with that access. White hats and black hats are the two most common categories of hackers. A vast range of different hacker types has arisen from these origins.

White Hats

White hats, although being hackers, are the good people. White hats are skilled IT specialists businesses hire to evaluate their cybersecurity measures against the attack and report any flaws. White hats seek to improve overall computer and Internet security. White hats are professionals in the only type of Hacking that is considered a legitimate business. They are used by governments, private companies, and nonprofit organizations to protect sensitive data.

Black Hats

On the other hand, Black-hat hackers are motivated by the possibility of self-gain or enjoyment. Black hats, often known as crackers, exploit flaws in systems to steal data for theft or resale. Black hats are also responsible for the…

Source…

Mother’s claims tossed in hacking case suit against school district

/in


Seven years after a Sachem North High School student pleaded guilty to a charge of hacking school computers, a federal judge in Central Islip has dismissed claims by his mother that the district had forced her son to do computer security work for years without pay. 

Former student Matthew Calicchio and parents Sandra and Michael Calicchio had argued in a 2014 federal lawsuit that Matthew Calicchio, then 17, was forced into what amounted to involuntary servitude by district officials, including then-Principal John Dolan and assistant Principal Andrew Larson. According to a revised 2015 complaint, between 2010 and 2013, Matthew Calicchio repeatedly was taken out of class and lunch to do the work, warned not to tell his parents and told the FBI would raid his house if he did not comply. The complaint asked for damages in excess of $75,000. Sandra Calicchio lives in Chester, Massachusetts, according to court records.

Lawyers for the district and its officials said in filings that the claims were false, and in March a federal magistrate recommended dismissal because Sandra Calicchio, who represented herself, had skipped multiple court-ordered conferences. Judge Denis Hurley agreed and on April 5 ordered the dismissal. He also ordered Matthew Calicchio and Michael Calicchio to discontinue the suit or file a status report within two weeks.

Scott Lockwood, the lawyer representing the father and the son, did not respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for the school district did not respond. Dolan and Larson, now principal at the high school, did not respond. The Calicchios could not be reached. 

Mathew Calicchio was expelled from Sachem schools in 2013, earning a GED that year from Suffolk County Community College. When Suffolk police arrested him, authorities said he had accessed student records, including Social Security numbers and confidential medical information, then posted some of the information online in community forums. 

In November 2014, he pleaded guilty to computer trespass, a felony. After a year of probation, the court vacated that plea and he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. 

The Calicchios’ lawsuit alleged district officials had Matthew…

Source…

Malawi Police accused of hacking Platform for Investigative Journalism website – Malawi 24

/in


Media body MISA Malawi says it cannot rule out the involvement of State agents in the hacking of Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) website, which happened days after the Malawi Police Service (MPS) detained PIJ Managing Director Gregory Gondwe and held on to his computer and phone for a night.

Malawi Police Service has since hit back at MISA Malawi over the allegations.

The hacking of the website investigativeplatform-mw.org was noted on Thursday, April 14, 2022 and the site remained inaccessible for many hours on Friday. However, the site is now back online but PIJ said it was still working on fully recovering it

The incident happened nine days after officers from the Malawi Police Gondwe and confiscated his equipment, which raised serious privacy concerns.

In a statement on Friday, MISA Malawi Chairperson Teresa Temweka Ndanga said the hacking incident vindicates such fears.

“We believe the hacking incident is not a mere coincidence. MISA Malawi believes the hacking is intentional and we cannot rule out the involvement of State agents considering the circumstances.

“We are concerned that the police officers who must be in the forefront to combat Cybersecurity risks of Malawians and others in the country were directly involved in actions that qualify them as prime suspects in this Cyber-attack,” said Ndanga.

She added that the hacking is a direct attack on media freedom, right to access information and a criminal offence under the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act of 2016.

She also noted that the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act of 2016 prohibits hacking, cracking and introduction of viruses and any person who commits such offences is liable to a fine and to imprisonment for seven years.

Ndanga then demanded the State to investigate and prosecute anybody who violated section 21 of the Constitution of Malawi by violating Gondwe’s privacy, saying the same people are now prime suspects in this hacking incident.

“We wish to remind government that these continued attacks on journalists are tarnishing the country’s image on press freedom, a fundamental component in a democratic…

Source…