Tag: meeting | SpinSafe

TAD to hold emergency meeting Monday to address ransomware attack

March 23, 2024/in Internet Security

The Tarrant Appraisal District will hold an emergency board meeting March 25 after a criminal ransomware attack disrupted the agency’s network March 21, causing the website to crash.

The district has taken steps to secure the network and is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate, respond and restore the network, it said in a press release.

The incident was reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Texas Department of Information Resources.

The website is now live again, but emails and phone lines remain down.

Appraisal board member Alan Blaylock, who is also a Fort Worth City Council member, said board members anticipate receiving more detailed information at the March 25 meeting.

“I think that the chief appraiser and the new team are going to great pains to communicate all they can as they are able,” Blaylock said, “and I expect that there will be significant communication coming forward early next week as investigations into what happened continue.”

This is the second criminal cyberattack on the appraisal district’s website. In October 2022, a security breach potentially exposed sensitive taxpayer information. However, the final report found that data was not stolen.

Ransomware attacks were on the rise in 2023, according to data from the FBI. More than 2,800 complaints about ransomware were reported last year, including 156 from government facilities.

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Hackers are infecting Macs with malware using calendar invites and meeting links — don’t fall for this

February 29, 2024/in Computer Security

Getting an email with a calendar link for a meeting has become commonplace, but you may want to think twice before clicking on one. That’s because hackers have begun using calendar invites and meeting links to infect unsuspecting users with Mac malware.

As reported by Krebs On Security, cybercriminals are now abusing the popular scheduling tool Calendly in their scams. Like with other malware campaigns, this one uses social engineering to find potential targets but instead of draining their bank accounts, it goes after cryptocurrency.

Still, the hackers behind this campaign could pivot to go after other types of accounts by using a different Mac malware strain. Here’s everything you need to know about how this scam works as well as how to protect yourself and your Apple devices from Mac malware.

From meeting invite to malware infection

Krebs On Security got a first-hand look into this scam after one of the site’s readers explained how they were targeted and fell for it.

In this campaign, the hackers behind it are impersonating cryptocurrency investors who are asking to schedule a video call. However, this lure could easily be adapted to go after other groups of potential victims.

The attack itself began when the reader was approached via Telegram by a scammer that wanted to invest in their startup. Everything seemed above board though and they then shared their Calendly profile with the scammer.

When it was time for the meeting, the reader clicked on the meeting link and nothing happened. They then contacted the scammer who explained that there was an issue with the video platform. Fortunately though, their IT people had created a different meeting link.

While this is certainly the kind of thing that should raise suspicions, the reader didn’t think twice and clicked on the link. However, instead of opening a videoconferencing app, a message appeared on their Mac saying the video service was experiencing technical difficulties. The message also referenced a script that could be run as a temporary solution to fix these issues.

By running the script, the reader unknowingly infected their Mac with a dangerous trojan designed to siphon off personal and financial data from their…

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AUKUS Defense Ministers Meeting Joint Statement > U.S. Department of Defense > Release

December 1, 2023/in Internet Security

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted the Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia, and the Right Honourable Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, at the Defense Innovation Unit Headquarters in California today to discuss the AUKUS enhanced defense and security partnership.

For more than a century, the three nations have stood shoulder-to-shoulder, along with other allies and partners, to help sustain peace, stability and prosperity around the world. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged that, in the face of an evolving security environment, AUKUS presents a generational opportunity to modernize and enhance longstanding partnerships and cooperation to address global security challenges and contribute to stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed that at the core of this partnership is the shared resolve to bolster security and stability and ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region free from coercion and aggression.

For Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (Pillar I), AUKUS partners are collaborating to deliver this capability at the earliest possible date while upholding the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard. For Advanced Capabilities (Pillar II), AUKUS partners are substantially deepening cooperation on a range of security and defense capabilities, making sure that each nation has the capabilities needed to defend against rapidly evolving threats. Through these efforts, AUKUS contributes to integrated deterrence by pursuing layered and asymmetric capabilities that promote increased security and stability.

The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the three nations’ commitment to maximize the strategic and technological advantage of AUKUS by combining national strengths and pooling resources to deliver game-changing capabilities. They agreed that advancing AUKUS requires continued commitment to streamlining defense trade controls and information-sharing while minimizing policy and financial barriers across public and private…

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Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to the Cook Islands for the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, 9 to 11 November 2023

November 11, 2023/in Internet Security

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan visited Cook Islands from 9 to 11 November 2023 to attend the 52^nd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting, marking the first time that Singapore participated in the PIF Leaders Meeting as a Dialogue Partner.

Minister Balakrishnan delivered remarks at the 2050 Pacific Prosperity High-Level Thematic Dialogue on 10 November 2023. He highlighted that Singapore viewed relations with the PIF as strategic. As fellow Small Island Developing States, Singapore and the Pacific Islands share a commitment to tackling global challenges, particularly the existential issue of climate change. Over the past 30 years, Singapore has shared our development experience with more than 5,800 Pacific officials under the Singapore Cooperation Programme.

Minister Balakrishnan announced the launch of a three-year customised technical assistance package for the Pacific named the “Singapore-Pacific Resilience and Knowledge Sharing” (SPARKS) package. The SPARKS package comprises courses in climate resilience, cybersecurity and international law. These courses will support the Pacific’s capacity building efforts in priority areas under the PIF’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the blueprint for charting the region’s future. The transcript of Minister Balakrishnan’s remarks and a factsheet on the SPARKS package are at Annexes A and B.

During his visit, Minister Balakrishnan met several leaders from the Pacific, including PIF Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, French Polynesia President Moetai Brotherson, Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, New Caledonia President Louis Mapou, Tonga Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni, Palau Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gustav Aitaro, Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Jeremiah Manele, and PIF Secretary General Henry Puna. Minister Balakrishnan had good discussions with these leaders on the Pacific’s priorities as well as how Singapore can work with them both bilaterally and multilaterally.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

11 NOVEMBER…

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