Tag Archive for: Members

Swanky Wentworth golf club hacked, details of 4000 members stolen in ransomware attack • Graham Cluley

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Members of one of England’s most exclusive golf clubs has warned its 4000 members that their personal details may have fallen into the hands of hackers following a ransomware attack.

The prestigious private Wentworth golf and country club, whose members include high profile celebrities, sports stars, and top business people, has sent out an email offering its “profuse apologies” after its members’ list was accessed by cybercriminals.

However, according to The Telegraph, the first club members knew of the problem, was when an unauthorised message appeared on the “Wentworth at Home” internet page claiming that “your personal files are encrypted!” and demanding a Bitcoin cryptocurrency payment for a decryption key.

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As is increasingly common, the attackers did not just encrypted data on the private golf and country club’s network – but also stolen some of it in an attempt to increase their chances of a payout.

It is thought that the data stolen from Wentworth’s network includes:

  • Names of members
  • Members’ dates of birth
  • Members’ home addresses
  • Members’ email addresses
  • Members’ phone numbers
  • The last four digits of members’ bank account numbers, used for direct debit payments

In its warning to affected club members, Neil Coulson, Wentworth’s general manager, attempted to reassure members that their accounts were not at risk:

“I fully appreciate this will be concerning for you but we have taken third-party specialist advice and have been assured there is not enough personal information in the file to enable improper access to your private account and therefore it is considered a low risk.”

However, the exfiltrated information could potentially be exploited in cybercriminal campaigns to scam unwary members of the exclusive club, or even put them in physical danger.

Affected members would be wise to be alert to phishing emails and unexpected communications claiming to come from the club which may attempt tp extract further details, as well as take steps to ensure their personal safety if they would not want their home address to be public knowledge.

Vigilance,…

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Coalition Against Stalkerware’s One Year Anniversary Recognizes Milestones, New Members and Celebrates UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women | Coronavirus

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WOBURN, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov 25, 2020–

Today, the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also coincides closely with the Coalition Against Stalkerware’s one year anniversary. In its first year, the Coalition has more than doubled its membership, expanding both in geography and expertise in its partners including domestic violence advocacy and direct service organizations, IT security vendors, mobile security companies, privacy solutions providers, an association of technology journalists, and organizations focused on cyber safety.

For some years, the problem of stalkerware has been on the rise. Non-profit organizations are experiencing a growing number of survivors seeking help with the problem, and cybersecurity companies are detecting a consistent increase in these harmful applications. Launched in November 2019, the Coalition Against Stalkerware became an important organization dedicated to protecting consumers from abuse, stalking and harassment via commercially-available surveillance software.

Stalkerware programs enable an abuser to intrude into a person’s private life and can be used as a tool for abuse in cases of domestic violence and stalking. By installing these applications on a person’s device, abusers can get access to their victim’s messages, photos, social media, geolocation, audio or camera recordings (in some cases, this can be done in real-time). Such programs run hidden in the background, without a victim’s knowledge or consent.

Data from member organizations has shown a sharp rise in stalkerware apps in recent years.

  • In 2019, Kaspersky detected a 67% year-on-year increase of stalkerware usage on its users’ mobile devices at a global level. The number of stalkerware installations worldwide during the first 10 months of 2020 (from January to October) totaled more than 48,500, which is close to the total (almost 52,000 installations) observed over the same period in 2019.
  • According to Malwarebytes, while these apps have always presented a significant threat to users, the shelter-in-place orders that began taking effect in March 2020 resulted in a dramatic uptick in usage….

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