$10 Million US Dollars, Missing Ransomware Gangs, and so much more!
Wow, what a week. From new incentives to become a cyber defender to new targets for threat actors, this week had it all. We start with the $10 million dollar information bounty currently offered by the US Government and we end with the startling news of the Trickbot comeback. See? This week was wild–keep reading for the News In Review.
The U.S. government will begin offering up to $10 million for information to identify or locate threat actors working on behalf of foreign governments that are trying to cripple the internet operations of American businesses and infrastructure. The new reward was announced as the U.S. faces a growing threat from ransomware attacks. Apparently, ransomware attacks went up by 300% in the last year alone. These attacks on US enterprises are usually from Russia, according to US officials. For more information about the new incentive, click here.
The REvil ransomware gang, implicated in the high-profile attacks on JBS and Kaseya, seems to have disappeared. Cybersecurity researchers report that the entirety of the group’s infrastructure, from extortion pages to servers, has gone offline. The group has even closed up pages advertising its services on the dark web. Even on the dark web, no trace of the group can be found. Authorities are unsure if this vanishing act is permeant or part of a larger scheme. To learn more about the missing gang, click here.
An “imminent ransomware campaign” will be impacting SonicWall’s Secure Mobile Access 100 series and Secure Remote Access products, according to a security advisory from the vendor. SonicWall published a security advisory Wednesday for unpatched and end-of-life (EOL) 8.x firmware versions of its SMA 100 and SRA devices. According to the vendor, threat actors are “actively targeting” and exploiting a known vulnerability in an “imminent ransomware campaign” using stolen credentials. The advisory doesn’t identify the vulnerability. Impacted devices include SRA 4600/1600 (EOL 2019), SRA 4200/1200 (EOL 2016), SSL-VPN 200/2000/400 (EOL 2013/2014), and SMA 400/200, supported in “Limited Retirement Mode.” To read the full story about the potential attack, click here.
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BT broadband speeds continue to get quicker, but millions are still missing out
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BT broadband boost
BT broadband customers could soon see a dramatic boost to their download speeds. That’s because the supplier has just announced that more homes than ever can now access its much faster full-fibre cables. BT revealed the latest figures on its fastest broadband speeds during a quarterly earnings call with shareholders. During the update, it announced that over four million homes have now been upgraded to this latest and greatest technology, which brings full-fibre cables directly into homes.
Fibre broadband isn’t anything new with most streets in the UK receiving this upgrade. However, things can often be brought back down to a snail’s pace due to older copper lines that physically connect homes to the network. This is known as the “last mile” problem. As while it’s possible that your town has a next-generation fibre cable running under the streets… that’s not going to stop your Netflix show buffering, or your FaceTime call freezing unless the same cable runs up your drive and into the router in your hallway or living room.
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The rollout of full-fibre-to-premises, or FTTP as it’s known in industry jargon, which is being installed via Openreach, is expected to hit 4.5 million homes by next month with an average of 42,000 premises being connected a week. Once installed, most properties can then expect to see speeds over 300Mbps, which is around five times faster than the UK average and allows a full HD 1080p movie to be downloaded in around 3 minutes.
Along with being faster, full-fibre is also more reliable than older copper cables and isn’t impacted by bad weather – something that can seriously slow down internet delivered over copper cables.
READ MORE: Millions are missing out on FREE broadband offers in the UK right now
Speaking about the latest update, Philip Jansen, BT’s Chief Executive, said: “During the current Covid-19 pandemic, BT has continued to deliver for our customers and invest in our networks, our modernisation programme, and our products and…
Three Arrested for Dresden Museum Theft – But Jewelry Is Still Missing
BERLIN – More than 1,500 police carried out a series of searches in Berlin and arrested three people in a massive operation connected to the spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from a unique collection in Dresden last November, authorities said Tuesday.
The operation was coordinated by police and prosecutors in Dresden, investigating the Nov. 25, 2019, theft of a large diamond brooch, a diamond epaulette and other treasures from the Saxony city’s Green Vault Museum.
A total of 1,638 police officers from Saxony, Berlin and several other states, as well as federal special police forces, searched a total of 18 places, including 10 apartments and also garages and vehicles.
Their target was “art treasures and possible evidence such as computer storage media, clothing and tools,” Dresden police and prosecutors said. The searches, focused on Berlin’s Neukoelln district, did not immediately turn up any of the missing treasures.
“We’d have to have a lot of luck in order to find them a year after the crime,” Dresden police spokesman Thomas Geithner told reporters.
Three people, identified only as German citizens, two aged 23 and one 26, were arrested on suspicion of organized robbery and arson.
Police issued photos of two others, wanted on the same charges, identifying them as Abdul Majed Remmo, 21, and Mohamed Remmo, 21.
The focus was reportedly on a known crime family, and Berlin’s top security official, Andreas Geisel, said the raids should serve as a warning to organized crime.
“Nobody should believe that he set himself above the rules of the state,” Geisel said.
The Green Vault is one of the world’s oldest museums. It was established in 1723 and contains the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, comprising around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials.
Shortly after the theft, authorities offered a 500,000-euro ($593,000) reward for information leading to the recovery of the jewels or the arrest of the thieves.
In March, prosecutors and police said they had determined that an Audi S6 used in the theft and later set alight in a Dresden garage was sold to an unidentified buyer in August.
They said they believe a young man…
Smashing Security #158: The man behind The Missing Cryptoqueen
We’re joined by special guest Jamie Bartlett of “The Missing Cryptoqueen” podcast in this bumper episode where we discuss his investigation into the OneCoin cryptocurrency scam, the Russian cybercriminals behind Evil Corp, and the mysterious leaks about the NHS that have turned oh-so-political…
All this and much much more can be found in the latest edition of the “Smashing Security” podcast, hosted by computer security veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.