Tag Archive for: Nationwide

University of California victim of nationwide ransomware attack

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The University of California is warning its students and staff that a ransomware group might have stolen and published their personal data and that of hundreds of other schools, government agencies and companies nationwide.

A cybersecurity attack targeted a vulnerability in Accellion, a third-party vendor that is used to securely transfer files, the university said in a statement Wednesday.

“We understand those behind this attack have published online screenshots of personal information, and we will notify members of the UC community if we believe their data was leaked in this manner,” the university said.

The hacker or hackers also have been sending threatening mass emails threatening to publish data “in an attempt to scare people into giving them money,” the statement said.

In an update Friday, the university system said the cyberattack affected about 300 organizations, “including universities, government institutions and private companies.”

Other schools, including Stanford University’s School of Medicine and Yeshiva University in New York City, have reported that student and employee Social Security numbers and financial information were stolen and that some were posted online.

The information was obtained in December and January when hackers exploited a vulnerability in a 20-year-old Accellion file transfer service, various reports have said. However, some organizations said they only recently became aware of the breach.

The Baltimore Sun on Thursday reported that private information of staff members and students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore was posted online this week. The school said a hacking group known as Clop gained access to Accellion in December, the Sun said.

The University of Colorado and the University of Miami reported that files were accessed in January and included personal data and some health, study and research data.

The Washington State Auditor’s Office reported last month that information on nearly 1.5 million unemployment applicants had been stolen.

Accellion released a statement in March that said it had closed “all known” vulnerabilities and no new ones had been found.

Ransomware…

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Unemployment Benefits Fraud Could Cost $300 Billion Nationwide – NBC 7 San Diego

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Billions of dollars have been stolen from California’s unemployment benefits. Criminals have targeted the state’s Employment Development Department, which was unprepared for the wave of applications it received because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Those benefits have attracted the largest cyber attack in terms of fraud in American history,” said Blake Hall, CEO of the authentication company ID.me. “The fraud rates that we’re seeing are over 10 times what we usually see at federal agencies.”

ID.me is a company used to verify that people are who they say they are. Hall says they’ve worked to verify identities everywhere from the Social Security Administration to doctors writing prescriptions for medication.

“Identity verification is an enormously complex space,” said Hall.

Hall says if you had talked about increasing the security of California’s unemployment department’s computer systems a year and a half ago, no one would have taken you seriously.

“EDD, like many of the other state workforce agencies we work with, are on 1980s technology,” said Hall. “We have a duty to sound the alarm bell to say if you’re going to distribute $600, $700 billion in aid, you better make sure you have the right security measures in place.”

Part of the problem is many of our authentication systems are out of date.

“We have been focusing on where the bad guys were, not where they are,” said James Lee, COO of the Identity Theft Resource Center. “The whole unemployment fraud situation has been the biggest wakeup call in a decade.”

That fraud is hurting people who actually need the money. Hall says criminals are applying for the checks in California because it is a richer state. That means the fake applications are clogging up the system.

“We have always seen a fraud rate north of 50% every single time,” said Hall. “If a criminal files in the name of somebody who needs unemployment, if that person files second, they’re going to get locked out.”

That means if someone has your information, they could steal the money that you qualify for. Hall showed NBC 7 screenshots from chat rooms on the dark web listing drivers licenses and other identifying information for sale.

“When you…

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ADT Mobile Safety Powers Lyft’s New Emergency Help Feature in Nationwide Rollout NYSE:ADT

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BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ADT (NYSE: ADT) and Lyft are helping to protect more people with the national introduction of Emergency Help, a new Lyft safety feature powered by ADT that discreetly connects Lyft riders and drivers to an ADT monitoring professional in the event they feel uncomfortable or need emergency response. The nationwide availability follows a successful multi-city pilot program and is now available to Lyft’s riders and drivers.

Lyft’s Emergency Help feature is supported by ADT’s mobile safety platform, Safe by ADT, and is fully integrated into the Lyft app. It provides riders and drivers with peace of mind and access to 24/7 professional monitoring and emergency assistance. If Lyft users ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe, they can discreetly contact ADT at the push of a button. Riders can choose whether they want to receive a text or a call from ADT, or if they’d like ADT to silently alert 911 on their behalf. To help prevent distracted driving, drivers will receive a call from ADT. After contacting the user, or if there is no response, ADT will alert authorities as needed so they can arrive at the user’s live location, equipped with detailed ride information.

“At ADT, we believe everyone has the right to feel safe, and Lyft is using ADT’s mobile safety solutions to create even safer experiences for its riders and drivers,” said Leah Page, Vice President, Mobile Security & Strategic Projects at ADT. “We are honored to provide the trusted protection of ADT in the palm of every Lyft user’s hand for peace of mind while on the go.”

The nationwide expansion of Emergency Help, supported by ADT, reinforces ADT and Lyft’s commitment to safety innovation. The partnership is also the latest example of ADT’s expansion beyond the home to provide safety solutions and peace of mind to more customers wherever they are.

“Our national integration with ADT, America’s most trusted name in security, is the latest feature in Lyft’s around-the-clock efforts to keep our community safe,” said Jennifer Brandenburger, Director of Public Policy for Community Safety at Lyft. “By enabling users to quickly and silently…

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CenturyLink is scrambling to address internet and phone outages nationwide – Business Insider

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CenturyLink is scrambling to address internet and phone outages nationwide  Business Insider

CenturyLink customers across the nation are experiencing phone-signal and internet outages. The website downdetector.com, which detects technology …

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