Tag Archive for: relief

Chinese hackers stole at least $20 million in US COVID-19 relief cash, the Secret Service says

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Picture of a hacker stealing password and identity in computer crime.

The Secret Service is accusing APT41, a Chinese state-sponsored group of cybercriminals, of stealing at least $20 million in COVID-19 relief.Getty Images

  • A Chinese hacker group stole at least $20 million from the US government, the Secret Service says.

  • These funds were meant for COVID-19 relief, the Secret Service told NBC on Monday.

  • The Secret Service says the hackers responsible are APT41, Chinese state-sponsored cybercriminals.

A group of Chinese hackers stole at least $20 million in COVID-19 relief funds from the US government, the Secret Service said on Monday.

A Secret Service spokesman told NBC News that APT41, a Chinese state-sponsored cyber criminal group, was responsible for stealing millions of dollars from the government coffers. These funds included small business loans and unemployment relief in more than a dozen states, the spokesman told NBC.

The Secret Service also told NBC in a statement that it considers APT 41 a “Chinese state-sponsored, cyberthreat group that is highly adept at conducting espionage missions and financial crimes for personal gain.”

A March report from Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm, revealed how the computer networks of at least six state governments were hacked by APT41 in 2021.

“The United States is target No. 1 because we are competitor No. 1,” Nathaniel Fick, the head of the state department’s cyberspace and digital policy bureau, told NBC. “It’s a really comprehensive, multi-decade, well-considered, well-resourced, well-planned, well-executed strategy.”

Roy Dotson, a pandemic fraud recovery coordinator at the Secret Service, also told NBC that he thought it was likely that APT41 targeted funds in all 50 states. On CNN on Monday, Dotson also said APT41 is a “notable player” in the “more than 1,000 ongoing investigations involving transnational and domestic criminal actors defrauding public benefits programs.”

Speaking to Reuters, representatives from China’s Washington embassy said China has “firmly opposed and cracked down on all forms of cyber theft and hacking.” The embassy called hacking accusations against China “groundless.”

Representatives for the Secret Service and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately…

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Chinese government-linked hacking group allegedly stole $20M in COVID relief funds

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A hacking group linked to the Chinese government is alleged to have stolen more than $20 million in COVID relief benefits, including U.S. Small Business Administration loans and unemployment funds in more than a dozen states.

NBC reported today that the allegation comes from the Secret Service, although the agency has not released a report on the matter. The group allegedly behind the theft, APT41 — also known as Wicked Panda and Winnti — is well-known and has been behind multiple attacks in the past, making the claim believable.

Referencing officials and experts, most speaking off the record, NBC said other federal investigations of pandemic fraud have also pointed back to foreign state-affiliated hackers. A spokesperson for the Secret Service declined to comment further, but one spokesperson did suggest that the attacks may have targeted all 50 states.

Presuming APT41 did steal $20 million in pandemic relief funds, the theft would be a drop in a bucket next to the figures believed to have been extorted, stolen or wrongly claimed. The Labor Department Office of the Inspector General believes that roughly 20% of the $872.5 billion spent on federal pandemic funds were improperly paid, with the fraud rate potentially higher yet.

The Justice Department indicated members and associates of APT 41 in September 2020 on allegations of state-sponsored hacking. At the time, the group was alleged to be behind computer intrusions affecting more than 100 companies and groups in the United States and abroad.

Groups and companies previously targeted by APT41 include software development companies, computer hardware manufacturers, telecommunications providers, social media companies, video game companies, nonprofit organizations, universities, think tanks and foreign governments, as well as pro-democracy politicians and activists in Hong Kong.

“The actions of Wicked Panda to steal from the U.S. Paycheck Protection Program post-COVID-19 comes as no surprise and should be a continued wakeup call,” Tim Kosiba, chief executive officer of government cybersecurity solutions and training provider bracket f Inc., a subsidiary of Redacted Inc., told SiliconANGLE. “This Chinese-backed…

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Got that itchy GandCrab feeling? Ransomware decryptor offers relief

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  1. Got that itchy GandCrab feeling? Ransomware decryptor offers relief  The Register

  2. Hit by ransomware? This new free decryption tool for GandCrab might help  ZDNet
  3. Free Decrypter Available for GandCrab Ransomware Victims  BleepingComputer

    4. Full coverage

Ransomware – read more

Lady Gaga, Madonna and other celebrities and the Japanese relief – Gaysocialites.com

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Also be aware that The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) told computer users to be wary of “potential email scams, fake antivirus and phishing attacks regarding the Japan earthquake and the tsunami disasters”. “Email scams may contain …
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