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Cyber Security Today – More ransomware gangs now using DDoS attacks, more data thefts and an ADT technician admits spying on women

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More ransomware gangs now using DDoS attacks, more data thefts and an ADT technician admits spying on women

Welcome to Cyber Security Today. It’s Monday January 25th. I’m Howard Solomon, contributing reporter on cybersecurity for ITWorldCanada.com. To hear the podcast click on the arrow below:

There’s a new ransomware tactic going around: Launching distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against websites, then demanding organizations pay up to get decryption keys for scrambled data or the attack will continue. Denial of service attacks are like someone knocking on a door for hours. The door is a website. Too many knocks and the website crashes, and the organization has trouble doing business. Last fall the Bleeping Computer news service said two ransomware gangs started using this strategy. Now, it says, a third gang is doing it.

Organizations used to ignore ransomware attacks by restoring data from backups. Then gangs began stealing data in addition to encrypting it, as extra leverage: Pay for decryption keys to unscramble the data or you’ll be embarrassed by the release of the stolen data. The distributed denial of service attack is a variation of this threat.

Organizations should consider adding denial of service defences to their cybersecurity strategies. Typically these services blunt denial of service attacks by spreading the huge wave of knocks across the Internet.

Separately a security firm called Radware warned last week that other gangs continue to launch denial of service extortion attacks against websites and demand bitcoin to stop. These gangs don’t use ransomware. Their weapon is the denial of service attack alone.

Where do denial of service attacks come from? They come from huge numbers of internet-connected devices like computers that are unknowingly infected and chained together into a botnet that a crook can weaponize. Then the power of thousands or tens of thousands of devices are fired at a web site. Those devices usually get infected because they haven’t got the latest security updates installed, or they haven’t been configured right. Last week a security vendor called Netscout warned that Windows computers that haven’t properly secured their…

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Home security technician admits hacking customers’ security cameras

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A former ADT security company employee has admitted to breaking into the cameras he installed in users’ homes in the Dallas area to watch their private moments. Telesforo Aviles has pleaded guilty to computer fraud and now faces up to five years in federal prison. According to the Department of Justice, Aviles has admitted that he would take note of the homes of women he deemed attractive to log into their accounts and view feed from their cameras for sexual gratification.



a person standing in front of a mirror posing for the camera


He was able to access customers’ footage by adding his email addresses to their “ADT Pulse” accounts. Aviles added his address without their knowledge at times, though there were also times when he told them he needed temporary access to their accounts for testing purposes. In his plea papers, he said he accessed over 200 customers’ accounts more than 9,600 times over the course of four-and-a-half years. He also admitted to watching video feeds of naked women and couples engaging in sexual activities.

FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno said in a statement:

“The defendant used his position of employment to illegally breach the privacy of numerous people. The FBI works with our law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate all cyber intrusions and hold criminals accountable for their actions. Cyber intrusions do not only affect businesses, but also members of the public. We encourage everyone to practice cyber hygiene with all their connected devices by reviewing authorized users and routinely changing passwords. If you become the victim of a cybercrime, please contact the FBI through ic3.gov or 1-800-CALL FBI.”



a person standing in front of a mirror posing for the camera: Close Up Object Shot of a Modern Wi-Fi Surveillance Camera with Two Antennas on a White Wall in a Cozy Apartment. Man is Sitting on a Sofa in the Background.

© gorodenkoff via Getty Images
Close Up Object Shot of a Modern Wi-Fi Surveillance Camera with Two Antennas on a White Wall in a Cozy Apartment. Man is Sitting on a Sofa in the Background.

ADT has been updating a page about the situation over the past months. In its first statement from April, the company said a customer notified it about an unauthorized email on their account. “As soon as we discovered this, the unauthorized access was revoked, and the employee was terminated. We also reported him to law enforcement,” ADT wrote at the time.

As

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ADT technician hacked home security cameras to spy on naked women

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Most people are aware that using smart devices or internet-connected tech can open you up to privacy issues. After all, we’ve all seen news stories about spying or peeping due to smart device hacking.

Many of these stories are about outside cybercriminals taking advantage of loopholes in the system to gain access to security footage or other personal information. Not many involve security issues caused by employees of smart tech companies. Tap or click here to see why five smart video doorbells recently failed security tests.

However, one recent and scary issue with hacking does involve an employee of a security company. In this case, the employee was using customers’ security cameras to spy on women. Here’s what happened and who was targeted in the hack.

Here’s the backstory

Earlier this week, Telesforo Aviles, a 35-year-old former technician for security company ADT, admitted to federal prosecutors that he accessed more than 200 ADT customer camera feeds to spy on them. Aviles said he targeted particularly attractive women to watch them at home as they undressed, slept or had sex.

According to the guilty plea submitted by Aviles in court, the ADT tech not only spied on the women but secretly accessed the customers’ accounts more than 9,600 times during a four year period.

While working for ADT, Aviles would determine which women to target and note where they lived. He would then add his personal email address to their ADT Pulse accounts to access their video feeds. In some cases, Aviles would tell the women that he needed to temporarily add himself to their accounts to test their security system. In other cases, he would do so without notifying the customer.

Adding his email address to the women’s accounts allowed Aviles to watch the customers’ security camera feeds undetected through the ADT Pulse app. Aviles was eventually caught, but not before accessing over 200 Texas-based video feeds nearly 10,000 times.

ADT first alerted customers to the incident in April 2020 on its website.

Federal charges were brought…

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Former ADT technician admits to hacking into customer’s accounts to watch real-time video feeds in homes

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DALLAS, Texas — A former security technician faces up to five years in prison after admitting to authorities that he repeatedly hacked into home video camera feeds.

Telesforo Aviles, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to charges of computer fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Aviles worked for ADT security and accessed around 200 customer accounts more than 9,600 times, the FBI said.

“Mr. Aviles admits that contrary to company policy, he routinely added his personal email address to customers’ “ADT Pulse” accounts, giving himself real-time access to the video feeds from their homes,” U.S. Attorney spokesperson Erin Dooley said in a statement. “In some instances, he claimed he needed to add himself temporarily in order to “test” the system; in other instances, he added himself without their knowledge.”

The incidents took place over a period of four and a half years.

ADT officials told the Dallas Morning News that the affected customers were alerted to the intrusions and that the company “deeply regrets” the incidents.

“This defendant, entrusted with safeguarding customers’ homes, instead intruded on their most intimate moments,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah in a statement. “We are glad to hold him accountable for this disgusting betrayal of trust.”

“Mr. Aviles took note of which homes had attractive women, then repeatedly logged into these customers’ accounts in order to view their footage for sexual gratification,” authorities said. “Plea papers indicate he watched numerous videos of naked women and couples engaging in sexual activity inside their homes.”

Authorities said the case is a reminder for people to practice ‘cyber hygiene by reviewing authorized users and routinely changing passwords.

If you believe you’ve become a victim of cybercrime, you can contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at 1-800-225-5324.

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