Tag Archive for: tells
McMenamins Tells Employees Personal Information Was Stolen in Ransomware Attack
McMenamins told its employees in a memo on Dec. 21 that much of their personal information was stolen during a ransomware attack the company suffered on Dec. 12.
The memo, which McMenamins shared with WW, reads in part: “We have determined that the hackers did steal certain business records containing the following categories of employee information: name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, medical notes, performance and disciplinary notes, Social Security number, health insurance plan election, income amount, and retirement contribution amounts.”
The memo confirmed much of the 2,700 employees’ worst fears: loads of their personal information is now being held for ransom by a hacker.
“We are working closing with a team of cybersecurity experts, and we have notified the FBI and are cooperating with their investigation,” the company told employees in the memo. “We had security safeguards in place and a dedicated IT group that works to protect our systems and the information on them. Somehow hackers bypassed our security controls, and we are working to figure out how that happened.”
Employees tell WW they’ve received no update from the company since the Dec. 21 memo announcing much of their information had been stolen.
McMenamins told employees there’s no evidence yet that their information has been fraudulently used. The company is providing free identity and fraud protection to its employees for the time being.
Meanwhile, McMenamins historic hotels across Oregon are unable to take new reservations past January because of the attack, according to employees.
Only two of the nine hotels answered phone calls from WW, and none enabled a voicemail to be left. A receptionist at Hotel Oregon said that no reservations could be made past January 8. Edgefield said no reservations could be made at all, and the receptionist said they had no estimate when that might change. Employees, who asked to speak to WW anonymously, corroborated the shutdown of reservations.
A McMenamins operations employee responded to an online inquiry and wrote that “During this down system time, we are doing our best to accommodate…
What the Modi Twitter Breach Tells Us About Hackers
Last weekend some smart alecks managed to breach the defenses of one of the most ubiquitous media platforms, access the mouthpiece of the leader of one of the world’s most populous countries, and grab …
Global Cybersecurity Expert Eric Botts Tells Attendees “We Are at War”
HOUSTON, TX — On Dec. 7, 2021, the audience at a World Affairs Council of Greater Houston event was listening intently to what Global Cybersecurity expert Eric Botts had to say at his latest talk, “The Geopolitics of Cybersecurity.” The cautionary bottom line from the director of the Global Cybersecurity Program at the University of St. Thomas was “We are at war.” However, since the heavily consequential conflict is taking place within cyberspace, Botts pointed out that the war is invisible.
Addresses World Affairs Council of Greater Houston
Cyber Warfare’s Place in the History of Conflict
The assistant professor of UST courses in cyberwarfare, cyberethics, enterprise cybersecurity and digital governance outlined a brief history of the evolution of human conflict. First, he journeyed from the two-dimensional plane (land and sea) to the three-dimensional (air and space) to the fifth domain, cyberspace. Then, Botts set the stage for the conflict, explaining that there are three tier-one powers—the U.S., China and Russia. Tier-two powers would include Israel, Iran, North Korea, and others, such as the U.K. and American allies like Australia, Canada, Japan, France and Germany.
The Global Players and Their Tactics
“Concerning China and Russia, they have distinct targeting strategies and employ different tactics, techniques and procedures,” Botts explained. “China’s strategy follows the basic tenets of Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Their cyber operations focus on intellectual property theft and data exfiltration from governments, industry, civil society, educational institutions and private research and development all in an effort to ‘know your enemy as you know yourself.’
Russia’s efforts focus on disinformation, influencing operations, internet trolling and supply chain attacks. In addition, Russia often utilizes cyber mercenaries to leverage their state-sponsored intelligence assets.”
Botts also discussed ransomware attacks and their negative impact on the global economy. He touched on the business costs caused by intellectual property theft.
Leaders Joining the Conversation
Given the growing awareness of this “war,” he shared that a robust international…