Tag: hacks

Ransomware Used Against Muni Known As Harsh, Virulent

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) was hit with a ransomware attack over the weekend, disrupting a number of agency computer systems including email, the MTA said in a statement on Sunday. And security experts say that the ransomware used has a reputation for virulence. Computer terminals observed at MTA (or “Muni”) stations displayed a message that read, in part, “You Hacked. All Data Encrypted” over the weekend, paralyzing toll collection operations and forcing the MTA to open its turnstiles and let the public ride for free. According to a report by The San Francisco Examiner claims that the ransomware thieves have infected more than 2,000 of the agency’s 8,000 computers, affecting not only fare collection, but also systems that assign routes to bus drivers. The thieves are demanding $73,000 in ransom, paid in bitcoin. In a statement on Sunday, San Francisco MTA said that the attack “disrupted some of our […]

Software Used in Mobile Phones Sends Texts, Location Data and Contacts Back To China

In-brief: software used in at least one brand of smart phones sold in the U.S. was found to secretly send private information about the phone’s owner back to servers in China, according to a report by the security firm Kryptowire.

Exclusive – Cyber Security in the Trump Administration: an Interview with Lt. Gen Michael Flynn

In-brief: In this special Security Ledger podcast, I interview Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret), a top advisor to President Elect Donald Trump about his thoughts on cyber defense and improving the security of government and commercial systems. 

Cybersecurity: the other Elephant on the Campaign Trail

In-brief: a survey of registered voters finds that concerns about hacking and cyber security loom large in voters’ minds. So why isn’t there more discussion of cyber security and policy on the campaign trail? In this podcast, Security Ledger editor Paul Roberts talks with Ari Schwartz, the Obama Administration’s former Senior Director for Cybersecurity and Israel Barak, the Chief Security Officer at the firm Cybereason about the other elephant on the campaign trail: cyber security policy and hacking.  With election day just two weeks away, the U.S. voting population is on pins and needles. While polls suggest that this election will not be as close as those in 2008 and 2012, uncertainty is in the air. One major party candidate is warning frequently of a “rigged” process, and the FBI and Obama Administration have pointed the finger of blame for hacks of major Democratic Party organizations at the government of Vladimir […]