Digital world

  A hacker has just raised the alarm amongst Facebook users after confirming that 200,000 personal data record entries were reportedly stolen from the firm’s database. The news is alarming for obvious reasons as the claims further went on to delineate how the cybercriminal dubbed ‘alogoatson breached contractors’ efforts that are in charge of Facebook’s cloud services. They stole part of the user database that featured a significant number of entries. The information was rolled out by a leading threat actor dubbed ‘IntelBroker’ which is notorious for a long list of leaks that entailed data stolen through General Electric and a long list of high-profile attacks taking place. This sample entails lists featuring full names, profile image links, and hashed passwords. Other than that, profile ratings, settings, and plenty of reviews were on display. The hacker explained how the data that was compromised included the likes of Physical IDs. This database was first rolled out in February a...

  In 2023, ransomware hackers made more money than ever before. They earned $1.1 billion, setting a new record. This is a big increase from the $567 million they got in 2022.  Chainalysis , a company that watches blockchain activities, shared this information. The rise in earnings comes after a year when the money from ransomware dropped. But in 2023, things changed. More hackers joined in, and some big attacks brought in a lot of money. One hacking group, CL0P, made over $100 million by finding a way to break into a file-transfer service called MOVEit. This service is used by many businesses and governments. CL0P's attack on MOVEit made it the top ransomware for a while. More people are trying ransomware because it can be very profitable. For instance, a group called Phobos lets other hackers use its ransomware. This makes it easier for more attacks to happen, even by those who are not very skilled. Ransomware-as-a-service gangs, like LockBit and ALPHV, have made ransomware a...

  Charles Harry, an associate professor and director of the  University of Maryland's Center for Governance of Technology and Systems , not to mention the former cyberwarfare expert for the NSA, has stated that cyberattacks are becoming a lot more complex. As a result of the fact that this is the case, they might come from places that you weren't expecting, which would make them a great deal more harmful than might have been the case otherwise. According to Harry, these are the five least suspected places that a cyberattack could end up originating from: LinkedIn In the age of self promotion, LinkedIn has become a breeding ground for malicious actors that want to get you to click on some type of a link. They might pose as recruiters because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making your more likely to fill out a form, but if you were to try to upload your resume, your system would get infected by malware. Your favorite website Browsing pop...

  Ransomware gangs have been a prime concern for quite some time now, with victims across several industries getting targeted by their unique form of malware. Unfortunately, paying the demanded ransom isn’t really a way out because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up leading to re-victimization. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the proportion of people that have acquiesced to the demands of ransomware gangs has plummeted in recent years. Based on data provided by the cybersecurity company  Coveware , just 29% of ransomware victims paid the demanded ransom in the fourth quarter of 2023, which indicates that 71% refused the demands with all things having been considered and taken into account. This is a steep decline from three years ago, when a whopping 60% of companies would give the malicious actors whatever they asked for in the hopes that this would enable them to regain access to the...

  Gen. Nakasone reveals how NSA buys lots of Americans' internet data without permission for foreign intel and cybersecurity. Netflow data shows internet traffic details, raising privacy worries for mental health and assault survivor sites. Senator Wyden reveals NSA's domestic data collection, worries about agencies getting Americans' data without asking. ODNI urged to make spy agencies follow rules like FTC's for legal data buying and be transparent about data keeping. The departing chief of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), General Paul Nakasone, has unveiled a revelation that raises eyebrows from privacy critics — the NSA is delving into an extensive pool of commercially available web browsing data from Americans, all without the encumbrance of obtai ning a warrant. This disclosure,  unveiled  by  Senator Ron Wyden after Nakasone's correspondence , peels back the layers on the NSA's acquisition of a diverse array of information procured from data broke...

  The story of Apple’s lawsuit against the NSO Group, which is the name of the organization that created the notorious Pegasus spyware, has just seen its first victory in favor of the tech juggernaut. The group had been trying to get the lawsuit brought to Israel, its home country, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, a judge refused to dismiss the lawsuit, which makes it so that the legal proceedings will occur on Apple’s turf with all things having been considered and taken into account. According to the statement  put out by Judge Donato, Apple will end up experiencing similar challenges to the NSO Group if the lawsuit was sent to the Israeli justice system, and the overall burden will be more or less the same. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that witnesses and evidence are going to be equally available regardless of the country in which the case is tried, and NSO wasn’t able to provide any reasonable factors that...

  It appears that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s war against advertisers across X might be taking a new turn with some unintended consequences. Think along the lines of users complaining about the website being bombarded with poor-standard ads including those marketing questionable Crypto Services, Phishing and Malware Scams and ‘ Undressing Apps ’ through AI. Today, a team member of DIW discovered a shady ad in the home feed that leads to an obvious phishing site. Despite the ad/post being reported through X tools, as it clearly violated the platform's guidelines, it is still live. Unfortunately, there's no quick/easy way of alerting X that a post poses a security threat to its users, as there's no distinct reporting category for phishing or cybersecurity issues. DIW reached out to Twitter for a comment but has not received any reply. On the other hand, social media users and researchers have their say on this front including how the quality of such paid promotions across X...

  Seeing scammers and imposters arise on social media is now a norm in the online world. But you’d expect tech giants like Meta to do more to help safeguard its users online by getting rid of fake profiles. However, the reality seems to be far from that as many noticed the number of fake profiles surging across the Instagram app. In the past year, we’ve seen the issue go from bad to worse and the app’s parent firm is really falling behind in terms of finding a solution to the matter, despite there being many signs that a certain profile is making use of another’s identity or image. An investigation was also carried out by tech media outlet  Bleeping Computer  on this front and they noticed how a large number of reports were filed against such scam accounts featuring fake IDs and they were impersonating internet personalities or other public figures but ended up getting dismissed by the admin. Clearly, it’s a huge issue and no appeal made a difference, not to mention how t...

  Countless security protocols have been put into place in order to stave off potential cyberattacks, but in spite of the fact that this is the case hackers, malicious actors and cybercriminals only keep upping the ante. This has resulted in a cyber arms race, with cybersecurity professionals often playing catchup with the aforementioned malicious actors once all has been said and is now out of the way. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that a brand new hacking tool has just been noted which might topple the current cybersecurity infrastructure that so many rely on to keep themselves safe online. This tool is called EvilProxy, and it can potentially steal authentication tokens used for MFA on websites with all things having been considered and taken into account. The most concerning thing about this hacking tool is how easy it is to use because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up turning inexperien...