US govt says Americans lost record $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said today that Americans lost a record $12.5 billion to fraud last year, a 25% increase over the previous year. Consumers reported that investment scams resulted in the highest losses, totaling around $5.7 billion with a median loss of over $9,000 and exceeding all other fraud categories. The second […]
Microsoft shares guidance on upcoming Publisher deprecation
Microsoft has published guidance for users of Microsoft Publisher as it will no longer be supported after October 2026 and removed from Microsoft 365. Specifically, the products to be deprecated are Publisher for Microsoft 365, Publisher 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007, and also 2010 and 2013 Developer. Microsoft Publisher is an Office application […]
FTC will send $25.5 million to victims of tech support scams
Later this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will start distributing over $25.5 million in refunds to those misled by tech support companies Restoro and Reimage’s scare tactics. The FTC will send 736,375 PayPal payments starting March 13 to consumers tricked into paying for unnecessary computer repair services. Between now and March 13, those eligible […]
Swiss critical sector faces new 24-hour cyberattack reporting rule
Switzerland’s National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) has announced a new reporting obligation for critical infrastructure organizations in the country, requiring them to report cyberattacks to the agency within 24 hours of their discovery. According to the NCSC announcement, this new requirement is introduced as a response to the increasing number of cybersecurity incidents and their impact on the […]
Google paid $12 million in bug bounties last year to security researchers
Google paid almost $12 million in bug bounty rewards to 660 security researchers who reported security bugs through the company’s Vulnerability Reward Program (VRP) in 2024. Among last year’s highlights, the company revamped the VRP’s reward structure, bumping rewards up to a maximum of $151,515, while its Mobile VRP now offers up to $300,000 for critical vulnerabilities […]
Microsoft lifts Windows 11 update block for some AutoCAD users
Microsoft has removed a compatibility hold that prevented some AutoCAD users from installing the Windows 11 2024 Update due to launch and crash issues. As Redmond explained when it acknowledged this known issue last month, it affects all AutoCAD 2022 versions, but other AutoCAD releases are not impacted. “After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, all […]
US cities warn of wave of unpaid parking phishing texts
US cities are warning of an ongoing mobile phishing campaign pretending to be texts from the city’s parking violation departments about unpaid parking invoices, that if unpaid, will incur an additional $35 fine per day. While parking scams have been around for years, a massive wave of phishing text messages has caused numerous cities throughout the US […]
New Chirp tool uses audio tones to send messages between devices
A new open-source tool named ‘Chirp’ transmits data, such as text messages, between computers (and smartphones) through different audio tones. The tool, developed by cybersecurity researcher solst/ICE, maps each character into a specific sound frequency and plays it along with real-time visualization. Other microphone-equipped computers running Chirp may capture the sound and translate the message back into […]
Developer guilty of using kill switch to sabotage employer’s systems
A software developer has been found guilty of sabotaging his ex-employer’s systems by running custom malware and installing a “kill switch” after being demoted at the company. Davis Lu, 55, of Houston, was a software developer for an Ohio company, reportedly Eaton Corp, from November 2007 to October 2019. Eaton Corporation is a global power management company […]
Undocumented “backdoor” found in Bluetooth chip used by a billion devices
The ubiquitous ESP32 microchip made by Chinese manufacturer Espressif and used by over 1 billion units as of 2023 contains an undocumented “backdoor” that could be leveraged for attacks. The undocumented commands allow spoofing of trusted devices, unauthorized data access, pivoting to other devices on the network, and potentially establishing long-term persistence. This was discovered […]