government
Contractors with hacking records accused of wiping 96 govt databases
U.S. prosecutors have charged two Virginia brothers arrested on Wednesday with allegedly conspiring to steal sensitive information and destroy government databases after being fired from their jobs as federal contractors. Twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, were also sentenced to several years in prison in June 2015, after pleading guilty to accessing U.S. State Department systems without […]
Multiple London councils’ IT systems disrupted by cyberattack
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and the Westminster City Council (WCC) announced that they are experiencing service disruptions following a cybersecurity issue. Multiple systems have been impacted by the attack, including phone lines, which prompted the two councils to activate emergency plans to make sure that residents still receive critical services. The two authorities […]
U.S. Congressional Budget Office hit by suspected foreign cyberattack
The U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirms it suffered a cybersecurity incident after a suspected foreign hacker breached its network, potentially exposing sensitive data. In a statement shared with GeekFeed, CBO spokesperson Caitlin Emma confirmed the “security incident” and said the agency acted quickly to contain it. “The Congressional Budget Office has identified the security incident, […]
How a ransomware gang encrypted Nevada government’s systems
The State of Nevada has published an after-action report detailing how hackers breached its systems to deploy ransomware in August, and the actions taken to recover from the attack. The document is one of the few completely transparent technical report from a federal government in the U.S. on a cybersecurity incident, describing all the steps […]
Python rejects $1.5M grant from U.S. govt. fearing ethical compromise
The Python Software Foundation (PSF) has withdrawn its $1.5 million grant proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) due to funding terms forcing a compromise on its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The funding would come through NSF’s Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open Source Ecosystems program, an initiative that finances research and development efforts […]
US investors to take over TikTok operations in the country
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order approving a plan to restructure TikTok operations in the country to address national security concerns. TikTok is a massively popular short-form video platform owned by Chinese firm ByteDance. The social media service has a strong presence in the U.S., counting more than 170 million users, according […]
Panama Ministry of Economy discloses breach claimed by INC ransomware
Panama’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) has disclosed that one of its computers may have been compromised in a cyberattack.. The government noted that it activated the security procedures for these situations, stating that the incident has been contained and didn’t impact core systems that are vital to its operations. “The Ministry of Economy and […]
Czech cyber agency warns against Chinese tech in critical infrastructure
The Czech Republic’s National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) is instructing critical infrastructure organizations in the country to avoid using Chinese technology or transferring user data to servers located in China. The agency warned that these actions constitute a significant cybersecurity threat and should be entirely avoided unless there’s a reasonable justification for continuing […]
Pennsylvania AG Office says ransomware attack behind recent outage
The Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General announced that a ransomware attack is behind the ongoing two-week service outage. In an official statement, Attorney General David W. Sunday Jr. said that the office refused to pay the attackers. “The interruption was caused by an outsider encrypting files in an effort to force the office to […]
IT system supplier cyberattack impacts 200 municipalities in Sweden
A cyberattack on Miljödata, an IT systems supplier for roughly 80% of Sweden’s municipal systems, has caused accessibility problems in more than 200 regions of the country. In addition to the service disruption, there are concerns that attackers also stole sensitive data. Local media report that the threat actor demanded a ransom of 1.5 (currently around $168,000) Bitcoins […]