Legal
California AG sues 23andMe over 2023 breach exposing health data
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against 23andMe, now Chrome Holding Co., over the company’s failure to protect sensitive customer genetic and personal information. Improper security led to a high-profile data breach in 2023 that exposed the sensitive information of nearly 7 million customers, including 855,541 Californians. The incident came to light that […]
Dutch govt disrupts malware botnet with 17 million infected devices
Dutch authorities have taken offline a massive botnet of 17 million devices and seized more than 200 servers at a local provider that supported the operation. The action was carried out following an investigation from the Police in collaboration with the country’s cybersecurity agency, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). According to the authorities, the […]
Italy disrupts CINEMAGOAL piracy app that stole streaming auth codes
Italian authorities have dismantled a piracy ecosystem centered around the CINEMAGOAL app that provided access to various streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify. Unlike typical IPTV service providers that openly market themselves online and expose their operations, CINEMAGOAL’s approach was stealthier, as it used an app that customers installed on their devices. During the […]
Netherlands seizes 800 servers of hosting firm enabling cyberattacks
Financial crime investigators in the Netherlands (FIOD) arrested two men and seized 800 servers linked to a web hosting company that enabled cyberattacks, interference operations, and disinformation campaigns. FIOD arrested a 57-year-old suspect, who was the company director, and a 39-year-old who headed a separate firm that provided internet connectivity. According to the authorities, the […]
Police seize “First VPN” service used in ransomware, data theft attacks
A virtual private network service called ‘First VPN,’ used in ransomware and data theft attacks, has been taken offline in a joint international law enforcement operation. Authorities have seized dozens of First VPN servers located in 27 countries, arrested the administrator, and conducted a house search in Ukraine. The VPN service was advertised on various […]
INTERPOL ‘Operation Ramz’ seizes 53 malware, phishing servers
More than 200 individuals were arrested for cybercrime activities during INTERPOL’s Operation Ramz, which focused on the Middle East and North Africa. Law enforcement also identified another 382 suspects across 13 countries (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Tunisia, and the UAE). In addition to the arrests, authorities seized 53 […]
UK fines water supplier $1.3M for exposing data of 664k customers
The Information Commissioner’s Office has fined South Staffordshire Water Plc and parent company South Staffordshire Plc £963,900 ($1.3 million) over a cyberattack that exposed the personal data of 663,887 customers and employees. The company supplies 330 million liters of drinking water to 1.6 million consumers daily and, in 2022, disclosed that it was the target […]
GM agrees to $12.75M California settlement over sale of drivers’ data
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $12.75 million settlement agreement with General Motors (GM) over allegations that the company violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The violations arise from allegations that the car maker illegally collected and sold Californians’ driving and location data to data brokers Verisk Analytics and LexisNexis Risk Solutions, between 2020 and […]
Student hacked Taiwan high-speed rail to trigger emergency brakes
A 23-year-old university student in Taiwan was arrested for interfering with the TETRA communication system used by the country’s high-speed railway network (THSR). According to local media reports, the student halted four trains for 48 minutes on April 5 by using software-defined radio (SDR) communications and handheld radios to transmit a high-priority “General Alarm” signal, triggering […]
Operation PowerOFF identifies 75k DDoS users, takes down 53 domains
More than 75,000 individuals using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) platforms for disruptive attacks have been warned through emails and letters during the latest phase of the Operation PowerOFF international law enforcement action. The ongoing operation is supported by Europol and involves authorities in 21 countries. Coordinated efforts led to the arrest of four people, taking offline […]