usa
Man pleads guilty to hacking networks to pitch security services
A Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to hacking multiple organizations to advertise his cybersecurity services, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. 32-year-old Nicholas Michael Kloster was indicted last year for hacking into the networks of three organizations in 2024, including a health club and a Missouri nonprofit corporation. According to court documents, Kloster accessed the […]
US House bans WhatsApp on staff devices over security concerns
The U.S. House of Representatives has banned the installation and use of WhatsApp on government-issued devices belonging to congressional staff, citing concerns over how the app encrypts and secures data. The ban covers mobile phones, laptops, desktop computers, and any web browsers used on those devices. Congressional staff are still free to use WhatsApp on […]
US Homeland Security warns of escalating Iranian cyberattack risks
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned over the weekend of escalating cyberattack risks by Iran-backed hacking groups and pro-Iranian hacktivists. This warning was issued as a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin on Sunday and cautions that the Iranian conflict is causing a “heightened threat environment” in the United States, with “low-level” cyberattacks targeting […]
Aflac discloses breach amidst Scattered Spider insurance attacks
On Friday, American insurance giant Aflac disclosed that its systems were breached in a broader campaign targeting insurance companies across the United States by attackers who may have stolen personal and health information. Aflac (short for American Family Life Assurance Company) is the largest supplemental insurance provider in the U.S. and a Fortune 500 company […]
Hackers switch to targeting U.S. insurance companies
Threat intelligence researchers are warning of hackers breaching multiple U.S. companies in the insurance industry using all the tactics observed with Scattered Spider activity. Typically, the threat group has a sector-by-sector focus. Previously, they targeted retail organizations in the United Kingdom and then switched to targets in the same sector in the United States. “Google […]
Grocery wholesale giant United Natural Foods hit by cyberattack
United Natural Foods (UNFI), North America’s largest publicly traded wholesale distributor, was forced to shut down some systems following a recent cyberattack. The Rhode Island-based company operates 53 distribution centers and delivers fresh and frozen products to over 30,000 locations across the United States and Canada, including supermarket chains, e-commerce providers, natural product superstores, independent […]
US sanctions firm linked to cyber scams behind $200 million in losses
The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Funnull Technology, a Philippines-based company that supports hundreds of thousands of malicious websites behind cyber scams linked to over $200 million in losses for Americans. Funnull facilitated virtual currency investment scams (also known as romance baiting and pig butchering) by buying IP addresses in bulk from various cloud service providers. The company […]
Chinese hackers breach US local governments using Cityworks zero-day
Chinese-speaking hackers have exploited a now-patched Trimble Cityworks zero-day to breach multiple local governing bodies across the United States. Trimble Cityworks is a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based asset management and work order management software primarily used by local governments, utilities, and public works organizations and designed to help infrastructure agencies and municipalities manage public assets, […]
Hackers behind UK retail attacks now targeting US companies
Google warned today that hackers using Scattered Spider tactics against retail chains in the United Kingdom have also started targeting retailers in the United States. “The US retail sector is currently being targeted in ransomware and extortion operations that we suspect are linked to UNC3944, also known as Scattered Spider,” John Hultquist, Chief Analyst at […]