Content by Scott Ferguson

UK Man Sentenced for 2015 TalkTalk Hack

Scott Ferguson  •  June 11, 2019

The fallout from the 2015 TalkTalk hack continues as a 22-year-old U.K. man was sentenced to jail Monday for his role in the attack and other cybercrimes, including an attack against his former school.

Unsecured Database Leaves 8.4 TB of Email Metadata Exposed

Scott Ferguson  •  June 10, 2019

A security researcher found an unsecured database belonging to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China that contained 8.4 TB of email metadata. While it's not clear if anyone accessed the data, an attacker could have seen all email being sent or received by a specific person.

Microsoft Warns of Large Spam Campaign Hitting Europe

Scott Ferguson  •  June 10, 2019

Microsoft is warnings about a large-scale spamming campaign hitting several countries in Europe, with the attackers using an old Office exploit to send emails to victims that contain malware in RTF attachments.

GoldBrute Botnet Brute-Force Attacking 1.5M RDP Servers

Scott Ferguson  •  June 7, 2019

A new botnet called GoldBrute is actively scanning the internet and using brute-force methods to attack 1.5 million Windows machines that have exposed Remote Desktop Protocol connections, according to research from Morphus Labs. The goal of group controlling the botnet is not clear.

Feds Charge Four in New Darkode Case

Scott Ferguson  •  June 7, 2019

Federal prosecutors brought racketeering and other charges against four people, including one U.S. citizen, related to Darkode, a notorious online forum that specialized in buying and selling of malware and other hacking tools. Law enforcement closed the site nearly four years ago.

Baltimore Ransomware Attack Costing City $18 Million

Scott Ferguson  •  June 7, 2019

A month after Baltimore's IT network was hit with the RobbinHood ransomware variant, officials believe the May 7 attack will cost $18 million, which includes recovering and restoring computer systems as well as lost municipal revenue.

Researcher Posts Demo of BlueKeep Exploit of Windows Device

Scott Ferguson  •  June 6, 2019

A security researcher has posted a demonstration showing how an attacker could exploit the BlueKeep vulnerability to take over a Windows device in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile, the NSA has joined Microsoft in urging users to patch devices before an attacker takes advantage of this vulnerability.

Microsoft Sounds Second Alarm Over BlueKeep Vulnerability

Scott Ferguson  •  May 31, 2019

Microsoft has taken the unusual step of issuing a second warning about BlueKeep, a vulnerability that, if left unpatched, could allow an attacker to use a worm-like exploit to take over devices running older Windows operating systems. Security researchers warn that exploits are coming.

Sale of Recorded Future a Highlight of Big InfoSec M&A Week

Scott Ferguson  •  May 30, 2019

Private equity firm Insight Partners has announced it's acquiring threat intelligence specialist Recorded Future in a $780 million all-cash deal, capping a week of significant deal-making activity in the global information security vendor market. Find out what other deals were announced.

Researcher Describes Docker Vulnerability

Scott Ferguson  •  May 30, 2019

A security researcher has found a significant flaw all versions of Docker, an open source container platform, that can give attackers read and write access to all the files within the host system, allowing them to execute arbitrary code. As of now, there's no patch available.

Huawei Takes New Legal Step to Fight US Ban

Scott Ferguson  •  May 29, 2019

Chinese telecom giant Huawei has taken another legal step in its effort to overturn a ban on U.S. government agencies buying its telecom equipment and services.

1 Million Windows Devices 'Vulnerable to Remote Desktop Flaw'

Scott Ferguson  •  May 28, 2019

A security researcher warns that nearly 1 million devices running older versions of Microsoft Windows remain vulnerable to a recently discovered flaw in Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol service that could enable attackers to use a worm-like exploit to take over unpatched machines.

Moody's Changes Equifax's Outlook to 'Negative'

Scott Ferguson  •  May 24, 2019

Moody's has changed its financial outlook for Equifax to "negative" from "stable," reflecting concerns about how the credit reporting giant is recovering from the 2017 data breach that exposed the personal information of 148 million Americans.

Assange Indicted in US Under Espionage Act

Scott Ferguson  •  May 23, 2019

A federal grand jury has indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 18 counts under the U.S. Espionage Act for his role in publishing classified material, the Justice Department announced Thursday. He's currently serving a prison sentence in the U.K. and fighting extradition to the U.S.

Bestmixer Cryptocurrency Laundering Site Shuttered

Scott Ferguson  •  May 23, 2019

European police have shuttered Bestmixer.io, considered one of the largest underground money laundering websites for cryptocurrencies used in connection with criminal activities, including ransomware attacks.