Content by Mathew J. Schwartz

Report on Russia Reveals UK Response: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 23, 2020

If the first rule of combating attempted election interference by nation-states is to watch for when it's happening, where does that leave Britain? A scathing report from Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee concludes that national security was likely trumped by Russian money.

'Crypto' Scammers Weren't the First to Crack Twitter

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 22, 2020

Following Twitter's admission that cryptocurrency scammers socially engineered its employees to gain control of 45 high-profile accounts, one reaction has been: Why didn't anyone crack Twitter sooner? Unfortunately, the answer is that they have, especially if you count nation-states bribing insiders.

Exposure Alert: Unsecured Internet Protocol Use Persists

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 20, 2020

How have the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown and job losses affected the character and composition of the internet? Rapid7's Tod Beardsley rounds up the latest research into the prevalence of outdated and unsecured internet protocols and internet-connected devices - and there's both good and bad news.

European Court Drops 'Privacy Shield' Over US Surveillance

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 17, 2020

Europe's highest court has invalidated the Privacy Shield, a data-sharing agreement between the EU and U.S., on the grounds that the U.S. offers insufficient protection for Europeans' privacy rights. Privacy advocates say the ruling should drive the U.S. to rethink its policies.

Britain's 5G Policy Failure: No Ideal Alternative to Huawei

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 15, 2020

Britain's U-turn on Huawei, announcing that it will now ban the manufacturer's gear from its 5G networks, highlights this as yet unresolved problem: Years of underinvestment and policy failures have left Britain and its allies with no inexpensive, trusted alternative.

No 'Invisible God': Fxmsp's Operational Security Failures

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 13, 2020

To the long list of alleged hackers who failed to practice good operational security so they could remain anonymous, add another name: Andrey Turchin, who's been charged with running the Fxmsp hacking group, which prosecutors say relied on Jabber and bitcoins in an attempt to hide their real identities.

Cybercrime Research: For the Greater Good, or Marketing?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 10, 2020

U.S. prosecutors this week unsealed an indictment against the alleged hacker "Fxmsp" after his identity was revealed in a cybersecurity firm's report. That sequence of events has raised questions about information sharing and highlighted law enforcement's reliance on private cybersecurity researchers.

Fxmsp Probe: Feds Say Group-IB Report Forced Its Hand

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 9, 2020

Did a private cybersecurity firm's report into the "Fxmsp" hacking operation that deduced the identity of the group's alleged leader disrupt a U.S. law enforcement investigation?

Employee Surveillance: Who's the Boss(ware)?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 8, 2020

With so many employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, vendors of time-tracking and productivity-monitoring software report surging interest in their wares. Regardless of whether organizations deploy light-touch or more Big Brother types of approaches, beware potential privacy repercussions.

Data-Protection Imperative: A Risk-Adaptive Approach

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 8, 2020

The global pandemic and quarantines have changed how enterprises must approach data protection, as well as digital transformation, user protection and cloud services. Nicolas Fischbach, global CTO of Forcepoint, previews the topic for an upcoming virtual roundtable.

Ransomware + Exfiltration + Leaks = Data Breach

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 7, 2020

Ransomware-wielding attackers continue to pummel organizations. But labeling these as being just ransomware attacks often misses how much these incidents involve serious network intrusions, exfiltration of extensive amounts of data, data leaks and, as a result, reportable data breaches.

North Korean Hacking Infrastructure Tied to Magecart Hits

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 6, 2020

Hackers with apparent ties to North Korea have extended their bag of online attack tricks beyond cryptocurrency mining, online bank heists and ransomware. Now, they're also hitting e-commerce merchants in the U.S. and Europe with Magecart attacks to steal payment card data, security firm Sansec reports.

Studying an 'Invisible God' Hacker: Could You Stop 'Fxmsp'?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  July 2, 2020

Could your organization withstand an attack by the master hacking operation known as "Fxmsp"? Hollywood loves to portray hackers as having ninja-like skills. But Fxmsp often favored the simplest tools for the job, because they so often worked. Defenders: Take note.

US Cyber Command Alert: Patch Palo Alto Networks Products

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 30, 2020

Palo Alto Networks product alert: All users should immediately patch a "critical" flaw in Pan-OS that can be remotely exploited to bypass authentication and take full control of systems or gain access to networks, U.S. Cyber Command and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency warn.

Fxmsp Hackers Behind AV Source Code Heist: Still Operating?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 29, 2020

Is the Fxmsp hacking operation still in business? Experts say Fxmsp earned $1.5 million in illicit profits, thanks to a botnet-based business model that enabled the group to sell remote access to hacked networks. But then it advertised source code allegedly stolen from three anti-virus vendors.