Content by Scott Ferguson

'Urgent/11' Vulnerabilities Affect Many Embedded Systems

Scott Ferguson  •  July 30, 2019

Researchers with Armis have disclosed 11 zero-day vulnerabilities in the VxWorks real-time operating system that is used in some 2 billion embedded devices. Of all the "Urgent/11" vulnerabilities, six of the flaws are considered critical.

Marcus Hutchins Spared Prison Time in Malware Case

Scott Ferguson  •  July 26, 2019

Marcus Hutchins, who rose to fame by helping to stop the WannaCry ransomware attacks, was spared jail time on Friday after pleading guilty earlier this year to creating the Kronos banking malware.

Russia Targeted All 50 States During 2016 Election: Report

Scott Ferguson  •  July 26, 2019

A report from the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee finds that Russia targeted election systems and infrastructure in all 50 states during the run-up to the 2016 Presidential elections. The committee, however, could find no evidence that vote tallies were altered.

Johannesburg Utility Recovering After Ransomware Attack

Scott Ferguson  •  July 26, 2019

City Power, the local electrical utility that powers Johannesburg in South Africa, is recovering Friday after an unknown ransomware variant that locked-up the company's applications, network and databases for most of the day on Thursday. The attack knocked out power and services for some residents for most of the day,...

Lawmakers, Privacy Advocates Slam FTC's Facebook Settlement

Scott Ferguson  •  July 25, 2019

Facebook's $5 billion privacy settlement with the FTC this week did little to satisfy critics who argue that the social media giant still holds too much sway over its users' personal data.

Mueller: Russian Interference 'Serious' Threat to Democracy

Scott Ferguson  •  July 24, 2019

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller told members of Congress Wednesday that Russian interference in elections is the most serious challenge to U.S. democracy that he has seen over the course of his career and that it deserves more attention, especially as the 2020 election looms and more disruption is likely.

It's Official: FTC Fines Facebook $5 Billion

Scott Ferguson  •  July 24, 2019

The U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission officially announced a privacy settlement with Facebook that includes a record-setting $5 billion fine. As part of the agreement, CEO Mark Zuckerberg must submit quarterly and annual reports to show that the company is in compliance with the FTC order.

Recent DNS Hijacking Campaigns Trigger Government Action

Scott Ferguson  •  July 22, 2019

A recent spate of attacks targeting domain name system protocols and registrars, including several incidents that researchers believe have ties to nation-state espionage, is prompting the U.S. and U.K. governments to issues warnings and policy updates to improve security.

BEC Scams Cost U.S. Companies $300 Million Per Month: Study

Scott Ferguson  •  July 19, 2019

Business email compromise scams are surging, and they're costing U.S. companies a total of more than $300 million a month, according to a recently released analysis by the U.S. Treasury Department. The report pinpoints which sectors are hardest hit by this type of fraud.

Senators Scrutinize Facebook's Cryptocurrency Plans

Scott Ferguson  •  July 16, 2019

At a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers grilled a Facebook executive about the company's plans to launch a cryptocurrency. One Democratic senator said Facebook "does not respect the power of the technologies they are playing with - like a toddler who has gotten his hands on a book of matches."

Broadcom Reportedly Suspends Bid for Symantec

Scott Ferguson  •  July 15, 2019

Broadcom has reportedly suspended its effort to acquire Symantec after the two companies failed to agree on a price for the deal. The negotiations had been ongoing for several weeks.

FTC Reportedly Approves $5 Billion Facebook Fine

Scott Ferguson  •  July 12, 2019

After a long privacy investigation, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission voted to levy a $5 billion fine against Facebook, according to the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

RiskIQ: Magecart Group Targeting Unsecured AWS S3 Buckets

Scott Ferguson  •  July 11, 2019

A cybercriminal gang associated with the umbrella organization known as Magecart has been inserting malicious JavaScript into unsecured Amazon Web Service S3 buckets to skim payment card data, according to research published by RiskIQ. So far, 17,000 infected domains have been identified.

Researchers Disclose Vulnerability in Siemens' ICS Software

Scott Ferguson  •  July 10, 2019

Researchers at the security firm Tenable uncovered a vulnerability in a Siemens software platform used to manage industrial control systems, and Siemens has issued a patch. The same platform was exploited during the Stuxnet attack a decade ago.

Malware on the High Seas: US Coast Guard Issues Alert

Scott Ferguson  •  July 9, 2019

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued an alert about an increase in malware attacks targeting the networks of commercial vessels. It's warning ship owners to take more cybersecurity precautions.