Massive cryptocurrency botnet used leaked NSA exploits weeks before WCry
Enlarge / A cryptocurrency mining farm. (credit: Marco Krohn) On Friday, Ransomware called WannaCry used leaked hacking tools stolen from the National Security Agency to attack an estimated 200,000 computers in 150 countries. On Monday, researchers said the same weapons-grade attack kit was used in a much earlier and possibly larger-scale hack that made infected computers part of a botnet that mined cryptocurrency. Like WannaCry, this...
Virulent WCry ransomware worm may have North Korea’s fingerprints on it
Enlarge / Identical code found in WCry and 2015 malicious backdoor could be a smoking gun that provides crucial clues about the origin of Friday’s ransomware worm. (credit: Jo Christian Oterhals) A researcher has found digital fingerprints that tie the WCry ransomware worm that menaced the world on Friday to a prolific hacking operation that previously generated headlines by attacking Sony Pictures, the Bangladesh Central Bank,...
Op-ed: It’s time for Google to take responsibility for Android’s security updates
Enlarge / Google’s “Project Treble” aims to streamline Android updates, but when it comes to security, Google could still be doing more. (credit: Google) Last Friday, Google announced a major new initiative that promises to solve one of the many problems that keeps Android phones from being promptly updated. Coming as a part of the forthcoming Android O, Google will soon begin separating the Android operating system...
How I accidentally stopped a global Wanna Decryptor ransomware attack
I’ve finally found enough time between e-mails and Skype calls to write up the crazy events that occurred over Friday, which was supposed to be part of my week off. You’ve probably read about the Wanna Decryptor (aka WannaCrypt or WCry) fiasco on several news sites, but I figured I’d tell my story. I woke up at around 10am and checked onto the UK cyber threat sharing platform where I had been following the...
