Content by Mathew J. Schwartz

WannaCry Outbreak: Microsoft Issues Emergency XP Patch

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 13, 2017

Microsoft has issued emergency security updates for some unsupported operating systems to protect against the global WannaCry ransomware outbreak. In addition, a researcher has accidentally disabled new infections from crypto-locking PCs, though he warns the respite will likely be temporary.

WannaCry Ransomware Outbreak Spreads Worldwide

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 12, 2017

A fast-moving ransomware outbreak has compromised Spanish telco Telefonica, multiple National Health Service trusts in Britain and other organizations around the world. The attacks have been using the leaked "Equation Group" SMB exploit to penetrate networks.

Ransomware: Old Racket, New Look

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 12, 2017

To better battle ransomware, we must take a page from the lessons learned by the kidnapping and ransom insurance industry in its battle against piracy in the Indian Ocean, Jeremiah Grossman told the AppSec Europe conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

13 Hot AppSec Sessions in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 10, 2017

Hot sessions at this week's OWASP AppSec Europe 2017 conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland, cover everything from the EU's General Data Protection Regulation and fostering better SecDevOps uptake, to quantum-computing resistant crypto and ransomware economics.

Au Revoir, Alleged Russian 'Fancy Bear' Hackers

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 9, 2017

Who in the world could have attempted to mess with this past weekend's presidential election in France via a well-timed dump of campaign documents and communications from the campaign of Emmanuel Macron? Security experts say all evidence points to the usual suspect: Russian hackers.

Intel's AMT Flaw: Worse Than Feared

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 8, 2017

The critical Active Management Technology flaw in many Intel chipsets' firmware can be remotely exploited using any password - or even no password at all - to gain full access to a system, security researchers warn. Numerous systems and even ATMs will require forthcoming firmware fixes.

Bank Account Hackers Used SS7 to Intercept Security Codes

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 5, 2017

Hackers have reportedly exploited the SS7 mobile telecommunications signaling protocol to drain money from online bank accounts used by O2 mobile phone subscribers. Despite rising security worries relating to SS7, many telcos have yet to explore related fixes.

Attackers Unleash OAuth Worm via 'Google Docs' App

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 4, 2017

Score another one for social engineering: A phishing campaign used a bogus "Google Docs" app to trick people into surrendering full access to their Google accounts and contacts. Before Google squashed the campaign, up to 1 million of its users may have fallen victim.

Sabre Warns Hotels: Card Data Potentially Compromised

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 3, 2017

Travel industry software giant Sabre has alerted hotels that its software-as-a-service SynXis Central Reservations system - used by more than 36,000 properties - was breached and payment card data and customers' personal details may have been stolen.

IBM Shipped Malware-Infected Flash Drives to Customers

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 2, 2017

IBM and Lenovo have issued a security alert, warning that they inadvertently shipped malware-infected USB flash drives to some customers who use their Storwize hardware. The malware, known as Reconyc, is designed to install additional attack code on infected endpoints.

Intel Alert: Critical Security Flaw Affects Many CPUs

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 2, 2017

Chipmaker Intel has issued a security alert for a flaw that has existed in many of its non-consumer CPUs for a decade. The flaw could be remotely exploited by attackers, using Intel's own remote-management tools, to access devices, install malware and breach networks.

TalkTalk Hack: Two Men Plead Guilty

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  April 27, 2017

Two men have pleaded guilty to hacking London-based telecommunications giant TalkTalk in 2015. Police say one of the men boasted in social media account chats about wiping and encrypting his hard drives, as well as taking part in the hack attack.

Teen Hacker Sentenced Over 'Titanium Stresser' Attacks

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  April 26, 2017

Adam Mudd has been sentenced to a two-year prison term after he pleaded guilty to developing and selling "Titanium Stresser," an on-demand DDoS attack tool tied to over 1.7 million attacks worldwide. Separately, Britain's high court ruled that Lauri Love can fight a U.S. extradition request.

PassFreely Attack Bypasses Oracle Database Authentication

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  April 26, 2017

Warning: A dumped Equation Group exploit is designed to bypass authentication on 386 types of Oracle databases. One concern is that the exploit might be used by attackers such as the Lazarus Group to refine their attempts to inject fraudulent money-moving messages into the SWIFT network.

Russian Receives Record-Setting US Hacking Sentence

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  April 24, 2017

A federal judge has sentenced 32-year-old Russian hacker Roman Seleznev, aka "Track2," to serve 27 years in prison after he was convicted of defrauding 3,700 U.S. financial institutions of at least $169 million via point-of-sale malware attacks.