Zack Whittaker

Security editor, TechCrunch
zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com
Signal: +1 646.755.8849
New York, NY

Public Key

npub1tnd8wwd5ux624dj36094wh9ax9utku8ahnxk4d367e9tlpg458qqvay0nr

NIP-05 Address

zackwhittaker_at_mastodon.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9eknh8x6wrd92kega8j6htj7nz79mwr7ment2kca0vj4ls526rsqpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43z7qg4waehxw309aex2mrp0yhx6mmnw3ezuur4vg9c2syg

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

Author Public Key

npub1tnd8wwd5ux624dj36094wh9ax9utku8ahnxk4d367e9tlpg458qqvay0nr

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Last Notes

2024-10-01 12:32:32

Cybersecurity. You are now aware of it. No further questions will be taken, or answered, at this time.

2024-09-04 16:47:30

I missed this research at the time, but it's really great and worth sharing. A security researcher created and published a set of AWS keys tied to a canarytoken to determine how long it takes for inadvertently exposed private keys to get stolen and, crucially, illegally used.
In some cases, the canarytoken was triggered in less than 60 seconds after the keys were stolen. In other words, criminals are fast. If you exposed your keys, the sooner you act, the better.
More: https://cybenari.com/2024/08/whats-the-worst-place-to-leave-your-secrets/

2024-08-24 15:07:41

Free threat intel for anyone curious: 178.66.99.175, aka, the dipshit who loudly and unsuccessfully attempted hack into a Microsoft account.
Don't say I never give you anything.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/017/607/506/600/333/original/e7c3857de5a87901.png

2024-08-20 15:33:07

I don't know who needs to hear this but entering your personal information into a website you've never heard of before in the hope that it might tell you your Social Security number is not a good idea.

2024-08-13 16:57:46

New, by me: A federal appeals court has ruled that geofence warrants are unconstitutional, a decision that will limit the use of the controversial search warrants across several U.S. states.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/13/us-appeals-court-rules-geofence-warrants-are-unconstitutional/

2024-08-12 19:02:49

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@npub17lg…9uux oh man, we're sending all our love. sounds like Oscar had a really wonderful life.

2024-08-08 02:47:33

Definitely guilty of this, courtesy of Signal's latest release notes.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/924/114/919/485/112/original/3d9e5c1515b06079.jpeg

2024-08-06 23:02:45

New, by me: The U.K. data watchdog said it will issue a £6 million provisional fine to the NHS vendor Advanced for security failings that led to a 2022 ransomware attack and widespread disruption to healthcare services across the U.K. for weeks.
ICO said that Advanced failed to use MFA, which ultimately led to the cybercriminals getting in and stealing more than 83,000 people's data in the breach.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/06/uk-data-watchdog-fines-nhs-vendor-advanced-for-security-failures-prior-to-lockbit-ransomware-attack/

2024-08-06 15:12:26

New, by me: A cyberattack on a U.K.-based maker of school mobile device management software called Mobile Guardian has knocked out service to schools and students globally.
The Singapore Ministry of Education, a major customer of Mobile Guardian, says at least 13,000 students had their devices remotely wiped by the perpetrator.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/06/cyberattack-knocks-mobile-guardian-mdm-offline-and-wipes-thousands-of-student-devices/

2024-08-02 14:48:41

New, by me: U.S. pharma giant Cencora (aka AmerisourceBergen) had a data breach in February, including personal and sensitive health information (such as diagnoses and medications)
But Cencora has refused to say how many people are affected.
We counted all of Cencora's data breach notices that it's published since. At least a million people have been notified so far — already one of 2024's biggest healthcare breaches — and the number is likely to rise.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/02/pharma-giant-cencora-is-alerting-millions-about-its-data-breach/

2024-08-01 20:41:57

I haven't seen an 8-K like this before.
On July 25, 2024, Meta Materials Inc. said it became aware its website, email system and some IT systems "were significantly disrupted and taken offline." The company said it learned that a former company executive "deliberately de-activated and cancelled the renewal of the Company’s website," which knocked out its email that "significantly impacted the Company’s IT systems."
8-K: https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1431959/000095017024089345/mmat-20240725.htm

2024-08-01 15:24:32

The front page of the Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2024.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/887/451/417/820/699/original/15043b08b4771d24.png

2024-08-01 11:49:13

WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich released by Russia.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-01/us-reporter-released-by-russia-in-multi-country-prisoner-swap

2024-07-26 14:04:09

X, formerly known as Twitter, has automatically activated a setting that allows the company to train its Grok AI on users’ posts.
X enabled the new setting by default.
The good news is that you can switch it off and also delete your conversation history with the AI.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/26/heres-how-to-disable-x-twitter-from-using-your-data-to-train-its-grok-ai/

2024-07-25 20:09:09

CrowdStrike says in an update, "using a week-over-week comparison, greater than 97% of Windows sensors are online as of July 24 at 5pm PT." Microsoft put that figure at about 8.5 million Windows devices affected. That remaining 3% — about 255,000 Windows devices by that count — are still knocked out and have to be manually fixed.
https://www.crowdstrike.com/falcon-content-update-remediation-and-guidance-hub/

2024-07-25 13:04:24

Exclusive, from me: Spytech, a little-known spyware maker based in Minnesota, has been hacked, TechCrunch has learned. The breach reveals thousands of devices around the world under the company's stealthy remote surveillance.
Spytech is the latest spyware maker in recent years to have been hacked, and the fourth known spyware maker hacked this year alone.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/25/spytech-data-breach-windows-mac-android-chromebook-spyware

2024-07-25 10:01:28

Daniel Freund, a German Green MEP, has told Politico that he was targeted by suspected Candiru spyware on his phone.
Freund, a vocal critic of Hungary's presidency, said: “I’m not saying it was Hungary, but out of the possibilities, this is what seems most likely."
https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/orban-critic-mep-targeted-with-spyware/

2024-07-19 18:24:49

U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA has acknowledged that while the CrowdStrike outage is *not* a cyberattack, it has observed malicious actors "taking advantage" of the s(h)ituation for "phishing and other malicious activity" and warned organizations to "avoid clicking on phishing emails or suspicious links."
More: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2024/07/19/widespread-it-outage-due-crowdstrike-update
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/814/558/431/108/048/original/acca06d60ac9a5c0.png

2024-07-19 17:58:21

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@npub17lg…9uux agreed. absolutely an institutional failure.

2024-07-19 11:16:32

A "defect" found in Crowdstrike's Windows software has caused much of the world's computers to crash, including airports, train stations, television shows and broadcasts, emergency 911 lines, entire datacenters — you name it.
Not a cyberattack, says Crowdstrike, but this massive outage has certainly been felt globally and shows Crowdstrike's massive reach — especially as things go wrong.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/19/banks-airlines-brokerage-houses-report-widespread-outages-across-the-globe/

2024-07-18 15:17:50

Exclusive, by me: The U.S. Postal Service was sharing the postal addresses of its online customers with advertising and tech giants Meta, LinkedIn, and Snap, TechCrunch has found.
The USPS told TechCrunch that it addressed the issue and stopped the practice, claiming that it was “unaware” of the data sharing.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/18/usps-shared-customer-postal-addresses-with-meta-linkedin-and-snap/

2024-07-18 11:21:09

Considering updating my Slack profile picture to the meme of Matthew McConaughey smoking to adequately reflect my constant mood of "the shit I've seen."
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/807/220/239/694/560/original/f7f23fa28be88619.png

2024-07-14 16:39:11

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@npub1zj4…fyjh nah, they changed the URL for some reason some weeks ago. https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/list.html

2024-07-12 12:53:48

FBI just provided me with a statement regarding the AT&T breach.
In its statement, the FBI confirmed that AT&T contacted the federal agency to report the breach and that AT&T, the FBI and the DOJ agreed to delay notifying the public and customers citing "potential risks to national security and/or public safety."
Our story is updated: https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/12/att-phone-records-stolen-data-breach/

2024-07-12 10:28:54

BREAKING: U.S. phone giant AT&T confirmed Friday it will notify millions of consumers about a fresh data breach that allowed cybercriminals to steal the phone and text records of "nearly all" of its customers, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.
AT&T confirmed the breach was linked to a data theft at cloud data giant Snowflake. AT&T said the data breach affects at least 110 million AT&T customers.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/12/att-phone-records-stolen-data-breach/

2024-07-11 19:27:58

NEW, by me: A data breach at the phone surveillance operation mSpy has exposed millions of its customers who bought access to the phone spyware app over the past decade, as well as the Ukrainian company behind it.
Troy Hunt, who runs data breach notification site Have I Been Pwned, added about 2.4 million unique email addresses of mSpy customers to his site’s catalog of past data breaches.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/11/mspy-spyware-millions-customers-data-breach/

2024-07-11 13:11:59

Apple has issued a new round of threat notifications to iPhone users across 98 countries, warning them of potential mercenary spyware attacks.
It’s the second such alert campaign from Apple this year, following a similar notification sent to users in 92 nations in April.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/10/apple-alerts-iphone-users-in-98-countries-to-mercenary-spyware-attacks/

2024-07-03 17:17:24

Sending all my love and hope to everyone affected by, and in the path of Hurricane Beryl, including Jamaica, which is currently in its direct path. Stay safe, friends.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cyx53q05lrpt

2024-06-24 19:51:10

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@npub17lg…9uux "I would also like to have a setting that enforces MFA. Hopefully this can be implemented soon," said Bas... *two years ago*.

2024-06-24 19:49:51

Silicon Valley leaders claiming that "DEI" is bad and "meritocracy" is good — but they’re wrong. "We all want the best people for the job, and there is data to prove that diverse teams are more effective.”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/23/silicon-valley-leaders-are-once-again-declaring-dei-bad-and-meritocracy-good-but-theyre-wrong/

2024-06-21 13:41:17

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@npub1zj4…fyjh depressing but true!

2024-06-19 03:25:35

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@npub1zj4…fyjh ahahah, there's always the rss feed!

2024-06-08 01:50:51

NEW, by me: LendingTree has confirmed its QuoteWizard subsidiary had data stolen from cloud data giant Snowflake.
It's the latest company, after Ticketmaster, to confirm a data breach hosted by Snowflake.
Throughout the week, TechCrunch sent more than a dozen questions to Snowflake about the ongoing incident. Snowflake declined to answer our questions on at least six occasions.
These are some of the questions we asked Snowflake, and why we're asking them.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/07/snowflake-ticketmaster-lendingtree-customer-data-breach/

2024-06-02 14:35:44

A busy, busy, busy edition of ~ this week in security ~ is out:
• Live Nation says Ticketmaster was hacked
• DOJ and Europol takes down botnet operations
• Zero-day in Check Point VPN products under attack
• Sav-Rx says nearly three million patient record stolen
• Mystery malware knocks out thousands of ISP routers
• A brand new cyber cat, and more.
Sign up/RSS: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/
Read online: https://mailchi.mp/weekinsecurity/this-week-in-security-june-2-2024-edition
Support/donate: https://ko-fi.com/thisweekinsecurity

2024-05-31 22:14:56

BREAKING: Live Nation has confirmed Ticketmaster was hacked. The company says personal information was stolen, though has yet to say who (likely customers).
A cybercriminal claims to be selling 560 million customer records on a known cybercrime forum.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/31/live-nation-confirms-ticketmaster-was-hacked-says-personal-information-stolen-in-data-breach/

2024-05-31 21:35:21

Wow. Per @npub1utp…ws9c, a huge source of leaked Social Security numbers is none other than the U.S. federal courts filing system, PACER.
https://www.courtwatch.news/p/exclusive-staggering-number-of-unredacted

2024-05-31 11:34:10

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@npub1zj4…fyjh especially enjoyed this edition's newsletter!

2024-05-29 19:14:37

This is a really great long-read about a little-known U.S. intelligence agency within the State Department that often dissents from the rest of the intelligence community, and it's almost always right.
I'll have this in my newsletter this week, too.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/351638/the-obscure-federal-intelligence-bureau-that-got-vietnam-iraq-and-ukraine-right

2024-05-28 20:46:33

NEW, by me: Spyware maker pcTattletale says it's shuttered and is "out of business" after a data breach over the weekend.
pcTattletale founder Bryan Fleming said he no longer has access to the company’s Amazon Web Services account, which he used to store upwards of 300 million screenshots from victims' devices over several years.
It looks like Amazon may have taken action against the spyware maker.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/28/pctattletale-spyware-shutters-data-breach/

2024-05-22 18:15:18

NEW, by me: The check-in computers at several hotels around the U.S. are running a consumer-grade spyware app called pcTattletale.
pcTattletale was seen stealthily and continually capturing screenshots of the hotel booking systems, which contained guest information and reserveration details.
This was discovered because a security researcher found a flaw in the spyware is exposing these screenshots to the internet, not just the spyware's intended users.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/22/spyware-found-on-hotel-check-in-computers/

2024-05-17 16:47:46

New, by me: Two universtiy students have uncovered a security bug that lets millions do their laundry for free.
CSC ServiceWorks provides internet-connected laundry machines to thousands of residential homes and universities around the U.S., Canada and Europe.
The students found that any security checks are done by the app on the user’s device and automatically trusted by CSC’s servers,
But CSC still hasn't fixed the isue — or acknowledged their findings.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/17/csc-serviceworks-free-laundry-million-machines

2024-05-09 13:28:11

Even with end-to-end encrypted services, metadata matters.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/08/encrypted-services-apple-proton-and-wire-helped-spanish-police-identify-activist

2024-04-25 19:46:23

UPDATED, by me: U.S. health conglomerate Kaiser disclosed a data breach affecting 13.4 million members.
Kaiser confirmed it was sharing patients’ information with third-party advertisers, including Google, Microsoft, and X (formerly Twitter).
In a statement, Kaiser blamed "certain online technologies, previously installed on its websites and mobile applications, may have transmitted personal information to third-party vendors.”
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/25/kaiser-permanente-health-plan-millions-data-breach

2024-04-25 12:22:41

New, by @npub1lt9…f6eq: Two veteran security experts, Patrick Wardle and Mikhail Sosonkin, are launching a startup that aims to help other makers of cybersecurity products to up their game in protecting Apple devices.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/25/ex-nsa-ex-apple-researcher-doubleyou/

2024-04-24 18:12:49

Poland’s prosecutor general told the parliament on Wednesday that powerful Pegasus spyware was used against at least 578 people from 2017 to 2022 during the former government in Poland, among them elected officials.
Adam Bodnar told lawmakers that he found the scale of the surveillance “shocking and depressing.”
https://apnews.com/article/poland-spyware-pegasus-nso-group-israel-413bb3cb27daac011d52b524c6d16160

2024-04-22 22:38:31

BREAKING: UnitedHealth has confirmed that a ransomware attack on its health tech subsidiary Change Healthcare earlier this year resulted in a huge theft of Americans’ private healthcare data.
In a statement, UHG said the criminal hackers stole files containing personal data and protected health information that it says may “cover a substantial proportion of people in America.”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/22/unitedhealth-change-healthcare-hackers-substantial-proportion-americans/

2024-04-20 13:04:08

New, by me: Lawmakers passed legislation early Saturday reauthorizing and expanding a controversial U.S. surveillance law shortly after the powers expired at midnight, rejecting opposition by privacy advocates and lawmakers.
The bill passed in a 60-34 vote on the Senate floor overnight.
Democratic privacy hawk Sen. Ron Wyden accused lawmakers of waiting “until the 11th hour to ram through renewal of warrantless surveillance in the dead of night.”
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/20/fisa-nsa-fbi-government-surveillance/

2024-04-18 17:06:27

NEW, by me: Hackers are threatening to publish a confidential database containing millions of records used by companies for screening prospective customers for links to financial crimes.
The financially motivated hacking group says it took 5.3 million records from the World-Check database.
TechCrunch was provided a sample of the records. The London Stock Exchange Group, which maintains the database, confirmed a third-party breach.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/18/world-check-database-leaked-sanctions-financial-crimes-watchlist/

2024-04-17 16:25:29

Palo Alto Networks urged companies this week to patch against a newly discovered zero-day vulnerability in one of its widely used security products, after malicious hackers began exploiting the bug to break into corporate networks.
Adding another complication, Palo Alto initially suggested disabling telemetry to mitigate the vulnerability, but said this week that disabling telemetry does not prevent exploitation.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/17/palo-alto-networks-firewall-bug-under-attack-brings-fresh-havoc-to-thousands-of-companies

2024-04-16 16:25:28

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@npub1zj4…fyjh oh man, this is amazing! now you just gotta hope one of them brings you a big ol' shiny crypto coin.

2024-04-16 14:21:23

New, by me: An extortion group has published a portion of what it says are the private and sensitive patient records on millions of Americans stolen during the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare in February.
It’s the first time that cybercriminals have published evidence that they have in their possession medical and patient records from the cyberattack.
Change Healthcare handles between one-third and one-half of all U.S. patient records.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/15/change-healthcare-stolen-patient-data-ransomhub-leak/

2024-04-14 21:40:45

I really loved this short story of how a cat alerted her human to a DDoS attack.
https://www.dannyguo.com/blog/my-cat-alerted-me-to-a-ddos-attack
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/271/735/668/343/126/original/40aaf893cdd9cdf0.jpg

2024-04-11 19:02:59

NEW: U.S. cyber agency CISA has confirmed that Russian government-backed hackers stole emails from several U.S. federal agencies as a result of an ongoing cyberattack at Microsoft.
CISA said the latest theft of government email presents "a grave and unacceptable risk" to U.S. federal agencies.
Microsoft first disclosed the breach in January. In March, the company said the attack was "ongoing."
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/11/us-cisa-russia-apt-29-government-email-theft-microsoft/

2024-04-11 13:18:34

New, by me: U.S. cyber agency CISA is urging Sisense customers to reset their credentials after the company reported a recent compromise.
CISA said it was investigating as the breach "relates to impacted critical infrastructure sector organizations."
Sisense is a data analytics and business intelligence company that counts airlines, telcos, and tech companies as customers.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/11/cisa-government-sisense-reset-credentials-cyberattack/

2024-04-09 18:23:39

New, by me: Security researchers found an Azure storage server exposed to the internet containing internal credentials for accessing Microsoft systems.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/09/microsoft-employees-exposed-internal-passwords-security-lapse/

2024-04-05 14:28:50

Earthquake Mastodon, activate!

2024-04-04 16:17:09

Wow, Elon Musk must be desperate if he's re-adding blue checks to people like me who have long left the hellsite formerly known as Twitter. No, I'm not going back. Instead, I will continue my lifelong streak of not giving Musk a single penny of my money.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/213/812/101/399/943/original/57d777d401cff052.png

2024-04-02 15:14:20

New, by me: U.S. police departments are increasingly relying on a controversial surveillance practice to demand large amounts of users’ data from tech companies.
'Reverse' searches cast a digital dragnet over a tech company’s store of user data to catch the information that police are looking for — like location data or search terms.
Now, the feds are already pushing this controversial practice further by demanding to know who watched certain YouTube videos.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/02/reverse-searches-police-tap-tech-companies-private-data/

2024-03-30 14:12:17

Breaking: AT&T has reset millions of customer account passcodes after a huge cache of data containing AT&T customer records was dumped online earlier this month, TechCrunch has exclusively learned.
A security researcher who analyzed the leaked data told TechCrunch that the encrypted account passcodes are easy to decipher. TechCrunch held the publication of this story until AT&T could reset customer account passcodes.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/30/att-reset-account-passcodes-customer-data/

2024-03-22 18:58:52

New, by me: An alleged data breach of 73 million AT&T customer records posted online in full this week looks increasingly authentic.
The dataset, which first emerged in 2021, includes names, home addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth.
But AT&T still hasn’t said how its customers’ data spilled online.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/22/att-customers-data-leak-online/

2024-03-22 15:47:21

This is a wild story by @npub1lt9…f6eq.
The White House this week praised Paladin Capital Group and other investors for pledging not to invest in spyware companies, or startups that "undermine free and fair societies."
But Paladin previously invested in Boldend, a U.S.-based malware maker, which at one point developed a remote access exploit targeting WhatsApp that "got burned by an update," according to a leaked document we've seen.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/22/us-cyber-investors-pledge-spyware-is-off-limits-with-a-catch/

2024-03-22 12:41:59

As of today, I block just one account on Mastodon.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/139/391/939/833/523/original/397821a8b747ebdb.png

2024-03-20 21:48:37

New: Users of the popular site Glassdoor, which lets anyone anonymously sign up to review companies they have worked for, say Glassdoor collected and added their names and other data to their user profiles without their consent.
I spoke with a couple of Glassdoor users who experienced this. One person said Glassdoor took it from an email she sent to customer support. Another said he didn't know how Glassdoor got his information.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/20/glassdoor-added-real-names-profiles-without-consent/

2024-03-18 22:18:29

New, by me: Mintlify says dozens of customer GitHub tokens were stolen in a recent cyberattack.
Mintlify allows developers to create documentation for their software and source code by tapping directly into the customer's GitHub source code repositories.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/18/mintlify-customer-github-tokens-data-breach/

2024-03-18 12:15:49

New, by me: Tech giant Fujitsu said it was hacked, and warned of a possible data breach involving "personal information and customer information."
Fujitsu is one of the world's biggest contractors for government tech. The company recently faced renewed furore over its role in the wrongful convictions of hundreds of U.K. postal workers accused of bad accounting and thefts, which were later attributed to bugs in Fujitsu's software.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/18/fujitsu-tech-giant-hacked-customer-data-breach/

2024-03-17 16:01:19

A new ~ this week in security ~ newsletter just went out:
• Auto giants sharing driving data with insurance
• Nevada's anti-encryption efforts
• U.S. investigating Change breach
• Backdoor codes for popular safes
• U.S. spy chiefs testify to Congress
• A brand new cyber-cat, and more.
Sign up/RSS: https://this.weekinsecurity.com
Read online: https://mailchi.mp/weekinsecurity/this-week-in-security-march-17-2024-edition
Donate/support: https://ko-fi.com/thisweekinsecurity

2024-03-15 17:47:48

Ever wondered how TechCrunch verifies data breaches?
In this reporter's notebook, I look back at some of the biggest data breaches we've confirmed in recent years — including StockX, 23andMe, and a huge leak of U.S. military emails — and how we did it.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/15/how-to-verify-a-data-breach/

2024-03-14 12:04:05

My haiku on the proposed TikTok ban.
TikTok ban is dumb,
A data protection law
is the solution.

2024-03-14 10:52:31

New, by me: The Irish government fixed a vulnerability two years ago in its national COVID-19 vaccination portal that exposed the vaccination records of around a million residents.
HSE confirmed a data exposure. But details of the vulnerability weren’t revealed until this week after attempts to coordinate public disclosure with the government agency stalled and ended.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/13/security-flaw-irish-government-hse-covid-19/

2024-03-13 19:58:41

My TechCrunch colleague and friend @npub1tuc…lsck experienced a devastating house fire last night. Please share and support if you can.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/yd78gx-sarah-and-josie-need-our-help

2024-03-13 17:55:48

New: The Dept. of Health and Human Services's Office of Civil Rights has launched an investigation into the Change Healthcare hack, and "whether a breach of protected health information occurred," as well as Change's compliance with HIPAA rules.
Change Healthcare, which handles around one-third to half of all U.S. patient records, has yet to confirm a breach during its ongoing ransomware attack.
My earlier story: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/09/change-healthcare-fears-data-breach-ransomware/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/089/661/393/785/156/original/3719f67d18639fa6.png

2024-03-09 12:22:33

New, by me: As the cyberattack at Change Healthcare drags into its second week, questions remain about the security of millions of people’s highly sensitive medical information handled by the U.S. health tech giant.
For those on the front-lines of healthcare cybersecurity, the worst-case scenario is that stolen patient records become public.
My weekend read: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/09/change-healthcare-fears-data-breach-ransomware/

2024-03-08 18:23:46

Watching founders and investors who pay $8/month for blue checks on X complain that they can't read a deeply reported story by one of the finest tech reporters because it's behind a paywall that costs $7/month is really fucking gross, and sadly just the latest example why media is crumbling.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/061/456/656/122/165/original/d1cacb332c3f767d.png

2024-03-03 16:42:51

Happy Sunday, it's ~ this week in security ~ time:
• Change Healthcare hit by ALPHV ransomware
• NSA warns Ivanti hacks hitting defense sector
• US agencies are snooping on phone push notifications
• US bans sale of Americans' data to adversaries
• Anycubic 3D printers mass-hack
• Popular video doorbells have simple bugs
• A rare 2-for-1 cyber cat special, and more
Sign up/RSS: https://this.weekinsecurity.com
Read online: https://mailchi.mp/weekinsecurity/this-week-in-security-march-3-2024-edition
Donate/support: https://ko-fi.com/thisweekinsecurity

2024-02-29 21:55:14

New, by me: A technology company that routes millions of SMS text messages across the world has secured an exposed database that was spilling one-time security codes that may have granted users’ access to their Facebook, Google and TikTok accounts.
The SMS routing company's database was connected to the internet with no password.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/29/leaky-database-two-factor-codes/

2024-02-29 15:17:38

BREAKING: U.S. health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group has confirmed a ransomware attack on its health tech subsidiary Change Healthcare, which continues to disrupt hospitals and pharmacies across the United States.
UnitedHealth confirmed the ransomware gang behind the attack is ALPHV, or BlackCat, a Russia-based gang.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/29/unitedhealth-change-healthcare-ransomware-alphv-blackcat-pharmacy-outages/

2024-02-29 13:41:46

So glad that Mastodon is a place free from the constant deluge of "guest post" spam... oh, for fuck's sake!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/015/052/025/321/630/original/ace92c2ce4c76f70.jpeg

2024-02-28 18:24:45

New, by me: Anycubic customers are reporting that their 3D printers have been hacked and now display a message warning of an alleged security flaw in the company’s systems.
"Immediate action is strongly advised to prevent potential exploitation," reads the message planted on Anycubic 3D printers.
Anycubic's app appears down at the time of publication.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/28/anycubic-users-3d-printers-hacked-warning/

2024-02-26 19:29:06

New, by me: An ongoing cyberattack at U.S. health tech giant Change Healthcare was caused by ransomware, TechCrunch has learned.
Reuters first reported that the cyberattack was linked to BlackCat ransomware.
The ongoing cyberattack has resulted in outages and disruption to hospitals and pharmacies across the U.S. for the past week.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/26/ransomware-attack-change-healthcare-prescription-pharmacy-outages/

2024-02-22 21:18:50

NEW: U.S. health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group has filed an 8-K notice with the SEC following the cyberattack at one of its subsidiaries, Change Healthcare, a health tech giant with access to millions of people's data.
UHG said it identified on Wednesday "a suspected nation-state associated cyber security threat actor had gained access" to Change Healthcare's systems.
UHG said it doesn't know how long the outages will last.
My earlier story: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/21/change-healthcare-cyberattack/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/977/211/452/664/425/original/53b0baaeb6b17eb4.png

2024-02-22 19:31:38

New, by me: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it will ban the antivirus giant Avast from selling consumers’ web browsing data to advertisers.
Avast will pay $16.5 million to settle the FTC's allegations that it sold the sensitive browsing data of millions of its customers collected from its browser extensions (ostensibly to provide privacy) to more than a hundred other companies.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/22/ftc-bans-avast-selling-customers-sensitive-browsing-data/

2024-02-22 18:35:32

U.S. health tech giant Change Healthcare is currently experiencing a cyberattack, according to its incident tracker.
But you wouldn't know if you Googled it, because Change Healthcare uses "noindex" code on the incident tracker page, which prevents updates about the incident from listing in search results.
More on the cyberattack and ongoing outage: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/21/change-healthcare-cyberattack/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/976/560/232/706/025/original/d22e97ccc2b262ba.png

2024-02-22 12:25:07

For those following the apparent U.S. cellular outages: DownDetector is not an accurate measure for outages and shouldn't be relied on for news reporting. DownDetector largely relies on crowdsourcing complaints, and folks often complain about the wrong thing and blame it on something upstream or something entirely unrelated.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/975/111/193/730/379/original/e711df6ca868ba3a.png

2024-02-20 15:59:04

For that absolute chef's kiss level of detail, the filenames of the screenshots posted by U.K. authorities on LockBit's dark web leak site read "oh dear.png", "doesnt_look_good.png" and "this_is_really_bad.png."
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/964/627/213/878/356/original/3d34cb1ae846fffa.jpg

2024-02-20 15:50:14

New, by me: U.S.. Treasury has sanctioned two Russian nationals accused of launching LockBit ransomware attacks.
The sanctions state one of the Russians is also involved with REvil, RansomEXX and Avaddon.
By sanctioning the two Russians linked to ransomware, it effectively means paying a ransom to these people (or associated groups) is illegal.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/20/lockbit-sanctions-ransomware-takedown/

2024-02-20 00:37:15

Just my totally normal cat sleeping like he's been violently assassinated. Why, why sleep like this?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/961/006/413/985/199/original/4bec7cc6b5bdaa88.png

2024-02-14 13:32:57

New, by me: The U.S. DOD is notifying tens of thousands of people that their personal information was exposed in an email data spill last year.
TechCrunch learned that the breach disclosure letters relate to an unsecured U.S. government cloud email server (hosted by Microsoft) that was spilling sensitive emails to the open internet.
Anyone with the email server's public IP address could access the sensitive but unclassified emails inside using only a web browser.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/14/department-defense-data-breach-microsoft-cloud-email/

2024-02-13 13:18:13

This sign probably isn't the threatening deterrent it was intended to be, but nod to the humblebrag about having resilient offsite data backups.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/924/360/184/321/000/original/9a52c317c126257c.jpeg

2024-02-12 23:20:16

I can't stress enough the importance of @npub1dv5…cn6j's findings, whose blog post goes into more detail about the incredibly crap security of TheTruthSpy's infrastructure and the risks that this presents to victims.
But also, because this line brought me the one and only laugh I've ever had related to investigating stalkerware.
https://maia.crimew.gay/posts/fuckstalkerware-4/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/921/060/562/888/752/original/9dfaa4c993e5c430.png

2024-02-12 22:22:47

- reply

Our free spyware lookup tool contains about 400,000 unique Android device identifiers that have been compromised by TheTruthSpy stalkerware. This includes victims dating back 2016 through to December 2023, which accounts for pretty much every victim of TheTruthSpy.
Here's the lookup tool:
https://techcrunch.com/pages/thetruthspy-investigation/

2024-02-12 22:11:46

New, by me: Notorious stalkerware operation TheTruthSpy was hacked — again.
Two hacking groups independently found a security flaw in TheTruthSpy that allows the mass access of victims’ stolen mobile device data directly from TheTruthSpy’s servers.
The hack reveals TheTruthSpy continues to spy on tens of thousands of new victims.
TechCrunch added the new data to our spyware lookup tool, which lets you check if your Android device was compromised by TheTruthSpy.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/12/new-thetruthspy-stalkerware-victims-is-your-android-device-compromised

2024-02-12 21:55:13

This is excellent news! The journalists at 404 Media have done incredible work in the past ~six months that they've been working for themselves, and driven considerable impact from their reporting. I've found considerable value in my 404 Media paid subscription, and would definitely recommend.
https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/02/six-months-in-journalist-owned-tech-publication-404-media-is-profitable/

2024-02-11 16:42:57

A new edition of ~ this week in security ~ just went out:
• Volt Typhoon snooped in US systems for 5+ years
• European spyware used to target iPhones
• Ivanti VPN bug now mass-exploited
• Inside an online fake ID factory
• Verizon hit by employee data breach
• Millions hit by French data leak
• And, a brand new cyber cat (of course)
Sign up/RSS: https://this.weekinsecurity.com
Read online: https://mailchi.mp/weekinsecurity/this-week-in-security-february-11-2024-edition
Donate/support: https://ko-fi.com/thisweekinsecurity

2024-02-09 22:49:49

New, by me: The startup that develops the phone app for WinStar, dubbed the "world's biggest casino," has secured an exposed database that was left on the internet without a password.
The app maker, Dexiga, took the database offline after a security researcher found the leaking database.
Dexiga's CEO claimed the database contained "publicly available information." But it wasn't — the database contained customer names, phone numbers, and email and home addresses.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/09/winstar-hotel-casino-app-exposed-customer-personal-data/

2024-02-09 00:18:37

New, by @npub1tuc…lsck: A fake app that was masquerading as password manager LastPass on the App Store has been removed, whether by Apple or the fake app’s developer is yet unclear — Apple has not commented.
"That such an obviously fake app got through Apple’s App Review process is a bad look for the tech giant, which has been arguing against new regulations, like the EU’s Digital Markets Act, by claiming these laws would compromise customer safety and privacy."
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/08/a-fake-app-masquerading-as-password-manager-lastpass-just-got-pulled-from-the-app-store/

2024-02-08 15:42:04

New, by me: Livall, the maker of a popular smart ski and bike helmet, has fixed a security flaw that allowed the easy real-time location tracking of anyone wearing its helmets.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/08/livall-smart-helmet-flaw-location-tracking/

2024-02-07 16:09:19

This is Dotty, one of the chickens who lives with my parents in Scotland. Dotty doesn't know much, she's just a chicken. But even she knows that toothbrush botnet story is bollocks.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/891/059/762/452/556/original/0f3cdffd7a0a10a3.mp4

2024-02-03 13:22:25

Incredible reporting by Swiss media looking at Spyhide, a stalkerware made in Iran, which we exposed last year as a phone spyware operation snooping on tens of thousands of unknowing victims. NZZ speaks with a victim to explore the human cost of phone spyware.
via @npub1dv5…cn6j
https://www.nzz.ch/gesellschaft/wenn-der-schatz-auf-handy-mitliest-wie-eine-schweizerin-von-ihrem-partner-mit-iranischer-spyware-ausspioniert-wurde-ld.1775351

2024-02-02 22:40:05

New, by me: A year after settling New York state allegations of 'illegally promoting' phone spyware, the companies behind the phone monitoring (read: stalkerware) apps PhoneSpector and Highster appear to have shuttered.
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/02/phonespector-highster-stalkerware-shut-down/

2024-02-01 17:49:29

New, by @npub1rj7…yvs2: U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA gives federal agencies just two days to disconnect flawed Ivanti VPN products under mass-exploitation.
Volexity founder Steven Adair told TechCrunch that at least 2,200 Ivanti devices have been compromised to date, though the "total number is likely much higher."
More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/01/cisa-federal-agencies-disconnect-ivanti-vpn/