victim

Tue
26
Jan
John Lister's picture

Ransomware Gets Doubly Dangerous

Ransomware infections used to be about forcing victims to pay to regain access to their files. Now it appears more and more scammers are treating it as an exercise in blackmail. A new cybersecurity report says 18 known ransomware gangs have switched ... their focus to threatening to publish stolen data unless the victim pays up. That's led to some businesses paying the ransom even though they had access to backups in order to restore their files. Traditionally ransomware has been about file encryptions. Scammers get access to a victim's computer or network through malware, then the infection " ... (view more)

Mon
30
Nov
John Lister's picture

Retirees Biggest Losers to Phone and Cyber Scams

Millennials are much more likely to be scammed out of money online or over the phone than retirees according to FTC figures. However, an elderly victim is likely to lose a much bigger sum. The figures come from analysis of Federal Trade Commission ... (FTC) data by Atlas VPN. They found that in almost every age group, more people have been scammed so far this year than in the same period last year, but the average loss is lower. That could simply be scammers making smaller demands because they know many people have less disposable cash this year. (Source: atlasvpn.com ) Elderly Targeted By Phone ... (view more)

Wed
11
Apr
John Lister's picture

New Ransomware Demand: Play Video Game, Not Cash

A newly unleashed ransomware attack doesn't force victims to pay money to regain access to files. Instead, it demands they play a video game. It's not clear yet what the point of the attack is, though it's most likely the work of a prankster who ... wants to test their skills at creating and distributing ransomware without doing any permanent harm. Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts files on a computer and normally only unlocks them if the victim pays a fee. In most cases every file on the computer is encrypted, meaning that victims are locked out of their systems and unable to access ... (view more)

Wed
04
Apr
John Lister's picture

Apple Watch May Have Blown Murder Alibi

A murder suspect's alibi has been thrown into doubt by data on the victim's Apple Watch. The smartwatch appears to show the victim died much earlier than the suspect claims. Caroline Nilsson is accused of killing her mother-in-law Myrna Nilsson in ... 2016. Police were called to the house just after 10 pm when a neighbor saw Caroline come out of the house wearing a gag. Myrna was found dead inside the home. In her defense, Caroline claims that her mother-in-law was followed home by a group of men in a utility vehicle and argued with them outside for 20 minutes. Caroline claims she was in her ... (view more)

Tue
19
Jul
John Lister's picture

'Lazy' Ransomware Deletes Every File in Sight

Is there fair play amongst ransomware scammers? A particularly lazy variant of "ransomware" is making its rounds, though researchers say that paying up will never pay off. For the most part, ransomware usually involves a nasty malware program ... encrypting files on a PC, followed by a promise of a decryption key - but only if the victim pays a ransom. It would make sense that if people stopped believing this would happen, they would stop handing over the cash. Files Deleted Rather Than Encrypted Now security company Talos has spotted a variant where there's absolutely no prospect ... (view more)

Thu
07
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows Vista, Office Vulnerable to Zero-Day Attack

Microsoft has warned users of its software to beware bogus file attachments. The firm says a newly discovered vulnerability in Windows Vista and the Office software suite could allow hackers remote access to a victim's computer. The flaw affects the ... Windows Vista and Server 2008 operating systems. It also affects Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, and 2010, plus Microsoft Lync, a communications package. Later editions of Windows, such as Windows 7 and Windows 8, are unaffected. The problem does not affect Windows XP, either. The problem involves the way the affected software handles image files in ... (view more)

Wed
03
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Ransomware Scam Uses Browser History to Dupe You

The only thing worse than a ransomware scam is an informed ransomware scam. According to reports, a new scheme uses a victim's browsing history to construct more believable threats. Ransomware is malicious software designed to scare Internet users ... into paying hackers cash. Ransomware creators achieve this goal by using special software that, once installed, disables critical system functions. The ransomware scammer then tells a victim that, in order to reclaim control of their PC, they must pay up. Beware Messages From DoJ, DHS, FBI A new ransomware scam involves sending victims a fake ... (view more)

Fri
07
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Zeus Hackers Exploit Two-Factor Authentication

During the past twelve months, malicious software known as 'Eurograbber' was apparently used to steal $47 million in Europe alone. According to reports, the software took advantage of a popular security measure. The security researchers who ... discovered Eurograbber are now warning Internet users that the malware could easily spread from Europe to the rest of the world. (Source: checkpoint.com ) Eurograbber is a modified form of a previously known botnet called 'Zeus.' A botnet is a network of computers controlled by malicious software under the direction of a particular individual or gang of ... (view more)

Thu
12
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Facebook Scam Swindles Woman for $366K

A woman from Malaysia was recently cajoled out of $366,000 by a Facebook con artist, according to reports. And while several arrests have been made, most of the cash remains at large. Overseas 'British Citizen' in Need of Bank Account The man behind ... the scheme allegedly told the woman he was a British citizen in need of access to a bank account in order to cash in a $1.53 million contract with Malaysia's national oil and gas company, Petronas. Here was the kicker: the man in question said he couldn't afford the service and insurance charges associated with the agreement, and was looking for ... (view more)

Tue
13
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

ID Theft: A Victim's Step-By-Step Recovery Guide

We recently reported on a story in which the identities of 3.3 million loan borrowers were hacked , including the names, addresses, social security numbers of these individuals. Now, figures from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse suggest that more ... than 347 million records have been breached since 2005. So, what happens if you aren't aware that your identity has been compromised? The short answer is that someone will likely try to use your identity to commit fraud. For example, you might receive a bill for a credit card expense that you knew nothing about. It could ruin your credit score, or ... (view more)

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