Latest coverage for America

The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) on Friday announced the seizure of online infrastructure that was used to sell a remote access trojan (RAT) called Warzone RAT

US, UK, South Korea and India Most Targeted for Election Interference, Experts WarnWith over 1 billion people across more than 50 countries - including the U.S., the U.K. and India - due to hold elections this year, one open question remains: How can nations combat adversaries who attempt to influence elections or otherwise interfere via physical, cyber or operational means?

The National Group Will Develop Guidelines for AI Safety, Security and Red-TeamingOfficials said the Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium will provide a "critical forum" for the public and private sectors as the federal government aims to use input from more than 200 stakeholders across public society to develop AI safety and security standards.

Researchers Find Unprotected Unitronics DevicesHere's one reason why Iranian state hackers may have been able to target Israeli-made pressure-monitoring controllers used by American water systems: Nearly 150 of the controllers are exposed to the internet - and some still use the default password 1111.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says Americans over $10 billion to scammers in 2023, marking a 14% increase in reported losses compared to the previous year. [...]

An orchestra of fails for the security vendor We've had to write the word "Fortinet" so often lately that we're considering making a macro just to make our lives a little easier after what the company's reps will surely agree has been a week sent from hell.…

Administration Developing 'Liability Regimes' for Manufacturers, Top Official SaysNational Cyber Director Harry Coker said the administration is introducing a new set of "liability regimes" to hold software providers accountable for deploying unsafe systems, but experts say processes to prove that manufacturers are invested in security already exist.

Recent Victims Include Pennsylvania Emergency Dispatch SystemU.S. federal authorities are again warning the healthcare sector about threats from the Akira ransomware group. The latest alert comes on the heels of several recent attacks by the gang, including one last month on Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which affected an IT system used by emergency responders.

Also: A Widespread Linux Bootloader VulnerabilityThis week, the U.S. banned AI robocalls, researchers discovered a Linux bootloader flaw, France investigated health sector hackings, the feds offered money for Hive information, Verizon disclosed an insider breach, Germany opened a cybersecurity center, and cyberattack victims reported high costs.

The U.S. State Department offers rewards of up to $10 million for information that could help locate, identify, or arrest members of the Hive ransomware gang. [...]

The U.S. government on Wednesday said the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as Volt Typhoon had been embedded into some critical infrastructure networks in the country for at least five years

The Agency Plans to Hire 50 AI Experts This YearThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security is recruiting dozens of artificial intelligence experts to integrate AI abilities into government work such as defending against cyberthreats and using AI-powered computer vision to assess damages after a disaster.

Presumably American TLAs are all over Beijing's infrastructure, too ... right? Volt Typhoon isn't the only Chinese spying crew infiltrating computer networks in America's energy sector and other critical organizations with the aim of wrecking equipment and causing other headaches, the US government has said.…

Officials Say Hackers Are Evading Detection on Critical Infrastructure NetworksThe U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency urged critical infrastructure owners to patch systems after publishing a warning that Chinese hackers are evading detection and maintaining persistent unauthorized access in U.S. information technology environments.

The Chinese Volt Typhoon cyber-espionage group infiltrated a critical infrastructure network in the United States and remained undetected for at least five years before being discovered, according to a joint advisory from CISA, the NSA, the FBI, and partner Five Eyes agencies. [...]

The threat actors behind the KV-botnet made "behavioral changes" to the malicious network as U.S. law enforcement began issuing commands to neutralize the activity

Chinese Volt Typhoon state hackers failed to revive a botnet recently taken down by the FBI, which was previously used in attacks targeting critical infrastructure across the United States. [...]

A coalition of dozens of countries, including France, the U.K., and the U.S., along with tech companies such as Google, MDSec, Meta, and Microsoft, have signed a joint agreement to curb the abuse of commercial spyware to commit human rights abuses

Mispadu Trojan Is Compromising Windows Security, Posing Threat to Banking SystemsThe novel variant of the banking Trojan Mispadu is targeting Latin American countries, especially Mexico, by exploiting a flaw in Windows SmartScreen. In this latest distribution method, the attackers send spam emails that deliver deceptive URL files that circumvent the SmartScreen banner warning.

The United States ramped up pressure on the commercial surveillance industry shortly before the United Kingdom and France convened a two-day meeting dubbed the Pall Mall Process intended to culminate in an international agreement limiting the proliferation of advanced spyware.