Stay informed on the latest hacking trends, threats, and prevention strategies in cyber security with insightful articles and updates.
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Background for this topic.
Hacking is the use of technical methods to access, alter, disrupt, or examine computer systems and data, either with authorization or without it. In security reporting, the term usually covers unauthorized exploitation of software flaws, exposed services, weak credentials, misconfigurations, and sometimes human trust through phishing or other social engineering.
Its security significance depends on the attacker’s access and objective: a compromised internet-facing system may enable data theft, unauthorized changes, or movement into other systems, while a benign penetration test can reveal the same weaknesses before they are abused. Defenders reduce exposure through timely vulnerability management, secure configuration, strong authentication, network and endpoint monitoring, and tested incident-response procedures. Useful reporting distinguishes confirmed compromise from attempted or suspected activity and identifies the exploited entry point, affected assets, and whether access was contained.
A German court has charged a programmer investigating an IT problem with hacking and fined them €3,000 ($3,265) for what it deemed was unauthorized access to external computer systems and spying on data. [...]
Microsoft disclosed Friday night that some of its corporate email accounts were breached and data stolen by the Russian state-sponsored hacking group Midnight Blizzard. [...]
Conor Brian Fitzpatrick was sentenced to 20 years of supervised release today in the Eastern District of Virginia for operating the notorious BreachForums hacking forum, known for the sale and leaking of personal data for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. [...]
Aleksanteri Kivimäki Disputed In Court Evidence Collected by PoliceA Finnish man accused of hacking and leaking mental health records downplayed his tech skills and said during cross-examination in court he had no part in the data breach. Kivimäki said he's been engaged with computers since aged three but described his programming skills as "pretty insignificant."
Kyivstar Parent Veon Attributes Losses to Customer Retention MeasuresA December cyberattack on Ukraine's top telecom operator, which authorities in Kyiv attribute to the Russian military, will cost the parent company nearly $100 million. Ukraine in mid-December accused the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate of perpetuating the incident.
A Chinese hacking group has been exploiting a critical vCenter Server vulnerability (CVE-2023-34048) as a zero-day since at least late 2021. [...]
Just in time for the US election season, one of the Kremlin's favorite hack-and-leak spy groups — Star Blizzard — has developed its very first custom backdoor.
Also: $3.3M Socket Hack; Do Kwon and Alex Mashinsky TrialsThis week, the U.S. SEC assessed its X account hack, attackers stole $3.3M from Socket, Do Kwon got a new trial date, Alex Mashinsky sought to dismiss charges, Google Play Store removed crypto apps for India users, IRS clarified crypto asset reporting and South Korea mulled crypto mixer legislation.
The United States government has recommended that Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, the creator and lead administrator of the now-defunct BreachForums hacking forums, receive a sentence of 15 years in prison. [...]
'Coldriver' Has Been Sending Backdoors Embedded in PDFs Since November 2022A Russian domestic intelligence agency hacking group known for long-lasting logon credential phishing campaigns against Western targets is now deploying malware embedded into PDFs, say security researchers from Google. "Coldriver" is using a family of backdoors Google dubs Spica.
Google says the ColdRiver Russian-backed hacking group is pushing previously unknown backdoor malware using payloads masquerading as a PDF decryption tool. [...]
Uninstall the update or edit the Windows registry to restore order The latest Windows Server 2022 patch has broken the Chrome browser, and short of uninstalling the update, a registry hack is the only way to restore service for affected users.…
Davos Forum Highlights Worries About AI-Enabled MisinformationArtificial intelligence-enabled voter misinformation campaigns and voter database hacking are some of the largest threats to election security in a year when more than half of the world's populace will take to the ballot box in elections ranging from free to flawed.
US senators have accused the SEC of failing to properly secure its social media accounts after hackers comprised its X account and posted a fake Bitcoin announcement