Duncan Riley
Latest from Duncan Riley
Aggressive new ‘Norman’ cryptominer attempts to hide and avoid discovery
A new aggressive form of cryptomining malware has been discovered in a midsized company with features that alarmed those who discovered it. Detailed today by the Varonis Security Research team, the cryptomining malware dubbed “Norman” uses various techniques to hide and avoid discovery. It also deploys an interactive “web shell” that may open the door to subsequent malware infections ...
SEC launches probe into First American data breach that exposed 885M records
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a investigation into a data breach on the website of First American Financial Corp. that exposed 885 million personal and financial records dating back to 2003. The news today came from security researcher Brian Krebs who first reported the data breach in May. The data breach related to how documents ...
Critical new vulnerability discovered in all versions of Windows dating back to XP
A critical vulnerability has been uncovered in an obscure Microsoft Corp. module that can easily be exploited in versions of Windows dating back as far as Windows XP. Discovered by Google security researcher Tavis Ormandy, the vulnerability comes via the Windows CTF module. No one seems to know what CTF stands for, but the module is a ...
SEC obtains restraining order against firm that raised $14.8M in initial coin offering
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has obtained a temporary restraining order against Veritaseum, which raised $14.8 million in an initial coin offering in 2017, and its founder Reggie Middleton. The SEC claimed in an emergency filing Monday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York that Middleton, through Veritaseum Inc. and Veritaseum LLC, ...
SEC delays ETF applications as bitcoin struggles to maintain recent gains
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today delayed a decision on applications for three bitcoin exchange-traded funds and related rule changes, even as the cryptocurrency struggles to maintain recent price gains. The delayed ETF applications — tradable securities that track the price of bitcoin to the U.S. dollar — are from VanEck SolidX, Bitwise Asset Management ...
Huawei kicks off an ‘iron army’ overhaul in response to US sanctions
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is kicking off a three- to five-year overhaul to create an “iron army” that can help it survive its U.S. technology ban. The strategy was detailed in an internal memo written by Huawei Chief Executive Officer Ren Zhengfei, who warned that U.S. sanctions threaten the company’s smartphone business, according to a report today by Bloomberg. ...
Researcher shows it’s easy to infect a Canon DLSR with ransomware
Ransomware has long been a bane of computer networks, but a new report has demonstrated how ransomware can be used to target digital single-lens reflex cameras. Demonstrated by a security researcher from Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., the technique involves exploiting a vulnerability in the picture transfer protocol used in a Canon EOS 80D digital camera. ...
Verizon sells Tumblr to Automattic for a ‘nominal’ sum
Automattic Inc., the company behind WordPress.com, today acquired troubled old-school blogging site Tumblr from owner Verizon Communications Inc. months after it was rumored to be on the market. Officially the terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal described the acquisition price as “nominal.” Tumblr had previously been acquired for $1.1 billion by Yahoo ...
Lightning cables can be hacked to access Apple devices
Apple Inc. users be warned: Hacked Lightning cables can be used to enable remote access to your computers and phones. The warning comes via a developer who goes by the name of MG who offered what he called OM.G Cables, Lightning cables with the hardware hack included at the DEF CON conference Las Vegas over the ...
Researchers find serious vulnerabilities in 40+ device drivers
Security researchers have uncovered serious vulnerabilities in more than 40 drivers from 20 hardware vendors that could easily be exploited by hackers to deploy malware. The finding, presented by researchers from Eclypsium Inc. at the DEF CON conference in Las Vegas over the weekend involves a Who’s Who of hardware makers and BIOS providers, including ...