ransomware News

Federal Cyber Insurance Backstop Is Warranted With Focus on Catastrophic Risk

Much more work and collaboration needs to be done but the U.S. Treasury has reached a “tentative conclusion” that a potential federal cyber insurance backstop will be focused on catastrophic cyber risk. “We will remain focused on the policy options …

K-12 Schools Improve Protection, but Many Still Vulnerable to Ransomware

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some K-12 public schools are racing to improve protection against the threat of online attacks, but lax cybersecurity means thousands of others are vulnerable to ransomware gangs that can steal confidential data and disrupt operations. Since a …

FBI Struggled to Disrupt Dangerous Casino Hacking Gang, Cyber Responders Say

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON —The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has struggled to stop a hyper-aggressive cybercrime gang that’s been tormenting corporate America over the last two years, according to nine cybersecurity responders, digital crime experts and victims. For more than …

Ransomware, Extortion Claims See ‘Worrying Resurgence,’ Says Allianz

Following two years of high but stable loss activity, 2023 has seen a “worrying resurgence” in ransomware and extortion claims as the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, Allianz Commercial writes in a new report. The business insurance company’s analysis …

Kansas Court System Down Nearly 2 Weeks in ‘Security Incident’ that Has Hallmarks of Ransomware

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are calling a massive computer outage that’s kept most of the state’s courts offline for two weeks a “security incident” and, while they had not provided an explanation as of Wednesday, experts say it …

Ransomware Criminals Aiming at Third-Party Vendors in Hunt for ‘Big Game’

Ransomware victims have become less likely to pay extortion demands, but cyber criminals are changing their tactics by hitting third-party vendors and using data exfiltration instead of encryption when making ransom demands, according to a new report by cyber insurer …

MGM Hackers Waited for Days Before Issuing Their Ransom Demands

MGM Resorts International Chief Executive Officer Bill Hornbuckle chose not pay a ransom to hackers who broke into his casino chain’s computer system because they didn’t ask for money until well after the company discovered the attack. The intruders moved …

Casino Giant MGM Expects $100M Hit from Hack that Led to Data Breach

MGM Resorts International said on Thursday a cyberattack last month that disrupted its operations would cause a $100 million hit to its third-quarter results, as it works to restore its systems. One of the world’s largest gambling firms, MGM shut …

Attacks on Casino Giants Heralds Resurgence in Ransomware Demands

Cyberattacks on MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment last week show that ransomware gangs continue to be a major threat and are using more sophisticated strategies to break into private computer networks. GuyCarpenter reported Wednesday that a cybercrime group called …

Hackers who Breached Casino Giants MGM, Caesars also Hit 3 Other Firms, Okta Says

Hackers who breached casino giants MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment in recent weeks also broke into the systems of three other companies in the manufacturing, retail, and technology space, a security executive familiar with the matter said. David Bradbury, …