cybercrime -Mobile
FREE NEWS LINKS
HOME
SEARCH
Updates & changes ongoing ....
---- Although this site is https-secure, we cannot guarantee that it or any
provided links are safe; be sure your antivirus and other security systems
are up to date.
Also see: Internet; net neutrality;
tariffs; trade;
Jump to: 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019;
Cybercrime,
or computer oriented crime, is crime that involves a
computer
and a
network.[1]
The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the
target.[2]
Cybercrimes can be defined as: "Offences that are committed against individuals
or groups of individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the
reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm, or loss, to the
victim directly or indirectly, using modern telecommunication networks such as
Internet (networks including but not limited to Chat rooms, emails, notice
boards and groups) and mobile phones (Bluetooth/SMS/MMS)".[3]
Cybercrime may threaten a person or a nation's security and financial health.[4]
Issues surrounding these types of crimes have become high-profile, particularly
those surrounding
hacking,
copyright infringement,
unwarranted mass-surveillance,
sextortion,
child pornography, and
child grooming
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybercrime
-- 2016 --
September 27: Trump’s Incoherent Ideas About
‘the Cyber’
... we had to get very, very tough on cyber and cyber warfare. It is a huge
problem. I have a son—he’s 10 years old. He has computers. He is so good with
these computers. It’s unbelievable. The security aspect of cyber is very, very
tough. And maybe, it's hardly doable. But I will say, we are not doing the job
we should be doing. But that’s true throughout our whole governmental society.
We have so many things that we have to do better ... And certainly cyber is one
of them.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/09/trumps-incoherent-ideas-about-the-cyber/501839/
December 12: The Kremlin Gloats Over Trump’s
CIA Tantrum
Nobody in Moscow is admitting Putin or his minions ordered attacks on the U.S.
elections, but the Kremlin is pleased as punch with the result.
The news that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called CIA claims about Russia’s
involvement in the election process “ridiculous” was cause for celebration in
Russia.
“Finally, the U.S. president does not trust CIA!” exclaimed one of Trump’s many
Russian fans.
Authorities, who just a few weeks ago were busy training people to
hide in bunkers in case the Americans dropped nuclear bombs, now applauded
the U.S. president-elect and welcomed his
incoming administration’s “dream team.”
To Moscow officials every step Trump takes, including his
harsh criticism of the Central Intelligence Agency, sounds like a victory
for President Vladimir Putin.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-kremlin-gloats-over-trumps-cia-tantrum
-- 2017 --
January 18:
How Trump talks about tech ... Much
hacking,” our “cyber world,” and “the computer that picks up a phone”
Sometimes it’s funny to watch our elders try to navigate the technological
world. But when that person is Donald Trump, the man who will soon be
responsible for making sure the United States is on the forefront of cybersecurity, it doesn’t feel like a laughing matter.
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/3kp3q3/how-donald-trump-talks-about-tech
February 9: Trump's Cybersecurity Chief
Could Be a 'Voice of Reason'
"He understands the tensions and tradeoffs between security and not stifling
innovation, not attacking civil liberties," says [Atlantic Council cybersecurity
policy expert Josh Corman]. "His questions showed someone who understands the
complexities."
https://www.wired.com/2017/02/tom-bossert-trump-cybersecurity/
March 30: Trump extends Obama executive
order on cyberattacks
The ability to sanction cybercriminals will last for at least one more year
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3186585/cybercrime-hacking/trump-extends-obama-executive-order-on-cyberattacks.html
June 22:
Experts Suspect Russia Is Using Ukraine As A Cyberwar Testing Ground ...
Ukraine has been the victim of a "cyber-assault unlike any the world has
ever seen." Cybersecurity experts think Russia is perfecting attacks that
could be used on the U.S.
https://www.npr.org/2017/06/22/533951389/experts-suspect-russia-is-using-ukraine-as-a-cyberwar-testing-ground
June 27: Huge 'Petya' ransomware attack
hits Europe, sparks mass disruption
Company and government officials reported serious intrusions at the
Ukrainian power grid, banks and government offices, where one senior
official posted a photo of a darkened computer screen and the words, “the
whole network is down.” Flights were also disrupted as
systems in Kiev’s Boryspil Airport were affected by the 'Petya'
ransomware.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/06/27/huge-ransomware-attack-hits-europe-sparks-mass-disruption.html
July 9:
Trump's cyber tweets cause dismay,
confusion
Twelve hours apart, two tweets about Russia get everyone talking.
President Donald Trump floated, then seemingly disavowed, a deal for greater
cybersecurity cooperation with Russia -- an idea that drew dismay and mockery
from lawmakers of both parties, and which numerous cyber analysts warned could
even make the U.S. less secure.
Trump
cryptically declared on Twitter early Sunday that he and Russian President
Vladimir Putin had “discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so
that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded … and
safe.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/09/trump-russia-cyber-experts-240340
July 10: The life and death of Trump's
'cyber security unit' plan with Putin ... Donald Trump's plan to work with
Russia's Vladimir Putin on
cybersecurity died an unceremonious death, ending in under 140 characters
roughly 12 hours after the US President last defended it.
The abrupt move signaled once again that Trump has no qualms about changing his
mind when a policy position brings the White House critical coverage, and in the
process undermining some of his top staff and Cabinet members.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/10/politics/trump-ends-cyber-security-plan-putin/index.html
August 18: Statement by President Donald J.
Trump on the Elevation of Cyber Command ... I have directed that United States
Cyber Command be elevated to the status of a Unified Combatant Command focused
on cyberspace operations.
This new Unified Combatant Command will strengthen our cyberspace operations and
create more opportunities to improve our Nation’s defense. The elevation of
United States Cyber Command demonstrates our increased resolve against
cyberspace threats and will help reassure our allies and partners and deter our
adversaries.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-donald-j-trump-elevation-cyber-command/
August 18: Trump approves Obama-era plan for
a more independent US Cyber Command
https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/18/trump-approves-obama-era-plan-for-a-more-independent-us-cyber-command/
August 26: Trump Cybersecurity Advisors
Resign, Citing His 'Insufficient Attention' to Threats
A quarter of the members of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, whose
purview includes national cybersecurity, have resigned. In a group resignation
letter, they cited both specific shortfalls in the administration’s approach to
cybersecurity, and broader concerns that Trump and his administration have
undermined the “moral infrastructure” of the U.S.
http://fortune.com/2017/08/26/trump-cybersecurity-advisors-resign/
September 7:
Equifax Says Cyberattack May Have Affected 143 Million in the
U.S. ...
The attack on the company represents one of the largest risks to personally
sensitive information in recent years,
and is the third major cybersecurity threat for the agency since 2015.
Equifax, based in Atlanta, is a particularly tempting target for
hackers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/business/equifax-cyberattack.html
October 4: Donald Trump 'ordered hackers to
launch cyber-warfare' against North Korea ... Hackers working for US Cyber
Command targeted North Korea’s military spy agency, the Reconnaissance General
Bureau, according to the Washington Post.
It has been claimed the US bombarded the spy agency's computer servers with so
much traffic it eventually blocked their Internet access.
The Cyber Command operation was part of the overall campaign set in motion many
months ago and the effects were temporary and not destructive.
A senior administration official said: “What I can tell you is that North Korea
has itself been guilty of cyber attacks and we are going to take appropriate
measures to defend our networks and systems.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/862289/world-war-3-donald-trump-ordered-cyber-attacks-against-north-korea-spy-agency
October 17: The Trump team has failed to
address the nation’s mounting cybersecurity threats
https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/17/the-trump-team-has-failed-to-address-the-nations-mounting-cybersecurity-threats/
October 19: Frustrated senators demand cyber
war strategy from Trump ... Lawmakers are growing impatient with the Trump
administration on the issue of cyber war, saying the United States lacks a clear
policy for responding to attacks.
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/356269-frustrated-senators-demand-cyber-war-strategy-from-trump
November 2: Trump signs cybercrime bill ...
“I’d like to thank President Trump for his strong support of my bill to ensure
our state and local law enforcement officials are properly equipped to address
and prosecute crimes in the 21st century – because we’re now in an era where
almost every case involves some sort of digital evidence,” said Rep. John
Ratcliffe (R-Texas), who introduced the bill earlier this year.
“At the end of the day, gaining the upper hand against cyber criminals will make
our nation safer, and I’m glad that this critical piece of legislation has been
signed into law to do just that," he continued.
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/358511-trump-signs-cyber-crime-bill
November 14: Trump Jr. May Have Violated
Computer Fraud Law, Cyber Crime Expert Says
A report in The Atlantic Monday night featured Twitter exchanges
between Donald Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks during President Donald
Trump‘s campaign. The private messages were turned over to a
congressional investigation by the younger Trump’s lawyers, and then
posted
online by Don Jr. himself. Now, a respected law professor believes they
could be evidence that he broke the law.
https://lawandcrime.com/legal-analysis/trump-jr-may-have-violated-computer-fraud-law-cyber-crime-expert-says/
November 14: Trump administration releases
rules on disclosing cyber flaws
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-rules/trump-administration-releases-rules-on-disclosing-cyber-flaws-idUSKBN1DF0A0
November 21: Hacker targets Sacramento
Regional Transit, deletes 30 million files in ransomware attack
The first sign of trouble came at about 6 p.m. local time on Saturday when
the organization’s website was defaced. Visitors to the site were taken to a
Google page displaying a note from the attacker. “I’m sorry to modify the
home page, i’m good hacker, i I just want to help you fix these
vulnerability. This is one of the loopholes, modify the home page ..,” it
said, according to the
Sacramento Bee.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/11/21/hacker-targets-sacramento-regional-transit-deletes-30-million-files-in-ransomware-attack.html
December 6: Scary ransomware attacks
famous North Carolina county
A major ransomware attack has forced the shutdown of a host of IT systems at
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Officials confirmed late Wednesday that they will not pay the ransom to
unlock many of the county's applications that have been frozen since
Monday.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/12/06/scary-ransomware-attacks-famous-north-carolina-county.html
December 18: Trump: Cybersecurity is a
national defense priority ... In a strategy document, the White House calls for
stronger defenses against hackers from criminal enterprises and places like
Russia, China and Iran.
https://www.cnet.com/news/donald-trump-national-security-cybersecurity-hacking-russia-china-iran/
December 19: President Donald Trump’s
administration is publicly blaming North Korea for a
ransomware attack that infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide
in May and crippled parts of Britain’s National Health Service.
Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert
wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Monday night that North Korea
was “directly responsible” for the WannaCry ransomware attack and that Pyongyang
will be held accountable for it.
https://nypost.com/2017/12/19/trump-administration-blames-north-korea-for-wannacry-cyber-attack/
-- 2018 --
January 10:
Mueller adds DOJ cybercrime prosecutor
to his team ... Ryan Dickey, a senior lawyer in the
Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, has been
detailed to Mueller’s team since early November
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/10/russia-special-counsel-mueller-adds-cybercrime-prosecutor-276499
January 16: Pentagon Suggests Countering
Devastating Cyberattacks With Nuclear Arms
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/16/us/politics/pentagon-nuclear-review-cyberattack-trump.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=1DEF89CDE7369BC8B3F0BCC4360C5313&gwt=pay
January 28: National security threats in
year one of Trump administration: Cyber security, lone wolves ... The U.S. is
now less worried about
large-scale terrorist attacks than it has been since before 9/11. That fear
has been increasingly supplanted by concerns about lone wolves and individuals
inspired by
"jihadist propaganda" on the internet, CBS News national security
analyst Fran Townsend told CBSN's Elaine Quijano on "Red and Blue."
Townsend characterized the threat of lone wolf attacks in the United States as
"immediate" but said that the U.S. also needs to watch for other evolving
threats like proliferation
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-of-the-union-national-security-year-one-trump-administration-analysis-lone-wolves-cyber-security-lone-wolves/
January 30:
Trump expected to tap Army cyber
warfare chief to lead NSA
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/30/trump-nsa-cyber-warfare-379207
February 2: NORTH Korea has beaten the odds
to become a giant of hacking, despite having one of the least sophisticated
internet infrastructures in the world.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/913712/North-Korea-latest-Kim-Jong-un-cyber-attack-elite-hackers-trained-in-China
February 8:
Peter Strzok, an
FBI agent who led its investigation into the 2016
White House
race prior to being removed for allegedly expressing animosity towards President
Trump,
repeatedly complained about quality of the bureau’s cyber division in newly
released text messages.
Mr. Strzok
referred to the FBI’s Cyber Division as dysfunctional and “broken” in a series
of texts sent to
FBI attorney
Lisa Page and
released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
on Wednesday amid the panel’s investigation into the criminal probe conducted
during the 2016 race against
Mr. Trump’s
rival, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, over her use of a private email
server while secretary of state.
“CyD is WILDLY disfunctional [sic]. I mean really bad. They can do individual
investigations but there is NO coherent program management,”
Mr. Strzok
wrote in text dated Dec. 5, 2015.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/feb/8/peter-strzok-fbi-agent-complained-bureaus-broken-c/
February 8: International cyber crime ring
smashed after more than $530 million stolen ... US authorities have indicted 36
people for stealing more than $530 million from victims across the world in one
of the "largest cyberfraud enterprises ever prosecuted."
In a statement, US investigators claimed the accused were taking part in a
massive operation known as the Infraud Organization, which stole and then sold
other people's personal information, including credit card and banking
information.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/08/world/us-cyber-crime-ring-arrests-intl/index.html
February 27: The deputy attorney general of
the U.S. said Tuesday that the government is working on a "comprehensive
strategy" around cryptocurrencies.
https://www.coindesk.com/trump-justice-department-rosenstein-crypto-strategy/
March 15:
The Trump
administration accused Russia on Thursday of
engineering a series of cyberattacks that targeted American and European nuclear
power plants and water and
electric systems, and could have sabotaged
or shut power plants
off at will.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/russia-cyberattacks.html
March 16: US accuses Russia of cyber attacks
on power grid
Russia has attempted to attack targets that include "energy, nuclear, commercial
facilities, water, aviation, and critical manufacturing sectors" since March
2016, DHS said.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/politics/dhs-fbi-russia-power-grid/index.html
March 21: Teenager Who Hacked Ledger
Hardware Wallet Says Devices Still Vulnerable
Cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer
Ledger
continues to refute claims its devices can be hacked after a teenager
compromised them, Ars Technica
reports today, March 21.
After British 15-year-old Saleem Rashid
created code to ‘backdoor’ Ledger’s wallets in November 2017, the company
released posts
describing the events as “NOT critical” and
said possible attacks “cannot extract the private keys or the seed.”
Rashid then refuted the claims on
social media and a
post on his personal blog entitled “Breaking the Ledger Security Model”
March 20, stating he could still “autonomously extract the root private key once
the user unlocks the device” and use to it instigate manipulation of destination
addresses for transactions.
The argument puts pressure on both Ledger and its millions of users, who had
until now broadly accepted the company’s claims its wallets were 100% secure.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/teenager-who-hacked-ledger-hardware-wallet-says-devices-still-vulnerable-devs-deny
March 22: City of Atlanta hit by ransomware
attack
“The City of Atlanta is currently experiencing outages on various internal and
customer facing applications, including some applications that customers use to
pay bills or access court-related information,” a spokesperson for the city
explained, in a statement emailed to Fox News.
Atlanta’s Information Management team is working with Microsoft to resolve the
issue, according to the city. “We are confident that our team of technology
professionals will be able to restore applications soon,” it added. “Our City
website, Atlantaga.gov,
remains accessible and we will provide updates as we receive them.”
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/03/22/city-atlanta-hit-by-ransomware-attack.html
April 3: Money laundering and corruption
scandals haunt Latvia as its president meets Trump at the White House
When President Donald Trump hosts the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia
at the White House on Tuesday, the principal topic will be the growing spectre
of Russian aggression against NATO allies in Eastern Europe.
Another national security concern, however, is likely to cast a shadow over U.S.
relations with one of the visiting countries: Latvia's apparent failure to
curtail widespread money laundering and corruption in the nation's banking
sector.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/03/trump-news-latvia-history-of-money-laundering-corruption.html
April 8: Hackers hit Iran with US flag and
'Don't mess with our elections' warning
The Iranian government on Saturday said hackers attacked networks in multiple
countries-- including data centers in Iran-- where they left the image of an
American flag along with a warning “Don’t mess with our elections.”
It remains unclear who carried out the attack. No data was reportedly lost and
the hack was defused within hours. The Iranian ministry said the hack affected
Europe, India, and the United States, according to state television.
“Some 55,000 devices were affected in the United States and 14,000 in China, and
Iran’s share of affected devices was 2 percent,” Iran’s IT minister was quoted
as saying by state television, Reuters reported.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/04/09/hackers-hit-iran-with-us-flag-and-dont-mess-with-our-elections-warning.html
May 10: Bolton pushes to abolish White House
cyber role as Dems fear foreign hackers
The Trump administration's national security team is considering eliminating the
top White House cybersecurity job -- a decision that would likely rankle
Democrats, many of whom fear possible foreign interference in the upcoming
midterm elections.
The possible changes come as a surprise as Bolton has been considered a
supporter of a more vigorous cybersecurity strategy that targets enemies of the
U.S. Earlier this year, he urged the White House to do more to counter the
Russian threat,
saying "it is not enough, however, to file criminal charges against Russian
citizens, nor are economic sanctions anywhere near sufficient to prove our
displeasure."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/10/bolton-pushes-to-abolish-white-house-cyber-role-as-dems-fear-foreign-hackers.html
October 27:
The Russia Investigations: The U.S. Launches A Digital Offensive — Gently
https://www.npr.org/2018/10/27/661149098/the-russia-investigations-the-u-s-launches-a-digital-offensive-gently
November 22:
Interpol's new chief: the 'bulldozer' with a taste for tackling cybercrime
Kim Jong-yang likely to refocus organisation and popularise South Korean police
tactics known as ‘K-cop wave’
The election of South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang as
president of Interpol after months of scandal will likely see the
organisation return to its core mission, as delegates chose a career cop over
Kremlin insider Alexander Prokopchuk.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/nov/22/interpols-new-chief-the-bulldozer-with-a-taste-for-tackling-cybercrime
November 30: Marriott says breach of
Starwood guest database compromised info of up to 500 million
The breach could potentially be one of the largest in history, behind the
hacking of about 3 billion Yahoo accounts.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/marriott-says-data-breach-compromised-info-500-million-guests-n942041
December 14: U.S. Tech Giant Cloudflare
Provides Cybersecurity For At Least 7 Terror Groups
Among its customers are the Taliban, al-Shabab and Hamas.
In the United States, it’s
a crime to knowingly provide tangible or intangible “material
support” — including communications
equipment — to a designated foreign terrorist organization or to
provide
service
to an OFAC-sanctioned entity without special permission. Cloudflare, which is
not authorized by the OFAC to do business with such organizations, has been
informed on multiple occasions, dating back to at least 2012, that it is
shielding terrorist groups behind its network, and it continues to do so.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cloudflare-cybersecurity-terrorist-groups_us_5c127778e4b0835fe3277f2f
December 19: The US justice department has
indicted two Chinese men accused of hacking into the computer networks of
companies and government agencies in Western countries.
The pair are allegedly part of a "hacking group" known as Advanced Persistent
Threat 10, affiliated with China's main intelligence service. ... They have
not been arrested.
The US and UK have accused China of violating an agreement relating to
commercial espionage.
Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong worked for a company called Huaying Haitai and in
association with the Chinese Ministry of State Security, the US court filing
says.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46638323
-- 2019 --
Webpage visitor counts provided by
copyr 2018 trump-news-history.com, Minneapolis, MN