Tag Archives: Data and computer security | The Guardian

A shadowy hacker group brought the British Library to its knees. Is there any way to stop them? | Lamorna Ash

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The future of cybercrime resembles an arms race between an industry of hackers-for-hire and the UK’s weak defences

It is not quite accurate to say that the cyber-attack against the British Library took place on 28 October 2023. Most probably, Rhysida, the hacker gang that orchestrated the attack and is thought to be Russian, had already been creeping undetected through the digital territories of the British Library for months, Enrico Mariconti, a lecturer in security and crime science at UCL, told me.

Once it broke through to the library’s virtual private network (VPN) – the remote connection that allows employees to access its network from any location – it could in theory start making its way through locked door after locked door of the library’s many online systems, trawling until it discovered emails and documents containing details such as employees’ passport scans and work contracts. It hoped these documents might tempt a single bidder to pay 20 bitcoins (about £600,000) for privileged access to all that personal information.

Lamorna Ash is the author of Dark, Salt, Clear: Life in a Cornish Fishing Town

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Dozens in Jordan targeted by authorities using NSO spyware, report finds

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Findings suggest Jordan is relying on cyberweapon to quash dissent and its use is ‘staggeringly widespread’

About three dozen journalists, lawyers and human rights workers in Jordan have been targeted by authorities using powerful spyware made by Israel’s NSO Group amid a broad crackdown on press freedoms and political participation, according to a report by the lobbying group Access Now.

The information suggests the Jordanian government has used the Israeli cyberweapon against members of civil society, including at least one American citizen living in Jordan, between 2019 and September 2023.

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Football Australia data leak exposes players’ contracts, fans’ personal details

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  • Australian players, every fan and FA customer potentially affected
  • Cybersecurity breach has been traced back to early 2022

Passports, player contracts and more have been available online for almost two years due to a Football Australia (FA) data breach which cyber security researchers say includes information on every Australian fan and customer of the governing body.

Lithuanian group Cybernews detected the leak and informed the FA, allowing football officials to plug the hole before the issue was made public on Thursday morning.

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Digital afterlife – how to deal with social media accounts when someone dies

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Deciding what to do with a dead friend or relative’s online presence is complicated and time-consuming but there are shortcuts

Gavin Blomeley was lucky his mother was incredibly organised before she died. She left a note that included the passcode to her phone and access to all her online passwords.

“I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult this could have gotten not having these passwords or knowing this note with all of her passwords existed,” Blomeley says.

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Slash your overdraft costs and get ‘free’ cash: how to get your bank and savings into shape

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Switch to a better current account, revive your Isa and pick a savings best buy to make the most of your money

Authorised overdraft costs can vary dramatically. Many banks have overdraft calculators on their websites, so log on and compare what your bank charges versus what you would be charged if you took your custom elsewhere. But can you switch your current account if you are overdrawn? The answer is yes, says the Current Account Switch Service (Cass). However, you will need to agree any overdraft you require with your new bank. Alternatively, they may be able to provide facilities to help you pay off your existing overdraft.

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Hackers break into Victorian court recordings database

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Court Service Victoria says it will notify those captured on recordings of hearings of the breach

Victoria’s court system has been hit by a cyber-attack, with hackers accessing several weeks of recorded court and tribunal hearings.

Court Services Victoria (CSV) was first made aware of the attack on 21 December but it is believed the audio-visual technology network was first compromised on 1 November.

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Hackers steal customer data from Europe’s largest parking app operator

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Owner of RingGo and ParkMobile says data including parts of credit card numbers taken in cyber-attack

Europe’s largest parking app operator has reported itself to information regulators in the EU and UK after hackers stole customer data.

EasyPark Group, the owner of brands including RingGo and ParkMobile, said customer names, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses and parts of credit card numbers had been taken, but insisted parking data had not been compromised in the cyber-attack.

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St Vincent’s Health Australia says data stolen in cyberattack

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Hospital and aged care operator says cyberattack was first detected Tuesday and is investigating what data has been accessed

St Vincent’s – Australia’s largest not-for-profit health and aged care provider – has confirmed it has fallen victim to a cyber-attack and hackers have stolen some of its data.

In a statement, St Vincent’s Health Australia confirmed it began responding to a cybersecurity incident on Tuesday. It discovered late on Thursday that data had been stolen.

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Australia news live: Reserve Bank to deliver year’s last interest rates decision as economists tip no change

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Poll finds 28 of 30 economists expect central bank to keep cash rate steady at 4.35%. Follow the day’s news live

Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of the main stories you need to know about this morning before my colleague Emily Wind comes along.

Thousands of Westpac customers across the country were unable to access their accounts online or use their cards overnight after an outage struck the bank last night. The company says all is now well, but it will crank up concerns about the safety of online systems after last month’s Optus crash. The bank said last night that the problem occurred during a “routine technology update”.

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Rhysida, the new ransomware gang behind British Library cyber-attack

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Gang thought to be from Russia or CIS has attacked companies and institutions in several countries

A new name was added to the cyber-rogues’ gallery of ransomware gangs this week after a criminal group called Rhysida claimed responsibility for an attack on the British Library.

The library confirmed that personal data stolen in a cyber-attack last month has appeared for sale online.

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