Paying off the ransom. City officials at Riviera Beach, Fl. decided to pay a hacker 65 bitcoins, the equivalent of $600,000, to regain access to the city’s computer systems, which were compromised by the hacker. CNN reports that the city’s troubles began when an “employee clicked on a malicious email link three weeks ago.”
Oregon’s big data breach. Oregon’s Department of Human Services notified 645,000 people that their personal data was compromised in a data breach, reported KTVC in central Oregon. Hackers were able to compromise the department’s computers via a phishing attack. “Nine employees opened the phishing email and clicked on an Internet link that gave the sender access to their email accounts,” the report said.
That’s not a real Department of Homeland Security message. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is urging the public to be on the lookout for shady emails appearing to be sent by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “The email campaign uses a spoofed email address to appear like a National Cyber Awareness System (NCAS) alert and lure targeted recipients into downloading malware through a malicious attachment,” the DHS said in a notice.
Phishing comes to Google Calendar. Security firm Kaspersky said that its researchers discovered a phishing scam that targets Google Calendar users. “The fraud occurs when the perpetrator sends an unsolicited calendar invitation carrying a link to a phishing URL,” Kaspersky said. “A pop-up notification of the invitation appears on the smartphone’s home screen, and the recipient is encouraged to click on the link.”