All internet service providers in US must block 3 pirate streaming sites, federal judge rules
A federal judge in New York City has ordered every internet service provider in the United States to block three pirate streaming services that are rebroadcasting copyrighted Israeli shows in this country. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York issued default judgments and permanent injunctions last week against streaming services Israel.tv, Israeli-tv.com and Sdarot.tv, report Ars Technica, TorrentFreak and TechDirt. According to TorrentFreak, the orders “not only break new ground in the United States but might also represent one of the most significant anti-piracy wins of the century.” The articles noted that, about a decade ago, Congress rejected the Stop Online Piracy Act, which would have authorized court orders requiring ISPs to block pirate websites. Now, Failla “has demonstrated that the ability to block sites has been available all along,” TorrentFreak reports.
Costa Rica declares national emergency after Conti ransomware attacks
The Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has declared a national emergency following cyber attacks from Conti ransomware group on multiple government bodies. BleepingComputer also observed Conti published most of the 672 GB dump that appears to contain data belonging to the Costa Rican government agencies. The declaration was signed into law by Chaves on Sunday, May 8th, same day as the economist and former Minister of Finance effectively became the country’s 49th and current president.
Common LinkedIn scams: Beware of phishing attacks and fake job offers
Job hunting is hard work, a kind of full-time job in itself. It requires focus and patience to go from one job posting to another and fill out endless forms, perhaps to the point of causing emotional distress – and still with no actual job offer in sight. Social networking platforms like LinkedIn seek to alleviate the most onerous tasks, making it easy for job seekers to stay on top of their job search and possibly even helping some of them get their foot in the door at their dream company. Recruiters, meanwhile, have an easier time finding the best candidates, among other benefits. But partly because this is such an immersive process, especially for the jobless, many people may also be more susceptible to scams. To be sure, all social media platforms are breeding ground for fraud. One thing makes LinkedIn somewhat special, however, is its public perception as a safe place, a professional environment where we can drop our guards.
‘Once they have access to your screen, they have complete control’. Watch out for these screen-sharing scams
Cyber criminals are stealing millions by luring victims into investment scams and then using remote screen-sharing software to steal money, bank details and other personal information. According to research by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the number of screen-sharing scams has almost doubled over the course of a year – and almost half of investors wouldn’t be able to identify that they’re being duped by one. That’s resulted in over £25 million in losses in the UK alone. Many of the attacks target potential investors – including those looking to invest in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency – because if cyber criminals can successfully trick these high-value targets into falling for scams, they can steal significant amounts of money in one go.
Ukraine war spurs U.S. to ramp up security probe of software maker Kaspersky
The Biden administration ramped up a national security probe into Russia’s AO Kaspersky Lab antivirus software earlier this year amid heightened fears of Russian cyberattacks after Moscow invaded Ukraine, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The case was referred to the Commerce Department by the Department of Justice last year, a fourth person said, but Commerce made little progress on it until the White House and other administration officials urged them to move forward in March, the three people added. At issue is the risk that the Kremlin could use the antivirus software, which has privileged access to a computer’s systems, to steal sensitive information from American computers or tamper with them as tensions escalate between Moscow and the West.
Illinois college, hit by ransomware attack, to shut down
Lincoln College is scheduled to close its doors Friday, becoming the first U.S. institution of higher learning to shut down in part due to a ransomware attack. A goodbye note posted to the school’s website said that it survived both World Wars, the Spanish flu and the Great Depression, but was unable to handle the combination of the Covid pandemic and a severe ransomware attack in December that took months to remedy. “Lincoln College was a victim of a cyberattack in December 2021 that thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data, creating an unclear picture of Fall 2022 enrollment projections,” the school wrote in its announcement. “All systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were inoperable. Fortunately, no personal identifying information was exposed. Once fully restored in March 2022, the projections displayed significant enrollment shortfalls, requiring a transformational donation or partnership to sustain Lincoln College beyond the current semester.”