Man Accused of SQL Injection Hacking Gets 69-Month Prison Sentence
The US Justice Department has announced the sentencing of 32-year-old Vitalii Antonenko, a man accused of hacking, credit card theft, and money laundering. Antonenko, a resident of New York City, was arrested in March 2019 after returning from Ukraine. An indictment accusing him of participating in a cybercrime scheme was announced one year later. The man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in computer hacking, money laundering, and trafficking in stolen payment card information in September 2024. Last week, Antonenko was sentenced to 69 months and 18 days in prison, but since he has been detained since 2019 he will be released 10 days after sentencing.
Recorded Future Tagged as ‘Undesirable’ in Russia
The Russian government has tagged Mastercard-owned Recorded Future as an undesirable organization, accusing the U.S. firm of participating in the collection and analysis of data on the actions of its military operations. A note from Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office accused Recorded Future of providing Ukrainian specialists with free access to programs used to prepare and conduct offensive information operations against Russia. Recorded Future chief executive Christopher Ahlberg, who has made no secret of his company’s support for Ukraine, welcomed the designation. “Some things in life are rare compliments. This being one,” Ahlberg said in a post on the X social media site.
Texas Tech University System data breach impacts 1.4 million patients
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and its El Paso counterpart suffered a cyberattack that disrupted computer systems and applications, potentially exposing the data of 1.4 million patients. The organization is a public, academic health institution that is part of the Texas Tech University System, which educates and trains healthcare professionals, conducts medical research, and provides patient care services. The organization announced that, in September 2024, it suffered a cyberattack involving sensitive data theft.
How to Lose a Fortune with Just One Bad Click
Adam Griffin is still in disbelief over how quickly he was robbed of nearly $500,000 in cryptocurrencies. A scammer called using a real Google phone number to warn his Gmail account was being hacked, sent email security alerts directly from google.com, and ultimately seized control over the account by convincing him to click “yes” to a Google prompt on his mobile device. Griffin is a battalion chief firefighter in the Seattle area, and on May 6 he received a call from someone claiming they were from Google support saying his account was being accessed from Germany. A Google search on the phone number calling him — (650) 203-0000 — revealed it was an official number for Google Assistant, an AI-based service that can engage in two-way conversations.
US reportedly mulls TP-Link router ban over national security risk
The Feds may ban the sale of TP-Link routers in the US over ongoing national security concerns about Chinese-made devices being used in cyberattacks. Three federal departments — Commerce, Defense, and Justice — have opened investigations into the router manufacturer, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing “people familiar with the matter.” Plus, a Commerce Department office has reportedly subpoenaed TP-Link. The Register reached out to TP-Link and and the Justice as well as Commerce Departments but thus far, all have declined comment. We will update this story if and when we hear back from them.
Microsoft won’t let customers opt out of passkey push
Microsoft last week lauded the success of its efforts to convince customers to use passkeys instead of passwords, without actually quantifying that success. The software megalith credits passkey adoption to its enrolment user experience, or UX, which owes its unspecified uptake to unavoidable passkey solicitations – sometimes referred to as “nudges.” “We’re implementing logic that determines how often to show a nudge so as not to overwhelm users, but we don’t let them permanently opt out of passkey invitations,” explained Sangeeta Ranjit, group product manager, and Scott Bingham, principal product manager, in a blog post.
