Toy maker Jakks Pacific reports cyberattack after multiple ransomware groups leak data
Toy production giant Jakks Pacific reported a cyberattack to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week after two different ransomware gangs posted stolen information to their leak site. On December 22, the company released a notice confirming it had suffered a ransomware attack on December 8 that encrypted their servers. The firm – which is one of the biggest toy companies in the world thanks to licensing deals with Disney and Nintendo – hired cybersecurity experts to deal with the incident and restore their servers. The company filed documents with the SEC in mid-December confirming the incident. “We believe that the data that was unlawfully accessed potentially includes personal information (including names, emails, addresses, taxpayer identification numbers, and banking information of affected individuals and businesses),” the company said in a statement.
Inside the call centre scam that lured vulnerable workers to Cambodia
The job advertisements were too enticing to scroll past — marketing and administration roles at a lavish casino in Cambodia, with high salaries and paid accommodation. For Nokyoong, a 26-year-old Thai single mother of three, and her cousin Neung, 40, it seemed like an incredible opportunity to make money for their family. As soon as they saw the ads on Facebook they contacted the recruitment agent, speaking multiple times to find out the details before signing up. But within a day of arriving in Cambodia’s casino capital Sihanoukville, their hopes were crushed. They found themselves locked in a crowded compound, tricked into handing over their phones and passports, and working for a Chinese-run investment scam.
Cybersecurity Leaders Outline Future Trends Ahead of Infosecurity Europe 2023
The global political unrest from this year will seep into 2023 with serious ramifications for the security industry, according to Infosecurity Europe’s community of cybersecurity leaders. However, with stricter regulations and developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), CISOs may be in a stronger position to minimise threats next year. The organisers of the Infosecurity Europe event asked its network of CISOs and analysts to comment on the major trends they foresee shaping the next 12 months in cybersecurity, categorised by themes; Human Element, Threat Vectors, Legislation and Regulation and the current news agenda.
Experts warn smart toys for children could be collecting user data that might be sold
The cool, connected toy you may have gotten your child for Christmas could be collecting their data. Experts warn that makers of smart toys could be selling that data to advertisers without you even knowing upfront. Katie Terramiggi, from New York, said she bought her daughter Audrey a Fuzzible Friend several years ago for Christmas. Audrey, now 6 years old, loved how the toy would connect with Amazon’s Alexa to communicate with her. Terramiggi explained the toy speaks in a unique language at the push of a button — and then Audrey could ask Alexa to translate what it said. But buried in the terms and conditions was a disclosure that the company, Creativity Inc., which creates Fuzzible Friends, collects anonymized information about their users and can generate transcripts of what children said.
Researcher Uncovers Potential Wiretapping Bugs in Google Home Smart Speakers
A security researcher was awarded a bug bounty of $107,500 for identifying security issues in Google Home smart speakers that could be exploited to install backdoors and turn them into wiretapping devices. The flaws “allowed an attacker within wireless proximity to install a ‘backdoor’ account on the device, enabling them to send commands to it remotely over the internet, access its microphone feed, and make arbitrary HTTP requests within the victim’s LAN,” the researcher, who goes by the name Matt, disclosed in a technical write-up published this week. In making such malicious requests, not only could the Wi-Fi password get exposed, but also provide the adversary direct access to other devices connected to the same network. Following responsible disclosure on January 8, 2021, the issues were remediated by Google in April 2021.