Discord is taking a turn into the dark alley and the users have no clue, Japan is at the epicenter of state-run cyber attacks, and much more is to be revealed in our weekly news roundup for you. Let us show you the real sharks underwater.
Discord Has a Cool Interface but Falls behind in Security
Like many other malicious hacking groups that have awesome names, TroubleGrabber is another one that has been targeting Discord users, and more precisely gamers, via drive-by download. The so called “TroubleGrabber” malware is guilty of grabbing user credentials and private information.
We’re going to take a stab at this, but we think the people behind TroubleGrabber might be pro gamers too like the Discord gamers they target. In fact, we think they’re taking revenge from gamers who are using specific Discord servers and channels. Just a shot in the dark. Anything can happen in this world. Why on earth would someone steal Discord credentials when all you do is talk and video chat on that platform?
This is the reason why we suggest using a Discord alternative and discover privacy-friendly video-calling apps that are available online. The App Stores are flooded with chat apps.
What’s our tip for a guy, maybe you, who couldn’t leave Discord? Only send private invitations to your friends, known gamers, or loved ones. It will reduce your chances of getting in the mud of Discord hackers. But we get it, it is super hard to encourage you to pick an alternative when you are in love with Discord (I use it too but I didn’t say this out loud).
The United States is a Soft Target for Ransomware Attacks
It’s out in the open now! Cyberattackers breached Mercy Iowa City Hospital and gained access to private medical information of more than 60,000 patients, which is insane. Fortunately for them, the attackers didn’t steal anything or threaten anyone for a ransom. But this just shows how large medical organizations neglect online security.
All it takes is one employee, on his bad day, who unknowingly gives away his/her credentials and attackers can rattle in to get what they want or end up threatening the entire network.
If you are reading this weekly roundup for the first time, then spoiler alert, we have been sharing “Ransomware Attacks on Hospitals” news for many weeks now. The scary part in this one is some patients received a range of scam calls after this cyberattack. Fortunately, the hospital officials responded quickly.
We know what happens to companies and organizations who ignore basic security protocols and don’t invest in privacy tools. We have been there and avoided that. Now, our mission is to make you, internet users and organizations, aware that they should care about cybersecurity because these sort of cyberattackers are ruthlessly efficient.
China vs. Japan
No, we are not talking about an Olympic game here. We’re raising awareness on state-backed cyberattacks, which is fairly common nowadays. A Chinese spying group that goes by the name of APT10 or Red Apollo has been accused of targeting numerous Japanese organizations using Zerologon vulnerability. This has been happening since last year, starting from October 2019 till now.
Moreover, there is no way to track the attacker’s vicious moves and they can stay active for weeks or even months inside your domain when it comes to the Zerologon attack. That’s creepy and sounds personal! But we are going out on a limb here to suggest that these attacks may not be state-run, and in fact, are being executed by a group which may or may not be in China.
We hate spreading misinformation and we don’t take sides either.
A Cyberattack on Manchester United Football Club
What does football (soccer, for you US folk) have to do with cybersecurity? We hate to be the one to say: I told you so! Better be safe than sorry!
In our previous weekly roundups, we shared how cyberattackers are like bloodhounds and sniff out weak security systems. They attack hospitals, election databases, education sectors, and whatnot. Now, a football club has had to alert the British authorities and the Information Commissioner’s Office about a sophisticated cyberattack. For real.
Although the English football club, Manchester United, is worth billions, the cyberattackers didn’t grab any important information related to the directors, players, or fans (that’s what the club officials said anyway, but who knows).
I imagine the "sophisticated cyber attack" that hit Manchester United began life something like this. pic.twitter.com/RrSOndWWWc
— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) November 21, 2020
And There’s More…
A cyberattack on Mitsubishi Electric, a Japanese company, recently compromised over 8,000 accounts. Even though the company experienced a cyberattack earlier in January, there was no strong security system in place to block another cyberattack. Also, these aforementioned attacks and the ones we discuss every week are just the tip of the iceberg.
On a related (and sad) note, we know the online world is vulnerable and prone to cyberattacks but we should be aware about it in the first place. Knowing is the first step. So, read and learn.
That’s why we, the PureVengers, take a very direct approach toward mitigating such cyberattacks and empower internet users like you to be smart, or we can say, cybersmart.
Sameed Ajax
November 24, 2022
1 year ago
