to cybercriminals . Kaleida Health discovered the attack on May 24 , 2017 , prompting a full investigation which involved hiring a third-party computer forensic firm . An analysis of its systems showed that by responding to the phishing email , the employee had provided accessAttack.Databreachto his/her email account . While accessAttack.Databreachto Kaleida Health ’ s EHR was not gainedAttack.Databreach, the email account contained a range of protected health information of a small subset of its patients . The types of data in the account varied for each patient , but may have included names , dates of birth , medical record numbers , diagnoses , treatment and other clinical data . However , no financial information or Social Security numbers were exposedAttack.Databreachat any time . While accessAttack.Databreachto the email account was possible , no evidence was uncovered to suggest that the emails were accessedAttack.Databreachor any protected health information was viewed or copiedAttack.Databreach. However , since the possibility of data access could not be ruled out with a high degree of certainty , all affected patients have been notified of the incident by mail . PhishingAttack.Phishinghas grown to be one of the most serious threats to healthcare organizations . As we have already seen this year , record numbers of successful W-2 phishing attacksAttack.Phishinghave been reported and many healthcare employees have fallen for these phishing scamsAttack.Phishing. Providing security awareness training to employees can help to reduce risk , although a single training session every year is no longer sufficient . Training must be an ongoing process .
As thousands of freshmen move into their dorms for the first time , there are plenty of thoughts rushing through their minds : their first time away from home , what cringey nickname they 're gon na try to make a thing , if there are any parties before orientation kicks off . One thing that probably is n't on their minds is whether they 're going to get hacked . But that 's all Carnegie Mellon University 's IT department thinks about . Back-to-school season means hordes of vulnerable computers arriving on campus . The beginning of the semester is the most vulnerable time for a campus network , and every year , with new students coming in , schools have to make sure everything runs smoothly . Carnegie Mellon 's network gets hit with 1,000 attacks a minute -- and that 's on a normal day . Cybersecurity is an increasingly important aspect of our everyday lives , with technology playing a massive role in nearly everything we do . Universities have been vulnerable to attacksAttack.Databreachin the past , with cybercriminals stealingAttack.Databreachstudent and faculty databases and hackers vandalizing university websites . Students are often targets for hackers , even before they 're officially enrolled . Considering how much money flows into a university from tuition costs , along with paying for room and board , criminals are looking to cash in on weak campus cybersecurity . A bonus for hackers : Admissions offices often hold data with private information like student Social Security numbers and addresses , as well as their families ' data from financial aid applications . PhishingAttack.Phishinghappens when hackers stealAttack.Databreachyour passwords by sendingAttack.Phishingyou links to fake websites that look likeAttack.Phishingthe real deal . It 's how Russians hacked the Democratic National Committee during the presidential election , and it 's a popular attack to use on universities as well . The latest warning , sent Monday , called out malware hidden in a document pretending to beAttack.Phishingfrom Syracuse University 's chancellor . Digging through my old emails , I found about 20 phishingAttack.Phishingwarnings that had gone out during the four years I 'd been there . Syracuse declined to comment on phishing attacksAttack.Phishingagainst the school , but in a 2016 blog post , it said the attacks were `` getting more frequent , cunning and malicious . '' The school is not alone . Duo Security , which protects more than 400 campuses , found that 70 percent of universities in the UK have fallen victim to phishing attacksAttack.Phishing. Syracuse , which uses Duo Security , fights phishing attacksAttack.Phishingwith two-factor authentication , which requires a second form of identity verification , like a code sent to your phone . But it just rolled out the feature last year . Kendra Cooley , a security analyst at Duo Security , pointed out that students are more likely to fall for phishing attacksAttack.Phishingbecause they have n't been exposed to them as frequently as working adults have . Also , cybercriminals know how to target young minds . `` You see a lot of click-bait phishing messages like celebrity gossip or free travel , '' Cooley said . All students at Carnegie Mellon are required to take a tech literacy course , in which cybersecurity is a focus , said Mary Ann Blair , the school 's chief information security officer . The school also runs monthly phishing campaignsAttack.Phishing: If a student or faculty member fallsAttack.Phishingfor the friendly trapAttack.Phishing, they 're redirected to a training opportunity . When your network is being hit with at least two phishing attemptsAttack.Phishinga day , Blair said , it 's a crucial precaution to keep students on guard . `` It 's just constantly jiggling the doorknobs to see if they 're unlocked , '' Blair said . `` A lot of it is automated attacks . '' It 's not just the thousands of new students that have university IT departments bracing for impact , it 's also their gadgets . `` All these kids are coming on campus , and you do n't know the security level of their devices , and you ca n't manage it , because it 's theirs , '' said Dennis Borin , a senior solutions architect at security company EfficientIP . A lot of university IT teams have their hands tied because they ca n't individually go to every student and scan all their computers . Borin 's company protects up to 75 campuses across the United States , and it 's always crunch time at the beginning of the semester . `` If I was on campus , I would n't let anybody touch my device , '' Borin said . `` So if somebody has malware on their device , how do you protect against an issue like that ? '' Instead of going through every single student , Borin said , his company just casts a wide net over the web traffic . If there 's any suspicious activity coming from a specific device , they 're able to send warnings to the student and kick him or her off the network when necessary . Keeping school networks safe is important for ensuring student life runs smoothly . A university that had only two people on its team reached out to EfficientIP after it suffered an attack . All of the school 's web services were down for an entire week while recovering from the attack , Borin said . Scam artists love to take advantage of timing , and the back-to-school season is a great opportunity for them . There was an influx of fake ransomware protection apps when WannaCry hitAttack.Ransom, as well as a spike in phony Pokemon Go apps stuffed with malware during the height of the game 's popularity . If there 's a massive event going on , you can bet people are flooding the market with phony apps to trickAttack.Phishingvictims into downloading viruses . A quick search for `` back to school apps '' in August found 1,182 apps that were blacklisted for containing malware or spyware , according to security firm RiskIQ . Researchers from the company scanned 120 mobile app stores , including the Google Play store , which had more than 300 blacklisted apps . They found apps for back-to-school tools ; themes and wallpapers for your device ; and some apps that promised to help you `` cheat on your exams . '' Though most of the blacklisted apps are poorly made games , others pretend to help you be a better student . Other warning signs to watch out for when it comes to sketchy apps are poorly written reviews and developers using public domain emails for contacts , Risk IQ said . For any educational apps , like Blackboard Learn , you should always check the sources and look for the official versions . New students coming to school have enough to worry about . Let 's hope a crash course in cybersecurity is enough to ensure they make it to graduation without getting hit by hacks .
PhishingAttack.Phishingtakes place when a fraudster tricksAttack.Phishingan individual into sharing sensitive information ( account numbers , Social Security numbers , login credentials , etc . ) by way of fraudulent emails , texts , or counterfeit websites . PhishingAttack.Phishingcan also enable a scammer to gain access to a computer or network so that they can install malware , such as ransomware , on a victim 's computer . Phishers are able to achieve this by spoofingAttack.Phishingthe familiar , trusted logos of established , legitimate companies . Or , they may pose asAttack.Phishinga friend or family member and are often successful in completely deludingAttack.Phishingtheir targets . In carrying out attacks , Dark Caracal uses trojanized WhatsApp and Facebook apps to try to lureAttack.Phishingusers into clicking malicious links and downloading Android malware , called Pallas , which can collect vast amounts of data . Dark Caracal targets include governments , military organizations , utilities , financial institutions , manufacturing companies and defense contractors . Stealth Mango ( Android ) and Tangelo ( iOS ) , discovered by Lookout Security Intelligence , are surveillanceware tools that target government officials , diplomats , activists and military personnel , specifically in Pakistan , Afghanistan , Iraq , India and the UAE . According to Lookout Security , “ data from U.S. , Australian , and German officials and military have been swept up in the campaign we believe is being run by members in the Pakistani military. ” Fake eFax email deceivesAttack.Phishingemail recipients by telling them they have received ‘ a new eFax ’ and that they need to click on a link button in the email to retrieve the document . The link goes to a phishing page . This is not a new attack , but has recently been spotted in emails again . Email filtering company , Mailguard , has picked upAttack.Phishinga fake E-Toll notification containing an infected .doc file . According to Mailguard , the file contains a malicious macro that will download malware to the victim ’ s computer . The notification also includes the logos of Microsoft Office and Mailguard in order to appearAttack.Phishingauthentic . It even goes as far as to claim that , “ this document is protected by MailGuard '' . DHL branding was mimickedAttack.Phishingand fake shipping notifications were sent outAttack.Phishing, asking recipients to download an attached file that contained highly destructive trojan malware . “ MEWKitAttack.Phishing” is a phishing attackAttack.Phishingthat directly steals Ethereum from users of MyEtherWallet . Using MyEtherWallet as baitAttack.Phishing, it attempts to trickAttack.PhishingEthereum investors into logging in to the bogus , cloned version of the website in order to steal their credentials . Gmail ’ s new Confidential Mode may invite link-baiting phishing attacksAttack.Phishing. According to analysis by ComputerWorld , “ Confidential Mode works by storing your email in a secure space on Google servers in the cloud . When both sender and recipient use Gmail , the email appears normal . But recipients who do not use Gmail get a link for viewing the email in a browser . The messages you send or receive via Confidential Mode are not actually email . The link is an email , but the message is an email-looking page on the internet that ’ s password-protected . Emails containing the link can , in fact , be forwarded , but only the intended recipient can successfully open the link . When someone gets one of these forwarded mails , they ’ re prompted for their Google login username and password to determine whether or not they ’ re the intended recipient . This is problematic , because it invites link-baiting phishing attacksAttack.Phishing, which could con people into revealing their login information . ” A phishing campaignAttack.Phishingtargeting Apple users seeks to dupeAttack.Phishingvictims into updating their profiles in preparation for the EU ’ s General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) policies , which go into effect on May 25 . This is just one of many scams exploiting the coming implementation of GDPR policies .
PhishingAttack.Phishingtakes place when a fraudster tricksAttack.Phishingan individual into sharing sensitive information ( account numbers , Social Security numbers , login credentials , etc . ) by way of fraudulent emails , texts , or counterfeit websites . PhishingAttack.Phishingcan also enable a scammer to gain access to a computer or network so that they can install malware , such as ransomware , on a victim 's computer . Phishers are able to achieve this by spoofingAttack.Phishingthe familiar , trusted logos of established , legitimate companies . Or , they may pose asAttack.Phishinga friend or family member and are often successful in completely deludingAttack.Phishingtheir targets . In carrying out attacks , Dark Caracal uses trojanized WhatsApp and Facebook apps to try to lureAttack.Phishingusers into clicking malicious links and downloading Android malware , called Pallas , which can collect vast amounts of data . Dark Caracal targets include governments , military organizations , utilities , financial institutions , manufacturing companies and defense contractors . Stealth Mango ( Android ) and Tangelo ( iOS ) , discovered by Lookout Security Intelligence , are surveillanceware tools that target government officials , diplomats , activists and military personnel , specifically in Pakistan , Afghanistan , Iraq , India and the UAE . According to Lookout Security , “ data from U.S. , Australian , and German officials and military have been swept up in the campaign we believe is being run by members in the Pakistani military. ” Fake eFax email deceivesAttack.Phishingemail recipients by telling them they have received ‘ a new eFax ’ and that they need to click on a link button in the email to retrieve the document . The link goes to a phishing page . This is not a new attack , but has recently been spotted in emails again . Email filtering company , Mailguard , has picked upAttack.Phishinga fake E-Toll notification containing an infected .doc file . According to Mailguard , the file contains a malicious macro that will download malware to the victim ’ s computer . The notification also includes the logos of Microsoft Office and Mailguard in order to appearAttack.Phishingauthentic . It even goes as far as to claim that , “ this document is protected by MailGuard '' . DHL branding was mimickedAttack.Phishingand fake shipping notifications were sent outAttack.Phishing, asking recipients to download an attached file that contained highly destructive trojan malware . “ MEWKitAttack.Phishing” is a phishing attackAttack.Phishingthat directly steals Ethereum from users of MyEtherWallet . Using MyEtherWallet as baitAttack.Phishing, it attempts to trickAttack.PhishingEthereum investors into logging in to the bogus , cloned version of the website in order to steal their credentials . Gmail ’ s new Confidential Mode may invite link-baiting phishing attacksAttack.Phishing. According to analysis by ComputerWorld , “ Confidential Mode works by storing your email in a secure space on Google servers in the cloud . When both sender and recipient use Gmail , the email appears normal . But recipients who do not use Gmail get a link for viewing the email in a browser . The messages you send or receive via Confidential Mode are not actually email . The link is an email , but the message is an email-looking page on the internet that ’ s password-protected . Emails containing the link can , in fact , be forwarded , but only the intended recipient can successfully open the link . When someone gets one of these forwarded mails , they ’ re prompted for their Google login username and password to determine whether or not they ’ re the intended recipient . This is problematic , because it invites link-baiting phishing attacksAttack.Phishing, which could con people into revealing their login information . ” A phishing campaignAttack.Phishingtargeting Apple users seeks to dupeAttack.Phishingvictims into updating their profiles in preparation for the EU ’ s General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) policies , which go into effect on May 25 . This is just one of many scams exploiting the coming implementation of GDPR policies .
A phishing campaignAttack.Phishingis targeting customers of every major UK bank , with cybercriminals posing asAttack.Phishingcustomer support staff on Twitter in an attempt to steal users ' online banking credentials . Easy to carry out but difficult to defend against , phishingAttack.Phishingis an increasingly popular weapon of choice for hackers . That 's because , with an authentic-looking fake website , they can just sit back and scoop upAttack.Databreachdata as victims unwittingly hand over their usernames and passwords . PhishingAttack.Phishingoften relies on cybercriminals sendingAttack.Phishingtailored emails to potential victims in an effort to lureAttack.Phishingthem into giving up credentials or installing malware . However , cybersecurity researchers at Proofpoint have uncovered an Angler phishing campaignAttack.Phishingwhich , rather than being tailoredAttack.Phishingto specific users , takes advantage of how they can often be careless on social media -- specifically Twitter . In this instance , cybercriminals monitor Twitter for users approaching genuine support accounts for banks , and attempt to hijack the conversation with a fake support page . This sort of phishing attackAttack.Phishingis unlikely to provide cybercriminals with the big score they 'd hit if they targeted a corporate network , but it does enable the easy theft of credentials and small amounts of money -- and repeated success could become lucrative , and also provide criminals with accessAttack.Databreachto other types of data which can be used to commit fraud . `` In many of the examples we 've seen , the hacker is not just collectingAttack.Databreachbanking credentials . They also look for information like ATM Pin , Credit/Debit card numbers , security questions and answers , and even social security numbers . With this information , they can circumvent some security measures , make purchases/withdrawals without online access , or create entirely new bogus accounts using the customer 's information , '' says Celeste Kinswood at Proofpoint . Fortunately , there are some simple things users can do to ensure they do n't become victims of this style of social media phishing attackAttack.Phishing. For starters , a real support account will be verified with a blue tick and wo n't directly ask for login credentials . A quick search for the real account should also demonstrate if the one contacting you is fake . Users may want to see their problems solved quickly , but taking ten seconds to verify who you 're talking to will pay off in the long run .
PhishingAttack.Phishingis one of the most devious scams for filching your personal information , but experts say it is possible to avoid them if you know what you 're looking for . At its essence , phishingAttack.Phishingis the act of pretending to beAttack.Phishingsomeone or something you trust in order to trickAttack.Phishingyou into entering sensitive data like your user name and password . The goal -- of course -- is to take your money . Some of the most common phishing scamsAttack.Phishingare bogus emails purportedly from trustworthy institutions like the U.S.Internal Revenue Service or major banks . The more sophisticated scams are crafted to look very much likeAttack.Phishinga legitimate message from a site you do business with . “ Many popular phishing scamsAttack.Phishingpurport to beAttack.Phishingfrom shipping companies , e-commerce companies , social networking websites , financial institutions , tax-preparation companies and some of the world ’ s most notable companies , ” said Norton by Symantec senior security response manager Satnam Narang via email . One of the worst cases on record was an aircraft parts CEO who was trickedAttack.Phishinginto handing over more than $ 55 million – which shows that phishing scamsAttack.Phishingcan dupeAttack.Phishingeven smart people . Fox News asked Symantec about the top phishing scamsAttack.Phishingand how to avoid them . 1 . Your account has been or will be locked , disabled or suspended . `` Scare tactics are a common theme when it comes to phishing scamsAttack.Phishing, '' said Narang . `` Claiming a users ’ account has been or will be locked or disabled is a call to action to the user to enticeAttack.Phishingthem to provide their login credentials . '' 2 . Irregular/fraudulent activity detected or your account requires a `` security '' update . `` Extending off of # 1 , scammers will also claim irregular or fraudulent activity has been detected on your account or that your account has been subjected to a compulsory 'security update ' and you need to login to enable this security update , '' Narang said . 3 . You ’ ve received a secure or important message . `` This type of phishing scamAttack.Phishingis often associated with financial institutions , but we have also seen some claiming to beAttack.Phishingfrom a popular e-commerce website , '' said Narang . `` Because financial institutions don ’ t send customer details in emails , the premise is that users will be more inclined to click on a link or open an attachment if it claims to beAttack.Phishinga secure or important message . '' 4 . Tax-themed phishing scamsAttack.Phishing. `` Each year , tax-themed phishing scamsAttack.Phishingcrop up before tax-time in the U.S. and other countries , '' Narang added . `` These tax-related themes can vary from updating your filing information , your eligibility to receive a tax refund or warnings that you owe money . One thing that ’ s for sure is that the IRS doesn ’ t communicate via email or text message , they still send snail mail . '' 5 . Attachment-based phishingAttack.Phishingwith a variety of themes . `` Another trend we have observed in recent years is that scammers are using the luresAttack.Phishingmentioned above , but instead of providing a link to an external website , they are attaching an HTML page and asking users to open this 'secure page ' that requests login credentials and financial information , '' according to Narang . Avast , which also develop antivirus software and internet security services , offered advice on what to look for . Ransomware , which encrypts data ( i.e. , makes it inaccessible to the user ) , tries to tap into the same fears that phishingAttack.Phishingdoes . The hope that the “ attacked person will panic , and pay the ransomAttack.Ransom, ” Jonathan Penn , Director of Strategy at Avast , told Fox News .
Flipkart has recently posted a story to make people aware of fake Flipkart websites . The e-commerce giant on its blog 'Flipkart stories ' said that people need to be beware of email , call , SMS , WhatsApp message or any social media message which claims to beAttack.Phishingoffering unbelievable discounts and offers from Flipkart . Flipkart said : “ Be warned that these messages are not sentAttack.Phishingby official Flipkart channels , but by fraudsters and scammers who intend to deceiveAttack.Phishingyou . If you are not careful , you may be at the receiving end of fraud . Fraudsters intend to make a fast buck by misappropriating the familiarAttack.Phishingand trustworthy name of Flipkart . You are advised not to trust these fraudulent individuals or agencies with your money , or your personal and financial information . Always check with authentic and original Flipkart sources first. ” The content of the fake messages or calls sentAttack.Phishingby the fraudulent may include references to tempting deals , discounts and offers on Flipkart . The fake messages may closely resembleAttack.Phishingthe Flipkart ’ s official logos , typefaces and brand colour while some may also contain the word ‘ Flipkart ’ in the URL . Then how can you catch them ? 1 ) Fake websites : The websites such as ‘ flipkart.dhamaka-offers.com , flipkart-bigbillion-sale.com ’ contain the name of the company in their URL . Such websites pretend to beAttack.Phishingassociated with Flipkart by using similar-looking and similar-sounding names . However , they are not authorised by Flipkart . 2 ) WhatsApp , Facebook Messenger and/or other social messaging platforms : Fraudsters may try to sendAttack.Phishingthe customers messages via social messaging platforms and many have also reported the same . These imposters will ask for your personal details or will be asked to share these fraudulent messages with friends and family members to win prizes . Apart from these customers might also be offered products at ‘ unbelievable ’ prices such as a 32 GB pen drive for Rs 25 . Customers will be asked to make payments via online wallets , bank transfer or other means to avail free gifts . To this , Flipkart has directed the customers to not reply to these messages or click any of the links the fake messages contain without verifying it with the company . “ Flipkart has no connection with these fraudulent senders , and we have no control over any information that you share with them . Any details that you share with these fraudulent senders that impersonate Flipkart can compromise your personal and financial information . Payments once made to these accounts can not be retrieved or reversed , and you may be cheated of your hard-earned money , ” the e-commerce website said . 3 ) Fake Calls or SMS to customers : Sometimes , customers may also receive calls from an unknown number . The may speak in any language such as English , Hindi among others . The person might lureAttack.Phishingcustomers by offering free gifts or by saying that your mobile number has been selected via a lucky draw , etc . To avail these gifts , the imposter will ask you for your personal details and access to bank account numbers among other things . They may also lureAttack.Phishingyou to a website appearing very similar to Flipkart or sendAttack.Phishingyou a fake fabricated certificate . They may also claim to beAttack.PhishingFlipkart employees or partners and may display fake identifiation as proof . “ It is easy to fabricate such documents in order to make you believe that they are genuine . You may also be asked to transfer money to certain digital wallets to claim prizes or gifts . Note that these accounts are not managed by Flipkart , but by fraudsters who want to cheat you , ” Flipkart said . 4 ) Phishing ( Fake Emails ) : PhishingAttack.Phishingis a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames , passwords , and credit card details for malicious reasons by disguising asAttack.Phishinga trustworthy entity in an electronic communication . Phishing emails are sentAttack.Phishingby fraudsters . The emails may ask you to visit malicious links through which your personal and/or financial information can be obtained and be used without your consent to carry out fraudulent transactions . You may lose money , personal and sensitive information and your systems — desktop computers , laptops or mobile phones — can get potentially compromised by malware/viruses upon opening or clicking on links in such emails . 5 ) Online games/websites ( discount coupons/gift vouchers/offers/online games ) : Online scams of this type reach out to customers , asking them to play games such as ‘ spin the wheel , ’ which promise free gifts , cash prizes , and other tempting bait . The players are often asked to share the game with their contacts to be able to avail the prize , which , of course , never materializes . 6 ) From Marketplace Sellers : While you may have received an order placed on Flipkart , you may receive a pamphlet or inserts , asking you to make future purchases on some other online shopping site or portal to avail higher discounts . Similarly , sellers/callers posing as sellers may ask you to place an order directly with them and may ask for payment to be made directly . Often , they may ask you to cancel your Flipkart order . Once you agree to any such deal with these fraudulent sellers , Flipkart will not have any control over any information you might share with them . You are at risk of fraud if you accept such offers .
It ’ s tax season , and that means con artists and scammers are out in full force trying to capitalize on people ’ s financial anxieties . The IRS puts out strong warnings each year—often republishing its “ ’ Dirty Dozen ’ list of tax scams ” several times between January and April . This year , phishing schemesAttack.Phishing—in which scammers sendAttack.Phishingemails pretending to beAttack.Phishingfrom the IRS in order to trickAttack.Phishingpeople into divulging sensitive information—topped the list . “ We urge taxpayers to watch out for these tricky and dangerous schemes , ” acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter said in a March 5 warning to consumers . “ PhishingAttack.Phishingand other scams on the ‘ Dirty Dozen ’ list can trapAttack.Phishingunsuspecting taxpayers . Being cautious and taking basic security steps can help protect people and their sensitive tax and financial data. ” Threat researchers at Zscaler published a blog on March 15 outlining four new phishing schemesAttack.Phishingthey identified during this tax season , most of which used fake IRS websites to steal taxpayers ’ information . “ Cybercriminals have long used social engineering and phishing techniques to lureAttack.Phishingunsuspecting users into giving away private information , ” the researchers wrote . “ They track current trends and events to make their attacks more effective , and tax season offers a rich opportunity for attackers to disguise themselves asAttack.Phishingwell-known brands and even government agencies in an effort to exploit users. ” This tendency is on display with the “ chalbhai ” phishing attackAttack.Phishing, which uses a spoof of an outdated IRS form to trickAttack.Phishingusers into giving up their tax identification information , which can then be used to file false returns . While studying this campaign , researchers noticed the term “ chalbhai ” used in the source code . “ We have typically seen this tag associated with phishing pages that look likeAttack.PhishingMicrosoft Office 365 , Apple ID , Dropbox or DocuSign , ” Zscaler wrote . “ This is a good example of criminals adapting their phishing content to reflect current trends , ” i.e. , tax season . Another similar scheme directed users to a fake IRS page for unlocking expired passwords . Researchers noted this campaign was particularly tricky , as users were redirectedAttack.Phishingto a legitimate IRS page after giving up their information . “ With this page , ” they wrote , “ the attacker is attempting to prevent user suspicion by redirecting the user from this phishing page to a legitimate e-policy statement hosted on the actual IRS page… At this point , the victims believe they have completed the account unlock process and they proceed to log in on the legitimate page unaware that their information has been stolen. ” Researchers also found similar tactics used to get taxpayers ’ logins for tax preparer sites like TurboTax . In a fourth example , Zscaler researchers found an encrypted phishing page designed to mask their ill-intent from security measures . After a user downloads the page , it is decrypted within the browser , skirting some security checks . In all these examples , users could have avoided the scam by double-checking the URL in the browser , which all included additional characters before the .gov domain , indicating users were not actually at an official IRS site .
E-Sports Entertainment Association ( ESEA ) , one of the largest competitive video gaming communities on the planet , was hacked last December . As a result , a database containing 1.5 million player profiles was compromised . On Sunday , ESEA posted a message to Twitter , reminding players of the warning issued on December 30 , 2016 , three days after they were informed of the hack . Sunday ’ s message said the leak of player informationAttack.Databreachwas expected , but they ’ ve not confirmed if the leaked recordsAttack.Databreachcame from their systems . Late Saturday evening , breach notification service LeakedSource announced the addition of 1,503,707 ESEA records to their database . When asked for additional information by Salted Hash , a LeakedSource spokesperson shared the database schema , as well as sample records pulled at random from the database . Learn about top security certifications : Who they 're for , what they cost , and which you need . However , in all , there are more than 90 fields associated with a given player record in the ESEA database . While the passwords are safe , the other data points in the leaked records could be used to construct a number of socially-based attacks , including PhishingAttack.Phishing. Players on Reddit have confirmed their information was discovered in the leaked data . A similar confirmation was made Twitch ’ s Jimmy Whisenhunt on Twitter . The LeakedSource spokesperson said that the ESEA hack was part of a ransom schemeAttack.Ransom, as the hacker responsible demandedAttack.Ransom$ 50,000 in paymentAttack.Ransom. In exchange for meeting their demands , the hacker would keep silent about the ESEA hack and help the organization address the security flaw that made it possible . In their previous notification , ESEA said they learned about the incidentAttack.Databreachon December 27 , but make no mention of any related extortion attemptsAttack.Ransom. The organization reset passwords , multi-factor authentication tokens , and security questions as part of their recovery efforts . We ’ ve reached out to confirm the extortion attemptAttack.Ransomclaims made by the hacker , as well as the total count for players affected by the data breachAttack.Databreach. In an emailed statement , a spokesperson for ESL Gaming ( parent company to Turtle Entertainment ) confirmed that the hacker did in fact attempt to extort moneyAttack.Ransom, but the sum demandedAttack.Ransomwas `` substantially higher '' than the $ 50,000 previously mentioned . The company refused to give into the extortion demandsAttack.Ransom, and went public with details before the hacker could publish anything . The statement also confirms the affected user count of 1.5 million , and stressed the point that ESEA passwords were hashed with bcrypt . When it comes to the profile fields , where more than 90 data points are listed , ESL Gaming says those are optional data points for profile settings . `` We take the security and integrity of customer details very seriously and we are doing everything in our power to investigate this incident , establish precisely what has been taken , and make changes to our systems to mitigate any further breaches . The authorities ( FBI ) were also informed and we will do everything possible to facilitate the investigation of this attack , '' the message from ESL Gaming concluded . `` Based on the proof provided to us by the threat actor of possessionAttack.Databreachof the stolen data , we were able to identify the scope of the data that was accessedAttack.Databreach. While the primary concern and focus was on personal data , some of ESEA ’ s internal infrastructure including configuration settings of game server hardware specifications , as well as game server IPs was also accessibleAttack.Databreach. Due to the ongoing investigation , we prioritized customer user data first , '' the statement explains . In the days that followed that initial contact , ESEA worked to secure their systems , and the hacker kept making demands . On January 7 , ESEA learned the hacker also exfiltratedAttack.Databreachintellectual property from the compromised servers
PhishingAttack.Phishingand other hacking incidents have led to several recently reported large health data breachesAttack.Databreach, including one that UConn Health reports affected 326,000 individuals . In describing a phishing attackAttack.Phishing, UConn Health says that on Dec 24 , 2018 , it determined that an unauthorized third party illegally accessedAttack.Databreacha limited number of employee email accounts containing patient information , including some individuals ' names , dates of birth , addresses and limited medical information , such as billing and appointment information . The accounts also contained the Social Security numbers of some individuals . Several other healthcare entities also have recently reported to federal regulators data breachesAttack.Databreachinvolving apparent phishingAttack.Phishingand other email-related attacks . `` All of these incidents speak to the rampant attacks we are seeing across healthcare , and yet organizations are still not investing enough in protection or detection , '' says Mac McMillan , CEO of security consulting firm CynergisTek . UConn Health , an academic medical center , says in a media statement that it identified approximately 326,000 potentially impacted individuals whose personal information was contained in the compromisedAttack.Databreachemail accounts . For approximately 1,500 of these individuals , this information included Social Security numbers . `` It is important to note that , at this point , UConn Health does not know for certain if any personal information was ever viewed or acquiredAttack.Databreachby the unauthorized party , and is not aware of any instances of fraud or identity theft as a result of this incident , '' the statement notes . `` The incident had no impact on UConn Health 's computer networks or electronic medical record systems . '' UConn Health is offering prepaid identity theft protection services to individuals whose Social Security numbers may be impacted . The organization says it has notified law enforcement officials and retained a forensics firm to investigate the matter . Once the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services confirms the details , the attackAttack.Databreachon UConn Health could rank as the second largest health data breachAttack.Databreachreported so far this year , based on a snapshot of its HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool website on Monday . The largest health data breachAttack.Databreachrevealed so far this year , but not yet added to the tally , affected University of Washington Medicine . UW Medicine says a misconfigured database left patient data exposedAttack.Databreachon the internet for several weeks last December , resulting in a breachAttack.Databreachaffecting 974,000 individuals . Several other phishingAttack.Phishingand hacking incidents have been added to the HHS `` wall of shame '' tally in recent weeks . Among those is a hacking incident impacting 40,000 individuals reported on Feb 1 by Minnesota-based Reproductive Medicine and Infertility Associates . In a statement , the organization notes that on Dec 5 , 2018 , it discovered it had been the target of a `` criminal malware attack . '' An RMIA practice manager tells Information Security Media Group that independent computer forensics experts removed the malware , but did not definitively determine how the malware infection was launched . The practice suspects the malware was likely embedded in an email attachment , he says . RMIA 's statement notes that while the investigation did not identify any evidence of unauthorized accessAttack.Databreachto anyone 's personal information , `` we unfortunately could not completely rule out the possibility that patients ' personal information , including name , address , date of birth , health insurance information , limited treatment information and , for donors only , Social Security number , may have been accessibleAttack.Databreach. '' In the aftermath of the incident , RMIA says it 's adding another firewall , requiring changes to user credentials/passwords , implementing dual-factor authentication and providing additional staff training regarding information security . '' Also reporting a hacking incident in recent weeks was Charleston , S.C.-based Roper St.Francis Healthcare , which operates several hospitals in the region . The attack was reported as impacting nearly 35,300 individuals . In a Jan 29 statement , the entity says that on Nov 30 , 2018 , it learned that an unauthorized actor may have gained accessAttack.Databreachto some of its employees ' email accounts between Nov 15 and Dec 1 , 2018 , `` Our investigation determined that some patient information may have been contained in the email accounts , patients ' names , medical record numbers , information about services they received from Roper St.Francis , health insurance information , and , in some cases , Social Security numbers and financial information , '' the statement says . For those patients whose Social Security number was potentially exposedAttack.Databreach, the organization is offering prepaid credit monitoring and identity protection services . `` To help prevent something like this from happening again , we are continuing education with our staff on email protection and enhancing our email security , '' Roper St. Francis says . As phishingAttack.Phishingcontinues to menace healthcare entities , covered entities and business associates need to keep up with their defenses , some experts note . `` Phishing techniques have become more sophisticated than in the past , '' note Kate Borten , president of security and privacy consulting firm The Marblehead Group . `` Workforce training should include simulated phishing attacksAttack.Phishingto make people better prepared to recognize and thwart a real attack . '' To help mitigate breach risks , organizations should be deploying next-generation firewalls and multifactor authentication , plus employing advanced malware detection solutions , McMillan says . Too many organizations are overlooking the value of multifactor authentication , Borten adds . `` Two-factor user authentication was intended to be required over the internet and public networks in the proposed HIPAA Security Rule , '' she notes . `` Unfortunately , since that requirement was dropped in the final rule , healthcare is lagging on multifactor authentication , which is easier now than ever to implement . '' But McMillan advises healthcare organizations to avoid using multifactor authentication systems that use SMS to transmit a one-time password because those messages can be interceptedAttack.Databreach. `` The software- or hardware-based solutions are preferred , '' McMillan says . So what other technologies or best practices should covered entities and business associates consider to prevent falling victim to phishingAttack.Phishingand other attacks ? `` Unfortunately we have n't seen any silver bullets here yet , but one thing we might want to begin exploring is just what an attacker has accessAttack.Databreachto when they compromiseAttack.Databreacha user 's account , '' McMillan notes . `` All too often , we hear that the accounts compromisedAttack.Databreachhad incredibly large numbers of emails immediately accessibleAttack.Databreachto the attacker . The question is , are their better ways to deal with retention that mitigate risk as well ? ''