About a quarter million Comcast subscribers had their data stolen from debt collector
Comcast says data on 237,703 of its customers was in fact stolen in a cyberattack on a debt collector it was using, contrary to previous assurances it was given that it was unaffected by that intrusion. That collections agency, Financial Business and Consumer Solutions aka FBCS, was compromised in February, and according to a filing with Maine's attorney general, the firm informed the US cable giant about the unauthorized access in March. READ MORE...
Highline Public Schools confirms ransomware behind shutdown
On Thursday, K-12 school district Highline Public Schools confirmed that a ransomware attack forced it to shut down all schools in early September. Highline Public Schools has over 2,000 staff members and offers programs ranging from early childhood education to college preparation. It serves over 17,500 students across 34 schools in the Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and White Center communities in Washington State. READ MORE...
Lego's website was hacked to promote a crypto scam
People who visited Lego's website on the evening of October 4 were welcomed by a banner with illustrated golden coins bearing the company's logo, claiming that the "Lego coin" is now officially out. It even promised "secret rewards" to those who'd buy some. But Lego wasn't truly launching an official cryptocurrency coin, and according to The Brick Fan, the button to buy led to an external cryptocurrency website selling "LEGO Tokens" with Ethereum. READ MORE...
Thousands of Linux systems infected by stealthy malware since 2021
Thousands of machines running Linux have been infected by a malware strain that's notable for its stealth, the number of misconfigurations it can exploit, and the breadth of malicious activities it can perform, researchers reported Thursday. The malware has been circulating since at least 2021. It gets installed by exploiting more than 20,000 common misconfigurations, a capability that may make millions of machines connected to the Internet potential targets, researchers from Aqua Security said. READ MORE...
Why trolls, extremists, and others spread conspiracy theories they don't believe
There has been a lot of research on the types of people who believe conspiracy theories, and their reasons for doing so. But there's a wrinkle: My colleagues and I have found that there are a number of people sharing conspiracies online who don't believe their own content. They are opportunists. These people share conspiracy theories to promote conflict, cause chaos, recruit and radicalize potential followers, make money, harass, or even just to get attention. READ MORE...
- ...in 1931, South African archbishop and Nobel Prize-winning anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu is born in Klerksdorp, Western Transvaal.
- ...in 1951, singer-songwriter John Mellencamp ("Jack & Diane", "Pink Houses") is born in Seymour, IN.
- ...in 1955, cellist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Yo-Yo Ma is born in Paris, France.
- ...in 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 transmits the first-ever photographs of the far side of the Moon.
