Plus, two new ransomware strains and another important reminder to change IoT passwords.
A seven-year mystery surrounding the unlocking of over 2 million AT&T phones has culminated in the arrest and trial of 34-year-old Muhammad Fahd. Wired reported that Fahd stands accused of bribing AT&T employees to unlock phones – an illegal uncoupling of the phone from the AT&T service, thereby allowing the device to function with any carrier.
The Department of Justice alleges that Fahd and a partner began recruiting AT&T employees in 2012, offering them money to unlock phones. As the scheme went on, Fahd allegedly had the insiders also plant malware in the AT&T system. The first wave of malware was designed simply to observe how the system worked. Armed with that knowledge, Fahd is charged with developing a second wave that allowed him to unlock phones remotely. AT&T soon discovered the malware in their system and fired several employees, but Fahd is charged with continuing to recruit workers for several years. The DOJ estimates Fahd paid in excess of $1 million dollars to insider accomplices. Fahd was finally arrested in Hong Kong in February 2018. He was extradited to the U.S. this month, and his case is being heard in a Seattle federal court.
GermanWiper destroys files but still demands ransom
A new ransomware strain has been confronting users in Germany since July 31, reported ZDNet. Researchers have dubbed the new malware GermanWiper – first, because it appears to be limiting its attacks to German-speaking countries, and second, because it wipes out the ..
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