Security researcher Elad Erez has created a tool named Eternal Blues that system administrators can use to test if computers on their network are vulnerable to exploitation via NSA’s ETERNALBLUE exploit. Erez released his tool on Wednesday, a day after the NotPetya ransomware caused damages to thousands of computers across the globe. Read more  

Today, June 29th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes documents from the OutlawCountry project of the CIA that targets computers running the Linux operating system. OutlawCountry allows for the redirection of all outbound network traffic on the target computer to CIA controlled machines for ex- and infiltration purposes. The malware consists of a kernel module that creates a hidden netfilter table on

Data-protection authorities in France have officially closed an investigation into Microsoft’s data collection practices for Windows 10. The French National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) had issued a formal notice against Microsoft in July 2016, ordering that the company “stop collecting excessive data and tracking browsing by users without their consent.” Read more  

The High Court has granted Liberty permission to challenge part of the UK’s “extreme mass surveillance regime”, with a judicial review of the Investigatory Powers Act. The law forces internet companies to keep logs of emails, phone calls, texts and web browsing histories and to hand them over to the state to be stored or examined. The civil liberties

The bandwagon of cyber-security firms claiming that NotPetya was meant for destructive purposes is getting more crowded by the day, with three new additions from Cisco Talos, F-Secure, and Malwarebytes. This theory was first put forward two days ago by security researchers from Comae Technologies and Kaspersky Lab, who found evidence that the ransomware was bungling its encryption routine and

A fourth ransomware campaign focused on Ukraine has surfaced today, following some of the patterns seen in past ransomware campaigns that have been aimed at the country, such as XData, PScrypt, and the infamous NotPetya. The ransomware was discovered today by a security researcher who goes online only by the name of MalwareHunter. Read more

This fall, Microsoft plans to release a new Windows Defender feature called Controlled Folder Access, which blocks and blacklists unauthorized apps from making changes to files located inside specially-designated folders. Microsoft shipped the Controlled Folder Access feature as part of the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16232, released yesterday evening. Read more

The federal government has announced its intention to launch an offensive cyber capability to fight cyber criminals and thwart attacks against Australia. Anticipating cybercrime to cost the Australian economy at least AU$1 billion per year, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has directed the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to use its offensive cyber capabilities to “disrupt, degrade,

FedEx’s delivery subsidiary TNT Express has warned that its systems have been significantly affected by a computer virus. The company said in a note on its website: “Like many other companies and institutions around the world, we are experiencing interference with some of our systems within the TNT network,” which has lead to speculation that

Facebook has a fleet of low-paid contractors who are tasked with investigating possible connections with terrorism on it site. The key takeaway: Moderators are granted “full access” to any account once it’s been flagged by the social network’s algorithms, which are looking for details or connections that might suggest a terror link. Moderators can track track a