Tag Archives: FBI

Kaseya VSA Cyberattack: What Kaseya and the Feds Are Saying

If you aren’t following the ransomware attack on Kaseya’s VSA product and approximately 800-1500 of its users, you should be.  Like many cyberattacks, this one came on the verge of a holiday weekend.  As the company itself notes, “Kaseya’s VSA product has unfortunately been the victim of a sophisticated cyberattack.   Due to our teams’ fast response, we believe that this has been localized to a very small number of on-premises customers only. … More

CISA Issues Ransomware Alert for Activity Targeting the Healthcare and Public Health Sectors

On October 28, 2020, a joint cybersecurity advisory was coauthored by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This advisory describes the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by cybercriminals against targets in the healthcare and public health sectors to infect their systems with Ryuk ransomware for financial gain.

CISA,… More

FBI Warns of Teleconferencing and Online Classroom Hijacking

If you are among the many people turning to video-teleconferencing (VTC) to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic, you need to protect yourself from “Zoom-bombing” – the entrance of uninvited individuals into your VTC.  The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by offensive images and/or threatening language.

The FBI recommends the following steps to mitigate VTC hijacking threats:

  • Do not make meetings or classrooms public:
    • In Zoom,…
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Ransomware Update: The FBI Weighs In

The FBI recently released an article discussing the spate of ransomware attacks on a variety of different entities, including hospitals. In the article, the FBI warned that ransomware attacks and the cybercriminals carrying them out are growing increasingly sophisticated.  The FBI opposes paying a ransom when hit by a ransomware attack, saying that doing do incentivizes more ransomware attacks, can inadvertently fund other illegal activity, and does not always result in the restoration of access. … More

Is Teamwork the Answer to Data Security?

Increasingly, alliances are viewed as an important way to improve data security.  The Washington Post reports that the National Security Agency is now working with Internet service providers to thwart cyberattacks against defense firms by foreign adversaries.  We have previously noted two other initiatives:   the Advanced Cyber Security Center (to which Foley Hoag serves as legal counsel).and InfraGuard, a Federal Bureau of Investigation program. … More

Taking of a Blood Sample and Creation of a DNA Profile Found Not to Be an Unreasonable Search

In a recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Martin Boroiang v. Robert S. Mueller, III, et al., No. 09-1630, the First Circuit rejected a challenge to the requirement that a blood sample be given by a federal offender for purposes of creating a DNA profile and entering it into a centralized government database.

The DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 (“DNA Act”) applies to individuals who have been convicted of a “qualifying federal offense”… More

Incident of the Week: Army Intelligence Analyst In Custody After Claiming that He Leaked Thousands of Classified Documents

22-year old U.S. Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning is reportedly in custody in Kuwait after claiming that he sent 260,000 classified documents to the WikiLeaks website. According to WIRED, Manning, who served at Forward Operating Base Hammer near Baghdad in Iraq, made the admission after reaching out to former hacker Adrian Lamo in a series of Internet chats beginning on May 21st.  Manning ominously began the conversation with the following:

(1:41:12 PM) Bradley Manning: hi
(1:44:04 PM) Manning: how are you?… More