MongoDB Inc., a platform specializing in document-oriented storage, has officially disclosed falling victim to a cyber attack on December 13, 2023. This breach potentially allowed hackers to gain unauthorized access to information stored in the MongoDB Corporate database servers. The compromised data includes metadata and customer information. Urging caution, the NOSQL database company advises its customers to remain vigilant online, guarding against social engineering and phishing attacks.
Moving into 2024, Google has announced the cessation of a decade-long practice of tracking and storing users’ location histories. This decision is motivated by a reluctance to share Android user location history with law enforcement. In recent years, police departments have sought warrants based on mobile phone location history at crime scenes. Google’s decision aims to protect user privacy and shield itself from legal demands in specific cases.
In a coordinated effort between Microsoft, Interpol, and Vietnamese law enforcement, a company in the Asian region was apprehended for selling millions of email accounts and other credentials as part of a ransomware-as-a-service offering to criminal gangs. Identified as Storm-1152, the group later established a company under a different name, developing sophisticated tools to extract data from Outlook and Hotmail email accounts. Websites owned by Storm-1152 and its affiliated company were seized based on a warrant issued by the Southern District of New York.
Starting from December 2023, Britain will gradually replace Chinese equipment in its critical infrastructure with Western alternatives. This move, endorsed by the Rishi Sunak government, aligns with National Cyber Security Centre guidelines to safeguard national security. The National Grid of Britain has already initiated this replacement process, removing Nari Technology’s equipment from its electricity transmission network, with more replacements expected in the coming months.
India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is set to replace Windows OS with its home-developed BharatOS. The country has directed OEMs developing routers to use the mobile version of BharatOS for future equipment. Additionally, India encourages operating system developers to create a replacement for Microsoft’s Windows OS, aiming to transition all computer networks on the national infrastructure to a domestically developed alternative.
American food processing giant Kraft Heinz is currently investigating claims made by the Snatch ransomware group, which asserts that it has stolen a portion of data from the company. Based in Illinois, Kraft Heinz has enlisted the help of forensic experts to thoroughly investigate the file-encrypting malware incident, assuring that its processing and beverage operations are functioning normally.
Another ransomware group, ‘The Hunters International,’ has declared the theft of approximately 530 GB of information belonging to patients of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre. The group has issued a warning, threatening a triple extortion attack on the affected patients if their ransom demands are not taken seriously by the Seattle-based Fred Hutch staff.
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