World Cup host Qatar used ex-CIA officer to spy on FIFA

The tiny Arab nation of Qatar has for years employed a former CIA officer to help spy on soccer officials as part of a no-expense-spared effort to win and hold on to the 2022 World Cup tournament, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. It’s part of a trend of former U.S. intelligence officers

Ukraine charges 5 hackers allegedly working for Russia

Ukraine has filed charges of espionage and attempted state overthrow against five people who allegedly were part of a hackers group controlled by Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine said Friday that the hackers group known as “Armagedon” was responsible for some 5,000 cyberattacks on Ukrainian state agencies since 2014. The service said it had

Hacked Records Reveal Hundreds Of Oath Keepers Across New Jersey

Over the last decade, dozens of current and former law enforcement officers, military personnel, and government officials in New Jersey joined a far-right, anti-government militia called the Oath Keepers, according to a WNYC/Gothamist analysis of what appear to be membership rolls obtained by an anonymous hacker. In response, the state’s Attorney General’s office said it

Russia excluded from 30-country meeting to fight ransomware and cyber crime

Russia was not invited to attend a 30-country virtual meeting led by the United States that is aimed at combating the growing threat of ransomware and other cyber crime, a senior administration official said. Many ransomware gangs operate from Ukraine and Russia, private sector cybersecurity experts say. Some U.S. officials and analysts have said Russian

Spyware ‘found on phones of five French cabinet members’

Mediapart claims indicate that devices were targeted by NSO’s Pegasus spyware Traces of Pegasus spyware were found on the mobile phones of at least five current French cabinet ministers, the investigative website Mediapart has reported, citing multiple anonymous sources and a confidential intelligence dossier. The allegation comes two months after the Pegasus Project, a media consortium that

Huge hack reveals embarrassing details of who’s behind Proud Boys and other far-right websites

Epik long has been the favorite Internet company of the far-right, providing domain services to QAnon theorists, Proud Boys and other instigators of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol – allowing them to broadcast hateful messages from behind a veil of anonymity. But that veil abruptly vanished last week when a huge breach

Germany protests to Russia over pre-election cyberattacks

Germany has protested to Russia over attempts to steal data from lawmakers in what it suspects may have been preparation to spread disinformation before the upcoming German election, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said Monday. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Andrea Sasse said that a hacker outfit called Ghostwriter has been “combining conventional cyberattacks with disinformation and

Hackers Release Data Trove From Belarus in Bid to Overthrow Lukashenko Regime

Pilfered data includes lists of alleged police informants and information on government spies. Opponents of the Belarus government said they have pulled off an audacious hack that has compromised dozens of police and interior ministry databases as part of a broad effort to overthrow President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. The Belarusian Cyber Partisans, as the hackers call themselves,

Ransomware: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

John Oliver discusses ransomware attacks, why they’re on the rise, and what can be done about them.

Ransomware gangs are working with Russian intelligence services, report says

Russian intelligence services worked with prominent ransomware gangs to compromise U.S. government and government-affiliated organizations, according to new research from cybersecurity firm Analyst1. Two Russian intelligence bureaus — the Federal Security Service, or FSB, and Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR — collaborated with individuals in “multiple cybercriminal organizations,” security analysts with the firm say in