Massive Cyber Attack on US Banks

[American_Jihad]

Protest group offended by YouTube video of Prophet Muhammad again targets PNC Bank

December 11, 2012 1:52 pm
By Patricia Sabatini


A protest group that claimed responsibility for a wave of digital attacks on big U.S. banks in the fall -- including Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank -- apparently has PNC in its crosshairs again.

The al-Qassam Cyber Fighters said in an Internet posting that the group planned a second round of attacks this week on PNC and four other banks -- JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, U.S. Bank and SunTrust.

This afternoon, PNC started having problems with its website.

"Some PNC customers may be experiencing intermittent difficulty logging into PNC's website on the first attempt," spokeswoman Amy Vargo said in an email.

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Read more: Protest group offended by YouTube video of Prophet Muhammad again targets PNC Bank - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

[American_Jihad]

Report: Massive Cyberattack on US Banks Planned

Thursday, 13 Dec 2012 10:34 AM
By Michael Kling

Criminals intent on stealing millions of dollars from consumer bank accounts plan to unleash a massive cyberattack on major U.S. banks, security firm McAfee warns in a new report.

McAfee’s report confirms a warning from RSA, the security division of EMC Corp., which said in October that a criminal ring had created an advanced cyberattack to steal money from bank accounts at major banks, according to CNNMoney.

McAfee believes the gang of criminals is set to launch the attack, known as Project Blitzkrieg, this coming spring. The attack, a sophisticated Trojan, had already been successfully tested on at least 300 bank accounts.

Editor's Note: The ‘Unthinkable’ Could Happen — Wall Street Journal. Prepare for Meltdown

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Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com Report: Massive Cyberattack on US Banks Planned
Important: Do You Still Support Obamacare? Vote Here Now!

 

[American_Jihad]

Information on Potential Cyber Attack

To our Valued Customers:

PNC is aware that some U.S. banks may be the target of a potential cyber attack. This potential threat could result in a high volume of electronic traffic that may make it difficult for our customers to log onto online banking. Please be assured that PNC's website is protected by sophisticated encryption strategies that shield customer information and accounts. We have no information regarding timing, duration or intensity of this potential threat.

Please continue to follow us on Twitter (@PNCNews) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PNCBank) for additional updates. General customer questions are addressed on Twitter @PNCBank_Help. Remember to protect yourself, do not share personal or financial information on Twitter, or any other non-secure sites.

https://www.pnc.com/webapp/unsec/Homepage.do?siteArea=/pnccorp/PNC/Home/Personal

 

[waltky]

Iranian cyber scientists reverse engineer malware used against them, turn it to their advantage...

US general warns over Iranian cyber-soldiers
18 January 2013 - Iran's nuclear programme has been hit by viruses that targeted industrial machinery

Cyber-attacks on Iran are turning it into a "force to be reckoned with" America's top cyber-soldier has warned. Since 2010, Iran has come under attack many times by malicious viruses written specifically to target key industrial installations in the country. The repeated attacks have provoked Iran to improve its cyber-capabilities, said Gen William Shelton who oversees US cyber-operations. It meant Iran was becoming a growing force in web-based attacks, he said.

Gen Shelton issued the warning during a briefing given to reporters about the US Air Force division he heads that includes America's cyber-troops. He said the 2010 Stuxnet virus attack on Iran's Natanz uranium processing plant had generated a "reaction" by Iran that had led it to rapidly improve its defensive and offensive cyber-capabilities. Since then Iran has been hit again and again by viruses. In December 2012, the Stuxnet virus returned and hit companies in the southern Hormozgan region.

That improved capability had helped it protect itself against subsequent attacks on oil terminals and other manufacturing plants. Its capability might well be turned against Iran's enemies in the coming years, he said. "They are going to be a force to be reckoned with," said Gen Shelton, "with the potential capabilities that they will develop over the years and the potential threat that will represent to the United States."

Web war

Gen Shelton's comments come soon after a senior Iranian commander said it had growing "electronic warfare" capabilities that it planned to use to disrupt what it called enemy communication systems. The nation is known to have carried out web-based military exercises at the same time as other troops were on manoeuvres.

Currently, said Gen Shelton US cyber-forces were about 6,000 strong but would add another 1,000 people in the next 12 months. These workers were successfully fending off the vast majority of the millions of attacks aimed at military networks every day, he added. In addition, he said, the cyber-forces could gather intelligence and were developing the ability to carry out hack attacks in support of more traditional military operations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21075781

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey know dey doin' it, no use in denyin' it...

China Leads World in Cyber Espionage, says Report
April 24, 2013 - China leads the world in computer espionage, according to an annual report that monitors the state of global cyber threats.

Ninety-six percent of cyber espionage cases targeting intellectual property and business trade secrets were attributed to “threat actors in China,” while the remaining four percent were unknown, according to the “2013 Data Breach Investigations Report," which is issued by Verizon, a large U.S. telecom firm. “This may mean that other threat groups perform their activities with greater stealth and subterfuge,” read the report. “But it could also mean that China is, in fact, the most active source of national and industrial espionage in the world today.”

Part of the building of 'Unit 61398', a secretive Chinese military unit believed to be involved in hacking is seen in the outskirts of Shanghai, China was named the world leader in cyber espionage in a recent report.

While the numbers certainly seem clear, some security experts caution not to draw too many conclusions from the report. “Verizon doesn't explain how they determine that an event is state-sponsored, nor how they distinguish between legitimate attacks originating from China and those which use compromised servers in Chinese IP space,” said Jeffrey Carr, CEO of Taia Group, a cyber-security firm. “Hence, any conclusion that they try to draw about the government of China has to be taken with a great degree of skepticism.” Carr said he believes a lot of the espionage originating in China could “actually be the work of non-state actors working in the Chinese IP space.” However, he said he welcomed recent discussions between the U.S. and Chinese official to collaborate on dealing with cyber attacks.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, discussed cybersecurity with his Chinese counterpart, Fang Fenghui, during his visit to China this week. Earlier this month, Secretary of State John Kerry also discussed the topic with Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing. Banks and other financial institutions remain the most targeted among hackers, according to Verizon, but manufacturing companies, transportation organizations and utility companies were also targeted. Verizon’s data was compiled from numerous sources, including U.S. and foreign incident response teams and companies that have engaged Verizon to perform cyber work.

China Leads World in Cyber Espionage, says Report

 

[American_Jihad]

In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in A.T.M. Scheme

By MARC SANTORA
Published: May 9, 2013

United States attorney's office, Eastern District of New York
Elvis Rafael Rodriguez, left, and Emir Yasser Yeje, two of those charged in Brooklyn on Thursday, posed in March with approximately $40,000 in cash that the authorities say they were laundering.


It was a brazen bank heist, but a 21st-century version in which the criminals never wore ski masks, threatened a teller or set foot in a vault.

In two precision operations that involved people in more than two dozen countries acting in close coordination and with surgical precision, thieves stole $45 million from thousands of A.T.M.’s in a matter of hours.

In New York City alone, the thieves responsible for A.T.M. withdrawals struck 2,904 machines over 10 hours starting on Feb. 19, withdrawing $2.4 million.

...

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...k-city-bank-cyberattack-map.html?ref=nyregion

...

It was unclear to whom the hacked accounts belonged, and who might ultimately be responsible for the losses.

The indictment suggests a far-reaching operation, but there were few details about the people responsible for conducting the hacking or who might be leading the global operation. Law enforcement agencies in more than a dozen countries are still investigating, according to federal prosecutors. The authorities said the leader of the New York cashing crew was Alberto Lajud-Peña, 23, whose body was found in the Dominican Republic late last month. Seven other people were charged with conspiracy to commit “access device fraud” and money laundering.

The prosecutors said they were all American citizens and were based in Yonkers. The age of one defendant was given as 35; the others were all said to be 22 to 24. Mr. Lajud-Peña fled the United States just as the authorities were starting to make arrests of members of his crew, the law enforcement official said.

On April 27, according to news reports from the Dominican Republic, two hooded gunmen stormed a house where he was playing dominoes and began shooting. A manila envelope containing about $100,000 in cash remained untouched.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/n...al-cyber-bank-thefts.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 

[waltky]

FBI probin' cyberattacks...

FBI says more cooperation with banks key to probe of cyber attacks
14 May`13 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI last month gave temporary security clearances to scores of U.S. bank executives to brief them on the investigation into the cyber attacks that have repeatedly disrupted online banking websites for most of a year.

Bank security officers and others were brought to more than 40 field offices around the country to join a classified video conference on "who was behind the keyboards," Federal Bureau of Investigation Executive Assistant Director Richard McFeely told the Reuters Cybersecurity Summit on Monday. The extraordinary clearances, from an agency famed for being close-mouthed even among other law enforcement agencies, reflect some action after years of talk about the need for increased cooperation between the public and private sectors on cybersecurity.

The attacks, which have been ascribed by U.S. intelligence officials to Iran, are seen as among the most serious against U.S. entities in recent years. McFeely declined to discuss details of the investigation, including what the banks had been told and whether Iran was behind the attacks. Banks have spent millions of dollars to get back online and make sure they can stay online. JP Morgan Chase & Co, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and others have been affected.

McFeely said the one-day secrecy clearances are part of a broader effort by the FBI to communicate more with victims of cybercrime, some of whom feel that cooperating with federal authorities carries too much risk of exposure to investor and media scrutiny. A February executive order from President Barack Obama called for expedited security clearances.

McFeely, who began overseeing FBI cyber and criminal cases last year, said the agency was changing its approach after being "terrible" in the past about keeping targeted companies informed of progress in investigations. "That's 180 degrees from where we are now," McFeely said at the summit, held at the Reuters office in Washington.

More FBI says more cooperation with banks key to probe of cyber attacks

 

[waltky]

Russian hackers goin' after our banks...

JPMorgan investigating possible cyberattack
Aug 28,`14 -- JPMorgan Chase, the nation's biggest bank by assets, is working with law enforcement officials to investigate a possible cyberattack, said a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, though the bank isn't currently seeing any unusual fraud activity at the time.

Jamie Dimon, the bank's CEO, said in this year's annual report to shareholders that despite spending millions on cybersecurity, JPMorgan remained worried about the threat of attacks. By the end of this year, the bank estimates that it will be spending about $250 million annually on cybersecurity and employing 1,000 people in the area. The FBI said in a statement Wednesday that it was working with the Secret Service to determine the scope of recent cyberattacks against "several American financial institutions." The agency did not name the companies that had been targeted.

Major U.S. banks said that they had been unaffected by the attacks. Bank of America spokesman Dan Frahm said the bank had not seen any unusual activity regarding cyberattacks. Citigroup had no information to suggest that it was the victim of an attack, said a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity. Wells Fargo said in a statement that it had not been seen an impact from the attacks.

Banks face "thousands" of attempted attacks on their computer systems every day, though the majority of incidents remain unreported, said Avivah Litan, a cyber security expert at Gartner. "There are lots of bad guys out there, continually probing bank networks, trying to get in," Litan said.

The perpetrators of the attacks range from financial hackers, who are typically based in Eastern Europe and Russia, to "hactivist" groups such as Anonymous, who are trying to make social and political statements, she said. Countries such as China also engage in cyberattacks in an attempt to steal intellectual property. Customers who notice any suspicious activity on their accounts should contact the bank, said JPMorgan spokesman Michael Fusco. He also noted that JPMorgan customers are protected against losses from fraud.

AP Newswire Stars and Stripes

See also:

FBI investigating reports of attacks on US banks
Aug 27,`14 -- The FBI said Wednesday it's working with the Secret Service to determine the scope of recently reported cyberattacks against several U.S. financial institutions.

A report on Bloomberg.com said Wednesday that the FBI is investigating an incident in which Russian hackers attacked the U.S financial system this month in possible retaliation against U.S. government-sponsored sanctions aimed at Russia. The attack, Bloomberg said, led to the loss of sensitive data. Bloomberg cited security experts saying that the attack appeared "far beyond the capability of ordinary criminal hackers." The New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter, said JPMorgan Chase and at least four other firms were hit this month by coordinated attacks that siphoned off huge amounts of data, including checking and savings account information.

JPMorgan spokeswoman Trish Wexler said large companies experience cyberattacks nearly every day. "We have multiple layers of defense to counteract any threats and constantly monitor fraud levels," said Wexler, who did not confirm the reports. The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources in a report that called the attacks a "significant breach of corporate computer security."

JPMorgan is the largest U.S. bank by assets. The FBI said in a statement that combating cyberthreats and criminals remains a top priority for the U.S. government and that it's "constantly working with American companies to fight cyber attacks."

AP Newswire Stars and Stripes

 

[Abishai100]

Net Ninja

This is a parallel to the development of eTrade.

Terrorism has honed in on areas in the technology sector, and we need more news coverage and politics-oriented stories.




Hacker computer security - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

 

[Mr. H.]

I miss A_J

 

[shart_attack]

Net Ninja

This is a parallel to the development of eTrade.

Terrorism has honed in on areas in the technology sector, and we need more news coverage and politics-oriented stories.




Hacker computer security - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

View attachment 31658

Would be kinda funny if the terrorists honed in on the cretins and tools in Hollywood who hate the American breadbasket and the soldiers it makes.

Poetic Justice.

I wouldn't be in any hurry to help any Hollywood asshole who's been financially cyberhacked.

Fuck them.

 

[waltky]

Banks are fighting back - with YOUR personal info...

Banks Are Using Your Secretly Obtained Personal Data to Battle Cyber Heists
Oct 28, 2014 — Financial institutions are under siege by cyber criminals scouring “secure” data files and mounting assaults on every point of entry to your assets. Online banking, ATM locations, bank lobbies and even phone-based customer service are all at risk. But banks are fighting back in an effort to curb the rampant rip-offs, even if it means taking initiatives involving your most personal data -- without your permission.
Quote:
The latest tool in the arsenal of weapons used to combat financial fraud is biometrics. The technology deployed goes beyond fingerprint verification and retina scans. While that level of security is readily available, it’s not necessarily a convenient manner in which to address all the issues of intrusion. Of course, ATMs and mobile devices could easily implement fingerprint matches but some customer touch points are not quite that tactile. However, without your knowledge, major banks – among them U.S. Bank, Barclays, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo – have quietly put into place a unique biometric security system to help guard against fraud. And it involves voice-recognition technology.



Gary Davis, chief “consumer security evangelist” at McAfee, the online security provider, writes in a recent company blog post that cyber crooks have begun calling financial institutions posing as customers, and attempting to answer personally-identifying challenge questions in order to gain access to your accounts. But banks are using your voice to block the hack attacks. “Called ‘voiceprinting,’ this technology is aimed at detecting the bad guys (rather than confirming you are actually who you say you are),” Davis writes. “So how have banks obtained these voice samples to begin with? Well, it goes a little something like this: ‘This call may be monitored and recorded…’”

The Associated Press reports that 65 million voices have been harvested by biometric vendors so far. One company claims the efforts have already resulted in a 90% reduction in phone-based fraud attempts. Nuance Communications, a provider of voice technology services, surveyed consumer attitudes regarding current security processes. No surprise: 85% said they are frustrated with existing ID verification systems. More than two-thirds of the respondents (67%) reported having 11 usernames and passwords to remember and half (49%) said the whole process is time consuming and cumbersome. And many (24%) don’t like giving out personal information in order to be verified.

Rather than remembering long strings of alpha-numeric passwords, voice recognition technology may evolve from being a behind-the-scenes deterrent to a common consumer preference. “My voice is my password,” could be a phrase more of us soon use to protect our financial data on the phone, with a mobile app or online.

http://www.mainstreet.com/article/b...-personal-data-to-battle-cyber-heists[/quote]

See also:

Around 100,000 Hungarians rally for democracy as internet tax hits nerve
Tue Oct 28, 2014 - About 100,000 Hungarians rallied on Tuesday night to protest at a planned tax on data traffic and the broader course of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government they saw as undermining democracy and relations with European Union peers.

It was by far the largest protest since his center-right government took power in 2010 and pursued moves to redefine many walks of life, drawing accusations of creeping authoritarianism, although it was re-elected by a landslide this year. Orban's government has imposed special taxes on the banking, retail, energy and telecommunications sectors to keep the budget deficit in check, jeopardizing profits in some parts of the economy and unnerving international investors.

Ten of thousands of Hungarians march across the Elisabeth Bridge during a protest against new tax on Internet data transfers in centre of Budapest

The Internet data levy idea was first floated in the 2015 tax code submitted to the Central European country's parliament last week, triggering objections from Internet service providers and users who felt it was anti-democratic. The crowd, which was organized by a Facebook-based social network and appeared to draw mostly well-heeled professionals, marched through central Budapest demanding the repeal of the planned tax and the ouster of Orban.

Many protesters held up makeshift signs that read "ERROR!" and "How many times do you want to skin us?" Zsolt Varady, an internet entrepreneur and founder of a now-defunct Hungarian social network iwiw.hu, told the crowd that the tax threatened to undermine Internet freedoms. "Between 2006 and 2006 iwiw motivated many people to get an internet subscription," Varady said. "People were willing to pay for the service because they knew, saw and felt that their lives were becoming better... The Internet tax threatens the further growth of the Internet as well as freedom of information."

TAX REDUCED AFTER FIRST PROTEST

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Protest group offended by YouTube video of Prophet Muhammad again targets PNC Bank

December 11, 2012 1:52 pm
By Patricia Sabatini


A protest group that claimed responsibility for a wave of digital attacks on big U.S. banks in the fall -- including Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank -- apparently has PNC in its crosshairs again.

The al-Qassam Cyber Fighters said in an Internet posting that the group planned a second round of attacks this week on PNC and four other banks -- JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, U.S. Bank and SunTrust.

This afternoon, PNC started having problems with its website.

"Some PNC customers may be experiencing intermittent difficulty logging into PNC's website on the first attempt," spokeswoman Amy Vargo said in an email.

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Read more: Protest group offended by YouTube video of Prophet Muhammad again targets PNC Bank - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Why internet commerce is a horrible idea - it's not secure.