Technology
Dev plants kill switch in ex-employer's network that crashed servers and deleted files, gets four years in the slammer — kill switch triggered by dev's removal from Active Directory when fired
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Tom's Hardware
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Mobile SMS blasters in vehicles prowled Canadian streets, causing 13 million network disruptions and infiltrating tens of thousands of devices — blaster blocked 911 calls, stole cellphone data
Toronto police arrested three individuals running a mobile SMS blaster scheme in downtown Toronto, which caused 13 million network disruptions and infiltrated tens of thousands of devices. The SMS blasters blocked 911 calls and stole cellphone data by impersonating cell towers and sending fraudulent texts. The operation was the first of its kind in Canada and has since been dismantled, but authorities warn of continued vigilance against fraudulent texts. The devices used in the scheme were uniquely built and not publicly shared for safety reasons, and similar operations have been reported in other countries like the Philippines.
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Ransomware negotiator pleads guilty after leaking victims' insurance details to 'BlackCat' hackers — perp gave attackers a precise picture of exactly how much each target could afford to pay
Former ransomware negotiator Angelo Martino has pleaded guilty to collaborating with the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang to extort five U.S. companies, providing confidential details about the victims' insurance policies and negotiation perceptions. Martino's actions led to over $75 million in ransom payments, with individual payments exceeding $25 million. He also participated in deploying BlackCat ransomware against additional U.S. victims, demanding over $16 million in ransom. Law enforcement has seized more than $10 million from Martino, including cryptocurrency and various assets purchased with illicit proceeds. Martino, along with his co-conspirators, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for July 9th.
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Iran claims US exploited networking equipment backdoors during strikes — says devices from Cisco and others failed despite blackout in attack that 'indicates deep sabotage'
Iran has accused the U.S. of exploiting networking equipment backdoors from Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, and MikroTik during military operations against Iran. The Iranian media claims that these devices failed during the attacks despite Iran being disconnected from the global Internet, suggesting deep sabotage. While these claims are unverified, the U.S. has confirmed conducting cyber operations against Iran's communications infrastructure. The vendors named by Iran have had past security issues, with examples like NSA intercepting Cisco routers for surveillance implants and Juniper finding unauthorized code in its firmware. Chinese state media has supported Iran's claims, linking them to American backdoors in networking hardware.
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Two US citizens get combined 16 years in prison for running North Korean laptop farms — fake remote IT work scheme netted DPRK $5 million in around three years
Two individuals from New Jersey have been sentenced to a combined 16 years in prison for operating laptop farms that enabled North Korean IT workers to pose as Americans and work for U.S. companies, generating around $5 million for North Korea over three years. Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang were found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering, with Kejia serving as the U.S.-based manager of the operation. The scheme involved stealing the identities of over 80 U.S. individuals to secure positions in over 100 U.S. companies, resulting in significant financial losses for the affected businesses. The Justice Department has been cracking down on similar operations, uncovering 29 laptop farms across 16 states in mid-2025 and convicting five other individuals involved in such schemes.
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