Stories by Jeremy Kirk

With few options, companies increasingly yield to ransomware demands

Faced with few options, companies are increasingly ceding to cyberattackers' demands for payment after holding their stolen data hostage, while law enforcement struggles to catch nearly invisible foes.

Server software poses soft target for ransomware

An alternate method for infecting computers with ransomware signals a shift in tactics by cybercriminals that could put businesses at greater risk, according to Symantec.

WhatsApp turns on end-to-end encryption

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has strengthened the encryption of its widely used instant messaging app, a development that in theory makes it harder for law enforcement to gain access to communications.

Trump Hotels investigating possible payment card breach

The Trump Hotel Collection said on Monday it is working with the Secret Service and FBI to investigate a payment card breach, its second one in less than a year.

CloudFlare aims to block fewer legitimate Tor users

CloudFlare is tweaking its systems to make it easier for legitimate Tor users to access websites that use its content delivery system.

MedStar Health partially restores services after suspected ransomware attack

MedStar Health said Wednesday it is restoring its computer systems following a cyberattack that reportedly involved file-encrypting malware.

Large US healthcare provider's network shut down by malware

A large health care provider in the Washington, D.C., area said it has resorted to using paper transactions after malware crippled part of its network early Monday.

Firmware bug in CCTV software may have given POS hackers a foothold

A researcher with RSA says faulty firmware found in security cameras sold by at least 70 vendors may be a contributor to many of the credit card breaches that have proved costly to retailers.

The Syrian Electronic Army was careless with Gmail, Facebook

Three men who allegedly were part of a multi-year hacking campaign with the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) left a long digital trail that didn't make them hard to identify, according to court documents.

Tor Project says it can quickly catch spying code

The Tor Project is fortifying its software so that it can quickly detect if its network is tampered with for surveillance purposes, a top developer for the volunteer project wrote on Monday.

Researchers find flaw in Apple's iMessage, decrypt iCloud photo

Apple's iMessage system has a cryptography flaw that allowed researchers to decrypt a photo stored in iCloud, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

5 things you need to know about SSL

Here's a quick and dirty guide to SSL/TLS, one of the most important technologies for securing data on the Internet.

Vehicles 'increasingly vulnerable' to hacking, FBI warns

The FBI and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned on Thursday that the rising use of computers in vehicles poses increasing risks of cyberattacks.

New Stagefright exploit puts millions of Android devices at risk

Millions of Android devices are at risk yet again after researchers found a new way to exploit an older vulnerability that was previously patched by Google.

TeslaCrypt ransomware now impossible to crack, researchers say

The latest version of the TeslaCrypt ransomware has tidied up a weakness in previous versions that in some cases allowed victims to recover their files without paying a ransom.