Tag:

Cybersecurity

NJ Water Company Pauses Billing After Cyberattack NJ Water Company Pauses Billing After Cyberattack
NJ Water Company Pauses Billing After Cyberattack A water utility company based in Camden said it is pausing billing in the wake of a cyberattack on Thursday, Oct. 3. American Water serves 2.8 million people in the Garden State, providing water to municipalities in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth Ocean, Salem, Somerset, Union and Warren counties. "American Water learned of unauthorized activity in our computer networks and systems," the company said in a release. "This activity has since been determined to be the result of a cybersecurity incident. In an effort to protect our …
CEO Of CrowdStrike Is NJ Billionaire George Kurtz Working To Remedy Microsoft Meltdown CEO Of CrowdStrike Is NJ Billionaire George Kurtz Working To Remedy Microsoft Meltdown
CEO Of CrowdStrike Is NJ Billionaire George Kurtz Working To Remedy Microsoft Meltdown Friday, July 19 is not a good day for George Kurtz. Kurtz is the CEO of CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that appears to be responsible for the global outage that disrupted flights, stock markets, media outlets, and banks. Kurtz, 59, is also a Parsippany-Troy Hills native and graduate of Seton Hall University who according to Forbes is worth about $3.1 billion. How has Kurtz spent his morning? Assuring the world that all will soon be right again after the issue with a Falcon content update for Windows Hosts that caused the global outage. Today was not a security or cyber incident. O…
Mass Global Tech Outage Grounds Flights, Causes Chaos With Banks, Stock Markets, Media Mass Global Tech Outage Grounds Flights, Causes Chaos With Banks, Stock Markets, Media
Mass Global Tech Outage Grounds Flights, Causes Chaos With Banks, Stock Markets, Media A major tech outage is causing issues worldwide, including grounding flights. Banks, stock markets, and media outlets are also being affected on Friday morning, July 19. An update by cybersecurity technology company CrowdStrike appears to be the cause of device outages for millions of Microsoft Windows device users. Several major US air carriers, including Delta, United, and Spirit are under a full ground stop, according to the FAA. "Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved," the agency said. Microsoft has said it is taking "mitigation …
South Jersey Air Force Vet Named NJ Adjutant General, 1st Black Woman Heading National Guard South Jersey Air Force Vet Named NJ Adjutant General, 1st Black Woman Heading National Guard
South Jersey Air Force Vet Named NJ Adjutant General, 1st Black Woman Heading National Guard An Air Force veteran from Burlington County has been nominated as the next New Jersey Adjutant General, Gov. Phil Murphy announced. Effective Monday, July 1, Colonel Yvonne L. Mays of Lumberton Township also would become the state's first black woman in the state's history to head up the New Jersey National Guard. The opening as acting head of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs comes after the departure of Major General Lisa J. Hou, who has accepted a new assignment as the director of the Office of the Joint Surgeon General, National Guard Bureau. The nomination is …
NJ Addiction Centers Victim Of Data Breach NJ Addiction Centers Victim Of Data Breach
NJ Addiction Centers Victim Of Data Breach Addition centers in five locations have suffered a data breach that may compromise patients' private information, officials said. Maryville, a nonprofit addition agency, is offering credit monitoring services for those who may have had their Social Security numbers and other private details exposed as a result of the incident, according to spokesman Bill Crowe. The centers affected are in Williamstown, Turnersville, Pemberton, Vineland and Franklinville. "We have no indication that any information has been misused for identity theft," the agency said. On or around August 22, 2023, Maryvil…
Cybersecurity, Electrical Issues Close, Delay 2 New Jersey School Districts Cybersecurity, Electrical Issues Close, Delay 2 New Jersey School Districts
Cybersecurity, Electrical Issues Close, Delay 2 New Jersey School Districts One New Jersey school district is closed and another delayed Monday, Jan. 29 due to electrical and cybersecurity issues. All Freehold Township schools are closed due to a "cybersecurity event," Dr. Dianne Martello Brethauer, the assistant Freehold schools superintendent, said on X. Brethauer did not elaborate. Egg Harbor Township schools will operate on a 2-hour delayed opening schedule due to a "major electrical and mechanical issue affecting all of our schools," its website says.
Hospital ERs in Bergen, Montclair Closed By Nationwide Ransomware Attack Hospital ERs in Bergen, Montclair Closed By Nationwide Ransomware Attack
Hospital ERs in Bergen, Montclair Closed By Nationwide Ransomware Attack The latest in a continuing series of nationwide ransomware attacks closed two hospital emergency rooms in New Jersey. Authorities haven't disclosed what's been demanded by the cybercriminals who forced ambulances to divert to other hospitals from Pascack Valey Medical Center in Westwood and Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair beginning on Thanksgiving evening. Lab work, radiology, scheduling, billing -- basically anything involving computer software -- apparently were affected. "No one can use the computers in the buildings," a source said. "The hospitals are doing everything by paper…
They Steal Your Heart, Then Steal Your Money: Romance Scammers Make It Look Easy They Steal Your Heart, Then Steal Your Money: Romance Scammers Make It Look Easy
They Steal Your Heart, Then Steal Your Money: Romance Scammers Make It Look Easy It's heartbreaking to discover that someone you've become enamored with online isn't into you, but it’s even worse to realize that person just made off with $3,500 of your money. That’s what happened to a Glen Rock resident who ended up wiring the dough to a sweet talker in the Dominican Republic. Suffice to say: It wasn’t coming back. Although $3,500 is a significant sum to some, it’s couch cushion change compared with the $450,000 in crypto lost last year by another romance scam victim from Glen Rock. According to the Federal Trade Commission, a staggering $1.3 BILLION was lost by 70,000…
'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds 'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds
'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds A 23-year-old British citizen who hacked the Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates, among others, pleaded guilty in federal court to a host of related charges as part of a deal with the government. Joseph James O'Connor -- also known as "PlugwalkJoe" -- technically faces up to 77 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines but will likely get somewhere between 10 to 20 years when all is said and done. The Liverpudlian hacker admitted during a plea hearing in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 9, that he committed one of the largest high-pro…
Navy Vet From NJ Unmasked As Pro-Russian Propagandist Donbass Devushka Navy Vet From NJ Unmasked As Pro-Russian Propagandist Donbass Devushka
Navy Vet From NJ Unmasked As Pro-Russian Propagandist Donbass Devushka Donbass Devushka is not who she appears to be. According to the Wall Street Journal, a popular pro-Russian social media account is actually run by Sarah Bils, a former Naval officer and native of Camden County. Bils, who was born in Voorhees Township, now lives in Washington near the Naval Station Whidbey Island, according to numerous reports. On social media, Donbass Devushka regularly celebrated the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers and posted videos to YouTube.  On Telegram, she helped share US intelligence information that the government claims was recently leaked by Jack Teixeira, accord…
Data Breach Leaks Social Security Numbers In Central Jersey School District Data Breach Leaks Social Security Numbers In Central Jersey School District
Data Breach Leaks Social Security Numbers In Central Jersey School District A school district in Somerset County announced a serious data breach in its computer system Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District (BRRSD) said an unauthorized user accessed school employees' Social Security numbers between Dec. 10 and Dec. 12, according to this statement.  The district didn’t say how many people were affected by the computer breach. In addition to Social Security numbers, the hacker gained access to insurance enrollment information for employees s and unspecified “other individuals,” the district said. The school district said it sent letters to the affected e…
Hospital Patient Data Stolen in CentraState Cyberattack Hospital Patient Data Stolen in CentraState Cyberattack
Hospital Patient Data Stolen in CentraState Cyberattack Patient data was stolen from CentraState Medical Center in a ransomware attack on the Freehold hospital's computer systems, officials said. In a statement released on Friday, Feb. 10, the health system said the December attack included the theft of patients’ names, addresses, birthdays, social security numbers, health insurance information, medical records and patient account numbers. The cyberattack occurred on the morning of Dec. 29, when the hospital “detected unusual activity involving its computer systems,” the statement said. “Additionally, some information related to care received a…
Seesaw App Used By Elementary Schools Sends NSFW Photos To Parents In Apparent Nationwide Hack Seesaw App Used By Elementary Schools Sends NSFW Photos To Parents In Apparent Nationwide Hack
Seesaw App Used By Elementary Schools Sends Nsfw Photos To Parents In Apparent Nationwide Hack Elementary schools across the US are urging parents to not open the messages on the Seesaw app after an apparent hack sent out "inappropriate" images starting on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.  "The platform was hacked and is experiencing a nationwide issue where some school district families and teachers were receiving links/URLs to inappropriate images," officials at a Schodock elementary school in New York said on its website.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Seesaw (@seesawlearning) Most schools are simply asking parents and guard…
NJ Fertility Clinic Agrees To Pay State $495,000 Over Hack That Exposed 14,663 Patients' Data NJ Fertility Clinic Agrees To Pay State $495,000 Over Hack That Exposed 14,663 Patients' Data
NJ Fertility Clinic Agrees To Pay State $495,000 Over Hack That Exposed 14,663 Patients' Data A New Jersey fertility clinic agreed to pay the state nearly $500,000 to settle an investigation into a data breach that compromised the personal information of 14,663 patients, authorities said. The hack “allowed multiple instances of unauthorized access” to protected health information of patients of the Diamond Institute for Infertility and Menopause, LLC, which operates practices in Millburn, Dover and in Goshen, NY, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Tuesday. “Inadequate data systems and protocols are every hacker’s dream,” state Division of Consumer Affairs Acting…
PHONY FED: Trenton Woman Charged With Impersonating FBI Agent PHONY FED: Trenton Woman Charged With Impersonating FBI Agent
Phony FED: Trenton Woman Charged With Impersonating FBI Agent She wore an empty gun holster on her hip, told Trenton police “I’m FBI" and said she specialized in cyber security at the bureau’s Philadelphia office, authorities said. Police believed her at first. Then she pushed it too far, authorities said. Nealeigh Glasper, 29, of Trenton, now faces charges of impersonating a federal agent. Glasper was a passenger in a car pulled over for having heavily tinted windows – a violation of state law – in a high-crime area of Trenton, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. She introduced herself as “Special Agent Glasper,” “repeatedly told the office…
Ruthless But Reliable? Ransom Group Tied To Colonial Pipeline Hack Says They're Not Bad Guys Ruthless But Reliable? Ransom Group Tied To Colonial Pipeline Hack Says They're Not Bad Guys
Ruthless But Reliable? Ransom Group Tied To Colonial Pipeline Hack Says They're Not Bad Guys Darknet cyberhackers whose ransomware forced the shutdown of a 5,500-mile pipeline between New Jersey and Texas said Monday that they’re in it for the money and not to disrupt society. DarkSide, which popped up last summer, has presented itself as a band of online Robin Hoods who sell the tools to extort businesses and organizations to cyber-burglars and then donate a portion of their take to charitable organizations. It remained unclear exactly who targeted the Colonial Pipeline on Friday, jamming an estimate 2.5 million daily barrels of jet fuel, gasoline and other refined product deliver…
Police: ‘Zoombombers’ Invade Asian-American Virtual Church Service Police: ‘Zoombombers’ Invade Asian-American Virtual Church Service
Police: ‘Zoombombers’ Invade Asian-American Virtual Church Service Several people hijacked a virtual service of a predominately Asian-American church in Englewood, uttering ethnic slurs and posting pornographic images, authorities said. More than 150 congregants and others with the Bergen County church were subject to the bias attack on Zoom, Police Detective Capt. Timothy Torell said Saturday. Although invasions of video conferences were once dismissed as trolling, that changed once the spread of COVID-19 made Zoom the app of choice for many forced to communicate remotely. The FBI considers the systemic “weaponization” of Zoom as hate speech and harassme…
NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen
NJ Sex Offender Indicted For Trying To Hire Dark Web Hit Man To Kill NY Teen A New Jersey man who admitted trading sexually explicit images with a minor took a different tack before pleading guilty: Looking to have the kid killed, he paid $20,000 in bitcoin to a bogus murder-for-hire site on the dark web, a federal indictment alleges. John Michael Musbach, 31, was a free man, having been sentenced in February 2018 to a two-year suspended sentence with lifetime parole supervision for his exchanges with the then-13-year-old from upstate New York. A year or so had passed when cybercrime sleuth Chris Monteiro tipped federal agents off to messages that Musbach exchanged …
COVID-19, Black Friday A 'Super Bowl' Combo For Newest Scams, Here's How To Not Get Beat COVID-19, Black Friday A 'Super Bowl' Combo For Newest Scams, Here's How To Not Get Beat
Covid-19, Black Friday A 'Super Bowl' Combo For Newest Scams, Here's How To Not Get Beat WATCH OUT: The combination of COVID-19 and Black Friday creates the ultimate game for criminals who are skilled at robbing online customers blind, New Jersey's top law enforcer warned. The opportunities for cashing in at your expense this week is "like the Super Bowl for cyber criminals," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. "They are good at the game and have had time to practice and rehearse each play.”  Grewal and the Division of Consumer Affairs warned consumers to watch out for new online scams and a slew of cyber-attacks as the holiday shopping season kicks off on w…
Zoom Bombed: Porn-Sharing Hackers Disrupt Raritan Council Meeting Zoom Bombed: Porn-Sharing Hackers Disrupt Raritan Council Meeting
Zoom Bombed: Porn-Sharing Hackers Disrupt Raritan Council Meeting A New Jersey town council trying to meet for the first time last month since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented was derailed by a group of hackers. The hackers shared pornography and yelled profanities during the Oct. 27 Raritan Borough Council Meeting, aired for the public over Zoom. The meeting was quickly shut down but continued off the air,  Mayor Zachary Bray said. A phone-in option for those participating from home. No major business was acted upon, the mayor said. The council will meet again Nov. 17. Hello, Tonight’s council meeting was hacked and we are terribly embarra…
FAKE NEWS: Warning Of Thieves Using Chemically-Laced COVID-19 Masks To Rob Residents Won't Die FAKE NEWS: Warning Of Thieves Using Chemically-Laced COVID-19 Masks To Rob Residents Won't Die
Fake NEWS: Warning Of Thieves Using Chemically-Laced Covid-19 Masks To Rob Residents Won't Die The folks at Facebook thought they’d killed a viral “warning” that villains were going door to door handing out coronavirus protective masks doused with chemicals to knock out unsuspecting victims and rob them. But it still won’t go away. Facebook yanked the bogus post, along with two stunt videos in which people acted out the scenario, as part of its fight against false news and bad info. “False information,” a warning that replaced both videos now says. “Checked by independent fact-checkers.” Yet people are still sharing the actual image -- not just in the U.S. but around the world – on …
Feds Smash Hundreds Of Online Coronavirus Scams -- And Tell You What To Look For Feds Smash Hundreds Of Online Coronavirus Scams -- And Tell You What To Look For
Feds Smash Hundreds Of Online Coronavirus Scams -- And Tell You What To Look For Federal authorities said they've gotten help from domain providers and others in smashing hundreds of online sites exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to commit fraud and other crimes. As of Tuesday, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) had received and reviewed more than 3,600 complaints related to COVID-19 scams, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Many of them “operated from websites that advertised fake vaccines and cures, operated fraudulent charity drives, delivered malware, or hosted various other types of scams,” federal officials said in a release. To attract traffic, t…