Open-Source AI Models Vulnerable to Criminal Misuse, Researchers Warn
Jan. 29 By AJ Vicens Hackers and other criminals can easily commandeer computers operating open-source large language models outside the guardrails and constraints of the major artificial-intelligence platforms, creating security risks and vulnerabilities, researchers said on Thursday. Hackers could target the computers running the LLMs…
US Businesses Break Their Silence After Latest Minnesota ICE Shooting
Jan. 26 By Siddharth Cavale and Ross Kerber After weeks of silence, corporate executives in the past 24 hours have spoken up about the heavy immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota after federal agents shot and killed a protester in Minneapolis over the weekend, the second…
Ex-US Cyber Intel Exec Pleads Guilty to Selling Spy Tools to Russian Broker
Oct. 29 By Raphael Satter A former executive with U.S. defense contractor L3Harris has pleaded guilty to selling digital spy tools to a Russian broker, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. In a statement, the department said Peter Williams, a 39-year-old Australian, pleaded to two counts…
Arrested US Adviser on India to Contest Allegations in Documents Case, Lawyers Say
Oct. 15 By David Brunnstrom A leading U.S.-India relations expert and U.S. government adviser arrested over handling of classified documents will vigorously contest the allegations, and specifically any insinuation that he operated on behalf of a foreign adversary, his lawyers said on Wednesday. Ashley Tellis,…
DOJ Seeks 30-Year Prison Sentence for Attempted Kavanaugh Assassin
Sept. 19 By Jan Wolfe U.S. prosecutors on Friday asked a judge to sentence the person who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 to at least 30 years in prison. The request from Justice Department lawyers, submitted in a court filing,…
Australian Banking Regulator Warns Geopolitical Tensions Could Lead to More Cyber Attacks
Aug. 20 By Scott Murdoch Australia’s prudential regulator has cautioned that the country’s banking system is facing increasing risk of cyberattacks as a result of escalating geopolitical tensions. Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) chair John Lonsdale said the regulator would increase its work with the…
Ransomware Group Lockbit Appears to Have Been Hacked, Analysts Say
May 8 By Raphael Satter The ransom-seeking cybercriminals behind the extortion group Lockbit appear to have suffered a breach of their own, according to a rogue post to one of the group’s websites and security analysts who follow the gang. On Wednesday one of Lockbit’s…
US Moves to Ban Cambodia’s Huione Over Alleged Money Laundering
May 2 By Tom Wilson The U.S. Treasury plans to ban Cambodian financial firm Huione Group from the U.S. financial system, deeming it of “primary money laundering concern” over its alleged role in laundering illicit funds from cyber heists and online scams. The Treasury’s Financial…
US Justice Department Unit for Drug and Food Safety Cases Being Disbanded
April 25 By Sarah N. Lynch A Justice Department unit that handles criminal and civil enforcement of U.S. food and drug safety laws is being disbanded as part of an ongoing cost-cutting campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to three people familiar with the…
FBI Says Cybercrime Costs Rose to at Least $16 Billion in 2024
April 23 By Raphael Satter Cybercrime of all stripes cost victims globally more than $16 billion dollars last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a report released on Wednesday. The losses – a one-third increase over 2023 – were largely driven by low…