Zoom announced Tuesday that it was cutting about 1,300 jobs, a 15 percent reduction of its workforce. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said that the company didn’t take as much time to understand whether it was sustainably growing, adding that the uncertainty of the global economy pushed it “to look inward to reset ourselves so we…
Author: Ines Kagubare
Texas governor unveils plan for statewide TikTok ban
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) unveiled Monday a statewide plan to ban TikTok from state government-issued devices and networks, following a December order to crack down on the use of the popular social media app. “The security risks associated with the use of TikTok on devices used to conduct the important business of our state…
Russia-Ukraine war has improved US cyber cooperation, says key official
Nathaniel Fick, U.S. ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy, said on Thursday that the Russia-Ukraine war prompted the government to significantly increase its partnership with the private sector, a practice that was less common in prior years. Fick, who was confirmed in August to head the State Department’s new cyber bureau, said that over the…
Russian-backed hackers actively targeting US health care sector, HHS warns
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warned on Monday that pro-Russian hacktivist group Killnet is actively targeting the U.S. healthcare industry with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. HHS said in a notice that the group has been going after countries supporting Ukraine, including NATO members. “Although KillNet’s ties to official Russian government organizations such…
Ukraine enters uncharted territory with request to investigate Russian cyberattacks as war crimes
Ukrainian officials are breaking new ground — and possibly reshaping the future of cyberwarfare — as they seek to convince the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to investigate whether certain Russian cyberattacks could constitute war crimes. Cyberattacks have increasingly become a part of modern warfare in recent years, and have been repeatedly used by Russian forces amid…
DOJ disrupts global ransomware gang
The Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it dismantled an international ransomware group responsible for extorting more than $100 million in payments from organizations based in the U.S. and around the world. The ransomware group, known as Hive, has targeted more than 1,500 victims around the world since its operation began in June 2021,…
FBI accuses North Korean hackers of $100M crypto theft
The FBI confirmed on Monday that North Korean-sponsored hackers known as the Lazarus Group were behind the theft of $100 million worth of cryptocurrency from California-based crypto firm Harmony. Last year, Harmony reported that unknown hackers stole money from one of its blockchain bridges and that it was working with law enforcement and forensic specialists to identify the perpetrators…
Noem says cell phone was hacked, blames Jan. 6 panel
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said on Monday that her personal cell phone number has been hacked and used to make hoax calls. Noem said her phone was hacked following the release of her and her family’s personal information, including her social security number, by the House Jan. 6 committee. “Callous mishandling of personal…
Russia expected to increase cyberattacks in Ukraine war — to little effect
Nearly a year into its war with Ukraine, Russia has had little success on the cyber battlefield — and that doesn’t look like it will change moving forward. In the coming months, the Kremlin is expected to escalate its cyber operations as it continues to face major military setbacks in the conflict. However, that increase in cyber activity is likely to have a minor…
Hillicon Valley — Ukraine: Russian cyberattacks could be war crimes
A top Ukrainian cyber official said his country is weighing whether Russian cyberattacks that recently targeted its critical infrastructure could be classified as war crimes. Meanwhile, Virgin Orbit faced a setback after failing to launch its first set of satellites from the U.K. This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about…