This week, employees snoop on taxpayers in Canada, web hosting services in Australia come under attack, and a New Zealand cryptocurrency exchange continues to get hacked.
Dark Web ID Trends:
Top Source Hits: ID Theft Forums (99%)
Top Compromise Type: Domains
Top Industry: Legal
Top Employee Count: 11 – 50 Employees (53%)
United States – HOUZZ
https://threatpost.com/houzz-data-breach/141426/
Exploit: User data exposure
Houzz: Home improvement and interior decorating startup
On Friday, the company issued a notice to customers stating that an “unauthorized third party” had accessed user data including usernames, passwords, and IP addresses. Although financial information was not exposed, Houzz became aware of the breach in in late December of 2018, yet the investigation is still ongoing and it is still not clear how many users were impacted.
When combined with the internal data that was compromised, public information such as first and last name, city, state, country, profile description, can be packaged together to sell on the Dark Web and commit cyber fraud. Additionally, users who logged into the app via Facebook would have their IDs exposed as well.
Customers Impacted: To be determined
How it Could Affect Your Business: In the event that an organization has to disclose a breach to its users, it is essential to be clear on “who, what, when, and where”. Even though Houzz discovered the leak in late December of 2018 and was compelled to disclose in a timely manner in accordance with new GDPR laws, they are still unsure on the number of users impacted or the origin of the cyberattack. Aside from dispelling vigilant customers who want to protect their data going forward, the incident may trigger fines to be levied.
MonitorDW to the Rescue: Dark Web ID™ monitors the Dark Web to detect breaches before it’s too late. We strengthen your security by offering industry-leading detection.
Risk Levels:
1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk
*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.
Canada – Quinte Health Care
Exploit: Privacy breach by rogue employee
Quinte Health Care: Health care services provider for Prince Edward and Hastings Counties as well as the southeast portion of Northumberland County
A privacy breach was recently reported by Belleville General Hospital, part of the Quinte Health “system of care”. This past September, a routine check on staff browsing history uncovered that a nurse had been accessing hundreds of patient records unrelated to her work. Although the investigation is currently in progress, the company maintains that the breach was an isolated incident and has fired the employee in question.
Information that was exposed may have contained names, home addresses, birth dates, health card numbers, and other protected health information. Even more concerning is the fact that the exact number and identities of the patients compromised is yet to be understood.
Customers Impacted: To be determined
How it Could Affect Your Business: In the emerging era of cyber vigilance, companies are held more accountable for the behaviors of their employees than ever. So far, the QHC privacy breach is being considered as one of mere “curiosity”, yet the company may still lose loyal patients and face hefty fines. Companies that store consumer, patient, or employee data must focus on modern solutions that offer detection and meet hackers where they live: in the Dark Web.
MonitorDW to the Rescue: Dark Web ID combines human and sophisticated Dark Web intelligence with search capabilities to identify, analyze and proactively monitor for your organization’s compromised patient or customer data.
Risk Levels:
1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk
*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.
New Zealand – Cryptopia
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/report-zealand-cryptopia-exchange-hack-021500238.html
Exploit: Payment fraud
Cryptopia: Online cryptocurrency exchange
After initially reporting the cyberattack over two weeks ago, the Cryptopia exchange is still being hacked. According to Elementus, hackers have stolen another 1,675 ETH ($175,875) from 17,000 wallets, siphoning and transferring the funds to a private address. 5,000 of these wallets were already emptied out and then “auto-refilled” by mining pools, which means that users are continuing to deposit funds despite the hack announcement.
User wallets continue to become compromised, signaling that the cyber criminals have access to the private keys of the exchange and can withdraw funds from any Cryptopia account of their choosing.
Customers Impacted: 17,000 cryptocurrency wallets
How it Could Affect Your Business: The only incident scarier than a compromise is a subsequent attack or inability to contain the breach. Companies should take notice and fortify their security solutions to prevent, detect, and mitigate breaches. Even more importantly, they must create protocols and manual controls in the event of such a widespread hack.
MonitorDW to the Rescue: Find out why the largest private and public sector organizations globally rely on Dark Web ID to provide actionable stolen credential data and make informed decisions.
Risk Levels:
1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk
*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.