Hotel Doors Locked By Ransomware

A prestigious hotel in Austria was the target of a ransomware attack that left their electronic door locking systems inoperable for several hours. The hack only stopped hotel personnel from activating new keycards due to system is capabilities allowing the functionality without power. Unfortunately, the hotel did pay a ransom of 2 bitcoins. They now have plans to replace the electronic lock system with traditional keys to avoid any future complications.

WordPress Quietly Fixes Critical Vulnerability

Reports have surfaced that WordPress deployed an update resolving several crucial vulnerabilities allowing unauthorized users to access and modify WordPress hosted sites. REST API is the source of the vulnerability. The API was implemented in an earlier version and set to be enabled by default. Fortunately for many WordPress users, the exploit was resolved without any signs of the issue being exploited in the wild.

Ransomware Locks up Texas Police Department

A Texas police department was forced to wipe their servers ridding ransomware encrypting documents and video evidence stored on computers. Officials have stated that the infection started from a spam email link and spread through nearly 8 years worth of data before the individual computer was taken offline.

Netflix Login Generator Creates More Than Credentials

Researchers have discovered a new ransomware variant that comes bundled inside a Netflix login generator application. When users click on the “Generate Login!” button, they are met with a dropped executable that begins encrypting any file located in the main Users directory of the computer. Currently, this variant only runs in Windows 7 and 10 and demands a smaller ransom than normal ($100 or .18 bitcoins), likely in the hope of actually receiving payment.

Office Printers Susceptible to Cyber Attack

While many believe that employees are the main point of vulnerability for a typical corporation, it should be mentioned that the quietest machine in the office can also be an attack vector: the printer. With wireless access becoming ever more prevalent, it’s no surprise that cyber criminals are looking to different areas of opportunity. With nothing more than authority to use the printer, there are several ways to bring the machine to a halt or even gather data that passes through.

Connor Madsen

About the Author

Connor Madsen

Threat Research Analyst

As a Threat Research Analyst, Connor is tasked with discovering and identifying new malware variants, as well as testing current samples to ensure efficacy. Don’t miss the latest security news from around the world in his weekly Cyber News Rundown blog.

Share This