dark web – Cyber Law Watch

From voluntary action and collaboration to legislation and classified capabilities: Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020 released

Aug 20 2020

By Cameron Abbott, Keely O’Dowd and Rebecca Gill

In July this year, we blogged about the Australian Government’s plan to release Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy (Strategy). On 6 August 2020, the Strategy was released after consultation with the public and industry actors.

The Strategy will invest $1.67 billion over the next 10 years – the largest ever financial commitment to cyber security – to create a more secure online world for Australians, our businesses and the essential services which we depend upon. This will be achieved through the following:

Jul 10 2020

By Cameron Abbott and Keely O’Dowd

Intelligence experts KELA recently announced that almost 500,000 customer records of different car suppliers were being offered for sale on the dark web by hacking group “KelvinSecurity Team”.

According to reports, almost 400,000 UK based BMW customers’ data is being sold on the online black market. This data includes the initials and surnames of car owners, home addresses, email addresses, the names of dealerships and car-registration information. The data of Mercedes, SEAT, Honda and Hyundai car owners also form part of the compromised customer records.

Jun 21 2020

By Cameron Abbott, Michelle Aggromito and Rebecca Gill

In what could only be adding fuel to the fire that is the growing concern over Zoom’s privacy and data security risks, it has been reported that over 500,000 Zoom accounts were sold on the dark web and hacker forums earlier in April. The accounts were purchased by cybersecurity firm Cyble after it noticed free Zoom accounts were being posted on hacker forums.

Cyble was able to purchase approximately 530,000 Zoom credentials, which included a user’s email address, password, personal meeting URL, and their HostKey (a six-digit number used to host meetings on Zoom). Victims included well-known companies such as Chase, Citibank and educational institutions including the University of Colorado and the University of Florida. According to Cyble, credentials belonging to its clients in the bulk purchase were also confirmed to be correct.

Open for business, ransomware authors and perpetrators cashing in on emerging dark web marketplace economy

Oct 24 2017

By Cameron Abbott and Giles Whittaker

The emergence of a booming dark web marketplace has facilitated the skyrocketing ransomware sales from US$249,287.05 in 2016 to US$6,237,248.90 as of September 2017, representing a growth rate of 2,502%. This rapid growth is in part due to not only the effectiveness of ransomware as a criminal enterprise but the increased availability to partake in such activities. According to a recent report by Carbon Black, The Ransomware Economy: How and Why the Dark Web Marketplace for Ransomware Is Growing at a Rates of More than 2,500% Per Year, there are 45,000 ransomware product lines at an average price of US$10.50 and includes various do-it yourself (DIY) kits.

Tag:dark web

From voluntary action and collaboration to legislation and classified capabilities: Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy 2020 released

500,000 car owner records found on dark web

Credential stuffing during COVID-19: Cybersecurity firm purchased over 500,000 Zoom account credentials on the dark web and hacker forums

Open for business, ransomware authors and perpetrators cashing in on emerging dark web marketplace economy