DOJ seizes internet domain servers that were used by Russian hacking group in spear-phishing attacks

In a statement the U.S. Justice Department said, it had seized two Internet domains names which had been used in spear-phishing attacks that mimicked the email communications from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Armed with a court order, the Justice Department seized two command-and-control (C2) and malware distribution domains on May 28. The domain…

SolarWinds hack was the largest and most sophisticated cyber attack to date: Microsoft president

In a statement, Microsoft Corp’s President Brad Smith said, the SolarWinds hacking campaign that used the U.S. tech company as a springboard to compromise many U.S. government agencies is “the largest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen”. The hacking campaign, identified in December 2020, was allegedly orchestrated by China and Russia, had…

NASA scientist pleads guilty to participation in China’s Thousand Talent program

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, a senior NASA scientist has pleaded guilty to lying about his ties to a program that encourages researchers to develop relationships with China in exchange for grants. Meyya Meyyappan, 66, of Pacifica, California, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan. According…

DoJ seizes $1 billion in bitcoins associated with underground marketplace Silk Road

In a statement the U.S. Justice Department stated, it had seized more than $1 billion worth of bitcoin associated with the underground online marketplace Silk Road. The Justice Department is seeking the forfeiture of the bitcoins, which had been in the possession of an unnamed hacker who had stolen them from the “notorious” website. The…

Chipmaker UMC pleads guilty to trade secret theft, China’s bid to steal propriety chip designs unravelled

In a significant development United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) stated, it has pleaded guilty to trade secret theft in the United States, and will be paying a fine of $60 million and will cooperate with the prosecution of China’s Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co Ltd. Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had indicted…

Visa’s bid to acquire fintech startup Plain Inc facing antitrust review

Visa Inc’s $5.3 billion acquisition of fintech startup Plaid Inc is facing antitrust scrutiny following the U.S. Justice Department filing a court petition on Tuesday demanding more information on the transaction. The DoJ is reviewing the proposed deal to check whether it violates provisions of antitrust law. It has filed a petition with a U.S. district…

Multiple U.S. government agencies back revoking China Telecom’s ability to operate in U.S.

In a significant development, several agencies from the U.S. government including the Justice Department called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revoke China Telecom (Americas) Corp’s ability to provide international telecommunications services to and from the United States. China Telecom is the U.S. subsidiary of a People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-owned telecommunications company.…

DOJ indicts 4 members of China’s People’s Liberation Army for Equifax hack

In September 2017, credit reporting agency Equifax decided to come clean: it had been hacked and personal sensitive information of 143 million, which was later revised to 147.9 million, U.S. citizens had been compromised. The stolen personal data included names, date of birth, and Social Security numbers. Earlier this week on Monday, the U.S. Department…