Controversial gunshot detection company ShotSpotter has deployed more than 25,000 microphones in 170 cities around the world. This week, WIRED and South Side Weekly revealed that the company can continue to provide shooting data to police in cities even after contracts have ended. Internal emails seen by publications suggest that ShotSpotter’s sensors may have remained online even though law enforcement agreements have expired, raising questions about what will happen to 2,500 microphones in Chicago when their contract expires at end of the year.
Separately, Change Healthcare finally admitted to paying a ransom to AlphV hackers, also known as BlackCat, who extorted the medical company. A few weeks ago, WIRED revealed that attackers were paid $22 million, one of the largest ransomware payments in history. However, in a statement this week, the company admitted for the first time that it paid the ransom as part of its effort to “do everything possible to protect patient data from disclosure.” Some of that data still made it to the dark web.
In another successful scam, investigators found animators in North Korea creating artwork for major Hollywood studios. A misconfigured North Korean cloud server, discovered late last year, contained thousands of animation files, notes and work documents for productions of shows streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Max. The companies probably didn’t know that Hermit Kingdom workers were creating the artwork, but it’s another example of how North Korea is using skilled workers to circumvent sanctions and make money for the regime.
Meanwhile, Cisco revealed this week that some of its devices, called Adaptive Security Appliances, have been attacked by state-sponsored hackers who exploited two zero-day vulnerabilities in the systems. The attack, dubbed ArcaneDoor, is believed to have had an espionage objective and sources suspect China’s state-backed hackers may be to blame.
The November presidential election may still be months away, but the next president of the United States will have greater surveillance capabilities. This week Joe Biden signed a controversial bill that expands and improves Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. FISA allows spy agencies to collect calls, emails, and more from Americans when searching for foreign intelligence. Critics say the changes are “a gift to any president who wants to spy on his political enemies.”
Thats not all. Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn’t cover in depth. Click on the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.
In January, an Instagram account in Baltimore, Maryland, posted an alleged audio recording of a local school principal, Eric Eiswert, making racist and anti-Semitic comments. Baltimore County Public Schools quickly opened an investigation into the incident. However, this week, a former Pikesville High School athletic director was arrested after police said he used artificial intelligence software to create the fake Eiswert audio clip. The audio included comments about “ungrateful black kids” and derogatory comments about the Jewish community.
Dazhon Darien, the former staff member, was arrested after he was stopped in possession of a gun at an airport when officials saw there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest, the Baltimore flag reported. The media organization reports that Darien was accused of disrupting school activities and stalking. The fake clip was allegedly made in retaliation for the director investigating Darien for irregular payments to his roommate.
