The banks are being exploited in attacks targeting people filing taxes, getting stimulus checks and ordering home deliveries, says Check Point. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto Phishing campaigns typically try to arouse interest among potential victims through two strategies. They’ll impersonate popular brands and products potentially used by the recipients. And they’ll reference events and items that are timely. If a campaign can do both, so much the better, at least for the criminals. SEE: Social engineering: A…

The University of Hertfordshire in the UK has been hit by a cyber-attack that has taken down its entire IT network as well as blocking access to its cloud-based services. The higher education institution revealed the attack occurred late on Wednesday 14 April in a statement posted on its website earlier today. As a result, all its online classes scheduled today (15 April) have been cancelled. The statement read: “Shortly before 22:00 last night, the University…

The White House is reportedly moving swiftly forward with a plan to harden the security of the US power grid against hacking attacks. According to Bloomberg, the Biden administration has a plan to dramatically improve how power utilities defend themselves against attacks from countries considered to be adversaries in cyberspace – such as Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China. The six-page draft plan, drawn up by the National Security Council, is said to provide incentives…

The UK’s quest for unhindered data flows to and from the EU took another important step forward yesterday after the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) approved the Commission’s draft adequacy decisions. Adequacy decisions are the process by which the European Union decides whether countries outside the bloc offer an adequate level of protection for the data of EU citizens. They are critical to granting seamless data flows between the EU and so-called “third countries”  like the…

A Florida man has been sentenced to a decade behind bars after investigators discovered $3.3 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for genetic cancer testing that patients didn’t need. Ivan Andre Scott, 36, of Kissimmee, was convicted by a federal jury in January on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive unlawful healthcare kickbacks, and three counts of receiving unlawful…