Content by Mathew J. Schwartz

RSA Conference 2017: Reporter's Visual Notebook

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 23, 2017

Every year, information security professionals flock to San Francisco for the annual RSA Conference. From the debut of "Trumpcryption" to cybersecurity's "greatest hits" set to hip-hop violin, here are some of the 2017 event's highlights.

British Cops Bust Suspected German ISP Mirai Botnet Hacker

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 23, 2017

At the request of German authorities, British police have arrested a suspected hacker involved in last year's disruption of 1 million Deutsche Telekom customers' routers via Mirai malware, which targets default credentials on internet-connected devices.

Post-Quantum Crypto: Don't Do Anything

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 22, 2017

For anyone who's worried about the rise of quantum computers and the risk that they could be used to crack modern, public-key crypto systems, leading cryptographers at the RSA Conference 2017 delivered a clear message: For now, do nothing.

11 Takeaways From RSA Conference 2017

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 21, 2017

Responding to disruptive data breaches, dealing with Mirai botnets, hacking back and the need for enterprises to segment their backup environments were just some of the topics dominating this year's RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Cybersecurity Chaos Dominates RSA Conference Discussions

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 20, 2017

Amidst the increasing security chaos facing individuals and organizations, one of the dominant themes at this year's RSA Conference was the need for information security professionals to do more, bringing order to enterprise IT security as well as by influencing public policy.

Why Cybercrime Business Is Still Booming

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 14, 2017

Evil hackers with monomaniacal intentions have long dominated pop culture sensibilities. But when it comes to for-profit hacking, cybercrime predominantly remains a business-driven concern, says Trend Micro's Ed Cabrera.

Better Bug Eradication in the Age of Agile Development

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 14, 2017

The cost upsides of writing code that's as free from bugs as possible has long been known, says Veracode's Chris Wysopal, but bugs continue to plague production code. Thanks to the rise of agile programming, however, there are new opportunities to eradicate flaws during development.

Russia Busts Nine More Lurk Malware Suspects

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 10, 2017

Russian police have arrested more suspected members of a cybercrime gang that used "Lurk" malware to steal nearly $30 million from Russian banks. Separately, a lead cybersecurity investigator's arrest on treason charges appears to be chilling cross-border cooperation.

Secure Coding: The Rise of SecDevOps

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 10, 2017

For too long, ensuring that code is securely written - and bug free - has been a business afterthought. But there's been new hope for building security into the development lifecycle, thanks to the rise of DevOps, aka rugged software, says Chris Wysopal, CTO of the application security firm Veracode.

Phisher Refrain: We Will Crypto-Lock You

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 8, 2017

Exploit kits are out and phishing emails are in for attackers who are attempting to infect victims with ransomware, according to new research. Unfortunately, the volume of phishing - and thus ransomware - attacks continues to grow.

Snoop TV: Vizio Pays $2.2 Million to Settle FTC Complaint

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 7, 2017

Televisions that spy on their users have long been a trope of dystopian fiction, including George Orwell's "1984." But the spying TV appears to be far from fictional, according to a new settlement agreement reached between the FTC and smart-TV maker Vizio.

Intercontinental Hotels Confirms Breach

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 6, 2017

InterContinental Hotels Group is warning customers that malware infected point-of-sale devices at a dozen of its hotel restaurants and bars in North America and the Caribbean for up to four months in 2016. But it's unclear if the breach ties to reported exploits involving POS service providers.

FBI: Cybercrime Gang Stole $1.2 Million via Bank Malware

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  February 6, 2017

The FBI says it's continuing to investigate an international cybercrime ring that stole at least $1.2 million via malware, money mules and overseas bank transfers. So far, one Brooklyn-based man has pleaded guilty to related offenses.

Zeus-Derived Malware Continues to Pwn POS Devices

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 31, 2017

Offspring of the Zeus banking Trojan continue to spring to life. Functionally, however, security experts say most POS-infecting banking malware remains almost identical. So why aren't more organizations putting well-known defenses in place?

Ransomware Didn't Hold Austrian Hotel Guests Hostage

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  January 31, 2017

This edition of the ISMG Security Report debunks recent reports suggesting that Austrian hotel guests were locked into - and out of - their rooms by ransomware. Also, would a cybersecurity executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump advance the nation's existing efforts?