News of the Cyber World

[kyonides]

US seizes more than 30 websites connected to Iran
alleging disinformation and sanctions violations

The Department of Justice said Iran’s Islamic Radio and Television Union controlled 33 websites, months after the U.S. issued sanctions against the same organization for what officials described as spreading disinformation meant to influence Americans’ opinions prior to the presidential election in 2020.

Press TV, Iran’s state-owned news broadcaster, and three other sites that the U.S. said are connected to Kata’ib Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization, also broadcast messages saying the Justice Department had taken control of the domains.

The Treasury Department issued sanctions against IRTVU in October 2020, along with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and three other entities, for either direct or indirect complicity in foreign interference in the U.S. elections.

IRTVU is a propaganda arm of the Iranian military’s Quds Force, which specializes in information warfare and other unconventional tactics, according to a Treasury notice. The organization is also tied to Bayan Gostar, a front company that the U.S. says planned to launch disinformation efforts focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, and denigrating U.S. politicians.

Iranian officials have denied the allegations, calling the website seizures an attack on free speech.

Of course, they would!  They're used to Twitter and Facebook letting ayatollahs publish any warmongering post on their platforms for free while conservatives get blocked for defending their views and beliefs.

Tulsa police say 18,000 files are leaked
after Conti ransomware hack

Citations and internal police department files from the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma are circulating on cybercriminal marketplaces after a ransomware incident in which hackers stole some 18,000 files, city officials say.

A notice posted on a municipal website on June 22 warns that residents’ data including names, birth dates and driver’s license numbers is accessible to scammers following a hack carried out by the Conti ransomware gang. The digital extortionists breached the Tulsa police department in May, leaking stolen data about 22 officers and promising to publish more if the city refused to pay a ransom.

The theft from the Tulsa police department roughly coincided with unrelated breaches at Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, as well as smaller departments in Florida, Maine and Arizona.

In this case, the main suspect is a prolific group known as Conti. The same criminal organization, thought to be based in Russia, is known for a recent attack against Ireland’s national health service.

I just hope you don't live in those places.