Anonymous hacks, Fancy Bear returns and BadRabbit strikes: The week in cybersecurity
This week in cybersecurity was defined by major attacks and global concern - here are the biggest cybersecurity stories of the week as chosen by the IBTimes UK tech desk.
Was Russia behind BadRabbit? Mystery surrounds cyberattack powered by NSA tools
Upon analysis, multiple cybersecurity firms – including Cisco Talos, FSecure and Symantec – have now concluded that an exploit known as 'EternalRomance' helped the malware spread.
Delete for Everyone: WhatsApp will finally let you unsend those embarrassing texts
For it to work, both sender and recipient must be using the latest version of WhatsApp. The firm has confirmed it will only work within the first seven minutes.
The Kodi effect: Pirate ordered to pay £16,000 for streaming Sky Sports content online
Yusuf Mohammed, from Bristol, will have to disclose details about the money he made while running the operation and pay an undisclosed sum in damages to the broadcaster.
Damning report finds 'basic IT security' could have stopped NHS WannaCry cyberattack
The National Audit Office (NAO) led an investigation into NHS response to the cyberattack, one of the largest to hit the healthcare service.
Twitter clobbers Russia Today and Sputnik in retaliation for 2016 US election interference
Twitter said the decision, which impacts "all accounts" owned by the outlets, is effective immediately. It cited the alleged Russian interference during the 2016 US election.
Cybercriminals launch 'black market for Android users' as dark web goes mobile
Some criminals lurking on the underground internet are building dedicated marketplaces for Android users, typically masked by the anonymity provided by Tor's "Orbot" app.
Is your iPhone spying on you? iOS apps can secretly turn on your camera and take video
Krause said giving apps access to the camera will let them take images without your consent, record you at any time, and upload the footage to a company server.
Hackers could hijack LG's smart home products to spy on you in real time
Experts from cyber firm Check Point, who dubbed the flaws "HomeHack", were able to use the flaws to take control of LG user accounts which, by extension, gave them access.
This breakthrough in battery technology could charge your phone in seconds
Canada's University of Waterloo say nanotechnology can be used to power a new type of energy-storage device known as a supercapacitor and, in turn, fuel devices in seconds.
What is Appleby? A guide to the hacked offshore firm used by the rich and powerful
Appleby's long list of clients, while not named publicly, include banks, corporations, FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies and "high net worth individuals".
What is the 'IoT Reaper' botnet and how can I stay safe? Everything you need to know
The botnet has now been christened "Reaper" and is said to be expanding at a rapid pace, using unpatched vulnerabilities to infect millions of devices.
Another global hack? 'BadRabbit' ransomware infects computers across Europe
According to Group-IB, a cybersecurity firm, the virus now spreading is dubbed "BadRabbit" and is a form of ransomware that locks down machines and demands bitcoin.
Need some extra cash? Watch out for this online sales scam targeting UK jobseekers
Any applicants would be informed they would be selling goods, such as cars or machinery, via online marketplaces – think eBay and Gumtree – on behalf of a fake firm.
'Intelligent' nanoparticle breakthrough hailed as revolutionary for cancer treatment
The microscopic particles can reportedly heat up enough to destroy targeted cells yet also reduce the temperature before they get hot enough to harm healthy tissue.
Rogue password-stealing Android apps on Google Play could hijack your bitcoins
Experts from ESET, a Slovakian antivirus company, said this week (23 October) that both Google and the real Poloniex crypto exchange have been notified.
UK gambling website crackdown: 450 online sites ordered to stop ads targeting children
It ordered the digital services to "amend or remove" advertising which would be considered appealing to children – including those displayed on paid and free-to-play games online.
Anonymous hacks Spanish government websites in 'Free Catalonia' cyber campaign
The Anonymous group is known to use distributed denial of service (DDoS) cyberattacks in order to overwhelm website servers with traffic and force them offline.
Fancy Bear returns: Russian hackers target US cyber conference with booby-trapped file
The two-page file, lifted from the conference's website, was created on 4 October and researchers from Cisco Talos said attacks peaked three days later.
Would you fly in a self-driving plane? Boeing digs deep on autonomous investments
The team-up will draw on multiple investments of late to design and develop self-driving planes that can take off, navigate and land without the need for a pilot.
Julian Assange hits back after CIA director likens WikiLeaks to Isis and Hezbollah
Pompeo said "the world has moved" and pledged that the CIA will now refine how it works to combat "non-state threats" and "state intelligence adversaries."
This new botnet could take down the internet - and it's rapidly spreading across the world
Research suggested that the new botnet is evolving at a rapid pace, and could soon be weaponised to launch cyberattacks in the same fashion as "Mirai" last year.
Smart suburb or data-hungry dystopia? Google's Alphabet to design city of the future
The city will incorporate new technological advancements – from WiFi to self-driving cars – and aims to become a hub for start-ups, business and academic centres.
Hacked personal details of millions of Malaysian citizens allegedly for sale online
Malaysian technology website Lowyat reported that the files were offered for sale by an unknown user of its forums.
Spam on the menu at Domino's as hackers fry suppliers' computer system
Don Meij insisted that the firm does not store credit card information on its systems and stressed: "No financial data was accessed in this incident."
'Nearly every citizen' in South Africa at risk after 60 million records leak online
The leaked records contained citizen ID numbers, names, genders, martial statuses, home ownership information, employment details and income data.
More than 30 million South African identities exposed online in massive 27GB data breach
The 27GB-sized cache was titled "MasterDeeds" and contained millions of records. The leaked records reportedly date back to the late 1990s.
John Lewis pulls children's smartwatch 'vulnerable to hackers' from its shelves
Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) released a report this week detailing the issues after testing a number of the devices: the Gator 2, Tinitell, Viksfjord and Xplora.
Chinese drug kingpins indicted for selling deadly fentanyl packages to Americans online
Police intercepted packages mailed from Yan's internet-based pharmaceutical companies which contained "multiple kilograms" of suspected fentanyl.
Could North Korea be framed for global cyberattacks?
According to reports, the hermit kingdom's hacking unit has swelled to 6,000-people strong - conducting operations even as the country's internet remains weak.
