French police rescued the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur in a nighttime raid after he was taken hostage for ransom, the latest alleged criminal effort in France to extort people involved in the management of digital assets.
The man was kidnapped Thursday morning in Paris, the prosecutor’s office said Sunday. “The victim turned out to be the father of a man who made his fortune in cryptocurrencies, and the incident was accompanied by a ransom demand,” its statement said, without giving their names or other specifics about their identities. Police investigators located the hostage in a house in the Essonne region south of Paris, from which he was rescued on Saturday night, the prosecutor’s office said.
Read more…
Source: AP News
Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.
Related:
- Phishing Eager Travelers
September 15, 2021
Threat actors have always been adept at keeping abreast of worldwide trends – ranging from geopolitical to technical – and rapidly exploiting these trends for their benefit. The current pandemic is no exception. Unit 42 has previously reported on how cybercriminals have preyed on consumers during COVID-19 and on the use of COVID-19 themed phishing ...
- The state of ransomware: national emergencies and million-dollar blackmail
September 14, 2021
Banks have been “disproportionately affected” by a surge in ransomware attacks, clocking a 1,318% increase year-on-year in 2021. Ransomware has become one of the most well-known and prevalent threats against the enterprise today. This year alone, we have seen high-profile cases of ransomware infection — including against Colonial Pipeline, Kaseya, and Ireland’s health service — cause ...
- Hacker-made Linux Cobalt Strike beacon used in ongoing attacks
September 14, 2021
An unofficial Cobalt Strike Beacon Linux version made by unknown threat actors from scratch has been spotted by security researchers while actively used in attacks targeting organizations worldwide. Cobalt Strike is a legitimate penetration testing tool designed as an attack framework for red teams (groups of security professionals who act as attackers on their own org’s ...
- Pair of Google Chrome Zero-Day Bugs Actively Exploited
September 14, 2021
Google has addressed two zero-day security bugs that are being actively exploited in the wild. As part of the internet giant’s latest stable channel release (version 93.0.4577.82 for Windows, Mac and Linux), it fixed 11 total vulnerabilities, all of them rated high-severity. The two zero days are tracked as CVE-2021-30632 and CVE-2021-30633. “Google is aware that exploits ...
- Apple rushes to block ‘zero-click’ iPhone spyware
September 14, 2021
Apple has issued a software patch to block so-called “zero-click” spyware that could infect iPhones and iPads. Independent researchers identified the flaw, which lets hackers access devices through the iMessage service even if users do not click on a link or file. The problem affects all of the technology giant’s operating systems, the researchers said. Read more… Source: BBC ...
- Cybersecurity: Rising risk for airlines
September 13, 2021
After remaking their security procedures following the 9/11 attacks to stop airline hijackings, carriers are now faced with rising threats targeting computers and electronic equipment critical to their operations and safety. Since the tragedy 20 years ago on Saturday, airlines and airports have fortified cockpits, barred sharp objects in carry-on luggage and improved technology to ...