Tomáš Foltýn

If undetected by a user’s security solution or content- or ad-blocker, the script ran in the background unbeknown to the user until the webpage was closed. A number of the affected websites, including that of the ICO, were also offline for hours in the aftermath of the attack.

According to US authorities, the enterprise aimed at becoming the premier destination for the buying and selling of stolen payment card data and forged identification documents. It is believed that the losses that the Infraud Organization had intended to cause were north of $2.2 billion.

The investigation showed that the tool, which required little technical knowledge to deploy, had over 8,600 users in 78 countries. Victims are believed to be in the thousands.

Another template attempts to scare, rather than thrill, the recipients. Upon learning that “your IP address and other identifying information were used to commit multiple online crimes”, the mark is urged to contact the sender by phone immediately.

The price puts the data records at a significant premium when compared to other stolen datasets. While, in general, many adverts in the dark recesses of the internet are fake, children’s personally identifiable information (PII) has for long been viewed as a particularly valuable commodity.

In some countries, the financial allure of looking for security vulnerabilities is (even) more striking, according to the findings of a survey released recently by bug bounty platform provider HackerOne.

As part of the policy, underage individuals and foreigners without local bank accounts will be barred from trading in virtual currencies. Banks will be required to share information about cryptocurrency exchanges with each other.

The breach put at risk ‘only’ the customers who entered their payment data on oneplus.net between the middle of November 2017 and January 11, 2018. Those who paid with previously saved credit card details or via PayPal are believed to be out of harm's way.

The latest survey marks a shift from optimism regarding technological risks in the previous years. The heightened levels of worry come on the back of an escalation in cybersecurity threats, which, as noted by the WEF, are growing in prevalence and in disruptive potential alike.