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Rogue Ransomware Negotiator Rattles Trust in Outside Data-Breach Responders

By Kim S. Nash

 

Welcome back. A federal case against a corporate negotiator who secretly worked with cybercriminals to secure larger ransomware payments is raising concerns over the level of trust companies place in third-party cyber-incident responders.

“The industry has considered or even joked about a version of this risk for years,” Craig Jones, chief security officer at detection-and-response firm Ontinue, told WSJ Pro's Angus Loten.

“What this case exposes is what happens when nobody took that concern seriously enough to do anything about it,” Jones said. Here's our full story.

  • For practical advice on how to build trust in third-party cyber incident responders, read more from Dow Jones Risk Journal (gift link).

Also today: 

  • Hasbro expects second-quarter hit from cyberattack
  • Home-security firm ADT discloses breach
  • Tech supplier to energy and water providers hacked
  • Leidos stock loses ground
  • And more
 

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More Cyber News

PHOTO: STEW MILNE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hasbro is still working to restore systems and operations it shut down after a March 28 cyberattack. The toy maker reported unaudited earnings for the first quarter, saying the incident hasn't affected financial results but has impeded the company in compiling information needed to prepare a full report.

  • Second-quarter earnings will likely be affected by delays in order processing, shipping and invoicing, Hasbro said. Costs related to the cyberattack will likely be reflected in that report. 

A cyberattack on a cloud-based system at ADT exposed data about current and prospective customers, the home-security provider said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said it continues to investigate.

Critical-infrastructure tech provider hacked. Itron, which makes tech for energy, water, and utility companies, disclosed Friday that it was notified on April 13 that an unauthorized third party had gained access to certain of its internal systems.

  • Itron, based in Liberty Lake, Wash., said it saw no suspicious activity on its customer systems. The company expects cyber insurance to cover the bulk of its incident costs.
 

Palo Alto Networks led cybersecurity stocks last week, closing up 6.6% on Friday. On Wednesday, the stock traded as high as 8% over Monday's open and was one of five stocks to end up over 3%.

The gains helped push the WSJ Pro CyberIndex up 4% for the week.

Leidos was the worst performer of the week, down nearly 7%. Seven stocks in the index finished the week in the red. — Jon Leckie

AI espionage: The U.S. State Department issued a diplomatic cable to raise awareness of intensifying efforts by China to use DeepSeek AI and other tools to steal the AI secrets of U.S. companies. The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., denied the allegations. (Reuters)

PHOTO: CHRIS DAY/AP

Privacy and geofence warrants: The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing a bank-robbery case from Virginia to decide whether geofence warrants are an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. The case, set to be argued Monday, is the latest test of how the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government applies in the digital age. (WSJ)

 

About Us

The WSJ Pro Cybersecurity team is Deputy Bureau Chief Kim S. Nash and reporters Angus Loten and James Rundle. Follow us on X @WSJCyber. Reach the team by replying to any newsletter you receive or by emailing Kim at kim.nash@wsj.com.

 
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