Cyber criminals are more and more often using tools and processes already installed in target computers, called “living off the land,” to ease hacking efforts and reduce the chance of detection, according to a recent Symantec study. […]

Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Susan Brooks, R-Ind., and Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduced legislation June 29 to combat cyber crime by mandating that the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Trade Commission, and the department of Homeland Security (DHS) establish baseline best practices for the private sector. […]

Companies that paid the ransom to retrieve their data from the Petya ransomware attack have no way of receiving the encryption key. Although Symantec has verified the Ukrainian accounting service, MeDoc, as “patient zero” for the attack, the cybersecurity company hasn’t discovered who is behind the attack. The email account that the attack stemmed from has been shut down, so that companies that pay the ransom of $300 won’t receive the encryption key needed to return their data. […]