MGM Resorts International was allegedly victimized by a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group on September 11, 2023, leading to the temporary shutdown of operations at numerous hotels and resorts. pic.twitter.com/nxIweGInsB — MGM Resorts (@MGMResortsIntl) September 11, 2023“MGM Resorts recently identified a...

Several standards exist for secure data/media sanitization, but the most commonly cited standards are NIST SP 800-88.  Published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), SP 800-88 defines processes for destroying data on hard disk drives (HDDs) and...

The Cuba ransomware Group, also known as Fidel, has modified their malware variant to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Developer Program.  Contrary to its name, the Cuba group is believed to be based in Russia. For the past...

Hard drives are magnetic storage devices, and they’re capable of holding data for extensive periods of time without losing data.  The data retention rate of a hard drive varies by manufacturer and the precise architecture used by the device. However,...

SD (Secure Digital) is a popular data storage format developed by the SD Association, a joint partnership between several major flash manufacturers.  The SD format encompasses a number of related technologies:SDHC microSD miniSD SDIO SDXC SDUCAll SD formats...

Smoke can damage a hard drive, but only in extreme circumstances.  Hard drives have pouch filters that prevent most contaminants from reaching the platters (discs coated in a thin layer of magnetic material, which store the user’s data).  Nearly all...

Wildfires have ravaged three of Hawaii’s islands, exacerbated by drought and high winds from Hurricane Dora.  Maui, in particular, has suffered fallout. Communities in North Kohala, South Kohala and Kual have seen widespread damage, and at least 36 people have...

Data recovery software providers often make unsubstantiated claims about their products — and for some consumers, those claims lead to permanent data loss.  In other articles, we’ve discussed the potential dangers of using software to treat file corruption, restore...

On Tuesday, August 8th, 2023, the White House held a cybersecurity summit to address a recent wave of ransomware attacks targeting U.S. schools.  According to The Hill, at least 48 school districts have been victimized by ransomware attacks in...

The infamous “blue screen of death” (or BSOD) occurs when the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) must shut down or restart unexpectedly.  Contrary to its name, a BSOD doesn’t mean the “death” of your computer (or your data). It simply...