Mathew J. Schwartz

Executive Editor, DataBreachToday & Europe, ISMG

Schwartz is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience in magazines, newspapers and electronic media. He has covered the information security and privacy sector throughout his career. Before joining Information Security Media Group in 2014, where he now serves as the executive editor, DataBreachToday and for European news coverage, Schwartz was the information security beat reporter for InformationWeek and a frequent contributor to DarkReading, among other publications. He lives in Scotland.

European Central Bank Breached

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 24, 2014

The website of the European Central Bank has been breached and contact information for event registrants stolen. The breach only came to light when a hacker attempted to obtain a ransom to return stolen data to the bank.

Google Faces Privacy Policy Challenges

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 23, 2014

Google's move to adopt a single, unified privacy policy in 2012 continues to have legal repercussions, with the Italian Data Protection Agency demanding changes, and a judge clearing the way for a U.S. class action lawsuit to move forward.

EU to Roll Out Cybercrime Taskforce

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 22, 2014

The EU Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce pilot is set to coordinate cross-border investigations - across Europe, the United States and beyond - into cybercrime, including payment card fraud, DDoS attacks and malware rings.

Malware Bypasses 2-Factor Authentication

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 22, 2014

An online gang with ties to Romania and Russia has been bypassing two-factor, Android-based authentication systems - used by 34 different banks to authenticate customers - via the sophisticated Operation Emmental cybercrime campaign.

Researcher: Cryptolocker Not Dead Yet

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 21, 2014

Despite official suggestions to the contrary, the Cryptolocker ransomware isn't dead yet, even as new types of ransomware continue to flood onto black market cybercrime forums, one researcher claims.

UK Surveillance Bill Becomes Law

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 18, 2014

A controversial U.K. "emergency" surveillance bill has become law, just seven days after being introduced to Parliament. But a privacy rights group has already promised to challenge the new law in court.

Nasdaq Hack Attribution Questioned

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 18, 2014

Two zero-day vulnerabilities reportedly were exploited by the attackers who hacked NASDAQ's systems in 2010. While a senior U.S. legislator claims the hackers had "nation-state" backing, security experts say it's still not clear who hacked NASDAQ or why.

Senate Weighs Botnet Busting Changes

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 17, 2014

The Obama administration urges Congress to update U.S. anti-hacking laws to crack down on fraudsters operating abroad, disrupt spam and DDoS botnets, and arrest "botnet for hire" service providers.

UK Takedown Disrupts Shylock Botnet

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 11, 2014

British police have worked with an international consortium of law enforcement agencies and information security firms to disrupt financial malware known as Shylock used to infect more than 60,000 PCs and steal millions of dollars.

Gameover Zeus Trojan Returns

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 11, 2014

One month after an international law enforcement effort targeted the Gameover Zeus banking Trojan, new versions of the malware are being distributed via spam campaigns.

Microsoft Settles Malware Lawsuit

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 10, 2014

Microsoft absolves dynamic DNS provider No-IP of being complicit in a malware campaign that infected millions of PCs and apologies to the 1.8 million customers who experienced outages.

ATM Malware Attacks Rise in Europe

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 9, 2014

Criminals have begun targeting ATMs in Western Europe using malware, as well as a new generation of stealthier skimmers designed to capture card data and PIN codes. But the stolen data is often used for fraud elsewhere, especially the U.S.

Browser-Focused Banking Attacks Evolve

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 7, 2014

The "Bolware" malware gang has used Web injection and "man-in-the-browser" techniques to steal up to $3.75 billion. The attack campaign demonstrates how easily attackers anywhere in the world can commit browser-based fraud.

Java on XP: Take Your Chances

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 4, 2014

Oracle has stopped supporting XP, but promises the next update for Java 7 -- though not Java 8 -- will still run on XP. But for how long will this continue? Security experts chart XP's "downward spiral."

P.F. Chang's Issues Breach Update

Mathew J. Schwartz • July 2, 2014

P.F. Chang's has issued an update to customers, saying its data breach was the work of a "highly sophisticated" gang, and that forensics experts continue to investigate the full extent of the breach.