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Data Breach Alert: Over 10,000 Customers at Two US Banks Warned of Potential Exposure of Sensitive Information

Published

12 months ago

24 August 2024

Data Breach Alert: Over 10,000 Customers at Two US Banks Warned of Potential Exposure of Sensitive Information

In a concerning development for the financial sector, more than 10,000 customers across two U.S. banks have been notified of a significant data breach that has put highly sensitive personal information at risk. The breach, which was disclosed on August 23, 2024, has raised alarms among both customers and cybersecurity experts due to the nature of the compromised data.

Details of the Breach

The affected banks, whose names have not been publicly disclosed due to ongoing investigations, issued alerts to 10,953 customers, warning them that their personal information, including Social Security numbers, account details, and potentially even financial transaction histories, may have been accessed by unauthorized individuals. The banks have described the breached data as “extremely sensitive,” emphasizing the potential for misuse.

The breach was discovered through the banks’ routine monitoring systems, which detected unusual activity involving customer information. In response, both institutions have taken immediate steps to secure their systems and mitigate further damage. Law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity experts have also been brought in to assist with the investigation and track down the perpetrators.

Implications for Affected Customers

The exposure of such critical information places customers at a heightened risk of identity theft and financial fraud. Criminals could potentially use the stolen data to open fraudulent accounts, apply for loans, or carry out other malicious activities that could have long-lasting consequences for the victims.

As a precautionary measure, the banks have advised affected customers to monitor their accounts closely for any unauthorized transactions and to report any suspicious activity immediately. Customers have also been encouraged to change their passwords and consider placing fraud alerts or credit freezes on their credit reports to protect against potential misuse of their data.

Banks’ Response and Security Measures

In their alerts, both banks reassured customers that they are taking the breach very seriously and are committed to safeguarding their personal information. The institutions have implemented additional security measures to prevent further breaches, including enhanced monitoring, stronger encryption protocols, and more rigorous access controls.

Furthermore, the banks are offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to the affected customers as part of their efforts to mitigate the impact of the breach. These services are designed to help customers detect and respond to any attempts to misuse their personal information.

What Customers Should Do Next

For customers who have received breach notifications, it is essential to take immediate action to protect their financial security. In addition to monitoring bank accounts and credit reports, customers should:

Change all relevant passwords: Update passwords for online banking, email, and any other accounts that might be connected to the breached information.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, such as a code sent to your phone, when logging into accounts.
Be wary of phishing scams: Scammers may attempt to exploit the breach by sending fraudulent emails or messages that appear to be from the bank, asking for additional personal information.
Stay informed: Follow updates from the banks and relevant authorities regarding the breach and any further actions that may be necessary.

Ongoing Investigation

The investigation into the breach is ongoing, and it remains unclear who is responsible or how the breach was carried out. However, the incident underscores the growing threat of cyberattacks in the financial sector and the need for constant vigilance in protecting sensitive information.

As the situation develops, customers and the public can expect further updates from the banks involved and from law enforcement agencies as they work to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent future incidents.

For more details and updates on this developing story, you can read the full article on The Daily Hodl.

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Morocco Sets Sights on 70% 5G Coverage by 2030 With New License Launch

Published

3 weeks ago

26 July 2025

EL MOSTAFA OUCHEN

Morocco Sets Sights on 70% 5G Coverage by 2030 With New License Launch

RABAT — July 26, 2025
In a landmark step toward digital transformation, Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) has officially launched the bidding process for 5G licenses, inviting national and international telecom operators to help deliver 25% population coverage by 2026 and 70% by 2030.

5G Strategy to Power FIFA World Cup and Beyond

The initiative aligns with Morocco’s preparations to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and its broader Maroc Digital 2030 agenda. “This is about more than faster networks—it’s about our national future,” said Driss El Yazami, policy advisor at the Ministry of Digital Transition.

Highlights of the 5G Deployment Plan

Initial rollouts in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, and Tangier
Smart infrastructure integration in stadiums and airports
Spectrum allocation in 3.5GHz and mmWave bands
Coverage expansion to underserved rural regions

From Urban Startups to Rural Farmers: 5G’s National Reach

5G is expected to revolutionize Moroccan society. Students will gain access to virtual classrooms, remote clinics will offer telemedicine, and farmers can deploy smart sensors. “Connectivity is empowerment,” said Amina El Mahdi, a tech entrepreneur in Fez.

Economic Impact and Cybersecurity Measures

The Ministry of Finance predicts 5G will boost GDP by 1.5% by 2030. All operators must meet strict cybersecurity, data localization, and interoperability standards monitored by ANRT and the National Cybersecurity Directorate.

2030 World Cup: Smart Stadiums and Global Broadcasts

With over 1.5 million visitors expected, 5G will support crowd management, mobile ticketing, HD broadcasts, and fan engagement zones across Moroccan host cities.

5G infrastructure being deployed in Morocco’s major cities ahead of FIFA 2030.

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Critical Cyber Breach in Tunisia: Government Systems and Banks Hacked, Confidential Data for Sale

Published

4 weeks ago

22 July 2025

EL MOSTAFA OUCHEN

Critical Cyber Breach in Tunisia: Government Systems and Banks Hacked, Confidential Data for Sale

A coordinated cyberattack led by Moroccan hacker Jokeir 07x and groups Dark Hell 07x and Dr. Shell 08x compromises key Tunisian institutions, exposing government systems, banking infrastructure, and personal data to global exploitation.

Tunis, July 2025 — In an alarming escalation of cyber threats across North Africa, Tunisia has become the latest victim of a highly organized and devastating cyberattack. Orchestrated by Moroccan threat actor Jokeir 07x, in partnership with the groups Dark Hell 07x and Dr. Shell 08x, the operation has compromised critical national infrastructure—from government domains to private financial institutions.

“This is not just a defacement campaign—it’s full infrastructure penetration,” declared Jokeir 07x on Telegram.

The targets include the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Tunisia, BTK, and the Tunisian Academy of Banking and Finance, among others. The attackers claim full access to internal systems, including emails, financial records, developer platforms, and sensitive citizen data.

🏛️ Government Domain Breached: Ministry of Finance

The domain finances.gov.tn was infiltrated through 16 high-risk subdomains such as auth., gitlab.intra., mail., and login-tej. According to hacker statements, these allowed access to:

Internal recruitment systems
Budgetary information
Developer repositories
Administrative emails

This level of penetration indicates control over Tunisia’s digital authentication infrastructure and DevOps environment, raising severe concerns for national cybersecurity.

🏦 Banking Sector Compromised and Data Sold

Several banks were also impacted:

Bank of Tunisia (bt.com.tn):
- Full customer database allegedly available for $4,000
- Individual bank accounts offered at $100
- 5-account bundles sold for $450
BTK Bank (btknet.com) and Academy of Banking and Finance (abf.tn) also suffered complete breaches, including control over the sites and underlying systems.

The incident signals not just a data breach but the active commercialization of sensitive financial information on the dark web.

🔍 Technical Breakdown: How It Happened

Cybersecurity analysts have pointed to multiple failure points within Tunisia’s digital infrastructure:

Web Application Vulnerabilities:
- SQL Injection
- File Upload flaws
- XSS
- Remote File Inclusion (RFI)
SSO and Mail System Exploitation:
- Session hijacking likely
- Weak session/cookie management
GitLab Exposure:
- Unauthorized access to internal GitLab revealed API tokens, credentials, and system architecture
Lack of Security Infrastructure:
- No evidence of WAF, IDS, or SIEM defense
- No active monitoring or response systems
Inadequate Data Protection:
- Absence of encryption, data masking, or tokenization
- Entire banking datasets available in plain text

⚠️ The Fallout: Trust, Security, and Reputation

This attack lays bare the vulnerabilities in Tunisia’s cyber defenses, damaging public trust in both government institutions and the banking sector. The country’s financial and administrative data has now surfaced on international black markets, with potential long-term repercussions for national security and economic stability.

💡 Urgent Recommendations for Recovery and Reform

Cybersecurity professionals are urging Tunisia to immediately:

Establish internal SOC (Security Operations Centers)
Mandate routine penetration testing
Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Implement end-to-end data encryption
Audit and secure GitLab instances
Conduct staff training on social engineering threats
Deploy real-time code and data monitoring

“Being hacked is not the shame—failing to learn from it is,” noted a Tunisian cybersecurity analyst. “The future belongs to those who invest in digital resilience, not legacy infrastructure.”

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Cloud Wars 2025: Full Breakdown of Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Services You Need to Know

Published

4 weeks ago

21 July 2025

EL MOSTAFA OUCHEN

As cloud computing reshapes digital infrastructure, this side-by-side comparison of services across Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) empowers IT professionals and organizations to make informed decisions.

Cloud Wars: Breaking Down the Giants

In today’s digital-first world, cloud computing isn’t just a trend—it’s the backbone of enterprise IT. Whether you’re a startup deploying an app or a global corporation migrating legacy systems, choosing the right cloud provider can make or break your operations. A newly circulated Cloud Services Comparison Cheatsheet provides an invaluable visual breakdown of offerings from Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), the three dominant players in the cloud arena.

Technical Deep Dive: Key Service Categories Compared

This infographic categorizes over 25 essential cloud services and maps each across Azure, AWS, and GCP equivalents. Here’s what stands out:

1. Compute Services

Azure: Virtual Machines
AWS: EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)
Google Cloud: Compute Engine

These services provide scalable virtual server environments, with options for predefined or custom machine types. Azure and AWS offer more mature ecosystems with hybrid cloud integrations, while GCP emphasizes fast boot times and sustained-use discounts.

2. Object Storage

Azure Blob Storage
Amazon S3
Google Cloud Storage

All three services allow you to store large amounts of unstructured data. AWS S3 is known for its advanced features (like S3 Glacier), while Azure Blob integrates well with Microsoft services, and GCP offers multi-regional redundancy by default.

3. Serverless Computing

Azure Functions
AWS Lambda
Google Cloud Functions

Serverless solutions allow developers to execute code without managing servers. AWS Lambda leads in ecosystem maturity, while Azure and Google offer solid integrations with their respective developer tools.

4. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

Azure CDN, AWS CloudFront, and Google Cloud CDN
All three platforms offer global distribution of content to reduce latency. AWS CloudFront is widely adopted in large-scale enterprise environments, while Google leverages its backbone network to deliver high-speed content.

Security & Identity Management

Cloud security remains a priority as data breaches and compliance requirements escalate.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is offered across platforms with Azure Active Directory, AWS IAM, and Google Cloud IAM.
Key Management Services (KMS) ensure secure handling of encryption keys across all three.
Compliance tools like Azure Trust Center, AWS Cloud HSM, and Google Cloud Security help enterprises adhere to global regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO/IEC.

Specialized Services: AI, Containers, and Analytics

Analytics: Azure Stream Analytics, Amazon Kinesis, and Google Dataflow enable real-time data processing.
Containers: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Amazon EKS, and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) support modern container orchestration.
Automation: Each provider supports automation—Azure with Azure Automation, AWS with OpsWorks, and GCP with Deployment Manager.

Notable Differences

Some categories reveal gaps:

Google Cloud lacks direct equivalents for services like DNS management (Route 53, Azure DNS) or cloud notifications (AWS SNS, Azure Notification Hub).
Azure leads in hybrid cloud features due to its integration with Windows Server and on-prem tools.
AWS offers the broadest service portfolio, making it ideal for complex multi-cloud or global enterprise setups.