USB Stick Bombs Mailed to Ecuadorian Journalists

Journalists in Ecuador are on high alert after explosive devices were found on at least five USB sticks sent to newsrooms throughout the country. Broadcast journalist Lenin Artieda was injured after plugging the explosive device in. He suffered only “mild hand and face injuries”. France24 reports that it’s currently unclear who is behind the attempted attacks, but the Ecuadorian government has condemned the campaign, unequivocally stating that “it categorically rejects any form of violence perpetrated against journalists and media outlets”. An Ecuadorian organisation working to protect press freedoms, Fundamedios, has also called on the government to investigate the bombings. The USB sticks reportedly contained a chemical called RDX, responsible for the famous plastic explosive C-4.
 
This latest news emphasizes the importance of security precautions for business environments, particularly in the sharing of information. USB sticks have been primary carriers of malware and viruses for many years, and this new and very dangerous tactic of sending explosive USB’s to journalists is an issue that all businesses should be aware of. Some of the most famous malware attacks in history have come through a rogue USB being found in a public space and then plugged into an office computer without a second thought. These little giveaways were usually the prelude to data theft, or worse, and users should always take any USB sticks with a grain of salt, particularly if found in a public area. But the idea that someone could have rigged the USB with an explosive charge adds a new, much more nefarious dimension.
 
In addition to encouraging beefed-up security awareness, businesses worldwide use professional data cleaning and continuous data testing to avoid malware attacks. Professional data cleansing services check data on a regular basis to detect anything malicious, and prevent data from spreading to other machines. While some might argue that data cleansing is only of use for large databases, if your company takes security seriously, it should be standard practice for all databases.
 
Any company can be targeted with cyber attack methods such as these; even companies that believe their data is of low value to cyber criminals. As noted in the latest US State of Cybercrime survey, many businesses are not yet looking at cyber security as a high risk area of investment. But loss of proprietary data, and even damaging data leaks, can be very expensive in the long run. Finally, as this news also points out, companies need to ensure that all employees, but particularly IT professionals and journalists, receive ongoing security awareness training.



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