Spain arrests teen who stole 64 million personal data records
The National Police in Spain have arrested a suspected 19-year-old hacker in Barcelona, for allegedly stealing and attempting to sell 64 million records obtained from breaches at nine companies. The teen now faces charges related to involvement in cybercrime, unauthorized access and disclosure of private data, and privacy violations. “The cybercriminal accessed nine different companies […]
North Korean hackers exploit React2Shell flaw in EtherRAT malware attacks
A new malware implant called EtherRAT, deployed in a recent React2Shell attack, runs five separate Linux persistence mechanisms and leverages Ethereum smart contracts for communication with the attacker. Researchers at cloud security company Sysdig believe that the malware aligns with North Korea’s tools used in Contagious Interview campaigns. They recovered EtherRAT from a compromised Next.js application […]
Ransomware IAB abuses EDR for stealthy malware execution
An initial access broker tracked as Storm-0249 is abusing endpoint detection and response solutions and trusted Microsoft Windows utilities to load malware, establish communication, and persistence in preparation for ransomware attacks. The threat actor has moved beyond mass phishing and adopted stealthier, more advanced methods that prove effective and difficult for defenders to counter, even if well documented. In […]
Microsoft investigates Copilot outage affecting users in Europe
Microsoft is working to mitigate an ongoing incident that has been blocking users in Europe from accessing the company’s AI-powered Copilot digital assistant. Additionally, some users who can access the affected service may experience degraded functionality with specific features. “We’re investigating an issue in which users in the United Kingdom may be unable to access Microsoft Copilot, or […]
Ransomware gangs turn to Shanya EXE packer to hide EDR killers
Multiple ransomware gangs are using a packer-as-a-service platform named Shanya to help them deploy payloads that disable endpoint detection and response solutions on victim systems. Packer services provide cybercriminals with specialized tools to package their payloads in a way that obfuscates malicious code to evade detection by most known security tools and antivirus engines. The Shanya packer […]
Malicious VSCode extensions on Microsoft’s registry drop infostealers
Two malicious extensions on Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code Marketplace infect developers’ machines with information-stealing malware that can take screenshots, steal credentials, crypto wallets, and hijack browser sessions. The marketplace hosts extensions for the popular VSCode integrated development environment (IDE) to extend functionality or add customization options. The two malicious extensions, called Bitcoin Black and Codo […]
FinCEN says ransomware gangs extorted over $2.1B from 2022 to 2024
A new report by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) shows that ransomware activity peaked in 2023 before falling in 2024, following a series of law enforcement actions targeting the ALPHV/BlackCat and LockBit ransomware gangs. From thousands of Bank Secrecy Act filings, the report documents 4,194 ransomware incidents between January 2022 and December 2024. These reports […]
Poland arrests Ukrainians utilizing ‘advanced’ hacking equipment
The police in Poland arrested three Ukrainian nationals for allegedly attempting to damage IT systems in the country using hacking equipment and for obtaining “computer data of particular importance to national defense.” The three men, aged between 39 and 43, could not explain why they were carrying the electronic devices. They now face charges of fraud, computer […]
Google Chrome adds new security layer for Gemini AI agentic browsing
Google is introducing in the Chrome browser a new defense layer called ‘User Alignment Critic’ to protect upcoming agentic AI browsing features powered by Gemini. Agentic browsing is an emerging mode in which an AI agent is configured to autonomously perform for the user multi-step tasks on the web, including navigating sites, reading their content, […]
OpenAI denies rolling out ads on ChatGPT paid plans
OpenAI has denied the reports that it has rolled out ads on ChatGPT Plus after users spotted recommendations for shopping apps. As spotted on X, a ChatGPT Plus user casually asked a normal question about Windows BitLocker. While the AI answered the question, it also recommended shopping at Target for groceries. Now, groceries or home food are […]