Europe
Europe sanctions Chinese and Iranian firms for cyberattacks
The Council of the European Union has sanctioned three Chinese and Iranian companies and two individuals for cyberattacks targeting devices and critical infrastructure. One of the two sanctioned Chinese companies, identified as Integrity Technology Group, provided “technical and material support” between 2022 and 2023 that led to hacking more than 65,000 devices in six EU […]
EU court adviser says banks must immediately refund phishing victims
Athanasios Rantos, the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), has issued a formal opinion suggesting that banks must immediately refund account holders affected by unauthorized transactions, even when it’s their fault. The opinion was issued in response to a request for a preliminary ruling submitted by the District Court in Koszalin, Poland, […]
European Commission discloses breach that exposed staff data
The European Commission is investigating a breach after finding evidence that its mobile device management platform was hacked. The Commission said on Friday that it detected traces of a cyberattack targeting infrastructure that manages its staff’s mobile devices. While the attackers may have accessed some staff members’ personal information, including names and phone numbers, the […]
EU says TikTok faces large fine over “addictive design”
The European Commission said today that TikTok is facing a fine because its addictive features, including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and personalized recommendation systems, are breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). According to preliminary findings, TikTok has failed to adequately assess how these features could harm users’ physical and mental well-being, including minors and […]
EU launches investigation into X over Grok-generated sexual images
The European Commission announced today that it has launched formal proceedings under the Digital Services Act to investigate whether X properly assessed risks before deploying its Grok artificial intelligence tool, following its use to generate sexually explicit images. The commission noted that these potential risks “seem to have materialised,” seeing that the AI-powered tool was […]
New Spiderman phishing service targets dozens of European banks
A new phishing kit called Spiderman is targeting customers of numerous European banks and cryptocurrency services using pixel-perfect replicas of legitimate sites. The platform allows cybercriminals to launch phishing campaigns that can capture login credentials, two-factor authentication (2FA) codes, and credit card data. The Spiderman phishing kit, analyzed by researchers at Varonis, targets financial institutions in […]
EU fines X $140 million over deceptive blue checkmarks
The European Commission has fined X €120 million ($140 million) for violating transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This is the first non-compliance ruling under the DSA, a set of rules adopted in 2022 that requires platforms to remove harmful content and protect users across the European Union. The fine was issued following a two-year […]
Police arrests suspects linked to €600 million crypto fraud ring
European law enforcement authorities have arrested nine suspected money launderers who set up a cryptocurrency fraud network that stole over €600 million ($689 million) from victims across multiple countries. The fraudsters allegedly created fake cryptocurrency investment platforms that looked legitimate and promised high returns, and recruited victims through various means, including social media and cold […]
Windows zero-day actively exploited to spy on European diplomats
A China-linked hacking group is exploiting a Windows zero-day in attacks targeting European diplomats in Hungary, Belgium, and other European nations. According to Arctic Wolf Labs, the attack chain begins with spearphishing emails that lead to the delivery of malicious LNK files themed around NATO defense procurement workshops, European Commission border facilitation meetings, and various […]
North Korean Lazarus hackers targeted European defense companies
North Korean Lazarus hackers compromised three European companies in the defense sector through a coordinated Operation DreamJob campaign leveraging fake recruitment lures. The threat group’s activity was detected in late March and targeted organizations involved in the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. ‘Operation DreamJob’ is a long-running Lazarus campaign where the adversary, posing as […]