hacking
Yanluowang initial access broker pleaded guilty to ransomware attacks
A Russian national will plead guilty to acting as an initial access broker (IAB) for Yanluowang ransomware attacks that targeted at least eight U.S. companies between July 2021 and November 2022. According to a plea agreement signed by the defendant on October 29, first spotted by Court Watch editor Seamus Hughes, Aleksey Olegovich Volkov (who used the “chubaka.kor” and “nets” aliases) […]
Hackers earn $1,024,750 for 73 zero-days at Pwn2Own Ireland
The Pwn2Own Ireland 2025 hacking competition has ended with security researchers collecting $1,024,750 in cash awards after exploiting 73 zero-day vulnerabilities. At Pwn2Own Ireland 2025, competitors targeted products in eight categories, including printers, network storage systems, messaging apps, smart home devices, surveillance equipment, home networking equipment, flagship smartphones (Apple iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25, and Google Pixel 9), and wearable […]
Pwn2Own Day 2: Hackers exploit 56 zero-days for $790,000
Security researchers collected $792,750 in cash after exploiting 56 unique zero-day vulnerabilities during the second day of the Pwn2Own Ireland 2025 hacking competition. Today’s highlight was Ken Gannon of Mobile Hacking Lab and Dimitrios Valsamaras of Summoning Team hacking the Samsung Galaxy S25 with a chain of five security flaws, earning $50,000 and 5 Master of Pwn points. Also, while PHP Hooligans needed only a single […]
Hackers exploit 34 zero-days on first day of Pwn2Own Ireland
On the first day of Pwn2Own Ireland 2025, security researchers exploited 34 unique zero-days and collected $522,500 in cash awards. The highlight of the day was Bongeun Koo and Evangelos Daravigkas of Team DDOS chaining eight zero-day flaws to hack the QNAP Qhora-322 Ethernet wireless router via the WAN interface and gain access to a QNAP TS-453E NAS device. […]
Zeroday Cloud hacking contest offers $4.5 million in bounties
A new hacking competition called Zeroday Cloud, focused on open-source cloud and AI tools, announced a total prize pool of $4.5 million in bug bounties for researchers that submit exploits for various targets. The contest is launched by the research arm of cloud security company Wiz in partnership with Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft, and is scheduled for […]
Microsoft increases Zero Day Quest prize pool to $5 million
Microsoft will offer up to $5 million in bounty awards at this year’s Zero Day Quest hacking contest, which the company describes as the “largest hacking event in history.” Last year’s Zero Day Quest has also generated significant participation from the security community, following Microsoft’s offer of $4 million in rewards for vulnerabilities in cloud and AI products […]
Pwn2Own hacking contest pays $1 million for WhatsApp exploit
The Zero Day Initiative is offering a $1 million reward to security researchers who will demonstrate a zero-click WhatsApp exploit at its upcoming Pwn2Own Ireland 2025 hacking contest. The record bounty targets zero-click security flaws that allow code execution without user interaction on the messaging platform used by more than three billion people worldwide. Meta, […]
U.S. Army soldier pleads guilty to extorting 10 tech, telecom firms
A 21-year old former U.S. Army soldier pleaded guilty to charges of hacking and extorting at least ten telecommunications and technology companies in the country. Cameron John Wagenius was arrested in Texas on December 20, 2024 and indicted in the Western District of Washington on two counts of unlawful transfer of confidential phone records. In February […]
Man pleads guilty to hacking networks to pitch security services
A Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to hacking multiple organizations to advertise his cybersecurity services, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. 32-year-old Nicholas Michael Kloster was indicted last year for hacking into the networks of three organizations in 2024, including a health club and a Missouri nonprofit corporation. According to court documents, Kloster accessed the […]
Kali Linux 2025.2 Released: New Tools, Smartwatch and Car Hacking Added
Kali Linux, the preferred distribution for security professionals, has launched its second major release of 2025, Kali Linux 2025.2, in June. This update introduces a restructured Kali Menu, upgraded desktop environments, 13 new tools, and significant Kali NetHunter advancements, including smartwatch Wi-Fi injection and a car hacking toolset. Here’s a concise look at the key […]