Legal
Russia tries to block WhatsApp, Telegram in communication blockade
The Russian government is trying to block WhatsApp in the country as its crackdown on communication platforms outside its control intensifies. WhatsApp announced the action against it on X, calling it “a backwards step” that “can only lead to less safety for people in Russia.” WhatsApp assured its Russian users that it will continue doing […]
U.S. convicts ex-Google engineer for sending AI tech data to China
A U.S. federal jury has convicted Linwei Ding, a former software engineer at Google, for stealing AI supercomputer data from his employer and secretly sharing it with Chinese tech firms. Ding was originally indicted in March 2024 after he lied and didn’t sincerely cooperate with Google’s internal investigation, leading to his arrest in California. According to the […]
Black Basta boss makes it onto Interpol’s ‘Red Notice’ list
The identity of the Black Basta ransomware gang leader has been confirmed by law enforcement in Ukraine and Germany, and the individual has been added to the wanted list of Europol and Interpol. Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) identified Oleg Evgenievich Nefedov, a 35-year-old Russian national, as the leader of the Black Basta ransomware gang. The Ukrainian […]
France fines Free Mobile €42 million over 2024 data breach incident
The French data protection authority (CNIL) has imposed cumulative fines of €42 million on Free Mobile and its parent company, Free, for inadequate protection of customer data against cyber threats. The company is the second-largest internet service provider in France and suffered a data breach in October 2024, exposing information of nearly 23 million mobile and […]
Hacker gets seven years for breaching Rotterdam and Antwerp ports
The Amsterdam Court of Appeal sentenced a 44-year-old Dutch national to seven years in prison for multiple crimes, including computer hacking and attempted extortion. The man was arrested in 2021 and convicted in 2022 by the Amsterdam District Court, but he appealed the sentence because authorities had unlawfully intercepted his communications, deriving incriminating evidence. These communications […]
Texas court blocks Samsung from tracking TV viewing, then vacates order
The State of Texas obtained a short-lived, temporary restraining order (TRO) against Samsung that prohibited the South Korean company from collecting audio and visual data about what Texas consumers are watching on their TVs. Like other major TV manufacturers, Samsung employs Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology to capture periodic screenshots, analyze viewing activity, and identify users’ […]
FBI seizes domain storing bank credentials stolen from U.S. victims
The U.S. government has seized the ‘web3adspanels.org’ domain and the associated database used by cybercriminals to host bank login credentials stolen in account takeover attacks. Cybercriminals collected the credentials in phishing campaigns targeting American citizens through fraudulent ads on Google and Bing search services that led to fake banking portals. The confirmed financial loss from […]
Interpol-led action decrypts 6 ransomware strains, arrests hundreds
An Interpol-coordinated initiative called Operation Sentinel led to the arrest of 574 individuals and the recovery of $3 million linked to business email compromise, extortion, and ransomware incidents. Between October 27 and November 27, the investigation, which involved law enforcement in 19 countries, took down more than 6,000 malicious links and decrypted six distinct ransomware […]
Nigeria arrests dev of Microsoft 365 ‘Raccoon0365’ phishing platform
The Nigerian police arrested three individuals linked to targeted Microsoft 365 cyberattacks via Raccoon0365 phishing platform. The attacks led to business email compromise, data breaches, and financial losses affecting organizations worldwide. The law enforcement operation was possible thanks to intelligence from Microsoft, shared with the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF–NCCC) via the FBI. The […]
US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments
Law enforcement has seized the servers and domains of the E-Note cryptocurrency exchange, allegedly used by cybercriminal groups to launder more than $70 million. It is believed that the funds originated from ransomware and account takeover attacks, and were subsequently funneled through an international network of “money mules.” “Since 2017, the FBI identified more than […]