Legal
FTC approves $126 million in Fortnite refunds over ‘dark patterns’
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved $126,000,000 in refunds to be sent to 969,173 Fortnite players as part of a settlement over allegations that Epic Games tricked users into making unwanted purchases. At the same time, the agency has reopened the claims portal for eligible Fortnite players to submit refund claims, which will be examined […]
US House bans WhatsApp on staff devices over security concerns
The U.S. House of Representatives has banned the installation and use of WhatsApp on government-issued devices belonging to congressional staff, citing concerns over how the app encrypts and secures data. The ban covers mobile phones, laptops, desktop computers, and any web browsers used on those devices. Congressional staff are still free to use WhatsApp on […]
Ryuk ransomware’s initial access expert extradited to the U.S.
A member of the notorious Ryuk ransomware operation who specialized in gaining initial access to corporate networks has been extradited to the United States. The suspect is a 33-year-old foreign man who was arrested in April 2025 in his home in Kyiv at the request of the FBI. He was extradited to the United States […]
Paddle settles for $5 million over facilitating tech support scams
Paddle.com and its U.S. subsidiary will pay $5 million to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allegations that the company facilitated deceptive tech-support schemes that harmed many U.S. consumers, including older adults. Paddle, a UK-based payment processor, offers payments, tax handling, compliance, and checkout infrastructure for software and digital product sellers by acting as a “merchant […]
Operation Secure disrupts global infostealer malware operations
An international law enforcement action codenamed “Operation Secure” targeted infostealer malware infrastructure in a massive crackdown across 26 countries, resulting in 32 arrests, data seizures, and server takedowns. Led by Interpol and conducted from January to April 2025, the operation focused on disrupting infostealer malware groups that steal financial and personal data through widespread infections. […]
Police takes down AVCheck site used by cybercriminals to scan malware
An international law enforcement operation has taken down AVCheck, a service used by cybercriminals to test whether their malware is detected by commercial antivirus software before deploying it in the wild. The service’s official domain at avcheck.net now displays a seizure banner with the crests of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. […]
UK Legal Aid Agency confirms applicant data stolen in data breach
The United Kingdom’s Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has confirmed that a recent cyberattack is more serious than first believed, with hackers stealing a large trove of sensitive applicant data in a data breach. This confirmation of the data breach incident comes from the UK government, which was closely involved in the investigations that followed the […]
Israel arrests new suspect behind Nomad Bridge $190M crypto hack
An American-Israeli national named Osei Morrell has been arrested in Israel for his alleged involvement in exploiting the Nomad bridge smart-contract in August 2022 that allowed hackers to siphon $190 million. Blockchain intelligence platform TRM Labs supplied key information to international law enforcement authorities, leading to the identification of Morrell, who is believed to have played a central role […]
Germany takes down eXch cryptocurrency exchange, seizes servers
The Federal police in Germany (BKA) seized the server infrastructure and shut down the ‘eXch’ cryptocurrency exchange platform for alleged money laundering cybercrime proceeds. During the law enforcement operation, the authorities also seized eight terabytes of data and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Dash) worth approximately $38,000,000, making this the third largest seizure of digital assets […]
NSO Group fined $167M for spyware attacks on 1,400 WhatsApp users
A U.S. federal jury has ordered Israeli spyware vendor NSO Group to pay WhatsApp $167,254,000 in punitive damages and $444,719 in compensatory damages for a 2019 campaign that targeted 1,400 users of the communication app. The verdict is considered a landmark case for being the first time a spyware vendor is held accountable in court, […]