russia
Hackers abuse ViPNet software to target Russian govt agencies
An advanced threat actor is abusing the update mechanism for the ViPNet private networking product suite to target Russian organizations, including government agencies. Dubbed HelloNet, the campaign has been active since at least May, deploying a malicious payload that acts as a proxy and loader for additional malware. According to Kaspersky researchers, HelloNet has impacted […]
Russian hackers trojanize WebEx, Zoom apps to push Starland malware
A financially motivated Russian threat actor tracked as UAT-11795 is using trojanized software to steal credentials and cryptocurrency by deploying a new backdoor called Starland RAT. Attacks have been occurring since at least June 2025 and have focused on users in the U.S., although victims in Germany, Romania, and Venezuela have been observed as well. […]
Google Gemini CLI abused as a hacking agent, malware botnet operator
A Russian-speaking threat actor known as “bandcampro” used Google’s open-source Gemini CLI AI tool as a hacking agent and to operate a small-scale botnet. The AI agent responded to the attacker’s prompts, troubleshooting problems on the fly and even proposing operational improvements at least 59 times. In more than 200 sessions between May 19 and […]
US charges alleged operators of Russian bulletproof hosting service
U.S. federal prosecutors have unsealed charges against three Russian nationals, accusing them of providing bulletproof hosting (BPH) services to ransomware gangs that caused over $62 million in damages to victims worldwide. BPH providers lease servers that help hinder disruption efforts targeting their malicious activities, including malware delivery, command-and-control operations, phishing attacks, and illicit content hosting. […]
EU sanctions Russian GRU military hackers over cyberattacks
The European Union and the United Kingdom jointly sanctioned dozens of Russian individuals and entities and accused Russia of coordinating a network of hacking groups responsible for attacks across Europe. Today, the Council of the European Union announced sanctions on nine individuals and four entities, including Russian military intelligence (GRU) officers and cybercriminals, while the UK separately sanctioned 24 […]
US and allies warn of Russian critical infrastructure attacks
Cybersecurity agencies from the United States and eight other countries have issued a joint warning that Russian state hackers are targeting vulnerable and poorly configured routers to infiltrate critical infrastructure networks. The joint advisory, co-authored by the NSA, FBI, and CISA, along with 15 other agencies from Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Estonia, Finland, France, […]
Spain arrests suspected member of pro-Russian hacktivist groups
Spain’s National Police have arrested a man who is suspected of being an active member of the CyberArmy of Russia Reborn (CARR) and Z-Pentest, both pro-Russian hacktivist groups. Although hacktivism typically refers to cyberattacks intended to promote a political or ideological message rather than cause widespread damage, the two groups have been linked to multiple attacks […]
U.S. offers $10 million for hackers targeting WhatsApp, Signal users
The U.S. Department of State is offering up to $10 million for information that helps identify or locate members of the UNC5792 and UNC4221 hacker groups, which are linked to Russia’s intelligence and military services. The bounty is part of the ‘Rewards for Justice’ (RFJ) program, which targets foreign state actors carrying out cyberattacks against […]
GreyVibe hackers use ChatGPT, Gemini to power cyberattacks
A likely Russian threat group tracked as GreyVibe has been using AI-generated lures and a rich set of custom malware tools to target entities in the military, government, civilian, and business sectors. The cyberespionage campaign has been active since at least August 2025 and appears to align with Russian state interests, although researchers cannot confidently […]
Russian hackers turn Kazuar backdoor into modular P2P botnet
The Russian hacker group Secret Blizzard has developed its long-running Kazuar backdoor into a modular peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet designed for long-term persistence, stealth, and data collection. Secret Blizzard, whose activity overlaps that of Turla, Uroburos, and Venomous Bear, has been associated with the Russian intelligence service (FSB) and is known for targeting government and diplomatic […]