All news in category “Incidents and Data Breaches”

🔎 Researchers at Lumen Technology’s Black Lotus Labs say the SystemBC proxy botnet actively targets commercial VPS instances worldwide to build a high-capacity proxy network. The operation averages about 1,500 bots daily, relies on more than 80 C2 servers, and primarily exploits unpatched systems that often contain dozens of vulnerabilities. Customers and operators exhibit poor operational security, and the service is used by ransomware groups and third-party proxy resellers.

🔒 SonicWall is urging customers to reset credentials after detecting suspicious activity that exposed firewall configuration backup files stored in MySonicWall cloud for under 5% of users. Although stored credentials were encrypted, the preference files contained information that could help attackers exploit related firewalls; the company says this was a series of brute-force accesses, not a ransomware event. Customers should verify backups, disable remote management and VPN access, reset passwords and TOTPs, review logs, and import the provided randomized preferences file that resets local passwords, TOTP bindings, and IPSec keys.

🔐 The Python Software Foundation has invalidated PyPI publishing tokens that were exfiltrated during the early-September GhostAction supply chain attack. GitGuardian first reported malicious GitHub Actions workflows attempting to steal secrets, and PyPI found no evidence that the stolen tokens were used to publish malware. Affected maintainers were contacted and advised to rotate credentials and adopt short-lived Trusted Publishers tokens for GitHub Actions. PyPI also recommended reviewing account security history for suspicious activity.

🔒 Researchers have identified CountLoader, a multi‑language malware loader used by Russian ransomware affiliates and initial access brokers to deploy post‑exploit tools such as Cobalt Strike, AdaptixC2 and the commercial PureHVNC RAT. Appearing in .NET, PowerShell and JavaScript flavors, the loader has been observed in PDF phishing campaigns targeting Ukraine and employs LOLBins and multiple download/execution methods to evade detection. The JavaScript variant is most feature‑complete, offering diverse downloaders, execution paths and persistence via a Google‑update‑named scheduled task.

🛡️ Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit has seized 338 domains to dismantle the Phishing‑as‑a‑Service platform RaccoonO365, which enabled low‑skilled actors to deploy convincing Microsoft login pages. The DCU reports the service compromised more than 5,000 accounts across 94 countries since July 2024 and could bypass MFA to maintain persistent access. Operators marketed AI enhancements to scale attacks and collected at least $100,000 in cryptocurrency, prompting legal action to disrupt the infrastructure and seize control of the platform.

🔒 SonicWall has disclosed a security incident affecting its cloud backup service for firewalls, reporting that threat actors accessed stored preference files for roughly 5% of its install base. While credentials inside those files are encrypted, exposed metadata such as serial numbers could enable future targeting. SonicWall said this was not a ransomware event but a series of brute-force attempts. Impacted customers are asked to check MySonicWall, restrict WAN access, follow the vendor's remediation checklist, and import a supplied preferences file that randomizes local passwords and IPSec keys.

⚠️ Zscaler ThreatLabz researchers discovered two malicious Python packages, sisaws and secmeasure, that were designed to deliver the SilentSync remote access trojan to Windows hosts. Both packages, uploaded by a user identified as 'CondeTGAPIS' and since removed from PyPI, contained downloader logic that retrieved a second-stage Python payload (via Pastebin) and executed code in memory. SilentSync can execute commands, harvest browser credentials and cookies, capture screenshots, and exfiltrate files, while offering persistence mechanisms across Windows, Linux and macOS.

🔒 Insight Partners disclosed a ransomware attack that occurred around 25 October 2024 but was first detected on 16 January 2025. The firm says a sophisticated social engineering attack enabled a threat actor to exfiltrate data and encrypt servers before being expelled the same day. About 12,657 individuals may be affected; the firm offers free identity-theft protection and urges password resets and MFA.

🔒 The UK's National Crime Agency will chair the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group (FELEG) and concentrate on disrupting cybercrime, money laundering and online sexual abuse of children over the next two years. The NCA singled out loosely affiliated native-English networks known as 'The Com', which operate across messaging apps, gaming platforms and forums and share violent and child-abuse material. It also linked these groups to data-theft and extortion campaigns involving actors such as Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters and Lapsus$, citing incidents affecting retailers and luxury brands. FELEG has promoted the UK's Counter Terrorism Policing to full member status to strengthen responses to hybrid threats.

🔒 Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, known online as "Pompompurin", has been resentenced to three years in prison after a U.S. appeals court overturned his earlier lenient term. He created and administered the notorious BreachForums, a marketplace for stolen data and hacking tools, and was arrested after the Department of Justice disrupted the site. Fitzpatrick had violated pretrial release conditions and pleaded guilty to hacking charges and possession of child sexual abuse material; the forum remains active under a new domain.

🔒 SonicWall warned that brute-force attacks against its firewall API used for cloud backups may have exposed preference files stored in customers' MySonicWall.com portals. The vendor has disabled the cloud backup capability and is urging admins to restrict or disable SSLVPN and Web/SSH management over the WAN, then reset passwords, keys, and secrets. Less than 5% of the install base had backups in the cloud, but that could still affect thousands of organizations. SonicWall has provided remediation guidance and will notify customers if their accounts show impacted serial numbers.

🎭 In episode 435 of Smashing Security, host Graham Cluley and guest Jenny Radcliffe discuss a sophisticated phishing campaign that used fake casting calls to lure Israeli performers, illustrating how flattering, opportunity-based lures can be as persuasive as fear-based tactics. They also cover Check Point’s findings on Iran-linked activity, the UK ICO’s warning about students hacking schools, and lighter cultural items including Endeavour and a local “Catman” story. The episode blends practical security analysis with humour and sponsored segments.

🔒 The ShinyHunters extortion group claims they stole approximately 1.5 billion Salesforce records from 760 companies by abusing compromised Salesloft Drift and Drift Email OAuth tokens exposed in a Salesloft GitHub breach. The attackers reportedly accessed Account, Contact, Case, Opportunity, and User tables and searched exfiltrated data for secrets to pivot further. Google/Mandiant and the FBI are tracking the activity as UNC6040/UNC6395, and Salesforce urges customers to enable MFA, enforce least privilege, and manage connected apps carefully.

🪱 Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is investigating an active supply chain attack in the npm ecosystem driven by a novel self-replicating worm tracked as "Shai-Hulud." The malware has compromised more than 180 packages, including high-impact libraries such as @ctrl/tinycolor, and automates credential theft, repository creation, and propagation across maintainers' packages. Unit 42 assesses with moderate confidence that an LLM assisted in authoring the malicious bash payload. Customers are protected through Cortex Cloud, Prisma Cloud, Cortex XDR and Advanced WildFire, and Unit 42 recommends immediate credential rotation, dependency audits, and enforcement of MFA.

⚠️Kaspersky tracked TA558, operating under the cluster known as RevengeHotels, using AI-generated JavaScript and PowerShell loaders in summer 2025 to deliver Venom RAT to hotels in Brazil and Spanish-speaking markets. Phishing emails in Portuguese and Spanish used reservation and job-application lures to coax users into running a WScript payload that chains to a PowerShell downloader fetching 'cargajecerrr.txt' and subsequent loaders. The Venom RAT, based on Quasar, includes data-stealing, reverse-proxy, persistence and aggressive anti-kill features aimed at harvesting payment card data from hotel systems and OTAs.

🔎 From Sept 14–16, more than 180 NPM packages were compromised in the Shai-Hulud worm. The malware propagated by pushing malicious changes to other packages and exfiltrated secrets by publishing data to public GitHub repositories. Using the GitHub Events Archive, UpGuard identified 207 affected repos (175 labeled "Shai-Hulud Migration", 33 "Shai-Hulud Repository"), mapping to 37 users and a set of corporate employers. Affected developers have removed leaked files, but organizations should still audit exposed repos and rotate secrets.

🔒 Insight Partners is notifying thousands of people after a ransomware incident in which a threat actor gained network access via a sophisticated social engineering attack. The attackers reportedly exfiltrated sensitive data — including banking and tax records, personal information of current and former employees, and details related to limited partners, funds, management companies, and portfolio companies — before encrypting servers on January 16, 2025. The firm says formal notification letters and complimentary credit or identity monitoring are being mailed; if you do not receive a letter by the end of September 2025, your personal data was determined not to be impacted. State filings indicate 12,657 individuals were affected, and no group has publicly claimed responsibility.

🔐 SonicWall says firewall configuration backup files in certain MySonicWall accounts were exposed in a security incident and is urging customers to reset credentials immediately. The company reports it cut off attacker access and is working with cybersecurity and law enforcement to investigate. SonicWall published an Essential Credential Reset checklist to help administrators update passwords, API keys, tokens and related secrets and to restrict WAN access before making changes.

🔒 A US court filing identifies a TaskUs employee as a key conspirator in the December 2024 breach of Coinbase, a compromise publicly disclosed in May 2025. Prosecutors allege support agents were bribed and recruited to steal customer PII, impacting almost 70,000 users and facilitating social engineering and asset theft. The filing names employee Ashita Mishra, accuses her of stealing and photographing hundreds of records per day and selling data for $200 a record, and claims TaskUs tried to minimize and conceal its security failures. Plaintiffs seek monetary damages and court-ordered security reforms.

🔒 Microsoft and Cloudflare coordinated a disruption of the RaccoonO365 Phishing-as-a-Service operation in early September 2025, seizing 338 malicious websites and Cloudflare Worker accounts. The service is linked to at least 5,000 stolen Microsoft 365 credentials from 94 countries since July 2024 and was used in large campaigns, including a tax-themed sweep that targeted over 2,300 U.S. organizations. Kits bundled CAPTCHA and anti-bot evasion, were sold via a private Telegram channel, and investigators identified a suspected leader, prompting a criminal referral.