All news in category “Incidents and Data Breaches”

🔐 Google Threat Intelligence has linked a campaign to UNC5342, a cluster tied to North Korea, that now uses EtherHiding to distribute malware via smart contracts on public blockchains such as BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum. The attackers lure developers through LinkedIn recruitment ruses, move conversations to Telegram or Discord, and deliver npm-package downloaders that chain into BeaverTail, JADESNOW, and the Python backdoor InvisibleFerret. By embedding payloads in on-chain contracts, the group turns blockchains into tamper-resistant dead-drops that are hard to takedown and easy to update, enabling sustained cryptocurrency theft and long-term espionage.

🪙 Google Threat Intelligence Group links a financially motivated actor, UNC5142, to widespread compromises of WordPress sites that leverage EtherHiding and on-chain smart contracts to distribute information stealers such as Atomic, Lumma, Rhadamanthys and Vidar. The campaign injects a multi-stage JavaScript downloader (CLEARSHORT) into plugins, themes and databases to query malicious BNB Smart Chain contracts, which return encrypted landing pages that use ClickFix social engineering to trick Windows and macOS users into executing stealer payloads. Google flagged roughly 14,000 infected pages through June 2025, and observed a move to a three-contract proxy-like architecture since November 2024 that improves agility and resistance to takedown.

🔒 An AWS-hosted compromise revealed a new GNU/Linux rootkit dubbed LinkPro, discovered by Synacktiv. Attackers leveraged an exposed Jenkins server vulnerable to CVE-2024-23897 and deployed a malicious Docker image (kvlnt/vv) to Kubernetes clusters, delivering a VPN/proxy (vnt), a Rust downloader (vGet) and vShell backdoors. LinkPro relies on two eBPF modules—Hide and Knock—to conceal processes and activate via a magic TCP packet, with a user-space fallback via /etc/ld.so.preload when kernel support is missing.

🔒 Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) reports that a DPRK-aligned threat actor tracked as UNC5342 has employed EtherHiding since February to host and deliver malware via smart contracts on Ethereum and the BNB Smart Chain. Campaigns begin with fake technical interviews that trick developers into running a JavaScript downloader named JADESNOW, which fetches a JavaScript build of InvisibleFerret for in-memory espionage and credential theft. The method offers anonymity, takedown resistance, and low-cost, stealthy payload updates.

🧩 GTIG reports that DPRK-linked UNC5342 has adopted EtherHiding, using smart contracts on public blockchains to store and deliver malicious JavaScript payloads. The actor leverages social engineering—fake recruiter lures and technical interviews—to deploy the JADESNOW downloader, which fetches and decrypts on-chain payloads and stages the Python backdoor INVISIBLEFERRET. Google recommends enterprise controls and Chrome management policies to disrupt this resilient, decentralized C2 method.

🔒 LastPass has confirmed it was not breached after detecting a targeted phishing campaign that mimicked its branding. The emails used the subject line "We Have Been Hacked - Update Your LastPass Desktop App to Maintain Vault Security" and came from spoofed senders such as hello@lastpasspulse.blog and hello@lastpassgazette.blog. Links in the messages redirected recipients to phishing sites (lastpassdesktop.com and lastpassgazette.blog), and attackers have also registered lastpassdesktop.app for potential follow-ups. Cloudflare is displaying warnings and LastPass said it is working to have the malicious domains taken down.

🔒 German authorities, working with BaFin, Europol and Bulgarian law enforcement, seized 1,406 fraudulent crypto and investment domains in Operation Heracles on October 3, 2025. The seized sites, which targeted German-speaking users, now display warning banners after roughly 866,000 access attempts were recorded in the first ten days. Authorities warn these professional-looking platforms often use AI-generated content, mobile apps and call centres to defraud victims.

📊 The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC)'s Q3 2025 analysis found 835 publicly reported corporate data compromises in the United States, resulting in approximately 23 million victim notifications. That follows 1,732 incidents in H1 2025 and brings the year-to-date total to nearly 202 million victims. The report attributes 83% of breaches to cyber-attacks, highlights a rise in physical attacks, and criticizes the increasing frequency of notices that omit details about the cause. Major victims this quarter included Anne Arundel Dermatology, DaVita, TransUnion and several large healthcare providers.

⚠️ F5 has confirmed a nation-state actor maintained persistent access to its development systems, including the BIG-IP product development environment and engineering knowledge management platforms, with discovery in August and customer notification on October 15. The breach included stolen files containing BIG-IP source code and information on undisclosed vulnerabilities. While F5 reports no known active exploitation, it and CISA have urged immediate patching and mitigations, and the US government delayed public disclosure in September after a Justice Department order.

🔐 In episode 439 of Smashing Security, Graham Cluley and guest Annabel Berry examine a reported critical infrastructure hack that allegedly exploited default passwords and featured perpetrators boasting on Telegram. They probe how basic misconfigurations can cascade into major incidents and spotlight the human cost of defending organisations — stress, burnout, and leadership failures. The show pairs this sober analysis with lighter cultural asides, including music and media reflections.

🔒 The ICO fined Capita £14 million after a March 2023 cyberattack that exposed personal information for 6.6 million people and hundreds of clients, including 325 pension providers. Attackers—claiming responsibility as Black Basta—gained access via a malicious file, remained in systems for 58 hours, exfiltrated almost 1TB, and deployed ransomware. The fine was reduced from an initial £45 million after Capita accepted liability and implemented remediation measures, including enhanced access controls and customer protections.

🔒 F5 Networks acknowledged that a highly sophisticated threat actor exfiltrated portions of BIG-IP source code, information about undisclosed vulnerabilities, and configuration data for a small percentage of customers. The company says there is no evidence of modification to its build pipelines or active exploitation of undisclosed critical vulnerabilities. F5 has released security updates for BIG-IP, F5OS, BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes, BIG‑IQ, and APM clients and urges customers to apply them immediately. CISA has directed federal agencies to assess internet-exposed BIG-IP devices, and F5 will provide eligible customers a free subscription to CrowdStrike Falcon EDR.

🔒 Nineteen‑year‑old college student Matthew D. Lane was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $14 million in restitution and a $25,000 fine after pleading guilty for his role in a December 19, 2024 breach of PowerSchool. Authorities say Lane and accomplices used credentials stolen from a subcontractor to access the PowerSource support portal and download databases containing personal records for millions of students and staff. Attackers demanded Bitcoin ransoms and attempted to extort individual districts; PowerSchool paid a ransom before the full scope was disclosed.

⚠ The phishing campaign impersonates LastPass and Bitwarden, sending convincing emails claiming breaches and urging users to install a 'more secure' desktop app. The distributed binary installs the legitimate Syncro MSP agent, which then deploys ScreenConnect remote-access software to give attackers persistent control. Cloudflare is blocking the malicious landing pages, and vendors confirm no breaches occurred.

🔎 Symantec attributes a five‑month intrusion (Jan–May 2025) against a Russian IT service provider to a China‑linked group tracked as Jewelbug, connecting it with clusters CL‑STA‑0049/REF7707 and Earth Alux. Attackers accessed code repositories and build systems and exfiltrated data to Yandex Cloud, creating supply‑chain concerns. The campaign used a renamed cdb.exe to run shellcode, bypass allowlisting, dump credentials, establish persistence, and clear event logs. Symantec also ties Jewelbug to recent intrusions in South America, South Asia, and Taiwan that leverage cloud services, DLL side‑loading, ShadowPad, BYOVD techniques, and novel OneDrive/Graph API C2.

🔒 F5 disclosed that unidentified threat actors accessed its systems and exfiltrated files including portions of BIG-IP source code and documentation on undisclosed product vulnerabilities. The company attributed the intrusion to a highly sophisticated nation-state threat actor, reported detection on August 9, 2025, and said it has contained the activity. F5 engaged Google Mandiant and CrowdStrike, rotated credentials, strengthened controls, and advised customers to apply updates to BIG-IP, F5OS, BIG-IQ, and APM clients.

🔒 MANGO has notified customers that an external marketing service suffered unauthorized access, resulting in exposure of certain personal contact information. The retailer said the compromised fields included first name, country, postal code, email address, and telephone number, while last names, payment card details, IDs and account credentials were not affected. MANGO confirmed its corporate systems remain secure, authorities have been informed, and a dedicated email and hotline are available for concerned customers.

🔒 Wiz researchers found that publishers of over 100 Visual Studio Code extensions leaked personal access tokens and other secrets that could allow attackers to push malicious extension updates across large install bases. The team validated more than 550 secrets across 500+ extensions spanning 67 types, including AI provider keys, cloud credentials, database and payment secrets. Over 100 extensions exposed Marketplace PATs (≈85,000 installs) and ~30 exposed Open VSX tokens (≈100,000 installs); many flagged packages were themes and hard-coded secrets in .vsix files were often discoverable. Microsoft revoked leaked tokens after disclosure and is adding secret-scanning; users and organizations were advised to limit extensions, vet packages, maintain inventories, and consider centralized allowlists.

🔒 F5 disclosed that nation-state attackers breached its systems and exfiltrated portions of BIG-IP source code and information about undisclosed vulnerabilities after gaining persistent access to product development and engineering knowledge platforms. The company says it first detected the intrusion on August 9, 2025, and has found no evidence the stolen data has been exploited or publicly disclosed. F5 reports that its software supply chain was not compromised and no suspicious code modifications were observed, while it continues identifying customers whose configuration or implementation details may have been taken.

🔒 Researchers at ReliaQuest found China-linked APT Flax Typhoon modified an ArcGIS Server Object Extension (SOE) into a persistent web shell that executed base64-encoded commands via standard ArcGIS operations. The actor used a hardcoded key, staged tools in a hidden C:\Windows\System32\Bridge directory, and renamed a SoftEther VPN binary to bridge.exe to maintain covert connectivity. The malicious SOE was replicated into backups and golden images, allowing access to survive system recovery while attackers performed discovery, credential harvesting, lateral movement, and covert VPN-based persistence.