All news in category "Incidents and Data Breaches"

Operation SkyCloak: Tor-Enabled Backdoor Targets Defense

🔒 Attackers are deploying a persistent backdoor using OpenSSH and a customized Tor hidden service to target defense-related organizations in Russia and Belarus. The Operation SkyCloak campaign uses weaponized ZIP attachments and LNK-triggered PowerShell stagers that perform sandbox evasion and write an .onion hostname into the user's roaming profile. Persistence is established via scheduled tasks that run a renamed sshd.exe and a bespoke Tor binary using obfs4, enabling SSH, SFTP, RDP and SMB access over Tor.

Balancer DeFi Protocol Loses Over $120M in Cyber Heist

🔐 Balancer, an Ethereum automated market maker, has been hit by a sophisticated exploit of its V2 Composable Stable Pools, with estimated losses exceeding $120 million. The team says pools that could be paused have been placed into recovery mode while it works with leading security researchers to investigate. Early analysis suggests a 'rounding down' precision loss in the Balancer Vault calculations was exploited and amplified via the batchSwap function. Balancer confirmed V3 pools were not affected and warned users about related phishing scams.

Rhysida Ransomware Abuses Microsoft Code-Signing Trust

🔒Rhysida, a known enterprise-focused ransomware gang, is distributing malware via malvertising on Microsoft's Bing that redirects users to fake download pages for common tools such as Microsoft Teams, PuTTY, and Zoom. Victims who download receive an initial access trojan called OysterLoader, which establishes a persistent backdoor and is signed with Microsoft-like certificates to appear legitimate. The campaign pairs obfuscation/packing to lower static detection with trusted code signing to bypass allow-lists and AV. Experts urge behavior-based EDR, certificate pinning, DNS filtering, and tighter certificate oversight.

U.S. Prosecutors Indict Three Over BlackCat Ransomware

🔒 Federal prosecutors have indicted three U.S. nationals accused of using BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware to breach five companies between May and November 2023 and extort payments. The defendants—Ryan Clifford Goldberg, Kevin Tyler Martin, and an unnamed co‑conspirator—allegedly targeted firms in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, clinical care, engineering, and drone manufacturing. Two were employed by cybersecurity firms at the time; both employers say they cooperated with investigators.

Microsoft Detects SesameOp Backdoor Using OpenAI API

🔒 Microsoft’s Detection and Response Team (DART) detailed a novel .NET backdoor called SesameOp that leverages the OpenAI Assistants API as a covert command-and-control channel. Discovered in July 2025 during a prolonged intrusion, the implant uses a loader (Netapi64.dll) and an OpenAIAgent.Netapi64 component to fetch encrypted commands and return execution results via the API. The DLL is heavily obfuscated with Eazfuscator.NET and is injected at runtime using .NET AppDomainManager injection for stealth and persistence.

Balancer V2 Exploit Drains Over $120 Million in Crypto

🚨 Balancer announced an exploit of its V2 Compostable Stable Pools on Ethereum at 07:48 UTC that resulted in reported losses exceeding $128 million. Initial analysis from GoPlus Security points to a precision rounding error in the Vault’s swap calculations that an attacker chained via batchSwap, while other researchers suggest improper authorization and callback handling in V2 vaults. Balancer says the issue is isolated to V2 Compostable Stable Pools, with V3 and other pools unaffected, and the team is working with security researchers on a full post‑mortem. Users are warned to remain vigilant for scams and phishing attempts following the incident.

Fake Solidity VSCode Extension on Open VSX Backdoors

🛡️ A remote-access trojan named SleepyDuck, disguised as a Solidity extension on Open VSX, uses an Ethereum smart contract to deliver command-and-control instructions. The malicious package, downloaded over 53,000 times, activates on editor startup, when a Solidity file is opened, or when the compile command is run. On activation it collects system identifiers, creates a lock file for persistence, and polls an on-chain contract to update or replace its C2 endpoint. Open VSX has flagged the package and implemented security controls; developers should rely only on reputable publishers and official repositories.

Malicious VSX Extension 'SleepyDuck' Uses Ethereum

🦆 Researchers at Secure Annex warned of a malicious Open VSX extension, juan-bianco.solidity-vlang, that delivers a remote access trojan dubbed SleepyDuck. Originally published as a benign library on October 31, 2025, it was updated to a malicious release after reaching about 14,000 downloads. The extension triggers on opening a code editor window or selecting a .sol file, harvesting host details and polling an Ethereum-based contract to obtain and update its command server. It also contains fallback logic using multiple Ethereum RPC providers to recover C2 information if the domain is taken down; users should only install extensions from trusted publishers and follow vendor guidance.

Ex-Incident Response Staff Indicted for BlackCat Attacks

🔒 Three former incident response employees from DigitalMint and Sygnia have been indicted for allegedly carrying out ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware attacks on five U.S. companies between May and November 2023. Prosecutors say the defendants accessed networks, exfiltrated data, deployed encryption malware, and demanded ransoms ranging from $300,000 to $10 million, with one victim paying $1.27 million. Two named defendants face federal extortion and computer-damage charges that carry up to 20 and 10 years in prison respectively.

SesameOp backdoor abuses OpenAI Assistants API for C2

🛡️ Microsoft DART researchers uncovered SesameOp, a novel .NET backdoor that leverages the OpenAI Assistants API as a covert command-and-control (C2) channel instead of traditional infrastructure. The implant includes a heavily obfuscated loader (Netapi64.dll) and a backdoor (OpenAIAgent.Netapi64) that persist via .NET AppDomainManager injection, using layered RSA/AES encryption and GZIP compression to fetch, execute, and exfiltrate commands. Microsoft and OpenAI investigated jointly and disabled the suspected API key; detections and mitigation guidance are provided for defenders.

Hackers Use RMM Tools to Breach Freighters and Steal Cargo

🚨 Threat actors are targeting freight brokers and carriers with malicious emails and compromised load-board posts to deliver remote monitoring and management tools (RMM) such as ScreenConnect, NetSupport, and PDQ Connect. Once installed, attackers gain remote control to alter bookings, block notifications, harvest credentials, and impersonate carriers to reroute and physically steal high-value shipments. Proofpoint tracked dozens of campaigns since January, primarily in North America, exploiting social engineering and legitimate RMM functionality.

Cybercriminals Use RMM Tools to Enable Cargo Theft

🚚 Proofpoint researchers report that cybercriminals are compromising transportation firms to facilitate physical cargo theft by abusing remote management and access tools. Attackers use social engineering — including fake load-board listings, email thread hijacking and targeted phishing — to deliver installers that deploy RMM and RAS utilities. Once inside, they perform reconnaissance, harvest credentials with tools such as WebBrowserPassView, and expand access, enabling organized-crime partners to bid on and steal shipments.

Cybercriminals Exploit RMM Tools to Steal Truck Cargo

🚚 Proofpoint warns that cybercriminals are increasingly deploying legitimate remote monitoring and management tools to compromise trucking and logistics firms, enabling cargo theft and financial gain. Working with organized crime, they target asset-based carriers, brokers and integrated providers—especially food and beverage shipments—using compromised emails, fraudulent load-board listings and booby-trapped MSI/EXE installers to deliver ScreenConnect, SimpleHelp and other RMMs. Once inside, attackers conduct reconnaissance, harvest credentials with tools like WebBrowserPassView, delete bookings, block dispatcher alerts and reassign loads to facilitate physical theft, often selling stolen cargo online or overseas.

Rhysida Ransomware Uses Microsoft Signing to Evade Defenses

🛡️ Rhysida ransomware operators have shifted to malvertising and the abuse of Microsoft Trusted Signing certificates to slip malware past defenses. By buying Bing search ads that point to convincing fake download pages for Microsoft Teams, PuTTY and Zoom, they deliver initial access tools such as OysterLoader (formerly Broomstick/CleanUpLoader) and Latrodectus. Signed, packaged binaries evade static detection and often run without scrutiny on Windows endpoints.

HttpTroy Backdoor Poses as VPN Invoice in Kimsuky Attack

🔒 Security researchers at Gen Digital disclosed a targeted Kimsuky campaign that delivered a previously undocumented backdoor called HttpTroy, hidden inside a ZIP attachment masquerading as a VPN invoice. The multi-stage chain used a Golang dropper, a loader dubbed MemLoad and a DLL backdoor executed via a scheduled task named "AhnlabUpdate" to achieve persistence. HttpTroy provides extensive remote-control capabilities and communicates with a C2 server over HTTP, while employing layered obfuscation to hinder analysis and detection.

Conti Suspect Appears in US Court After Extradition

🔒 A Ukrainian national extradited from Ireland has appeared in a US court, accused of conspiring to deploy Conti ransomware and manage stolen data and ransom notes. Authorities allege Oleksii Lytvynenko participated in attacks between 2020 and July 2022 that resulted in more than $500,000 in cryptocurrency extorted from victims in the Tennessee district and the publication of additional stolen data. He faces computer fraud and wire fraud conspiracy charges and could receive up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Pennsylvania: Hacker Claims 1.2M Donor Records Breach

🔐 A threat actor claims to have compromised University of Pennsylvania systems and exfiltrated data for roughly 1.2 million students, alumni, and donors, including names, dates of birth, contact details, estimated net worth, donation histories, and sensitive demographic data. The attacker said they gained access via a compromised PennKey SSO account and accessed VPN, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Qlik, SAP, SharePoint, and Box. After access was revoked on October 31 the actor used Marketing Cloud to send offensive emails to about 700,000 recipients and published a 1.7-GB archive of files. Penn says it is investigating; donors should watch for targeted phishing and verify solicitations directly with the university.

Alleged Jabber Zeus Coder 'MrICQ' Extradited to U.S.

🔒 A Ukrainian man long accused of building and operating components of the Jabber Zeus banking trojan has been arrested in Italy and is now in U.S. custody. Prosecutors say 41-year-old Yuriy Igorevich Rybtsov, previously identified only by the handle MrICQ, was charged in a 2012 Nebraska indictment as a developer and notification handler for the group. Investigators allege Jabber Zeus used a custom ZeuS variant and a Leprechaun component to intercept credentials and bypass multi-factor protections, enabling large payroll thefts via recruited money mules.

Open VSX Rotates Leaked Tokens After Supply-Chain Attack

🔒 Open VSX rotated access tokens after developers accidentally leaked credentials in public repositories, a lapse that allowed attackers to publish malicious VS Code–compatible extensions in a supply‑chain campaign. The Eclipse Foundation says the threat, linked to a campaign dubbed GlassWorm, was contained by Oct 21 after malicious extensions were removed and tokens revoked. The registry plans shorter token lifetimes, faster revocation workflows, automated publication scans, and increased collaboration with other marketplaces to reduce future risk.

China-Linked 'Bronze Butler' Exploits Lanscope Zero-Day

🔒 Sophos researchers discovered China-linked espionage group Bronze Butler exploiting a zero-day in Motex Lanscope Endpoint Manager (CVE-2025-61932) to deploy an updated Gokcpdoor backdoor. The flaw enabled unauthenticated remote code execution as SYSTEM on affected versions (<=9.4.7.2), and attackers used OAED Loader, DLL sideloading, and multiplexed C2 channels to evade detection. Motex released patches on October 20, 2025, and CISA added the vulnerability to its KEV list; organizations are advised to upgrade immediately since no mitigations exist.