All news in category "Incidents and Data Breaches"

PowerSchool Hacker Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

🔒 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.

Phishing Campaign Uses Fake LastPass/Bitwarden Breach Alerts

⚠ 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.

Jewelbug Expands Operations into Russia, Symantec Finds

🔎 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 Breach Exposes BIG-IP Source Code, Nation-State Actor

🔒 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 reports marketing vendor breach exposing contacts

🔒 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.

Over 100 VS Code Extensions Leaked Access Tokens Exposed

🔒 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.

Nation-State Hackers Breach F5, Steal BIG-IP Source Code

🔒 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.

Flax Typhoon Abused ArcGIS SOE to Maintain Long-Term Access

🔒 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.

TigerJack's Malicious VSCode Extensions Steal and Mine

⚠️ Koi Security disclosed a coordinated campaign by a group dubbed TigerJack that published malicious extensions to the Visual Studio Code Marketplace and the OpenVSX registry to exfiltrate source code, deploy cryptominers, and maintain remote access. Two popular packages — C++ Payground and HTTP Format — accumulated over 17,000 downloads before removal from Microsoft's store, yet variants remain active on OpenVSX. Researchers warn that the most advanced builds fetch and execute remote JavaScript, allowing attackers to push new payloads without republishing and evading static scanners.

MANGO customer data exposed via third-party marketing

🔒 Spanish fashion retailer MANGO has alerted customers to a data breach that originated at an external marketing service, not within the company's own systems. The exposed fields include first names, countries, postal codes, email addresses and phone numbers. The company is notifying affected individuals and appears to be reviewing the vendor relationship and communications. Some recipients report receiving the notice in Spanish despite not being customers.

Capita Fined £14m Over 2023 Data Breach Failings, Remediated

🔒 The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) confirmed Capita will not appeal a £14m penalty for security failings that led to a March 2023 breach affecting nearly seven million people. The fine was reduced from an initial £45m after the ICO considered post-incident remediation, support to affected individuals and engagement with the NCSC. The regulator cited delayed SOC response, absence of a tiered privileged-access model and siloed pen testing that allowed a threat actor linked to Black Basta to escalate privileges and deploy ransomware.

Pro‑Russian DDoS Disrupts German Federal Procurement Portal

🛡️ The German federal procurement portal was rendered inaccessible for almost a week by a sustained DDoS campaign; the service was restored Tuesday afternoon. Security analysts attribute the disruption to the pro‑Russian hacker group NoName057(16), which has previously targeted critical infrastructure, authorities and companies in Western countries. The attacks, confirmed as DDoS by observers, overwhelmed servers with a flood of requests. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said it was informed of the incident. The portal, dtvp.de, is a central nationwide platform for electronic Q&A and bid submissions in public tenders.

Anatomy of a BlackSuit Ransomware Blitz at Manufacturer

🔐 Unit 42 responded to a significant BlackSuit ransomware campaign after attackers obtained VPN credentials via a vishing call and immediately escalated privileges. The adversary executed DCSync, moved laterally with RDP/SMB using tools like Advanced IP Scanner and SMBExec, established persistence with AnyDesk and a custom RAT, and exfiltrated over 400 GB before deploying BlackSuit across ~60 ESXi hosts. Unit 42 expanded Cortex XDR visibility from 250 to over 17,000 endpoints and used Cortex XSOAR to automate containment while delivering prioritized remediation guidance.

Malicious VSCode Extensions Resurface on OpenVSX Registry

⚠️ Researchers at Koi Security warn that a threat actor known as TigerJack is distributing malicious Visual Studio Code extensions on both the official marketplace and the community-maintained OpenVSX registry. Two extensions, C++ Playground and HTTP Format, were removed from the VSCode marketplace after roughly 17,000 downloads but remain available on OpenVSX, and the actor repeatedly republishes variants under new accounts. The malicious code exfiltrates source code, deploys a CoinIMP cryptominer with no resource limits, or fetches remote JavaScript to enable arbitrary code execution, creating significant risks to developer machines and corporate networks.

Scattered Lapsus$ Extortion Site Goes Dark — Next Steps

🔒 Police seized several domains tied to the Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters extortion network, but one dark‑web mirror remained briefly accessible and was used to publish alleged data on October 10. The site listed victims including Qantas, Vietnam Airlines, Albertsons, GAP, Fujifilm, and Engie Resources, with claimed volumes from millions to hundreds of thousands of records. Authorities caution that domain seizures are tactical wins: actors often resurrect forums from backups or migrate to platforms such as Telegram, and the group has even promised a 2026 return with a subscription-based extortion-as-a-service model.

US Seizes $15 Billion in Crypto from Scam Kingpin Leader

💰 The U.S. Department of Justice has seized $15 billion in bitcoin tied to Chen Zhi, leader of the Prince Group, a transnational criminal network that ran large-scale “pig butchering” cryptocurrency investment and romance scams. Unsealed court documents describe fortified forced-labor compounds in Cambodia, automated call centers, and over 100 shell companies spanning 30+ countries. The Treasury’s OFAC also sanctioned Chen Zhi and 146 associates as part of the coordinated action.

Chinese Hackers Turn ArcGIS Server into Year-Long Backdoor

🛡️ReliaQuest attributes a campaign to China-linked group Flax Typhoon that compromised a public-facing ArcGIS server by converting a Java Server Object Extension (SOE) into a gated web shell, maintaining access for over a year. The attackers embedded a hard-coded key and hid the backdoor in system backups to survive full system recovery. They uploaded a renamed SoftEther executable (bridge.exe), created a "SysBridge" service to persist, and used an outbound HTTPS VPN bridge to extend the victim network for covert lateral movement. Investigators observed credential theft, admin account resets, and extensive living-off-the-land activity to evade detection.

Chinese APT Abuses ArcGIS SOE for Year-Long Persistence

🔒 Researchers say a Chinese state-linked actor, likely Flax Typhoon, exploited a component of the ArcGIS geo-mapping platform to maintain undetected access for over a year. Using valid admin credentials, the attackers uploaded a malicious Java SOE that acted as a web shell, accepting base64-encoded commands via a REST parameter protected by a hardcoded secret. They then installed SoftEther VPN as a Windows service to create an outbound HTTPS tunnel to 172.86.113[.]142 on port 443, enabling persistent lateral movement and credential harvesting even if the SOE were removed.

Chinese APT Abuses ArcGIS Component to Maintain Backdoor

🔐 ReliaQuest linked the campaign to the Flax Typhoon APT, which converted a legitimate public-facing ArcGIS Java server object extension (SOE) into a stealthy web shell. The group activated the SOE through a standard ArcGIS REST extension, embedding a base64-encoded payload and a hardcoded key to trigger command execution while hiding activity behind normal portal operations. Attackers uploaded a renamed SoftEther VPN binary to preserve access and targeted IT workstations, and the SOE was later found in backups, enabling persistence after remediation. ReliaQuest warns organisations to go beyond IOC detection, proactively hunt for anomalous behaviour in trusted tools, and treat every public-facing application as a high-risk asset.

New SonicWall SSLVPN Compromises Linked to Credentials

🔒 Huntress reports a fresh wave of compromises targeting SonicWall SSLVPN appliances in early October, affecting at least 16 organizations and more than 100 accounts. Attackers are authenticating with valid credentials rather than brute forcing, often from recurring attacker-controlled IPs. Some sessions involved internal reconnaissance and attempts against Windows administrative accounts, but Huntress says it has no evidence linking the activity to September’s MySonicWall cloud backup disclosure. It urges administrators to reset credentials, restrict remote management, review SSLVPN logs, and enable MFA.