All news in category "Incidents and Data Breaches"

South Carolina School District Data Breach Affects 31,000

🔒 School District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties disclosed a June 3 network intrusion that may have exposed personal data for 31,475 current and former students and staff. Exposed information likely includes names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, financial account details and state‑issued ID information. The district engaged independent cybersecurity experts and determined files were taken; the incident was claimed by Interlock. Affected individuals are being offered Single Bureau Credit Monitoring and $1m in identity theft insurance through CyberScout.

macOS AMOS Stealer Uses Cracked Apps to Bypass Gatekeeper

🛡️ Trend Micro warns of an Atomic macOS Stealer (AMOS) campaign that lures users with trojanized 'cracked' apps such as CleanMyMac, and instructs victims to run terminal commands. Attackers shifted from .dmg installers to terminal-based installs to evade Gatekeeper enhancements. AMOS persists via a LaunchDaemon and a hidden binary, then exfiltrates credentials, browser data, crypto wallets, Telegram chats and keychain items. Researchers advise layered defenses beyond native OS protections.

VirusTotal Finds 44 Undetected SVG Malware Samples

⚠️ Cybersecurity researchers warn of a phishing campaign using Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files that embed JavaScript to decode and inject a Base64-encoded HTML page impersonating Colombia's Fiscalía General de la Nación. VirusTotal identified 44 unique SVG samples that evaded antivirus detection and reported a total of 523 SVGs seen in the wild, with the earliest from August 14, 2025. Attackers relied on obfuscation, polymorphism, and large volumes of junk code to bypass static detections and used a fake progress/download flow to trigger a background ZIP download. The disclosure coincides with separate macOS-focused campaigns distributing the AMOS information stealer via cracked-software lures and Terminal-based installers that attempt to circumvent Gatekeeper protections.

Legacy Sitecore ViewState Zero-Day Allows WeepSteel Backdoors

🔐 Mandiant observed attackers exploiting a zero‑day ViewState deserialization flaw (CVE-2025-53690) in legacy Sitecore deployments that reused a sample ASP.NET machineKey. Adversaries delivered a WeepSteel reconnaissance backdoor to collect system and network data and disguised exfiltration as normal ViewState traffic. Sitecore advises replacing and encrypting static machineKey values and instituting regular key rotation to mitigate further risk.

APT28 Deploys NotDoor: Outlook VBA Backdoor in NATO

🔒 NotDoor is a newly reported Outlook VBA backdoor attributed to the Russian state-sponsored actor APT28 that monitors incoming mail for a trigger phrase and enables data exfiltration, file drops, and remote command execution. S2 Grupo's LAB52 describes deployment via DLL side-loading of onedrive.exe, which loads a malicious SSPICLI.dll, disables macro protections, and runs Base64-encoded PowerShell to establish persistence. The implant watches for a trigger such as "Daily Report" and supports four commands — cmd, cmdno, dwn and upl — sending stolen files via Proton Mail.

Texas Sues PowerSchool After 62M-Student Data Breach

🔒 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against PowerSchool after a December breach exposed personal data for 62.4 million students, including over 880,000 Texans. The attacker used a subcontractor’s stolen credentials to access the PowerSource portal, demanded a $2.85 million ransom, and later extorted individual districts. A 19‑year‑old subsequently pleaded guilty in connection with the attack and extortion efforts.

GhostRedirector Hits 65 Windows Servers with IIS Module

🔍 Researchers at ESET disclosed a previously undocumented campaign named GhostRedirector that has compromised at least 65 Windows servers mainly in Brazil, Thailand and Vietnam. The intruders deployed a passive C++ backdoor, Rungan, alongside a native IIS module, Gamshen, which selectively alters responses for Googlebot to perform SEO fraud. Initial access appears linked to SQL injection and abuse of xp_cmdshell, with subsequent PowerShell retrievals from a staging host.

Chess.com: Third-Party File Transfer App Breach Disclosed

🔒 Chess.com disclosed a data breach after threat actors gained unauthorized access to a third-party file transfer application used by the platform. The intrusion persisted from June 5 to June 18, 2025, and was discovered on June 19, prompting an investigation and engagement of outside experts. Chess.com says its own infrastructure and member accounts were not affected; just over 4,500 users may have had names and other PII accessed. No financial information appears exposed, and affected members are being offered 1–2 years of free identity theft and credit monitoring.

GhostRedirector: China-aligned IIS SEO Fraud Campaign

🔍 ESET researchers identified GhostRedirector, a China-aligned threat group active since at least August 2024 that has compromised at least 65 Windows servers across multiple countries, notably Brazil, Thailand and Vietnam. The group deployed two novel tools: a C++ backdoor Rungan for remote command execution and a malicious IIS module Gamshen that manipulates search rankings to boost targeted sites. Operators also leveraged known privilege escalation exploits like BadPotato and EfsPotato to obtain administrator access and create persistent accounts. Organizations are advised to monitor IIS modules, patch promptly and audit high-privilege accounts and PowerShell activity.

North Korea-Linked Actors Target Cyber Threat Intel

🔍 Cybersecurity firm SentinelLabs and internet intelligence company Validin uncovered a coordinated effort by a North Korea-aligned cluster, tracked as Contagious Interview, to exploit CTI platforms between March and June 2025. The actors repeatedly created accounts on Validin’s portal, reused Gmail addresses tied to prior operations and registered new domains after takedowns. Investigators observed team-based coordination, probable Slack use, and operational slip-ups that exposed logs and directory structures. The probe also identified ContagiousDrop malware delivery applications that harvested details from more than 230 mostly cryptocurrency-sector victims, underscoring the campaign’s revenue-driven motive and the need for vigilance from job seekers and infrastructure providers.

CRM Supply-Chain Breach via Salesloft Drift Impacts Vendors

🔒 Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler and Cloudflare disclosed a supply-chain breach traced to the Salesloft Drift integration with Salesforce. The compromise exposed business contact information, account/contact/case/opportunity records and, in some instances, OAuth tokens and plaintext support-case content; attachments and files were reportedly not affected. Palo Alto's Unit 42 observed active searches of exfiltrated data and deletion of queries consistent with anti-forensics. Vendors are advising immediate token revocation, credential rotation and comprehensive review of Salesforce logs and SOQL query history.

Bridgestone Confirms Cyberattack Affecting Manufacturing

🔒 Bridgestone Americas is investigating a limited cyber incident that has disrupted operations at several North American manufacturing facilities. The company says its rapid response contained the issue at an early stage and that there is currently no evidence of customer data compromise or deep network infiltration. Reports indicated production impacts in Aiken County, South Carolina, and Joliette, Quebec, and Bridgestone is working around the clock to mitigate supply-chain fallout while forensic analysis continues. Bridgestone declined to confirm whether the incident involves ransomware; no extortion group has claimed responsibility to date.

Unauthorized TLS Certificates Issued for 1.1.1.1 by Fina CA

🔒 Cloudflare reported that Fina CA issued twelve unauthorized TLS certificates for the public DNS IP 1.1.1.1 between February 2024 and August 2025. All certificates have been revoked and Cloudflare found no evidence they were used maliciously, noting that successful impersonation would also require client trust in Fina and interception of traffic. The misissuance was detected via Certificate Transparency logs, and Cloudflare is improving alerts, monitoring, and triage to prevent similar lapses.

SVG Malware Campaign Impersonating Colombian Judiciary

🔍 VirusTotal’s Code Insight now parses SWF and SVG formats and quickly uncovered an undetected campaign impersonating the Colombian justice system. The tool differentiated a benign, heuristic-flagged SWF game from a malicious SVG that evaded all AV engines by hiding inline JavaScript which decodes and injects a Base64 phishing page and a ZIP dropper. Code Insight plus VirusTotal Intelligence exposed dozens of polymorphic SVGs and enabled a retrohunt linking hundreds of samples to the same campaign.

Scattered Spider Claims Responsibility for JLR Cyber Attack

🔐 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is investigating claims by an English‑speaking cybercrime syndicate calling itself “Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters,” which says it accessed JLR systems and is attempting to extort the company. The group shared unverified screenshots on Telegram that allegedly show internal logs and troubleshooting notes. JLR confirmed a cyber incident on September 2 that disrupted sales and production after the company proactively shut down systems; analysts warn that alleged collaboration with ShinyHunters and Lapsus$ could amplify the threat.

Malicious npm Packages Use Ethereum to Deliver Malware

⚠️ ReversingLabs researchers uncovered a supply chain campaign that used Ethereum smart contracts to conceal URLs for malware delivered via rogue GitHub repositories and npm packages. The packages colortoolsv2 and mimelib2 were intentionally minimal and designed to be pulled as dependencies from fraudulent repositories posing as cryptocurrency trading bots. Attackers inflated commit histories with sockpuppet accounts and automated pushes to appear legitimate, then used on-chain storage to hide secondary payload locations and evade URL-scanning defenses.

Malicious npm Packages Use Ethereum Smart Contracts

🔒 Cybersecurity researchers discovered two malicious npm packages that use Ethereum smart contracts to hide commands and deliver downloader malware to compromised systems. The packages — colortoolsv2 (7 downloads) and mimelib2 (1 download) — were uploaded in July 2025 and removed from the registry. The campaign leveraged a network of GitHub repositories posing as crypto trading tools and is linked to a distribution-as-service operation called Stargazers Ghost Network. Developers are urged to scrutinize packages and maintainers beyond surface metrics before adopting libraries.

U.S. Offers $10M Reward for Info on FSB Cyber Hackers

🛡️ The U.S. Department of State is offering up to $10 million for information on three Russian FSB officers accused of carrying out cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure. The named individuals — Marat Valeryevich Tyukov, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gavrilov, and Pavel Aleksandrovich Akulov — are tied to the FSB's Center 16, tracked under aliases such as Berserk Bear and Dragonfly. Charged in March 2022, the officers are alleged to have run intrusions from 2012–2017 targeting government agencies and energy firms, and recent activity shows exploitation of CVE-2018-0171 in end-of-life Cisco devices. The State Department directs tips to its Rewards for Justice Tor channel; eligible informants could receive rewards and relocation assistance.

Police, ACE Disrupt Streameast Pirated Sports Network

🔒 Authorities, working with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), have disrupted Streameast, the world's largest illegal live sports streaming network, and arrested two individuals in Egypt. The ad-supported platform, active since 2018, operated roughly 80 domains and drew hundreds of millions of visits monthly. Law enforcement seized devices and financial records while ACE redirected many domains to a Watch Legally portal. Investigators say the operation routed significant advertising revenue through a UAE shell company.

Workiva Discloses Data Theft Linked to Salesforce Breach

🔒 Workiva notified customers that attackers who accessed a third-party CRM exfiltrated a limited set of business contact data, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and support ticket content. The company said the Workiva platform and any data within it were not accessed or compromised. Workiva warned customers to remain vigilant for spear‑phishing and reiterated it will not request passwords by text or phone. BleepingComputer reported the incident is tied to recent Salesforce breaches attributed to the ShinyHunters group.