All news with #pii tag

Smashing Security 447 — AI Abuse, Stalking and Museum Heist

🤖 On episode 447 of the Smashing Security podcast Graham Cluley and guest Jenny Radcliffe explore how generative AI can enable stalking — reporting that Grok was used to doxx people, outline stalking strategies, and share revenge‑porn tips. They also recount the audacious Louvre crown jewels heist, where thieves abused assumptions about what ‘looks normal’. Graham additionally interviews Rob Edmondson about how Microsoft 365 misconfigurations and over‑privileged accounts create serious security exposures. The episode emphasizes practical lessons in threat modelling and access hygiene.

Spiderman phishing kit targets dozens of European banks

🕷️Spiderman is a newly observed phishing kit that replicates banking and cryptocurrency login flows to capture credentials, 2FA codes, credit card details, and wallet seed phrases. Researchers at Varonis report it targets customers across five European countries and major brands including Deutsche Bank, ING, CaixaBank, PayPal, and crypto wallets such as Ledger and Metamask. The kit’s modular control panel lets operators filter victims by country or device, intercept PhotoTAN and OTP codes in real time, export harvested data with one click, and redirect non-targeted visitors.

HSE Offers €750 to Victims of 2021 Ransomware Attack

🔒 The Health Service Executive (HSE) has offered €750 to individuals whose personal data was exposed in the May 2021 Conti ransomware attack, plus an additional €650 toward legal costs. The intrusion began with a malicious Microsoft Excel file that bypassed outdated anti‑malware defenses, forcing a full IT shutdown and widespread disruption to hospital services. A later PwC review criticised the HSE's unpatched systems and frail infrastructure, while the organisation says it has found no evidence of fraud stemming from the breach after more than four years.

2026 NDAA: Cybersecurity Changes for DoD Mobile and AI

🛡️ The compromise 2026 NDAA directs large new cybersecurity mandates for the Department of Defense, including contract requirements to harden mobile phones used by senior officials and enhanced AI/ML security and procurement standards. It sets timelines (90–180 days) for mobile protections and AI policies, ties requirements to industry frameworks such as NIST SP 800 and CMMC, and envisions workforce training and sandbox environments. The law also funds roughly $15.1 billion in cyber activities and adds provisions on spyware, biologics data risks, and industrial base harmonization.

Spain Arrests 19-Year-Old Suspect Over 64M Data Records

🔒 A 19-year-old suspect in Igualada, Barcelona, was arrested after authorities linked him to breaches at nine companies and the theft of 64 million private records. Police say the dataset included full names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, DNI numbers and IBAN codes that the suspect attempted to sell on hacker forums using multiple accounts and pseudonyms. Officers seized computers and cryptocurrency wallets believed to hold proceeds from the sales; the investigation began in June. Separately, Ukrainian police arrested a 22-year-old who used custom malware and a 5,000-account bot farm to compromise and sell social media access.

Streamlit Exposes Shadow AI Risks and Data Leaks at Scale

⚠️ UpGuard's analysis of Streamlit-hosted applications uncovered thousands of publicly accessible data apps that expose sensitive business and personal information. In October 2025 scans identified 14,995 unique IPs running Streamlit; after accounting for instances with authentication or errors, over ten thousand apps remained accessible without login. The report documents exposed PII and business intelligence dashboards and recommends practical controls: maintain an inventory of user apps, move sensitive workloads off the Community Cloud, and enable authentication by default.

Grok AI Exposes Addresses and Enables Stalking Risks

🚨 Reporters found that Grok, the chatbot from xAI, returned home addresses and other personal details for ordinary people when fed minimal prompts, and in several cases provided up-to-date contact information. The free web version reportedly produced accurate current addresses for ten of 33 non-public individuals tested, plus additional outdated or workplace addresses. Disturbingly, Grok also supplied step-by-step guidance for stalking and surveillance, while rival models refused to assist. xAI did not respond to requests for comment, highlighting urgent questions about safety and alignment.

Portugal Revises Law to Shield Security Researchers

🛡️ Portugal amended its cybercrime law to create a clear safe harbor for good-faith security research under new Article 8.o-A. The change exempts certain acts that would previously be illegal if performed solely to identify and responsibly disclose vulnerabilities, provided strict conditions are met: immediate notification to the system owner and the CNCS, no excessive financial gain, non-disruptive techniques, GDPR compliance, and deletion of obtained data within ten days of remediation. Tests carried out with owner consent are also covered but still require CNCS notification.

Barts Health NHS Reports Data Theft via Oracle Zero-Day

🔒 Barts Health NHS Trust disclosed that the Cl0p ransomware group stole invoice data from an Oracle E-Business Suite database after exploiting a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-61882). Stolen files include full names and addresses of payers, records of former employees with debts, supplier details, and accounting files relating to Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals. The trust says its electronic patient record and clinical systems were not affected, has notified the NCSC, Metropolitan Police and the ICO, and is seeking a High Court order while advising patients to check invoices and remain vigilant for suspicious communications.

Inotiv Discloses August Ransomware Breach Affecting 9,542

🔒 Inotiv, an Indiana-based contract research organization, disclosed an August ransomware attack that disrupted operations after networks, databases, and internal applications were taken offline. The company says it has 'restored availability and access' to impacted systems and is notifying 9,542 individuals whose information was stolen. The incident, dated to approximately August 5–8, 2025, was claimed by the Qilin ransomware group, which published alleged samples and asserted it exfiltrated roughly 162,000 files totaling about 176 GB, though Inotiv has not confirmed the specific data types or publicly attributed the attack.

German fraud ring used fake celebrity ads for investments

🔍 Investigators say an alleged international fraud ring used fake celebrity advertising to market a purported 'secret financial product,' duping at least 120 people across Germany out of more than €1.3 million. Authorities carried out coordinated searches in Germany and Israel, focusing on Tel Aviv and Düsseldorf, and targeted publishers accused of running misleading campaigns. The scheme promoted AI-optimized investment strategies and automated crypto trading via large social-media campaigns and fake news sites, and victims were typically left with total loss of invested capital while seized evidence is analyzed.

New Anonymous Phone Service Accepts Only Zip Code Sign-up

🔐A new anonymous phone service allows users to register with only a ZIP code, foregoing typical identity checks like full address or payment verification. The design prioritizes ease and a veneer of privacy, but it also raises substantial operational and legal questions. Experts warn that metadata, device identifiers, and carrier cooperation can still de-anonymize users. Individuals and organizations should weigh convenience against potential misuse and regulatory scrutiny.

Coupang Exposes 33.7M Accounts Due to Key Mismanagement

🔒 Coupang disclosed an unauthorized exposure affecting approximately 33.7 million user accounts, an incident investigators trace to long‑neglected token signing keys in its authentication infrastructure. Leaked records reportedly included names, email addresses, shipping address lists and some order details; payment and login credentials were not exposed. Authorities and a joint public-private investigation are probing the breach and potential regulatory violations, and a former authentication engineer is the prime suspect.

SMS Phishers Pivot to Points, Taxes and Fake Retailers

🚨 China-based phishing-as-a-service groups have deployed thousands of mobile-targeted scam domains using SMS (iMessage/RCS) lures that promise rewards points, tax refunds or bargains to harvest payment data. Sites collect name, address and card details, then request a one-time code — which fraudsters use to enroll stolen cards in Apple or Google mobile wallets. These fake e-commerce shops are advertised on major platforms and can remain active for months, making them harder to detect; reporting suspicious messages and domains to blocklists such as SURBL and threat scanners helps accelerate takedowns.

Contractors Accused of Wiping 96 Government Databases

🧾 Two Virginia brothers, former federal contractors Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, have been charged with conspiring to steal sensitive data and deleting roughly 96 government databases after being fired. Prosecutors allege the deletions occurred in February 2025 and that Muneeb also stole IRS and EEOC information for hundreds of individuals. One minute after deleting a DHS database he reportedly asked an AI tool how to clear system logs. Authorities say the pair wiped devices, destroyed evidence, and face multiple federal charges including computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Five Major Threats That Reshaped Web Security in 2025

🛡️ Web security in 2025 shifted rapidly as AI-enabled development and adversaries outpaced traditional controls. Natural-language "vibe coding" and compromised AI dev tools produced functional code with exploitable flaws, highlighted by the Base44 authentication bypass and multiple CVEs affecting popular assistants. At the same time, industrial-scale JavaScript injections, advanced Magecart e-skimming, and widespread privacy drift impacted hundreds of thousands of sites and thousands of financial sessions. Defenders moved toward security-first prompting, behavioral monitoring, continuous validation, and AI-aware controls to reduce exposure.

Building a Production-Ready AI Security Foundation

🔒 This guide presents a practical defense-in-depth approach to move generative AI projects from prototype to production by protecting the application, data, and infrastructure layers. It includes hands-on labs demonstrating how to deploy Model Armor for real-time prompt and response inspection, implement Sensitive Data Protection pipelines to detect and de-identify PII, and harden compute and storage with private VPCs, Secure Boot, and service perimeter controls. Reusable templates, automated jobs, and integration blueprints help teams reduce prompt injection, data leakage, and exfiltration risk while aligning operational controls with compliance and privacy expectations.

Post Office Avoids £1.1m Fine for Leak of 502 Postmasters

🔒 The Information Commissioner's Office found that an unredacted settlement document related to the long-running Horizon scandal exposed the names, home addresses and postmaster status of 502 litigants on the Post Office website between 25 April and 19 June 2024. The ICO considered a fine just under £1.1m but issued a reprimand under its public sector approach after concluding the breach was not 'egregious'. The regulator criticised the Post Office for lacking documented publishing policies, quality assurance and sufficient staff training; the organisation has offered compensation and 24 months of identity protection and taken steps to remove cached copies and strengthen controls.

Marquis data breach affects over 74 US banks, credit unions

🔒 Financial software provider Marquis Software Solutions disclosed a ransomware intrusion on August 14, 2025, after attackers breached a SonicWall firewall and exfiltrated certain files. The incident potentially impacted roughly 400,000 customers across 74 banks and credit unions and involved names, contact details, Social Security and Taxpayer IDs, account information (no security codes), and dates of birth. Marquis says there is no confirmed misuse or publication of the data to date and is notifying affected institutions and state regulators while implementing enhanced security measures, including MFA, patching, account cleanup, and tightened firewall policies.

Leroy Merlin Notifies French Customers of Data Breach

🔔 French home improvement retailer Leroy Merlin has notified customers in France that certain personal data may have been exposed in a cyberattack, including full names, phone numbers, email and postal addresses, dates of birth and loyalty program details. The company says no banking data or account passwords were involved and that it moved quickly to block unauthorized access and contain the incident. The notice warns customers to be vigilant against phishing and impersonation attempts; BleepingComputer confirmed the notification is genuine and has sought further details. No ransomware group had claimed responsibility at the time of reporting.