Conti Members Are Back in Action as Part of Akira Ransomware

Hackers from the extinct Conti ransomware gang now allegedly work for Akira extortion group

Experts are intestigating activity of the ransomware group Akira, which has compromised at least 63 organizations since March 2023, mostly targeting small and medium-sized businesses. Analysts at Arctic Wolf believe that Akira may be backed by several people associated with the ceased Conti group. Conti Hackers Work in Akira Ransomware Group As mentioned above, Akira… Continue reading Conti Members Are Back in Action as Part of Akira Ransomware

Google Is Working on an Information Security Project Called Web Integrity API

A team of four Google engineers is working on a new project called the Web Environment Integrity API, which will allow sites to block client applications that change their code. In addition to the obvious security benefits, the new API will actually allow Google and site operators to effectively deal with ad blockers. As you… Continue reading Google Is Working on an Information Security Project Called Web Integrity API

Google Creates a Red Team to Attack AI Systems

Google says it is creating a red team that will specialize in “sophisticated technical attacks on AI systems.” Among examples of such attacks, the company’s report lists prompt engineering, extracting information from LLM training data, and so on. In its report, Google highlights the importance of the AI red team, and also lists the different… Continue reading Google Creates a Red Team to Attack AI Systems

Trojan HotRat Is Distributed through Pirated Versions of Software and Games

Avast experts have warned that a new variant of AsyncRAT malware, called HotRat, is distributed through pirated versions of popular programs and utilities. This includes games, Microsoft Office, and audio and image editing software. That is not the only malware activated via an unusual spreading channel. We recently covered the IcedID and Gozi trojans spreading… Continue reading Trojan HotRat Is Distributed through Pirated Versions of Software and Games

Vulnerability in WordPress Plugin WooCommerce Payments Is Actively Used to Hack Sites

Hackers use a vulnerability in the widely used WooCommerce Payments WordPress plugin to gain privileges of any user, including administrator, on vulnerable sites. WooCommerce Payments is a popular WordPress plugin that allows websites to accept credit cards as a payment method in WooCommerce stores. According to official statistics, the plugin has over 600,000 active installations.… Continue reading Vulnerability in WordPress Plugin WooCommerce Payments Is Actively Used to Hack Sites

Hundreds of Military and Intelligence Agencies Uploaded Data to VirusTotal

Someone accidentially uploaded documents that contained secret information to VirusTotal

An employee of the Google-owned platform VirusTotal accidentally uploaded a file with the names, email addresses and other data of hundreds of people working in intelligence agencies and ministries of defense around the world. In particular, the list includes persons associated with the US Cyber Command, the NSA, the Pentagon, the FBI and a number… Continue reading Hundreds of Military and Intelligence Agencies Uploaded Data to VirusTotal

WormGPT Helps Cybercriminals to Launch Sophisticated Phishing Attacks

LLM development gave an obvious and predicted boost to phishing emails

SlashNext noticed that cybercriminals are increasingly using generative AI in their phishing attacks, such as the new WormGPT tool. WormGPT is advertised on hacker forums, and it can be used to organize phishing mailings and compromise business mail (Business Email Compromise, BEC). WormGPT Is Massively Used for Phishing WormGPT is based on the GPTJ language… Continue reading WormGPT Helps Cybercriminals to Launch Sophisticated Phishing Attacks

Researchers Found BlackLotus UEFI Bootkit Sources on GitHub

The source code for the BlackLotus UEFI bootkit, which was previously sold on the dark web for $5,000, has been discovered by Binarly analysts on GitHub. The researchers say the leaked sources are not entirely complete and contain mostly a rootkit and a bootkit to bypass Secure Boot. What is BlackLotus bootkit? BlackLotus was first… Continue reading Researchers Found BlackLotus UEFI Bootkit Sources on GitHub

MOVEit Transfer Fixes a New Critical Vulnerability

After hundreds of companies were attacked with a 0-day vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer, the developer of this file transfer management product, Progress Software, promised to regularly release patches to provide a “predictable, simple, and transparent bug fixing process.” The first such package included patches for three vulnerabilities, including a critical one. MOVEit Vulnerabilities – The… Continue reading MOVEit Transfer Fixes a New Critical Vulnerability

California Water Treatment Plant Is in the Hands of a Hacker

Rambler Gallo, a resident of Tracy, Calif., has been charged with maliciously damaging a computer after it allegedly infiltrated a network of a water treatment plant in Discovery Bay. The treatment plant serves water and sewer systems for 15,000 residents of the city of Discovery Bay. Gallo was an employee of a private Massachusetts company… Continue reading California Water Treatment Plant Is in the Hands of a Hacker