Tag Archives: espionage

Kremlin-backed hackers have new Windows and Android malware to foist on Ukrainian foes

Google researchers said they uncovered a Kremlin-backed operation targeting recruits for the Ukrainian military with information-stealing malware for Windows and Android devices. The malware, spread primarily through posts on Telegram, came from a persona on that platform known as “Civil Defense.” Posts on the ​​@civildefense_com_ua telegram channel and the accompanying civildefense[.]com.ua website claimed to provide… Read More »

Two never-before-seen tools, from same group, infect air-gapped devices

The evolution of the kit from 2019 and the one from three years later underscores a growing sophistication by GoldenJackal developers. The first generation provided a full suite of capabilities, including: GoldenDealer, a component that delivers malicious executables to air-gapped systems over USB drives GoldenHowl, a backdoor that contains various modules for a mix of… Read More »

Mass exploitation of Ivanti VPNs is infecting networks around the globe

Enlarge / Cybercriminals or anonymous hackers use malware on mobile phones to hack personal and business passwords online. Getty Images reader comments 8 Hackers suspected of working for the Chinese government are mass exploiting a pair of critical vulnerabilities that give them complete control of virtual private network appliances sold by Ivanti, researchers said. As… Read More »

Pro-Russian hackers target elected US officials supporting Ukraine

Enlarge / Locked out. reader comments 30 with Share this story Threat actors aligned with Russia and Belarus are targeting elected US officials supporting Ukraine, using attacks that attempt to compromise their email accounts, researchers from security firm Proofpoint said. The campaign, which also targets officials of European nations, uses malicious JavaScript that’s customized for… Read More »

A widespread logic controller flaw raises the specter of Stuxnet

reader comments 24 with 0 posters participating Share this story In 2009, the computer worm Stuxnet crippled hundreds of centrifuges inside Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant by targeting the software running on the facility’s industrial computers, known as programmable logic controllers. The exploited PLCs were made by the automation giant Siemens and were all models… Read More »

“Dark ships” emerge from the shadow of the Nord Stream pipeline mystery

Swedish Coast Guard/Getty Images reader comments 21 with 0 posters participating Share this story The first gas leaks on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea were detected in the early hours of September 26, pouring up to 400,000 tons of methane into the atmosphere. Officials immediately suspected sabotage of the international pipeline.… Read More »

China lured graduate jobseekers into digital espionage

Enlarge (credit: FT montage | Getty Images | Dreamstime) Chinese university students have been lured to work at a secretive technology company that masked the true nature of their jobs: researching western targets for spying and translating hacked documents as part of Beijing’s industrial-scale intelligence regime. The Financial Times has identified and contacted 140 potential… Read More »

Botnet that hid for 18 months boasted some of the coolest tradecraft ever

reader comments 55 with 34 posters participating Share this story It’s not the kind of security discovery that happens often. A previously unknown hacker group used a novel backdoor, top-notch tradecraft, and software engineering to create an espionage botnet that was largely invisible in many victim networks. The group, which security firm Mandiant is calling… Read More »

An explosive spyware report shows limits of iOS, Android security

Enlarge / A report this week indicates that the problem of high-caliber spyware is far more widespread than previously feared. reader comments 74 with 54 posters participating Share this story The shadowy world of private spyware has long caused alarm in cybersecurity circles, as authoritarian governments have repeatedly been caught targeting the smartphones of activists,… Read More »

2020 had its share of memorable hacks and breaches. Here are the top 10

reader comments 15 with 14 posters participating Share this story 2020 was a tough year for a lot of reasons, not least of which were breaches and hacks that visited pain on end users, customers, and the organizations that were targeted. The ransomware menace dominated headlines, with an endless stream of compromises hitting schools, governments,… Read More »