Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Spain arrested a suspected CARR and Z-Pentest collaborator in an FBI-led probe for aiding pro-Russian hackers, coordinating attacks, and using crypto. Spanish National Police arrested a man in Palencia last March on charges of membership in and collaboration with a terrorist organization, glorifying terrorism, and computer damage. The investigation, carried out jointly with the FBI, […]

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned that criminals are using couriers to collect money from victims of cryptocurrency investment scams, also known as pig butchering or romance baiting. [...]

Blockchain investigation firm TRM Labs says ongoing cryptocurrency thefts have been traced to the 2022 LastPass breach, with attackers draining wallets years after encrypted vaults were stolen and laundering the crypto through Russian exchanges. [...]

Metropolitan Police lands lengthy sentence following 'complex' investigation The Metropolitan Police's seven-year investigation into a record-setting fraudster has ended after she was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison on Tuesday.…

Zhimin Qian recruited takeaway worker to launder funds through property overseas London's Metropolitan Police has secured a "landmark conviction" following a record-busting Bitcoin seizure and seven-year investigation.…

Europol on Monday announced the takedown of a cryptocurrency investment fraud ring that laundered €460 million ($540 million) from more than 5,000 victims across the world

Authorities in India today arrested the alleged co-founder of Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 for facilitating tens of billions of dollars in money laundering by transnational criminal and cybercriminal organizations. Sources close to the investigation told KrebsOnSecurity the Lithuanian national Aleksej Besciokov, 46, was apprehended while vacationing on the coast of India with his family.

Safe{Wallet} has revealed that the cybersecurity incident that led to the Bybit $1.5 billion crypto heist is a "highly sophisticated, state-sponsored attack," stating the North Korean threat actors behind the hack took steps to erase traces of the malicious activity in an effort to hamper investigation efforts

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) formally linked the record-breaking $1.5 billion Bybit hack to North Korean threat actors, as the company's CEO Ben Zhou declared a "war against Lazarus." The agency said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) was responsible for the theft of the virtual assets from the cryptocurrency exchange, attributing it to a specific cluster

A financial firm registered in Canada has emerged as the payment processor for dozens of Russian cryptocurrency exchanges and websites hawking cybercrime services aimed at Russian-speaking customers, new research finds. Meanwhile, an investigation into the Vancouver street address used by this company shows it is home to dozens of foreign currency dealers, money transfer businesses, and cryptocurrency exchanges -- none of which are physically located there.

The U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA) on Wednesday announced that it led an international investigation to disrupt Russian money laundering networks that were found to facilitate serious and organized crime across the U.K., the Middle East, Russia, and South America

French Police Reportedly Detain Accused Ryuk Money Launder Ekaterina ZhdanovaAn international investigation led by the United Kingdom busted Russian money cash-for-crypto laundering networks in an operation that's led to the arrest of 84 individuals and U.S. sanctions against others. One of the network allegedly laundered extortion money paid to the Ryuk ransomware group.

Also: Truth Terminal Founder Social Media Hack Inflates Fraudulent TokenThis week, a Truth Terminal founder hack, U.S. recovered stolen crypto, TeamTNT resurfaced, former FTX exec Nishad Singh avoided prison, a possible SEC's X account hacker plea deal, Tether reported to be under investigation, trends in digital assets enforcement and pending Dutch crypto legislation.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has announced arrests and charges against several individuals and entities in connection with allegedly manipulating digital asset markets as part of a widespread fraud operation

US-Sanctioned Crypto Exchange Founder Sergey Ivanov Included in Sweeping ArrestsRussia’s primary federal investigative agency announced a rare and sweeping investigation into the United States-sanctioned cryptocurrency exchange Cryptex and other platforms used to carry out illegal transactions and launder millions from ransomware groups.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported a 45% increase in cryptocurrency-related scams in 2023

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns of scammers posing as employees of cryptocurrency exchanges to steal funds from unsuspecting victims. [...]

On Jan. 9, 2024, U.S. authorities arrested a 19-year-old Florida man charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiring with others to use SIM-swapping to steal cryptocurrency. Sources close to the investigation tell KrebsOnSecurity the accused was a key member of a criminal hacking group blamed for a string of cyber intrusions at major U.S. technology companies during the summer of 2022.

Criminal scored $2M in crypto proceeds but ends up in ‘cuffs following property raid The criminal thought to be behind a multimillion-dollar cryptojacking scheme is in custody following a Europol-led investigation.…

Speculation builds over whether a nearly year-old policy change was to blame Google-owned security house Mandiant's investigation into how its X account was taken over to push cryptocurrency scams concludes the "likely" cause was a successful brute-force password attack.…