Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Cybersecurity researchers have unmasked a novel ad fraud scheme that has been found to leverage search engine poisoning (SEO) techniques and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content to push deceptive news stories into Google's Discover feed and trick users into enabling persistent browser notifications that lead to scareware and financial scams

Report Reveals Growing Trend of Fraudsters Intercepting SMS-Based VerificationFinancial institutions have historically relied on one-time passcodes as a primary authentication control for their accountholders. But OTP verification is less reliable as fraudsters increasingly exploit SMS-based verification weaknesses to carry out account takeover and payment fraud schemes.

Also: $7M Saga and $5M Makina Finance ExploitsThis week, South Korea dismantled a $102 million money laundering ring, Saga paused SagaEVM after a $7 million exploit, Makina Finance lost $5 million, a Utah man sentenced to three years for fraud and illegal cash conversion and a software flaw let traders win ethereum transaction auctions for free.

Also, Nike Sued Over Shutdown of NFT SubsidiaryThis week, KiloEX compensation after Oracle exploit, Nike sued over NFT shutdown, SEC dropped probe into PayPal PYUSD, Long Island man sentenced for crypto fraud, Americans lost billions to crypto scams, Loopscale exploiter agreed to return stolen funds and bank regulators softened stance on crypto.

Emerging Vendors, Consolidation Drive Innovation in Fraud, AML, Scam PreventionAs cybercriminals exploit AI-generated deepfake scams and synthetic identity fraud, financial institutions are investing heavily in fraud detection, anti-money laundering solutions and identity verification to stay ahead. This demand is driving consolidation in the market.

This blog entry details a scheme that exploits the recent Morocco earthquake by impersonating the domain name of a well-known humanitarian organization for financial fraud.