Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Governments Have Long Warned About Kremlin Social Engineering HacksSignal is defending the security of its systems following a series of phishing attacks that took place on the encrypted messaging platform, and that reportedly compromised members of the German government including the president of the country's parliament.

Hijacking DNS Settings Helps Russian Hackers Decrypt TLS Traffic, Microsoft WarnsHackers tied to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency are compromising SOHO routers to hijack their DNS settings and spy on the cloud activities of high-value government, IT, telecommunications and energy organizations, Microsoft warns.

Chinese Hackers Target European Diplomats with LNK File FlawChinese nation-state hackers are exploiting a Windows vulnerability to hack European diplomatic outposts, say security researchers - but operating system giant Microsoft says the flaw doesn't merit a patch. Hackers used a flaw already compromised by North Korea and Russia.

US Reportedly Blames Kremlin for Major Breach Affecting Court Management SystemU.S. Department of Justice officials were reportedly recently informed that "persistent and sophisticated cyberthreat actors have recently compromised sealed records" in a widespread attack on a court management system containing sensitive records with potential national security implications.

RansomHub Theft Hit Patients of 2 Dozen HCF Facilities and Home Healthcare UnitA chain of more than two dozen skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities is notifying tens of thousands of patients whose information was compromised in a hacking incident last fall. Russian-speaking cybercriminal gang RansomHub claims to have published 250 gbytes of data stolen in the heist.

Water Barghest Group Lists Infected Devices Within 10 Minutes of Initial CompromiseA threat actor with suspected ties to Russian nation-state hackers has listed thousands of IoT devices as proxy networks within minutes of their initial compromise. A campaign that began in 2020 has so far infected 20,000 IoT devices, according to a new report by Trend Micro.

Company Is Sending Email Alerts to Customers Whose Data Was Accessed by HackersMicrosoft is alerting its customers whose data may have been accessed by Russian state hackers following a January attack that compromised the emails of company executives. Microsoft also shared a link to a custom-built secure system that customers can use to review their stolen data.

Midnight Blizzard Compromised Government Staff Emails for the Attack, French ANSSI SaidA Russian foreign intelligence hacking group attempted to target the French Foreign Ministry using compromised emails of government staffers, the French cyber agency said. It said the group poses a "national security concern" to French and European diplomatic interests.

APT28 Used Microsoft Outlook Zero-Day, Governments SaidThe German and Czech governments on Friday disclosed that Russian military intelligence hackers targeted political parties and critical infrastructure as part of an espionage campaign that began last year. "The EU will not tolerate such malicious behavior," the European Union said in a statement.

Company Officials Reportedly Said Hackers Just Obtained Read-Only Access to CodeRussian nation-state hackers who compromised Microsoft's source code repository gained read-only access but not the ability to change code, top company officials reportedly told a German parliamentary committee on Wednesday. Microsoft is being criticized for high-profile security failures.

Microsoft Warns APT28's GooseEgg Tool Enables Credential TheftRussian military intelligence hackers are using an 18 month-old vulnerability in the Windows print spooler utility to deploy a custom tool that elevates privileges and steals credentials. Microsoft says it's seen post-compromise activities against Ukrainian, European and North American governments.

Experts See Surge in Attacks, Including in Russia, Using Leaked LockBit CodeWhat do a German healthcare network, a Russian security company and an American bridal clothing retailer have in common? All seem to have been compromised in recent months by attackers who wielded LockBit crypto-locking malware - but who weren't tied to the actual LockBit operation.

Defense Minister Pistorius Says Leak Caused by Webex 'Application Error'German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius on Tuesday said the recent leak of intercepted military data was the result of an "application error" and not caused by a system compromise by Russian hackers. Pistorius also said the country is continuing to examine the incident further.

Nation-State Hackers Blamed for Severing Communications to 24 Million CitizensUkraine's security intelligence chief said Russian hackers had been responsible for severing internet access and mobile communications from telecom operator Kyivstar in December, after compromising the firm's network months ago. He said the "disastrous" cyberattack had wiped "almost everything."

Advisory Says Russian Hackers Have Been Exploiting Popular Software Since SeptemberThe Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released an advisory Wednesday warning that a Russian military intelligence unit has been actively exploiting a widely used software product since September as part of an effort to gain long-term access to compromised systems.