Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Video of Industry Figures Harvested During Meetings and Used to Lure Future VictimsNorth Korean hackers are pretending to be cryptocurrency insiders, in an attempt to trick targets into accepting Calendly calendar invites. The social engineering ruse is designed to infect Windows and macOS systems with crypto stealers, and to harvest video of real-life people for future lures.

'Cyber Android RAT' Can Capture WhatsApp History, Crypto Seed PhrasesCybercriminals are advertising on criminal hacking online boards an Android remote access Trojan that can steal victims' WhatsApp conversation history, surveil them in real time and extract cryptocurrency seed phrases for the low price of about $500 a month.

Bitcoin Joining Fee for Affiliates and No Proven Victims Cited by ResearchersNewcomer ransomware group 0APT is being branded a "likely scam operation," not least after a list of over 200 supposed victims turned out to be bogus, if not entirely AI-generated - never mind a 1 bitcoin joining fee for would-be affiliates and outdated crypto-locking malware.

Stealthy Group Taps Blockchain 'EtherHiding' to Facilitate Victim CommunicationsThe DeadLock ransomware group, a newly emerged digital extortion group, is using blockchain smart contracts to store proxy server addresses for facilitating ransomware negotiations with victim organizations. The technique suggests the group is made up of experienced cybercriminals.

Americans Extorted at Least 5 Firms, Earning $1 Million From a Medical Device MakerTwo American cybersecurity professionals who moonlighted as BlackCat ransomware gang affiliates pleaded guilty to using the crypto-locking malware to extort at least five victims in the United States, including a medical device maker that paid a cryptocurrency ransom worth over $1 million.

Also: Shibarium Plans to Reimburse Victims, $1.8M Abracadabra HackThis week, hackers stole $21 million from SBI crypto, Shibarium planned reimbursement for $4 million bridge exploit victims, Abracadabra lost $1.8 million in a hack and North Korean threat actors have set a new record stealing $2 billion this year so far.

Also: Hackers Use Ethereum Smart Contracts to Hide Malicious npm CodeSwissBorg $41M hack, hidden malicious npm code, sanctions on Southeast Asian networks, California launderer's sentencing, Kinto's shuttering, Venus Protocol pays back victim, Nemo Protocol hack, DOJ's $5M recovery effort, Lagarde's proposed rules and the SEC-CFTC plan for market clarity.

FBI Accuses Ukrainian Man of Identifying Exploitable Flaws in Victims' NetworksA 33-year-old Armenian man, Karen Vardanyan, accused of facilitating Ryuk ransomware attacks against numerous organizations, is due to stand trial in the U.S. in August. The FBI said the Ryuk operation earned at least $15 million in cryptocurrency ransom payments from victims.

Also: Scammer Gets 12-Year Sentence for Dodging RestitutionAbacus Market's suspected exit scam, crypto scammer gets 12 years for dodging restitution, GMX exploiter returns funds, BigOne's $27M hack, Arcadia Finance's $3.5M theft, NZ woman's trial for alleged murder and a DOJ crypto fraud filing's potential unmasking of MoonPay victims.

Exposes Details of Victims, 'Aggressive' Negotiations, Cryptocurrency AddressesOne year to the day after an international law enforcement operation unmasked and indicted the leader of the notorious LockBit ransomware group, a hacker has sent the group another love letter.

Also: Hackers Use npm Packages, MassJacker Malware and Fake $TrumpThis week, Garantex admin arrested, hackers used npm packages to steal crypto data and deployed MassJacker malware to steal coins, infected victims with $Trump lures. Also, U.S. authorities seized hacked Ripple funds and a California warning about scams.

Also: Conviction in £1.5M Fraud, Sentencing in Torture and Theft CaseThis week's stories include a critical Ethereum vulnerability, conviction in a £1.5M fraud, sentencing in a torture and crypto theft case, SEC's new roadmap, Jan crypto stats, Coinbase social engineering victims, and U.S. lawmakers' digital assets working group.

Fraud Expert Ken Westbrook on Successful Ways to Stop Fake Investment SitesAccording to the FBI, losses from investment scams surged 38% between 2022 and 2023. Fraudsters are using highly effective tactics, including sending text messages to lure victims to fake cryptocurrency platforms, said Ken Westbrook, founder and CEO of Stop Scams Alliance.

Also: US Govt Seeks Return of Hack Funds to Bitfinex; Mango Markets ShutsThis week, BitMEX fined $100M, prosecutors sought return of Bitfinex funds, Mango Markets shut, a Web3 attack method; pastor charged in crypto scam, CFPB proposed firms refund hack victims, 2024 crime stats, Wolf Capital co-founder's guilty plea, Thai Bitcoin miners seized and a New York AG lawsuit.

DOJ Accuses Alleged Hackers of Stealing Terabytes of Data from Snowflake VictimsThe Justice Department unsealed an indictment against alleged hackers Connor Moucka and John Binns, accusing them of stealing data from the cloud platform Snowflake, extorting millions in bitcoin and stealing sensitive personal information from over 165 organizations and millions of individuals.

Also: Reimbursements in Banana Gun Hack; Germany Shutters 47 ExchangesThis week, BingX, Truflation, OpenAI X account hacked; Germany shut 47 exchanges; Caroline Ellison sentenced; two got crypto theft charges; one got crypto scam fine; Banana Gun will refund victims; WazirX, Liminal in dispute; SEC settled with TrueCoin, TrustToken; CFTC may settle with Mango Markets.

Victims Reported $5.6 Billion in Financial Losses Associated With Crypto SchemesThe FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center on Monday issued a report revealing victims filed more than 69,000 public complaints related to cryptocurrency fraud and $5.6 billion in financial losses in 2023, while investment scams made up the bulk of losses throughout the year.

Feds Count Over 200 Known US Victims of Ransomware Group That Launched in FebruaryBeware a surge in attacks tied to a ransomware group called RansomHub that's recruited affiliates from down-or-out operations LockBit and BlackCat and successfully crypto-locked systems at more than 200 organizations nationwide, including critical infrastructure, the U.S. government warned.

Hackers Target OpenMetadata Platforms Running on Cloud Kubernetes EnvironmentsHackers who appear to be Chinese are exploiting vulnerabilities in the OpenMetadata platform running as workloads on Kubernetes clusters to download cryptomining software, warned Microsoft. "I want to buy a car," the hackers tell victims in a note and solicit monero donations.

Researchers Say Hackers Used Fake Login Pages to Trick 100 Victims, Crypto WorkersA new phishing campaign is targeting victims through mobile devices by mirroring legitimate login pages for the Federal Communications Commission and large cryptocurrency platforms including Binance and Coinbase. At least 100 victims, including crypto company employees, have fallen for the scam.