Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Police arrested the alleged admin of XSS.is, a major cybercrime forum whose trusted escrow service helped power the underground economy. On 22 July 2025, French and Ukrainian police arrested a 38-year-old man in Kyiv and shut down XSS.is, the most influential Russian-language cybercrime forum of the past decade. Europol, which coordinated the operation under the […]

Also, France Probes Tchap Breach, M&S Cancels Bonuses, June Patch TuesdayThis week, CISA tightened patching rules, hackers provoked AI scanners. An accused Russian intel hacker appeared in court. Microsoft warned of AI-themed attacks. M&S canceled bonuses. France probed a Tchap breach. NHS trusts disclosed stolen data and a Telegram campaign targeted Russian troops.

Also, Europol Cracks DDoS Networks, Mythos Finds Bugs, France Portal HitThis week, scam compounds. Attackers exploit flaws pre-disclosure. A crackdown on DDoS-for-hire. No Mythos for CISA, yes for Mozilla. France ID portal breach. Israeli and Venezuelan critical infrastructure targeted. Russian hacking in Ukraine. An Apache flaw. A ransomware negotiator aided BlackCat.

Also, Russian Signal Phishing, Iran-Linked Malware, Breaches in Spain and FranceThis week, Tycoon 2FA, Trio-Tech, messaging app spying and a ransomware broker sentenced. Iran-linked hackers. Mazda disclosed a breach. Oracle patched a flaw. North Korean actors weaponized VS Code, a Spanish port ransomware attack, a French teacher data breach and a healthcare firm victim surge.

Basketball player accused of aiding cybercrime gang extradition blocked in exchange for Swiss NGO consultant France has released an alleged ransomware crook wanted by the US in exchange for a conflict researcher imprisoned in Russia.…

Hackers Target French Interior Ministry, Germany Summons Russian AmbassadorThe French Ministry of Interior is investigating a suspected nation-state cyberattack that targeted its email server. Additionally, the German government on Friday attributed a 2024 hacking incident on air traffic control systems to Russian nation-state hackers.

A fresh wave of spear-phishing linked to the Russia-based Star Blizzard group has been detected by Sekoia

Also: Ukrainian Hackers Find Evidence of Russian Child AbductionThis week, a Chinese duo arrested in Los Angeles for illegal artificial intelligence chip exports back to China, France extradited an accused Nigerian hacker, Ukraine hacked Crimean servers, Florida prison email leak, Tea App clone exposed users’ IDs.

On July 22, 2025, the European police agency Europol said a long-running investigation led by the French Police resulted in the arrest of a 38-year-old administrator of XSS, a Russian-language cybercrime forum with more than 50,000 members. The action has triggered an ongoing frenzy of speculation and panic among XSS denizens about the identity of the unnamed suspect, but the consensus is that he is a pivotal figure in the crime forum scene who goes by the hacker handle "Toha." Here's a deep dive on what's knowable about Toha, and a short stab at who got nabbed.

Europol on Monday announced the arrest of the suspected administrator of XSS.is (formerly DaMaGeLaB), a notorious Russian-speaking cybercrime platform

Escalating Geopolitical Tensions Could Increase Hacks by 2030, Government WarnsFrance has identified Russia as the primary threat to national security in the coming years. The French government recommends adopting measures to strengthen its cybersecurity defenses in anticipation of increased hacks from Moscow-aligned attackers driven by geopolitical tensions.

US Authorities Say Daniil Kasatkin, 26, Worked as Negotiator for Ransomware GroupA Paris criminal court on Tuesday held an extradition hearing for a Russian professional basketball player who U.S. authorities say worked as a negotiator for an undisclosed ransomware group. French police on June 21 arrested Daniil Kasatkin, 26, at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

'He's useless with computers and can't even install an application' says lawyer A Russian professional basketball player is cooling his heels in a French detention center after being arrested and accused of acting as a negotiator for a ransomware gang.…

Russian professional basketball player Daniil Kasatkin was arrested in France at the request of the United States for allegedly acting as a negotiator for a ransomware gang. [...]

The French government has criticized Russia’s APT28 group for attacking 12 entities in a long-running espionage campaign

Today, the French foreign ministry blamed the APT28 hacking group linked to Russia's military intelligence service (GRU) for targeting or breaching a dozen French entities over the last four years. [...]

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: Breaches at OnePoint Patient Care and French ISP FreeThis week: S&P said poor material vulnerability remediaton can be a material risk factor, OnePoint in the United States and French ISP Free suffered data breaches, a Russian court sentenced REvil members, Five Eyes published security guidelines for small businesses.

A new wave of international law enforcement actions has led to four arrests and the takedown of nine servers linked to the LockBit (aka Bitwise Spider) ransomware operation, marking the latest salvo against what was once a prolific financially motivated group

UK Police Say Evil Corp 'Right-Hand Man' Was Also a LockBit AffiliateLaw enforcement from the United States, United Kingdom, France and Spain made a coordinated announcement Tuesday of further arrests, indictments, sanctions and server takedowns targeting the Russian cybercriminal underground including strikes against the LockBit ransomware-as-a-service operation.