Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Threat Actor Silently Forwarded Sensitive Emails Matching Strategic TopicsGoogle says Chinese espionage group UNC6508 compromised REDCap environments at North American research institutions, deployed custom malware, stole credentials and covertly forwarded strategically relevant emails through abused compliance rules to support long-term intelligence collection.

Complaint Says Service Generated More Than 1.5 Million Malicious URLsGoogle has sued a Chinese phishing-as-a-service provider accused of teaching customers to use Gemini to generate and customize scam websites, a campaign linked to more than 1.59 million phishing URLs, over 100,000 victims, and widespread credential and financial theft.

Fraudsters Tokenize Stolen Cards Into Attacker WalletsGoogle Threat Intelligence Group warned that Chinese-language phishing-as-a-service platforms are using AI, encrypted messaging and real-time OTP interception to bypass multifactor authentication and provision stolen payment cards into attacker-controlled digital wallets worldwide.

Google Unmasks, Disrupts Group Using Sheets for Command-and-Control PurposesLikely Chinese nation-state hackers used online spreadsheets as infrastructure for hacking campaigns that affected at least 53 telecom operators across 42 countries, Google disclosed Wednesday. Incident responders discovered a backdoor being remotely controlled through Google Sheets.

China, Iran, North Korea Hackers Exploit Gemini Across Attack Life CycleState-backed hackers weaponized Google's artificial intelligence model Gemini to accelerate cyberattacks, using the productivity tool as an offensive asset for reconnaissance, social engineering and malware development. Google said it has disabled accounts and strengthened defenses.

Linwei Ding Faces Decades in Prison for Trade Secret Theft, EspionageA federal jury in San Francisco convicted a former Google software engineer of stealing thousands of pages of confidential AI data and transferring it to Chinese technology companies. Linwei Ding is guilty of seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of trade secret theft.

3-Year Espionage Campaign Targeted Taiwanese FirmsChinese nation-state group APT24 targeted multiple Taiwanese companies as part of an espionage operation that went undetected for three years. The hacking group continually updated its malware infrastructure and tactics, enabling it to stay under the radar, Google Cloud said.

More Than 1M Victims Affected GloballyTech giant Google sued the Chinese-speaking operators of a phishing-as-a-service operation in what it hopes will be a first step to deterring the prolific service behind hundreds of thousands of fraudulent websites used to steal credentials from millions of victims.

Also, North Korean Hackers Remotely Wipe Android DevicesThis week, the U.K. government probed Chinese electric buses for a kill switch, APT37 abused Google's Find Hub in South Korea, Conduent said its January hack will cost it more, Hyundai disclosed a breach and Patch Tuesday. OWASP added two new categories to its Top 10 web application vulnerabilities.

Chinese-Made AI App Faces European Privacy PushbackA German data regulator on Friday ordered Apple and Google to remove the Chinese artificial intelligence DeepSeek app from online stores over non-compliance with privacy and digital service rules. Commercial transfers of data outside of trading bloc members are governed by a complex legal system

Also, Stolen Cookies for Sale, LexisNexis Breach and an FBI WarningThis week, Alcasec back in a Spanish jail, billions of stolen cookies and Chinese hackers used Google Calendar. LexisNexis and Adidas had breaches, a vishing warning from the FBI. ClickFix scammers used fake Google Meet pages, Victoria's Secret went offline. Microsoft will update all your software.

Google Cloud's Hultquist on How State Hackers Exploit Code and Corporate HiringJohn Hultquist, chief analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, Google Cloud, discussed how China and North Korea are transforming cyberattacks into organized, factory-like operations. Alongside zero-day exploits, North Korean IT operatives are quietly infiltrating Fortune 500 companies under false identities.

AI Giants Also Like 'Fair Use' Exemptions for Copyrighted MaterialOpenAI and Google laid out visions for regulation in response to the Trump administration's AI Action Plan, which aims to help the United States maintain technological lead over China. Both companies want Biden-era export controls lightened.

Juniper Networks Urges Immediate Updating and Malware Scans to Block AttackersHackers have been infecting outdated Juniper MX routers with backdoor malware as part of an apparent cyberespionage campaign that traces to a Chinese-affiliated hacking team tracked as UNC 3886, warned Google's Mandiant incident response group.

Russia, China, Iran and North Korea Tapping Cybercrime Services, Google SaysThe cybercrime-as-a-service economy continues to power ransomware and other criminal enterprises, as well as serve as "an accelerant for state-sponsored hacking," collectively posing an increasing risk to Western national security, cybersecurity researchers warn.

Google Says Iranian and Chinese Threat Group the Most ActiveIranian and Chinese threat actors are using Google's artificial intelligence application Gemini for vulnerability scanning and reconnaissance activities, with some attempting to bypass security guardrails of the application, the computing giant disclosed.

Data Storage in China Sparks Privacy ConcernsThe Italian data regulator launched an inquiry into data storage and processing practices of Chinese generative model DeepSeek following the Friday public debut of its R1 reasoning model. The DeepSeek app is no longer available in the Apple and Google app stores in Italy.

Also: Ransomware Hackers Demand BaguettesThis week, Chinese spying, Italian hacking scandal, an FBI warning and Okta fixed a bug. Google mandated MFA, zero days in PTZOptics and a Mexican airport didn't pay ransom. Cybercriminals demanded baguettes, breach lettersin Ohio and Germany will shield white hats. The Italian DPA rebuked a bank.

Also: Payment Card Theft Trends, Internet Archive UpdateThis week, bulk data transfers to China, credit card theft, the Internet Archive still recovering and the Change Healthcare tally is now 100M. Ukraine fought phishers, civil society against the UN cybercrime treaty, TA866 and virtual hard drives spread malware. Google verified Sir Isaac Newton.

Also: Malicious Chrome Extension; Mango Markets-SEC SettlementThis week, Binance, ASX and Google sued; Solana users targeted; McDonalds' X account hacked; Mango Markets and SEC settled; China updated AML law; sentencing in the HTSB case; arrest in the BitConnect case; Australia shuttered 615 scams; Malaysia adopted Worldcoin, arrested crypto thieves.