Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

A 24-year-old British national and senior member of the cybercrime group "Scattered Spider" has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Tyler Robert Buchanan admitted his role in a series of text-message phishing attacks in the summer of 2022 that allowed the group to hack into at least a dozen major technology companies and steal tens of millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency from investors.

Also: ZachXBT Uncovers DPRK Worker Scam, Hyperbridge Hack, Coinone FineThis week, Operation Atlantic disrupts $45M phishing fraud, ZachXBT uncovers DPRK crypto worker scheme, Hyperbridge exploit, South Korea fines Coinone $3.5M, Kraken faces extortion attempt over insider data leak and American musician loses $420K in fake Ledger app.

Also: Coinbase's Agentic AI Wallets, $1M Fraud IndictmentThis week, Paxful's $4M AML penalty, Coinbase's agentic AI wallets, a $1M fraud indictment, a 20-year $200M Ponzi sentence, laundering from the $200M Mixin hack, a Binance France home invasion attempt, insider betting charges in Israel and lost seized bitcoin in South Korea.

Also: Unleash Protocol Hack, LastPass Breach Linked to Crypto TheftsThis week, an alleged fraud kingpin deported to China, Bitfinex hacker gained early release, Unleash Protocol's $3.9M hack, TRM tied crypto thefts to the LastPass breach, Trust Wallet's link to the Sha1-Hulud attack, Flow's NFT loan fallout, Ledger's data exposure and Kontigo reimbursements.

Also: UK Fraud Investigators Make Arrests in $28M Basis Markets Rug-Pull ProbeThis week, World Liberty Financial scrambles to secure user funds, the U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office arrests two people over a $28M Basis Markets rug-pull probe, a Gana Payment hack drains $3.1M and Crypto Dispensers weighs a $100M sale following money-laundering charges against its CEO.

Also: Samourai Wallet Founder Sentenced, $128M Balancer Hack Post-MortemThis week, "Bitcoin Queen" sentenced, as was Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez, Balancer hack post-mortem, Coinbase's 21 million euro fine, mistrial in $25 Million Ethereum exploit case. Spanish authorities detained a crypto influencer and accused the United States of a crypto heist.

Also: LastPass Warns of Phishing Campaign, Trump's New CTFC Head PickEvery week, Information Security Media Group rounds up cybersecurity incidents in digital assets. This week, Meteora CEO faced fraud allegations, LastPass warned of a phishing campaign, Trump taps crypto lawyer to lead CFTC, Mt. Gox delayed creditor repayments again and an Indian court blocked WazirX from using customer funds to cover hack losses.

Also: Man Denied Bankruptcy Discharge Over $12.5M Crypto Ponzi DebtsU.S. sanctions Iranian shadow banking network, Texas man denied bankruptcy discharge, Nemo blames $2.6M exploit on developer errors, THORChain founder hacked, Shibarium Bridge hit by $2.4M hack, Denver court rules pastor's $3.3M project a fraud and NYDFS tells banks to use blockchain analytics.

Also: Trump Signs Pro-Crypto EO, Credix Disappears After $4.5M HackEvery week, Information Security Media Group rounds up cybersecurity incidents in digital assets. This week, includes Do Kwon's guilty plea, Trump's crypto-linked executive order, Credix's post-hack disappearance, $7M Odin.fun exploit and hackers using fake Firefox crypto wallet extensions for theft.

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.

Also: Dismantling a 460 Million Euro Crypto Fraud NetworkThis week, a peek into Iran's largest crypto exchange blending privacy, scale and sanctions evasion, Europol and Spanish police dismantled a crypto fraud network, $9.5M Resupply hack, sentencing in a $40M ponzi scheme and a North Korean crypto theft and employment fraud ring.

Also: $31M From Uranium Hack Seized, SEC Wraps Up Crypto LawsuitsThis week, the $49M Infini exploit, ByBit updates, hacked Uranium funds, seized, OKX settlement, DeepSeek crypto scam. Also, the SEC dismissed Coinbase, Robinhood, Uniswap and Gemini probes as well as its crypto dealer rule. It launched a new crypto fraud unit.

Also: Nigerian Authorities Sue Binance for $79.5 billionThis week, guilty plea in $577M fraud scheme, Nigeria's $79.5B lawsuit, charges in $24M fraud case, $400K Cardex hack, seizure in BitConnect scheme, CluCoin founder sentenced, hacked Phemex funds laundered, Argentina president's fraud charges, new malware for digital wallets and romance scams surge.

Also: Complaint Against Trump, Melania MemecoinsThis week's stories include sentencing in a $37 million theft, $9 million zkLend theft, Tornado Cash developer's pretrial detention release, guilty plea in SEC hack, an update on a crypto-using murderer, case against Trump memecoin, and a prisoner exchange involving a Russian Bitcoin fraud suspect.

Also: $3.8 Million Onyx Hack, Conviction in a Crypto ATM CaseThis week, a guilty plea for $37M stolen, a $3.8M Onyx hack, a first conviction for illegal crypto ATM operations, Zort owner fraud, WazirX's post-hack liability, U.S. congressmen ask for Binance exec's release, a U.S. court denied Tornado Cash exec's motion and a SEC-Mango Markets settlement.

Also: Pump.fun Hack, Arrests in $73M Pig-Butchering ScamThis week, Gala Games and Pump.fun were hacked; alleged pig-butchering scammers, Incognito admin and illicit banking racketeers were arrested; Pink Drainer was shut down; the U.S. House approved a crypto bill; a man pleaded guilty to wire fraud; and tech companies formed a scam-fighting coalition.

A former security engineer has been sentenced to three years in prison in the U.S. for charges relating to hacking two decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges in July 2022 and stealing over $12.3 million

Also: Changpeng Zhao's Sentencing; UN Probe of North Korean HacksThis week, the U.S. Treasury reported on crypto in crime, Changpeng Zhao's sentencing was rescheduled, PlayDapp was hacked, the UN probed North Korean hacking, suspicious crypto transactions increased in South Korea, the U.K. blocked fraud sites and Hong Kong warned about crypto phishing sites.

On Jan. 9, 2024, U.S. authorities arrested a 19-year-old Florida man charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiring with others to use SIM-swapping to steal cryptocurrency. Sources close to the investigation tell KrebsOnSecurity the accused was a key member of a criminal hacking group blamed for a string of cyber intrusions at major U.S. technology companies during the summer of 2022.

Amir Hossein Golshan, 25, was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Los Angeles District Court and ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution for crimes involving SIM swapping, merchant fraud, support fraud, account hacking, and cryptocurrency theft. [...]