Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Defunct Ransomware Group's Diaspora Includes Hackers With Focus on Microsoft TeamsBased on intelligence gleaned from the leak of Black Basta ransomware messages, researchers are warning organizations to beware phishing attacks launched via Microsoft partner domains and via Teams, as well as the targeting of personal Google accounts accessed via corporate devices.

Also: Internet Archive Limps Back Online, Beware Kerbertoasing and Passkey TakeupThis week, Brazilian police arrested USDoD, Internet Archive is recovering, a Microsoft warning over Kerberoasting and of mounting phishing attacks, Google touted memory safety efforts, Volkswagen said no harm after ransomware attack, and Amazon reported over 175 million customers using passkeys.

WormGPT, a private new chatbot service advertised as a way to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help write malicious software without all the pesky prohibitions on such activity enforced by ChatGPT and Google Bard, has started adding restrictions on how the service can be used. Faced with customers trying to use WormGPT to create ransomware and phishing scams, the 23-year-old Portuguese programmer who created the project now says his service is slowly morphing into “a more controlled environment.” The large language models (LLMs) made by ChatGPT parent OpenAI or Google or Microsoft all have various safety measures designed to prevent people from abusing them for nefarious purposes — such as creating malware or hate speech. In contrast, WormGPT has promoted itself as a new LLM that was created specifically for cybercrime activities.

Researchers have exposed the work of Exotic Lily, a full-time cybercriminal initial-access group that uses phishing to infiltrate organizations’ networks for further malicious activity.