Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Russian-speaking attackers lure HR staff into downloading ISO files that disable defenses A Russian-speaking cyber criminal is targeting corporate HR teams with fake CVs that quietly install malware which can disable security tools before stealing data from infected machines.…

Phishers posing as Booking.com use panic-inducing blue screens to bypass security controls Russia-linked hackers are sneaking malware into European hotels and other hospitality outfits by tricking staff into installing it themselves through fake Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) crashes.…

Curly COMrades strike again Russia's Curly COMrades is abusing Microsoft's Hyper-V hypervisor in compromised Windows machines to create a hidden Alpine Linux-based virtual machine that bypasses endpoint security tools, giving the spies long-term network access to snoop and deploy malware.…

PLUS: Cyber-exec admits selling secrets to Russia; LastPass isn't checking to see if you're dead; Nation-state backed Windows malware; and more Infosec in brief Australia’s Signals Directorate (ASD) last Friday warned that attackers are installing an implant named “BADCANDY” on unpatched Cisco IOS XE devices and can detect deletion of their wares and reinstall their malware.…

It also banned some suspected Russian accounts trying to create influence campaigns and malware OpenAI has banned ChatGPT accounts believed to be linked to Chinese government entities attempting to use AI models to surveil individuals and social media accounts.…

If you wanted to hurt Putin’s ransomware racketeers, these info-stealing npm packages are one way to do it Researchers at software supply chain security outfit Safety think they’ve found malware that targets Russian cryptocurrency developers, and perhaps therefore Russia’s state-linked ransomware crews…

Fancy Bear can't keep its claws out of Outlook inboxes The UK government is warning that Russia's APT28 (also known as Fancy Bear or Forest Blizzard) has been deploying previously unknown malware to harvest Microsoft email credentials and steal access to compromised accounts.…

OpenAI boots accounts linked to 10 malicious campaigns Fake IT workers possibly linked to North Korea, Beijing-backed cyber operatives, and Russian malware slingers are among the baddies using ChatGPT for evil, according to OpenAI's latest threat report.…

Destructive malware has been a hallmark of Putin's multi-modal war A new strain of wiper malware targeting Ukrainian infrastructure is being linked to pro-Russian hackers, in the latest sign of Moscow's evolving cyber tactics.…

Any info on Maxim Rudometov and his associates? There's $$$ in it for you The US government is offering up to $10 million for information on foreign government-backed threat actors linked to the RedLine malware, including its suspected developer, Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov.…

The FBI thought they shut this all down in 2023, but the duck quacked again Uncle Sam on Thursday unsealed criminal charges and a civil forfeiture case against a Russian national accused of leading the cybercrime ring behind Qakbot, notorious malware that infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide and helped fuel ransomware attacks costing victims tens of millions of dollars.…

A 25-year-old California man pleaded guilty to stealing and dumping 1.1TB of data from the House of Mouse When someone stole more than a terabyte of data from Disney last year, it was believed to be the work of Russian hacktivists protesting for artist rights. We now know it was actually a 25-year-old California resident.…

Vintage phishing varietal has improved with age Russia never stops using proven tactics, and its Cozy Bear, aka APT 29, cyber-spies are once again trying to lure European diplomats into downloading malware with a phony invitation to a lux event.…

Fuxnet and FrostyGoop were both used in the Russia-Ukraine war Two new malware variants specifically designed to disrupt critical industrial processes were set loose on operational technology networks last year, shutting off heat to more than 600 apartment buildings in one instance and jamming communications to gas, water, and sewage network sensors in the other.…

And you, China, Russia, North Korea ... Guardrails block malware generation Google says it's spotted Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and North Korean government agents using its Gemini AI for nefarious purposes, with Tehran by far the most frequent naughty user out of the four.…

This malware is FREE for EVERY crook ($300 decryption keys sold separately) A Russian citizen has been extradited from South Korea to the United States to face charges related to his alleged role in the Phobos ransomware operation.…

Or: why using the same iCloud account for malware development and gaming is a bad idea The US government has named and charged a Russian national, Maxim Rudometov, with allegedly developing and administering the notorious Redline infostealer. …

USB sticks help, but it's unclear how tools that suck malware from them are delivered A cyberespionage APT crew named GoldenJackal hacked air-gapped PCs belonging to government and diplomatic entities at least twice using two sets of custom malware, according to researchers from antivirus vendor ESET.…

Severe incidents may be down, but Putin had to throw one in for good measure Russia's use of malware to support its military efforts in Ukraine is showing no signs of waning while its tactics continually evolve to bypass protections.…

Putin's pals use 'GooseEgg' malware to launch attacks you can defeat with patches or deletion Russian spies are exploiting a years-old Windows print spooler vulnerability and using a custom tool called GooseEgg to elevate privileges and steal credentials across compromised networks, according to Microsoft Threat Intelligence.…