Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Also: Chinese Firms Indicted in Crypto-Linked Fentanyl Supply CaseThis week, charges filed in Uranium Finance hack, indictment of Chinese firms in fentanyl supply case, a class action lawsuit against Nvidia, Drift Protocol exploit, KuCoin operational barriers in the United States and a U.K. sanction filed against Xinbi.

Chinese Hacking Firm iSoon and Iran's Emennet Pasargad Among TargetsThe European Union sanctioned three Chinese and Iranian hacking operations that have been under U.S. indictments or sanctions for over a year - or, in one case, since 2019. The sanctions freeze assets and forbid EU citizens and companies from funding or otherwise doing business with the targets.

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned a Russian exploit broker who bought stolen hacking tools from a former executive of a U.S. defense contractor. [...]

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.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned cyber actor Song Kum Hyok for his association with North Korea's hacking group Andariel and for facilitating IT worker schemes that generated revenue for the Pyongyang regime. [...]

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday sanctioned a member of a North Korean hacking group called Andariel for their role in the infamous remote information technology (IT) worker scheme

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions against a Chinese cybersecurity company and a Shanghai-based cyber actor for their alleged links to the Salt Typhoon group and the recent compromise of the federal agency

Department of Treasury Imposes SanctionsThe U.S. federal government said Friday it's traced the source of Chinese hacker intrusions into telecom networks to a government contractor located in hacking hotbed Sichuan. The Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on the firm, Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology.

Days before leaving office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to shore up the United States' cybersecurity by making it easier to sanction hacking groups targeting federal agencies and the nation's critical infrastructure. [...]

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday issued sanctions against a Beijing-based cybersecurity company known as Integrity Technology Group, Incorporated for orchestrating several cyber attacks against U.S. victims

Integrity Technology Group Built Botnet for Chinese Hackers, US Treasury SaysThe Department of Treasury blacklisted Integrity Technology Group, declaring transactions with the company to be off-limits for U.S. financial institutions and persons. The effect will likely have more symbolic than actual disruptive effect.

​The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Beijing-based cybersecurity company Integrity Tech for its involvement in cyberattacks attributed to the Chinese state-sponsored Flax Typhoon hacking group. [...]

Hackers Reportedly Target Treasury Department Offices Overseeing Economic SanctionsA Chinese hack of the U.S. Department of Treasury targeted offices tasked with overseeing economic sanctions and financial investigations, as experts warn Beijing is increasingly escalating attacks on American critical infrastructure while preparing for potential future conflict.

Tianfeng Guan Allegedly Developed Zero-Day Exploit of Sophos XG FirewallThe U.S. federal government rolled out its heavy guns Tuesday against a Chinese hacker allegedly at the center of a zero-day exploit used to hack firewalls made by Sophos, unsealing an indictment, rolling out sanctions and offering $10 million for information leading to the suspect's arrest.

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Chinese cybersecurity company Sichuan Silence and one of its employees for their involvement in a series of Ragnarok ransomware attacks targeting U.S. critical infrastructure companies and many other victims worldwide in April 2020. [...]

U.S.-Led Sanctions Do Little to Curtail North Korea's Development of AISouth Korea's intelligence agency has reported that North Korean hackers are using generative AI to conduct cyberattacks and search for hacking targets. Experts believe North Korea's AI capabilities are robust enough for more precise attacks on South Korea.

Governments Accuse Aleksandr Ermakov and REvil of Being Medibank HackersThe United States, Australia and the United Kingdom sanctioned a Russian man the governments say was behind the October 2022 hacking of Medibank, Australia's largest private health insurer. The attack was a high point in a wave of data breaches buffeting the country that year.

Both Governments Sanction 2 'Star Blizzard' Hackers; US Indicts ThemThe U.K. government accused Russia's domestic intelligence agency of running a yearslong campaign to interfere in British politics. U.S. federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal indictment against two FSB agents, accursing them of phishing campaigns against national security government employees.

Authorities in the United States and United Kingdom today levied financial sanctions against seven men accused of operating "Trickbot," a cybercrime-as-a-service platform based in Russia that has enabled countless ransomware attacks and bank account takeovers since its debut in 2016. The U.S. Department of the Treasury says the Trickbot group is associated with Russian intelligence services, and that this alliance led to the targeting of many U.S. companies and government entities.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday moved to sanction virtual currency mixer Blender.io, marking the first time a mixing service has been subjected to economic blockades