Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Government Agencies Targeted With Infostealers and Cryptomining MalwareA fake police alert is the social engineering cornerstone of an ongoing phishing campaign targeting Ukrainian government agencies, warn security researchers. They're tracking a surge in malicious SVG file attachments, in this case leading to information-stealing and cryptocurrency-mining malware.

Malicious Prompts Hidden in Data can Trigger Executable PayloadsHackers can transform artificial intelligence-powered summarization tools into unwitting delivery agents for ransomware instructions through hidden code and prompt manipulation, security researchers warn. The method is an evolution of ClickFix, a social engineering tactic.

Social Engineering Attacks Trick Victims Running Malware-Installation ScriptsAttackers are tapping TikTok to distribute videos, apparently generated using artificial intelligence tools, to trick victims into running scripts that install information-stealing malware, researchers warn. The campaign is the latest in a long line of schemes designed to distribute infostealers.

A newly discovered phishing campaign is using social engineering to dupe victims into copying, pasting, and running the Havoc command-and-control framework on their computers, warn researchers from Fortinet. "ClickFix," displays a fake error message and instructions for its supposed resolution.

Google Expects Tactics to Spread; Global Targets and Other Services at RiskRussian nation-state hackers are using phishing attacks to target Ukrainian users of the chat app Signal, say security researchers. Rather than circumventing Signal's end-to-end encryption via a cryptographic attack, attackers use malicious prompting to prod victims into exposing messages.

AI-Powered Social Engineering and Deepfake Threats in 2025Security researchers predict threat actors will use artificial intelligence and large language models to enhance phishing attacks and create convincing fake personas, while defensive AI enters a new phase of semiautonomous operations.

Social Engineering Moves Mirror Nation-State Groups' Tactics, Researchers SayThe Black Basta ransomware group has been refining its social engineering tactics to amass more victims despite escalating law enforcement disruptions, together with a shift to more "strategic, long-term planning" that security experts said suggests Russian state ties.

Attackers Could Exploit Flaw to Relay Credentials, Compromise SystemsA critical vulnerability in Open Policy Agent could expose NTLM credentials from Windows systems, potentially affecting millions of users. Researchers at Tenable warn that attackers could exploit the flaw through social engineering. Users must update to version v0.68.0 immediately to mitigate risks.