Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Suspected Russian Crime Group Built Resilient Command-and-Control InfrastructureIn a joint operation, CrowdStrike, Google and Shadowserver Foundation disrupted infrastructure used by the Glassworm cybercrime group, cutting off attackers from victims. The group has wielded a remote access Trojan to repeatedly target developers of widely used open-source software.

Also, Russian Signal Phishing, Iran-Linked Malware, Breaches in Spain and FranceThis week, Tycoon 2FA, Trio-Tech, messaging app spying and a ransomware broker sentenced. Iran-linked hackers. Mazda disclosed a breach. Oracle patched a flaw. North Korean actors weaponized VS Code, a Spanish port ransomware attack, a French teacher data breach and a healthcare firm victim surge.

Revenue From Supply-Chain Attacks by Clop Group Sharply Fell, Report InvestigatorsOnce lucrative steal-and-leak campaigns pioneered by Russian ransomware group Clop look set to go the way of the dinosaurs. While an estimated 25% of victims paid a ransom in the inaugural campaign five years ago, the number of victims that paid fell to zero by 2023, report ransomware responders.

Crackdown Targets Multiple Members of Cybercrime Group, Including 'Hash Crackers'Police raided two suspected members of the notorious Black Basta ransomware group - tied to over 600 victims worldwide and many millions in ransom payments - in Ukraine and issued an international arrest warrant for the Russian national suspected of being the operation's founder and ringleader.

Operation Checkmate Disrupts One of the Large Russian-Speaking Ransomware GroupsAn international law enforcement operation has disrupted BlackSuit, a ransomware group tied to hundreds of victims and ransom demands that exceeded half a billion dollars. The takedown occurred as security experts tracked the rise of a new group called Chaos, which may be a BlackSuit rebrand.

Espionage Campaign Mainly Targeted European OrganizationsA Russian nation state threat actor exploited "lesser known" features of Microsoft Windows remote desktop protocol to target European organizations for espionage. Hackers using RDP to deploy a malicious application and access data from victims.

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.

After Disrupting Ascension Health, Black Basta Forecast Reprisals From FBI, Moscow"We are pentesters, not murderers," ransomware group Black Basta claimed in its negotiations with victim Ascension Healthcare in May 2024, after its attack led to widespread disruptions and patient safety alerts. Leaked chat logs reveal the group feared resulting reprisals from the FBI and Moscow.

'He Is an Idiot,' Dissatisfied Hacker Writes of BossTwo hundred thousand internal chat messages from the Russian ransomware group Black Basta have been leaked online, supposedly in reprisal for the operation targeting Russian banks. The partial logs, spanning 13 months, detail negotiations with victims, ransoms paid, internal disagreements and more.

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.

FSB Hackers Have Hijacked Others' Command and Control BeforeA Russian state hacking group hijacked the command and control infrastructure of a Pakistan-based espionage network as part of an ongoing intelligence-gathering operation targeting victims in Asia, finds a report from Microsoft and Black Lotus Labs.

Russian Threat Actor Delivers NetSupport RAT, BurnsRAT via Fake RequestsA malware campaign targeting Russian retailers and service businesses aims to deploy remote access tools and install infostealer malware. Kaspersky dubbed the campaign "Horns&Hooves," after a fake organization set up by fraudsters in the 1931 Soviet satirical novel "The Little Golden Calf."

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.

UK National Crime Agency Details Kremlin-Cybercrime ConnectionRussian intelligence agencies tasked the notorious Russian-speaking cybercrime syndicate Evil Corp with conducting cyberattacks and cyberespionage operations on behalf of the Russian government, British police said Tuesday. Evil Corp has stolen at least $100 million from victims.

UK National Crime Agency Details Kremlin-Cybercrime ConnectionRussian intelligence agencies tasked the notorious Russian-speaking cybercrime syndicate Evil Corp with conducting cyberattacks and cyberespionage operations on behalf of the Russian government, British police said Tuesday. Evil Corp has stolen at least $100 million from victims.

Der Spiegel Reports Russian State Hackers Mimicked Kiel InstituteThe German cyber agency is reportedly investigating a phishing campaign tied to Russian state hacking group APT28 that used a bogus website mimicking an influential think tank. The campaign, which ran for months, used variations of the institute's legitimate IfW-Kiel web domain to lure victims.

Group Claims a NY Surgical Center and a Nevada Medical Center Among Recent VictimsU.S. authorities are warning healthcare sector entities of incidents involving Everest, a Russian-speaking ransomware group and initial access broker, which claims to have stolen sensitive patient information in recent attacks, including on two medical care providers in New York and Nevada.

Spear Phishing Messages Sent to Emplpyees With Admin RightsA Russia-based cybercriminal group targeted a large American auto manufacturer, more evidence of its shift to deep-pocketed victims the gang hopes will deliver a major payday. FIN7 - also known as Carbon Spider and Sangria Tempest - targeted employees with “high levels of administrative rights."

Dual Canadian-Russian National Also Agrees to US ExtraditionLockBit ransomware affiliate Mikhail Vasiliev on Tuesday received a nearly four-year prison sentence in Canada and consented to extradition to the United States, where he faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. He must also pay CA$860,000 in restitution to his Canadian victims.

Five Eyes Cyber Agencies Say Kremlin Hackers Are Following Victims to the CloudThe Russian intelligence hacking group known as APT29 or Cozy Bear is responding to the corporate migration to the cloud with matching hacking techniques, says an alert from international cyber agencies. Threat intelligence firms warn that APT29 has amplified its global cyberespionage operations.