Cyber Espionage

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Russia orchestrates vast cyber-espionage campaign

A new Russian threat actor, Void Blizzard, also known as Laundry Bear, is gathering intelligence from Western states on an industrial scale unseen since the end of the Cold War. According to Microsoft Threat Intelligence, Void Blizzard primarily targets NATO member states, particularly those supporting Ukraine, and Ukraine.

Only a Global Force Can Combat Cybercrime

George Patsis is the founder and CEO of Obrela and has a proven track record in developing large-scale innovative security programs for major Global 500 companies. In an exclusive interview with Cyber Intelligence, he explains why a global approach is needed to fight cybercrime. This is a philosophical discussion shaped by the evolving changes in the human and society conditions. Ten years ago, digital communications and laptops were supplementary tools in people’s lives and perceived as an extension of our natural world. Today, we are witnessing the evolution of a full-scale digital transformation leading to an entirely new domain: cyberspace. Much like the air travel leading to partitioning of the skies, or the British Empire’s domination of the seas or the space quest. Whenever humankind discovers new domains and frontiers, the absence of clear leadership and authority often leads to conflict and crime. In the American Old West, every town had its own safe, and criminals tried to rob it. In the same way, the new digital frontier of cyberspace is driving demand for companies like OBRELA to protect their digital assets. But we need more than just individual Cybersecurity companies to protect us across the new threats in cyberspace. In the absence of a central cybersecurity authority, cybercriminals operate with near impunity—facing little resistance, no clear attribution, and a remarkably low risk of consequences.

california cryobank cyber breach

Sperm Bank Heist

Another cyber breach as potentially damaging as that of the infamous hook-up site for married users, Ashley Madison, 15 years ago has recently come to light that could have equally serious consequences. According to a notification filed this month with the California Department of Justice, the sperm bank California Cryobank reports a breach that occurred last April. Stolen files include the names, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial accounts, and health insurance information of many of the sperm bank donors and their recipients.

fbi pulls plug on chinese malware

FBI unplugs Chinese hackers

The US Justice Department and FBI have completed a law enforcement operation to delete Chinese malware from approximately 4,258 U.S.-based computers and networks. The international operation was led by French law enforcement and France-based private cybersecurity company Sekoia.io. According to court documents unsealed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a group of hackers paid by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), known as “Mustang Panda” and “Twill Typhoon,” used a version of PlugX malware to infect, control, and steal information from victim computers. Since at least 2014, Mustang Panda hackers have infiltrated thousands of computer systems in campaigns targeting US victims, European and Asian governments and businesses, and Chinese dissident groups.

million dollar bounty on chinese hacker

US Puts $10M Bounty on Chinese Hacker

A Chinese national, Guan Tianfeng, has been accused of involvement in the hacking of 81,000 firewall devices all over the world in 2020. Some of the compromised devices were protecting systems running US critical infrastructure and, had the attacks gone undetected, they could have had potentially deadly consequences. The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program has since announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Guan and his alleged co-conspirators. “The defendant and his conspirators compromised tens of thousands of firewalls and then continued to hold at risk these devices, which protect computers in the United States and around the world,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.

chinese salt typhoon hack against the united states

China’s Telecom Hack ‘Most Serious’ in US History

US Senator Mark Warner has called the Salt Typhoon hack, conducted by a group that has been linked to Chinese intelligence, “the most serious telecoms hack in our history.” In a recent interview with the NY Times, Warner also said that hackers were able to listen in on telephone calls and access text messages, emphasizing that “every major provider has been broken into.” This follows hard on the FBI releasing a joint statement with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in which they announced that “China-affiliated actors have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies.”

united states water supply is under cyber threat

US water supply threatened by cyber-attacks

The USA’s drinking water is under threat. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 97 drinking water systems serving around 27 million users have critical or high-risk cybersecurity. Although the EPA’s latest report focuses on the potential financial costs of cyber-attacks, there is also strong evidence that such attacks could also result in significant loss of life, with thousands or even millions of people being deliberately poisoned by terrorists or a hostile foreign power. “We estimate that a [California] state-wide water service disruption could potentially cost at least $61 billion in lost revenue per day,” says the EPA report, Cybersecurity Concerns Related to Drinking Water Systems. 

law enforcement impersonation

Cybercriminals pose as law enforcement agencies

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an urgent warning to business and law enforcement agencies that cybercriminals are using genuine stolen US and foreign government email addresses to hack into companies. As of August this year, the FBI has observed an increase in posts on criminal forums relating to fraudulent emergency data requests. In August 2024, a cyber-criminal known to the FBI offered for sale, “High Quality .gov emails for espionage/social engineering/data extortion requests, etc”, that included official US credentials. The cyber-criminals also offered to guide buyers through emergency data requests and to sell real stolen subpoena documents to allow the buyer(s) to pose as law enforcement officers.

chinese phishing attack on the US military

Chinese phisher steals top US military secrets

This week, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced criminal charges against a Chinese national, Song Wu, accused of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in an effort to obtain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) computer software and source code. The DOJ has now revealed that the specialized software allegedly stolen by Song could be used by potentially hostile enemies to attack the US. According to the DOJ, the stolen software could be used for “industrial and military applications, such as development of advanced tactical missiles and aerodynamic design and assessment of weapons.”

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