What is Qilin?Qilin (also known as Agenda) is a ransomware-as-a-service criminal operation that works with affiliates, encrypting and exfiltrating the data of hacked organisations and then demanding a ransom be paid.Qilin seems like a strange name. Where does it come from?The Qilin is a creature from Chinese mythology that combines the features of a dragon and a horned beast. Sometimes, it is...

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned that scammers are impersonating its employees in an attempt to commit fraud. In an alert posted on the CISA website, the organisation warned that so-called impersonation scams are on the rise. An impersonation scam is any type of fraud where a criminal pretends to be a trusted individual or organisation to dupe a victim...

Did your company fall victim to the LockBit ransomware? Have cybercriminals left gigabytes of your data encrypted, with no easy route for recovery that doesn't involve paying a ransom? Well, don't fear. The FBI announced this week that it had obtained over 7,000 decryption keys for the LockBit ransomware and is urging victims to come forward for free assistance. In a speech at this week's...

A vast network of millions of compromised computers, being used to facilitate a wide range of cybercrime, has been disrupted by a multinational law enforcement operation. The 911 S5 botnet, described as "likely the world's largest botnet ever" by FBI Director Christopher Wray, has had its infrastructure and assets seized and its alleged mastermind arrested and charged. 35-year-old YunHe Wang, a...

A scammer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for laundering over US $4.5 million obtained by targeting businesses and the elderly with Business Email Compromise (BEC) and romance fraud scams. Malachi Mullings, a 31-year-old from Sandy Springs, Georgia, was charged with opening 20 bank accounts in the name of a sham company, The Mullings Group LLC, to launder millions of dollars generated...

Law enforcement agencies worldwide have coordinated to take down one of the world’s largest hacker forums, scoring a victory against cybercrime.BreachForums, a notorious marketplace for stolen data, was seized by the authorities on Wednesday, according to a message on its website. BREACHFORUMS IS UNDER...

The FBI has issued a warning to US retailers about a financially-motivated malicious hacking ring that has been targeting employees with phishing attacks in an attempt to create fraudulent gift cards. Staff at the corporate offices of US retail companies have been the target of highly-sophisticated email phishing and SMS phishing ("smishing")...

What's going on? A wave of cheap, crude, amateurish ransomware has been spotted on the dark web - and although it may not make as many headlines as LockBit, Rhysida, and BlackSuit, it still presents a serious threat to organizations. What's "junk gun" ransomware? It's a name coined by Sophos researchers for unsophisticated ransomware that is...

Police have successfully infiltrated and disrupted the fraud platform "LabHost", used by more than 2,000 criminals to defraud victims worldwide. A major international operation, led by the UK's Metropolitan Police, has seized control of LabHost, which has been helping cybercriminals create phishing websites since 2021 to steal sensitive information...

What's going on? A relatively new strain of ransomware called DragonForce has making the headlines after a series of high-profile attacks. Like many other ransomware groups, DragonForce attempts to extort money from its victims in two ways - locking companies out of their computers and data through encryption, and exfiltrating data from compromised systems with the threat of releasing it to...

Google has issued a security advisory to owners of its Android Pixel smartphones, warning that it has discovered someone has been targeting some devices to bypass their built-in security. What makes the reported attacks particularly interesting is that traditional cybercriminals may not be behind them, but rather "forensic companies" exploiting two...

Nemesis Market, a notorious corner of the darknet beloved by cybercriminals and drug dealers, has been suddenly shut down after German police seized control of its systems. Germany's Federal Criminal Police (known as the BKA) has announced that it has seized the infrastructure of Nemesis and taken down its website. At the same time, cryptocurrency...

The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned the public to be cautious if contacted by people claiming to be... FTC staff. In a warning published on its website, the FTC said that scammers were using its employees' real names to steal money from consumers. A typical ruse will see the bogus FTC staffer advising someone to wire or...

An affiliate of the LockBit ransomware gang has been sentenced to almost four years in jail after earlier pleading guilty to charges of cyber extortion and weapons charges. 34-year-old Mikhail Vasiliev, who has dual Russian and Canadian nationality, was arrested in 2022 as part of a multinational law enforcement investigation into LockBit that...

If you have been optimistically daydreaming that losses attributed to cybercrime might have reduced in the last year, it's time to wake up. The FBI's latest annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report has just been published and makes for some grim reading. According to the IC3 report, online fraud hit record losses in 2023, with the...

What's happened? The US government warned healthcare organizations about the risk of being targeted by the ALPHV BlackCat ransomware after a surge in attacks. I thought ALPHV BlackCat had been taken down by the cops? Well remembered. Shortly before Christmas, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had disrupted the gang's operations...

The financial services sector faces unprecedented cybersecurity challenges in today's digital age. With the industry being a prime target for cybercriminals, understanding and adhering to cybersecurity regulations has never been more crucial. This article delves into the labyrinth of cybersecurity regulations affecting financial services,...

A huge reward is being offered for information leading to the identification or location of any of the leaders of the LockBit ransomware gang. The bounty offer comes from the US State Department, following this week's disruption of the criminal organisation's activities. LockBit, which has been operating since 2020, has targeted thousands of...

A recent report from Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy has shed light on a concerning issue - data brokers are selling vast amounts of highly sensitive information about American military service members. This includes private data about active-duty personnel, veterans, and their families, encompassing sensitive health and financial...

Good news for organisations who have fallen victim to the notorious Rhysida ransomware. A group of South Korean security researchers have uncovered a vulnerability in the infamous ransomware. This vulnerability provides a way for encrypted files to be unscrambled. Researchers from Kookmin University describe how they exploited an implementation...