dark web | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Google unveiled a slew of new privacy, safety, and security features today at its annual developer conference, Google I/O. The tech giant's latest initiatives are aimed at protecting its users from cyber threats, including phishing attacks and malicious websites, while providing more control and transparency over their personal data. Here is a short list of the newly introduced features - Improved data control and transparency Gmail Dark Web Scan Report Effortlessly Delete Maps Search History AI-Powered Safe Browsing Content Safety API Expansion About this Image Spam View in Google Drive Among the newly introduced features, the first on the list is improved data control and transparency. Google has unveiled an update for its Android operating system that allows users to better control location sharing through apps installed on their devices. "Starting with location data, you will be informed in permission requests when an app shares your information with third-pa

IT and cybersecurity teams are so inundated with security notifications and alerts within their own systems, it's difficult to monitor external malicious environments – which only makes them that much more threatening.  In March, a high-profile data breach hit national headlines when personally identifiable information connected to hundreds of lawmakers and staff was leaked on the dark web. The cybersecurity incident involved the DC Health Link, an online marketplace that administers health plans for members of Congress and Capitol Hill staff. According to news reports, the FBI had successfully purchased a portion of the data – which included social security numbers and other sensitive information – on the dark web.  Because of the prominence of the victims, the story was picked up by a slew of media outlets that rarely cover dark web-related cybersecurity crimes. The story not only shed light on one of the most dangerous aspects of the internet, it reminded us that the dark web con

An international law enforcement operation has resulted in the arrest of 288 vendors who are believed to be involved in drug trafficking on the dark web, adding to a long list of  criminal enterprises  that have been shuttered in recent years. The effort, codenamed Operation SpecTor , also saw the authorities confiscating more than $53.4 million in cash and virtual currencies, 850 kg of drugs, and 117 firearms. The largest number of arrests were made in the U.S. (153), followed by the U.K. (55), Germany (52), the Netherlands (10), Austria (9), France (5), Switzerland (2), Poland (1), and Brazil (1). "This represents the most funds seized and the highest number of arrests in any coordinated international action," U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland  said . "The drug traffickers are confident that, by operating anonymously on the dark web, they can operate outside the bounds of the law. They are wrong." The arrests stem from evidence gathered after the  tak

A new "all-in-one" stealer malware named  EvilExtractor  (also spelled Evil Extractor) is being marketed for sale for other threat actors to steal data and files from Windows systems. "It includes several modules that all work via an FTP service," Fortinet FortiGuard Labs researcher Cara Lin  said . "It also contains environment checking and Anti-VM functions. Its primary purpose seems to be to steal browser data and information from compromised endpoints and then upload it to the attacker's FTP server." The network security company said it observed a surge in attacks spreading the malware in the wild in March 2023, with a majority of the victims located in Europe and the U.S. While marketed as an educational tool, EvilExtractor has been adopted by threat actors for use as an information stealer. The attack tool is being sold by an actor named Kodex on cybercrime forums like Cracked dating back to October 22, 2022. It's continually updated and

The Deep, Dark Web – The Underground – is a haven for cybercriminals, teeming with tools and resources to launch attacks for financial gain, political motives, and other causes. But did you know that the underground also offers a goldmine of threat intelligence and information that can be harnessed to bolster your cyber defense strategies? The challenge lies in continuously monitoring the right dark web sources and gathering actionable intelligence through manual methods, which can lead to analyst fatigue and delayed action. Traditional methods of unearthing dark web intelligence can be time-consuming, exhausting, and often fruitless. Discover how to pierce the veil of darkness and illuminate the path to a more secure cyber landscape in our exclusive, high-impact webinar. Register now to secure your spot ! In this enlightening session, you will: Gain practical insights on how to access the dark web Uncover the various types of underground sources that threat actors use Learn how

The threat actor behind the information-stealing malware known as  Typhon Reborn  has resurfaced with an updated version (V2) that packs in improved capabilities to evade detection and resist analysis. The new version is offered for sale on the criminal underground for $59 per month, $360 per year, or alternatively, for $540 for a lifetime subscription. "The stealer can harvest and exfiltrate sensitive information and uses the Telegram API to send stolen data to attackers," Cisco Talos researcher Edmund Brumaghin  said  in a Tuesday report. Typhon was  first documented  by Cyble in August 2022, detailing its myriad features, including hijacking clipboard content, capturing screenshots, logging keystrokes, and stealing data from crypto wallet, messaging, FTP, VPN, browser, and gaming apps. Based on another stealer malware called  Prynt Stealer , Typhon is also capable of delivering the XMRig cryptocurrency miner. In November 2022, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42  unearthed  an

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday said it seized 50,676 Bitcoin in November 2021 that was stolen in the 2012 hack of the now-defunct Silk Road dark web marketplace. The bitcoin, which was obtained in 2012 and valued at $3.36 billion when it was discovered last year, is now worth $1.04 billion. Additionally recovered were $661,900 in cash, 25 Casascius coins with an approximate value of 174 Bitcoin, and gold- and silver-colored bars. It's also one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures to date, followed by the confiscation of $3.6 billion worth of bitcoin  earlier this February  tied to the 2016 breach of the Bitfinex crypto exchange. The Justice Department said it conducted the seizure on November 9, 2021, pursuant to a search warrant issued to James Zhong's house located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It also said the keys to the tokens were found in an underground floor safe and on a "single-board computer that was submerged under blankets in a popcorn t

A 34-year-old U.K. national has been arraigned in the U.S. for operating a dark web marketplace called  The Real Deal  that specialized in the sales of hacking tools and stolen login credentials. Daniel Kaye , who went by a litany of pseudonyms Popopret, Bestbuy, UserL0ser, and Spdrman, has been charged with five counts of access device fraud and one count of money laundering conspiracy. Kaye was indicted in April 2021, and subsequently consented to his extradition from Cyprus to the U.S. in September 2022. "While living overseas, this defendant allegedly operated an illegal website that made hacking tools and login credentials available for purchase, including those for U.S. government agencies,"  said  U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. Court documents show that  The Real Deal , until its shutdown in 2016, functioned as a market for illicit items, including stolen account logins for U.S. government computers, bank accounts, and social media platforms such as Twitter and

The breach of LA Unified School District (LAUSD) highlights the prevalence of password vulnerabilities, as criminal hackers continue to use breached credentials in increasingly frequent ransomware attacks on education. The Labor Day weekend breach of LAUSD brought significant  districtwide disruptions to access to email , computers, and applications. It's unclear what student or employee data the attackers exfiltrated. There is a significant trend in ransomware breaches in education, a highly vulnerable sector. The transitory nature of students leaves accounts and passwords vulnerable. The open environments schools create to foster student exploration and the relative naivete in the sector regarding cybersecurity invite attacks.  The breach at LAUSD and what happened afterward Four days post-breach, reports came that criminals had offered credentials for accounts inside the school district's network  for sale on the dark web  months before the attack. The stolen credential

Several hacktivist groups are using Telegram and other tools to aid anti-government protests in Iran to bypass regime censorship restrictions amid  ongoing unrest  in the country following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody. "Key activities are data leaking and selling, including officials' phone numbers and emails, and maps of sensitive locations," Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point  said  in a new report. The company said it has also witnessed sharing of proxies and open VPN servers to get around censorship and reports on the internet status in the country, with one group helping the anti-government demonstrators access social media sites. Chief among them is a Telegram channel called Official Atlas Intelligence Group (AIG) that's primarily focused on publishing data associated with government officials as well as maps of prominent locations. Calling itself the "CyberArmy," the group is said to have commenced its operations in May and has also

An international law enforcement operation has resulted in the dismantling of  WT1SHOP , an online criminal marketplace that specialized in the sales of stolen login credentials and other personal information. The seizure was orchestrated by Portuguese authorities, with the U.S. officials taking control of four domains used by the website: "wt1shop[.]net," "wt1store[.]cc," "wt1store[.]com," and "wt1store[.]net." The website peddled over 5.85 million records of personally identifying information (PII), including approximately 25,000 scanned driver's licenses/passports, 1.7 million login credentials for various online shops, 108,000 bank accounts, 21,800 credit cards, the U.S. Justice Department (DoJ)  said . The DoJ also unveiled a criminal complaint against Nicolai Colesnicov, accusing the 36-year-old individual from the Republic of Moldova of running the marketplace. Colesnicov has been charged with conspiracy and with trafficking in un

Network credentials and virtual private network (VPN) access for colleges and universities based in the U.S. are being advertised for sale on underground and public criminal marketplaces. "This exposure of sensitive credential and network access information, especially privileged user accounts, could lead to subsequent cyber attacks against individual users or affiliated organizations," the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  said  in an advisory published last week. The cyber intrusions against educational institutions involve threat actors leveraging tactics like spear-phishing and ransomware to carry out credential harvesting activities. The gathered credentials are then exfiltrated and sold on Russian cybercrime forums for prices ranging from a few to thousands of U.S. dollars. Armed with this login information, the agency pointed out, adversaries can proceed to conduct brute-force  credential stuffing  attacks to break into victim accounts spanning different

The notorious Conti ransomware gang, which last month staged an attack on Costa Rican administrative systems, has threatened to "overthrow" the new government of the country. "We are determined to overthrow the government by means of a cyber attack, we have already shown you all the strength and power," the group said on its official website. "We have our insiders in your government. We are also working on gaining access to your other systems, you have no other options but to pay us." In a further attempt to increase pressure, the Russian-speaking cybercrime syndicate has raised its ransom demand to $20 million in return for a decryption key to unlock their systems. Another message posted on its dark web portal over the weekend issued a warning stating it will delete the decryption keys in a week, a move that would make it impossible for Costa Rica to recover access to the files encrypted by the ransomware. "I appeal to every resident of Costa R

A special law enforcement operation undertaken by Russia has led to the seizure and shutdown of four online bazaars that specialized in the theft and sales of stolen credit cards, as the government continues to take active measures against harboring cybercriminals on its territory. To that end, the domains operated by the card fraud forms and marketplaces, Ferum Shop, Sky-Fraud, Trump's Dumps, and UAS, were confiscated and plastered with a banner that warned "theft of funds from bank cards is illegal." Also embedded into the HTML source code was a message asking, "Which one of you is next?" The seizures were orchestrated by the Department "K," a division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation that focuses primarily on information technology-related crimes, according to  Flashpoint . In a related development, state-owned news agency TASS  said  that six Russian individuals were being charged with "the illegal circulation o

An Israeli national was sentenced to 97 months in prison in connection with operating the DeepDotWeb ( DDW ) clearnet website, nearly a year after the individual pleaded guilty to the charges. Tal Prihar, 37, an Israeli citizen residing in Brazil, is said to have played the role of an administrator of DDW since the website became functional in October 2013. He  pleaded guilty  to money laundering charges in March 2021 and agreed to forfeit the illegally amassed profits. DDW, until its seizure in May 2019, ostensibly  served  as a "news" website that connected internet users with underground marketplaces on the dark web that operate via darknets such as Tor, enabling the purchase of illegal firearms, malware and hacking tools, stolen financial data, heroin, fentanyl, and other illicit materials. Prihar, acting in cohorts with co-defendant Michael Phan, 34, of Israel, provided direct links to illegal marketplaces and in return for advertising these links, reaped substantia

UniCC, the biggest dark web marketplace for stolen credit and debit cards, has announced that it's shuttering its operations after earning $358 million in purchases since 2013 using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether, and Dash. "Don't build any conspiracy theories about us leaving," the anonymous operators of UniCC said in a farewell posted on dark web carding forums, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. "It is [a] weighted decision, we are not young and our health do[es] not allow [us] to work like this any longer." The UniCC team also gave its users 10 days to spend their balances, while also warning customers to "not follow any fakes tied to our comeback." Platforms such as UniCC function as an underground marketplace wherein credit card details stolen from online retailers, banks, and payments companies by injecting  malicious skimmers  are trafficked in exchange for cryptocurrency. The cards are then used by crim

REvil, the infamous ransomware cartel behind some of the biggest cyberattacks targeting JBS and Kaseya, has mysteriously disappeared from the dark web, leading to speculations that the criminal enterprise may have been taken down. Multiple darknet and clearnet sites maintained by the Russia-linked cybercrime syndicate, including the data leak, extortion, and payment portals, remained inaccessible, displaying an error message "Onionsite not found."  The group's  Tor network infrastructure  on the dark web consists of one data leak blog site and 22 data hosting sites. It's not immediately clear what prompted the infrastructure to be knocked offline. REvil is one of the most prolific ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) groups that first appeared on the threat landscape in April 2019. It's an evolution of the  GandCrab  ransomware, which hit the underground markets in early 2018. "If REvil has been permanently disrupted, it'll mark the end of a group which ha

Bogus COVID-19 test results, fraudulent vaccination cards, and questionable vaccines are emerging a hot commodity on the dark web in what's the latest in a long list of cybercrimes  capitalizing  on the  coronavirus  pandemic. "A new and troubling phenomenon is that consumers are buying COVID-19 vaccines on the black market due to the increased demand around the world,"  said  Anne An, a senior security researcher at McAfee's Advanced Programs Group (APG). "As a result, illegal COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination records are in high demand on darknet marketplaces." The growing demand and the race towards achieving herd immunity means at least a dozen underground marketplaces are peddling COVID-19 related merchandise, with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines purchasable for $500 per dose from top-selling vendors who rely on services like Wickr, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Gmail for advertising and communications. Darknet listings for the supposed vaccines are being sold