#1 Trusted Cybersecurity News Platform
Followed by 5.20+ million
The Hacker News Logo
Subscribe – Get Latest News

digital forensics | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Category — digital forensics
Bitfinex Hacker Sentenced to 5 Years, Guilty of Laundering $10.5 Billion in Bitcoin

Bitfinex Hacker Sentenced to 5 Years, Guilty of Laundering $10.5 Billion in Bitcoin

Nov 15, 2024 Financial Fraud / Blockchain
Ilya Lichtenstein, who pleaded guilty to the 2016 hack of cryptocurrency stock exchange Bitfinex, has been sentenced to five years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Thursday. Lichtenstein was charged for his involvement in a money laundering scheme that led to the theft of nearly 120,000 bitcoins (valued at over $10.5 billion at current prices) from the crypto exchange. Heather Rhiannon Morgan, his wife, also pleaded guilty to the same crimes last year. They were both arrested in February 2022. Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18. "Lichtenstein, 35, hacked into Bitfinex's network in 2016, using advanced hacking tools and techniques," the DoJ said in a press statement. "Once inside the network, Lichtenstein fraudulently authorized more than 2,000 transactions transferring 119,754 bitcoin from Bitfinex to a cryptocurrency wallet in Lichtenstein's control." TRM Labs said Lichtenstein exploited a vulnerability in Bit...
Canadian Suspect Arrested Over Snowflake Customer Breach and Extortion Attacks

Canadian Suspect Arrested Over Snowflake Customer Breach and Extortion Attacks

Nov 05, 2024 Data Breach / Cybercrime
Canadian law enforcement authorities have arrested an individual who is suspected to have conducted a series of hacks stemming from the breach of cloud data warehousing platform Snowflake earlier this year. The individual in question, Alexander "Connor" Moucka (aka Judische and Waifu), was apprehended on October 30, 2024, on the basis of a provisional arrest warrant, following a request by the U.S. The development was first reported by Bloomberg and corroborated by 404 Media . The exact nature of the charges against Moucka is currently not known. In June 2024, Snowflake disclosed that a "limited number" of its customers were targeted as part of a targeted campaign. Later, Google-owned Mandiant attributed it to a financially motivated threat group called UNC5537. "UNC5537 comprises members based in North America, and collaborates with an additional member in Turkey," the company assessed with moderate confidence at the time, adding approximately 16...
How AI Is Transforming IAM and Identity Security

How AI Is Transforming IAM and Identity Security

Nov 15, 2024Machine Learning / Identity Security
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has begun revolutionizing Identity Access Management (IAM), reshaping how cybersecurity is approached in this crucial field. Leveraging AI in IAM is about tapping into its analytical capabilities to monitor access patterns and identify anomalies that could signal a potential security breach. The focus has expanded beyond merely managing human identities — now, autonomous systems, APIs, and connected devices also fall within the realm of AI-driven IAM, creating a dynamic security ecosystem that adapts and evolves in response to sophisticated cyber threats. The Role of AI and Machine Learning in IAM AI and machine learning (ML) are creating a more robust, proactive IAM system that continuously learns from the environment to enhance security. Let's explore how AI impacts key IAM components: Intelligent Monitoring and Anomaly Detection AI enables continuous monitoring of both human and non-human identities , including APIs, service acc...
New Qilin.B Ransomware Variant Emerges with Improved Encryption and Evasion Tactics

New Qilin.B Ransomware Variant Emerges with Improved Encryption and Evasion Tactics

Oct 24, 2024 Ransomware / Cybercrime
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an advanced version of the Qilin ransomware sporting increased sophistication and tactics to evade detection. The new variant is being tracked by cybersecurity firm Halcyon under the moniker Qilin.B. "Notably, Qilin.B now supports AES-256-CTR encryption for systems with AESNI capabilities, while still retaining Chacha20 for systems that lack this support," the Halcyon Research Team said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "Additionally, RSA-4096 with OAEP padding is used to safeguard encryption keys, making file decryption without the attacker's private key or captured seed values impossible." Qilin, also known as Agenda , first came to the attention of the cybersecurity community in July/August 2022, with initial versions written in Golang before switching to Rust. A May 2023 report from Group-IB revealed that the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) scheme allows its affiliates to anywhere between 80% to 85% of ...
cyber security

Creating, Managing and Securing Non-Human Identities

websitePermisoCybersecurity / Identity Security
A new class of identities has emerged alongside traditional human users: non-human identities (NHIs). Permiso Security's new eBook details everything you need to know about managing and securing non-human identities, and strategies to unify identity security without compromising agility.
Europol Shuts Down iServer Phishing Scheme and Ghost Cybercrime Chat Platform

Europol Shuts Down iServer Phishing Scheme and Ghost Cybercrime Chat Platform

Sep 20, 2024 Cybercrime / Digital Forensics
Law enforcement authorities have announced the takedown of an international criminal network that leveraged a phishing platform to unlock stolen or lost mobile phones. The phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform, called iServer, is estimated to have claimed more than 483,000 victims globally, led by Chile (77,000), Colombia (70,000), Ecuador (42,000), Peru (41,500), Spain (30,000), and Argentina (29,000). "The victims are mainly Spanish-speaking nationals from European, North American and South American countries," Europol said in a press statement. The action, dubbed Operation Kaerb, involved the participation of law enforcement and judicial agencies from Spain, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Pursuant to the joint exercise that took place between September 10 and 17, an Argentinian national responsible for developing and running the PhaaS service since 2018 has been arrested. In total, the operation led to 17 arrests, 28 searches, and the seizure of 92...
Singapore Police Arrest Six Hackers Linked to Global Cybercrime Syndicate

Singapore Police Arrest Six Hackers Linked to Global Cybercrime Syndicate

Sep 11, 2024 Cyber Crime / Hacking
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has announced the arrest of five Chinese nationals and one Singaporean man for their alleged involvement in illicit cyber activities in the country. The development comes after a group of about 160 law enforcement officials conducted a series of raids on September 9, 2024, simultaneously at several locations. The six men, aged between 32 and 42, are suspected of being linked to a "global syndicate" that conducts malicious cyber activities. Pursuant to the operation, electronic devices and cash were seized. Among those apprehended includes a 42-year-old Chinese national from Bidadari Park Drive, who was found to be in possession of a laptop that contained credentials to access web servers used by known hacker groups. The identities of the threat actors were not disclosed. In addition, five laptops, six mobile phones, cash totaling more than S$24,000 (USD$18,400), and cryptocurrency worth approximately USD$850,000 were confiscated from th...
Latvian Hacker Extradited to U.S. for Role in Karakurt Cybercrime Group

Latvian Hacker Extradited to U.S. for Role in Karakurt Cybercrime Group

Aug 23, 2024 Cyber Crime / Ransomware
A 33-year-old Latvian national living in Moscow, Russia, has been charged in the U.S. for allegedly stealing data, extorting victims, and laundering ransom payments since August 2021. Deniss Zolotarjovs (aka Sforza_cesarini) has been charged with conspiring to commit money laundering, wire fraud and Hobbs Act extortion. He was arrested in Georgia in December 2023 and has since been extradited to the U.S. as of this month. "Zolotarjovs is a member of a known cybercriminal organization that attacks computer systems of victims around the world," the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a press release this week. "Among other things, the Russian cybercrime group steals victim data and threatens to release it unless the victim pays ransom in cryptocurrency. The group maintains a leaks and auction website that lists victim companies and offers stolen data for download." Zolotarjovs is believed to have been an active member of the e-crime group, engaging with ot...
Styx Stealer Creator's OPSEC Fail Leaks Client List and Profit Details

Styx Stealer Creator's OPSEC Fail Leaks Client List and Profit Details

Aug 21, 2024 Cyber Espionage / Threat Intelligence
In what's a case of an operational security (OPSEC) lapse, the operator behind a new information stealer called Styx Stealer leaked data from their own computer, including details related to the clients, profit information, nicknames, phone numbers, and email addresses. Styx Stealer, a derivative of the Phemedrone Stealer , is capable of stealing browser data, instant messenger sessions from Telegram and Discord, and cryptocurrency wallet information, cybersecurity company Check Point said in an analysis. It first emerged in April 2024. "Styx Stealer is most likely based on the source code of an old version of Phemedrone Stealer, which lacks some features found in newer versions such as sending reports to Telegram, report encryption, and more," the company noted . "However, the creator of Styx Stealer added some new features: auto-start, clipboard monitor and crypto-clipper, additional sandbox evasion, and anti-analysis techniques, and re-implemented sending dat...
DarkGate Malware Exploits Samba File Shares in Short-Lived Campaign

DarkGate Malware Exploits Samba File Shares in Short-Lived Campaign

Jul 12, 2024 Malware / Cyber Attack
Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on a short-lived DarkGate malware campaign that leveraged Samba file shares to initiate the infections. Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 said the activity spanned the months of March and April 2024, with the infection chains using servers running public-facing Samba file shares hosting Visual Basic Script (VBS) and JavaScript files. Targets included North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. "This was a relatively short-lived campaign that illustrates how threat actors can creatively abuse legitimate tools and services to distribute their malware," security researchers Vishwa Thothathri, Yijie Sui, Anmol Maurya, Uday Pratap Singh, and Brad Duncan said . DarkGate, which first emerged in 2018, has evolved into a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) offering used by a tightly controlled number of customers. It comes with capabilities to remotely control compromised hosts, execute code, mine cryptocurrency, launch reverse shells, and drop addit...
Dark Web Malware Logs Expose 3,300 Users Linked to Child Abuse Sites

Dark Web Malware Logs Expose 3,300 Users Linked to Child Abuse Sites

Jul 08, 2024 Dark Web / Cyber Crime
An analysis of information-stealing malware logs published on the dark web has led to the discovery of thousands of consumers of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), indicating how such information could be used to combat serious crimes. "Approximately 3,300 unique users were found with accounts on known CSAM sources," Recorded Future said in a proof-of-concept (PoC) report published last week. "A notable 4.2% had credentials for multiple sources, suggesting a higher likelihood of criminal behavior." Over the past few years, off-the-shelf info-stealer variants have become a pervasive and ubiquitous threat targeting various operating systems with an aim to siphon sensitive information such as credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, payment card data, and screenshots. This is evidenced in the rise of new stealer malware strains such as Kematian Stealer , Neptune Stealer , 0bj3ctivity , Poseidon (formerly RodStealer), Satanstealer , and StrelaStealer . Distribut...
Hackers Using Sneaky HTML Smuggling to Deliver Malware via Fake Google Sites

Hackers Using Sneaky HTML Smuggling to Deliver Malware via Fake Google Sites

Mar 18, 2024 Cryptocurrency / Malspam
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new malware campaign that leverages bogus Google Sites pages and HTML smuggling to distribute a commercial malware called  AZORult  in order to facilitate information theft. "It uses an unorthodox HTML smuggling technique where the malicious payload is embedded in a separate JSON file hosted on an external website," Netskope Threat Labs researcher Jan Michael Alcantara  said  in a report published last week. The phishing campaign has not been attributed to a specific threat actor or group. The cybersecurity company described it as widespread in nature, carried out with an intent to collect sensitive data for selling them in underground forums. AZORult, also called PuffStealer and Ruzalto, is an  information stealer  first detected around 2016. It's typically distributed via phishing and malspam campaigns, trojanized installers for pirated software or media, and malvertising. Once installed, it's capable of g...
DarkGate Malware Exploited Recently Patched Microsoft Flaw in Zero-Day Attack

DarkGate Malware Exploited Recently Patched Microsoft Flaw in Zero-Day Attack

Mar 14, 2024 Malware / Cyber Attack
A DarkGate malware campaign observed in mid-January 2024 leveraged a recently patched security flaw in Microsoft Windows as a zero-day using bogus software installers. "During this campaign, users were lured using PDFs that contained Google DoubleClick Digital Marketing (DDM) open redirects that led unsuspecting victims to compromised sites hosting the Microsoft Windows SmartScreen bypass CVE-2024-21412 that led to malicious Microsoft (.MSI) installers," Trend Micro  said . CVE-2024-21412 (CVSS score: 8.1) concerns an internet shortcut files security feature bypass vulnerability that permits an unauthenticated attacker to circumvent SmartScreen protections by tricking a victim into clicking on a specially crafted file. It was  fixed  by Microsoft as part of its Patch Tuesday updates for February 2024, but not before it was weaponized by a threat actor called  Water Hydra  (aka DarkCasino) to deliver the DarkMe malware in attacks targeting financial instituti...
6 Steps to Accelerate Cybersecurity Incident Response

6 Steps to Accelerate Cybersecurity Incident Response

Nov 23, 2023 Incident Response / Endpoint Security
Modern security tools continue to improve in their ability to defend organizations' networks and endpoints against cybercriminals. But the bad actors still occasionally find a way in. Security teams must be able to stop threats and restore normal operations as quickly as possible. That's why it's essential that these teams not only have the right tools but also understand how to effectively respond to an incident. Resources like an  incident response template  can be customized to define a plan with roles and responsibilities, processes and an action item checklist. But preparations can't stop there. Teams must continuously train to adapt as threats rapidly evolve. Every security incident must be harnessed as an educational opportunity to help the organization better prepare for — or even prevent — future incidents. SANS Institute defines a framework with six steps to a successful IR. Preparation Identification Containment Eradication Recovery Lessons learned Whil...
DFIR via XDR: How to expedite your investigations with a DFIRent approach

DFIR via XDR: How to expedite your investigations with a DFIRent approach

Apr 18, 2023 Incident Response / Digital Forensics
Rapid technological evolution requires security that is resilient, up to date and adaptable. In this article, we will cover the transformation in the field of DFIR (digital forensics and incident response) in the last couple years, focusing on the digital forensics' aspect and how XDR fits into the picture. Before we dive into the details, let's first break down the main components of DFIR and define the differences between them. Digital Forensics vs Incident Response Digital forensics:  the practice of using scientific techniques and tools to identify, preserve, and analyze digital evidence from various sources, such as computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices, in a way that is admissible in a court of law. Incident response:  the process of responding to and managing the aftermath of a security breach or cyberattack. This involves identifying the nature and scope of the incident, containing the damage, eradicating the threat, and restoring the affected sys...
Expert Insights / Articles Videos
Cybersecurity Resources