U.S. and Dutch Authorities Dismantle 39 Domains Linked to BEC Fraud Network

U.S. and Dutch law enforcement agencies have announced that they have dismantled 39 domains and their associated servers as part of efforts to disrupt a network of online marketplaces originating from Pakistan. The action, which took place on January 29, 2025, has been codenamed Operation Heart...

Illicit HuiOne Telegram Market Surpasses Hydra, Hits $24 Billion in Crypto Transactions

The Telegram-based online marketplace known as HuiOne Guarantee and its vendors have cumulatively received at least $24 billion in cryptocurrency, dwarfing the now-defunct Hydra to become the largest online illicit marketplace to have ever operated. The figures, released by blockchain analytics...

Ransomware on ESXi: The Mechanization of Virtualized Attacks

In 2024, ransomware attacks targeting VMware ESXi servers reached alarming levels, with the average ransom demand skyrocketing to $5 million. With approximately 8,000 ESXi hosts exposed directly to the internet according to Shodan, the operational and business impact of these attacks is profound...

Gift Card Fraud

It's becoming an organized crime tactic: Card draining is when criminals remove gift cards from a store display, open them in a separate location, and either record the card numbers and PINs or replace them with a new barcode. The crooks then repair the packaging, return to a store and place the...

INTERPOL Pushes for "Romance Baiting" to Replace "Pig Butchering" in Scam Discourse

INTERPOL is calling for a linguistic shift that aims to put to an end to the term "pig butchering," instead advocating for the use of "romance baiting" to refer to online scams where victims are duped into investing in bogus cryptocurrency schemes under the pretext of a romantic relationship. "Th...

84 Arrested as Russian Ransomware Laundering Networks Disrupted

Operation Destabilise was a major international operation led by the UK's National Crime Agency NCA to dismantle two Russian-speaking criminal networks: Smart and TGR. These networks were backbone in laundering billions of dollars for various criminal activities...

Europol Shuts Down Manson Market Fraud Marketplace, Seizes 50 Servers

Europol on Thursday announced the shutdown of a clearnet marketplace called Manson Market that facilitated online fraud on a large scale. The operation, led by German authorities, has resulted in the seizure of more than 50 servers associated with the service and the arrest of two suspects. More...

NCA Busts Russian Crypto Networks Laundering Funds and Evading Sanctions

The U.K. National Crime Agency NCA on Wednesday announced that it led an international investigation to disrupt Russian money laundering networks that were found to facilitate serious and organized crime across the U.K., the Middle East, Russia, and South America. The effort, codenamed Operation...

Europol Dismantles Criminal Messaging Service MATRIX in Major Global Takedown

Europol on Tuesday announced the takedown of an invite-only encrypted messaging service called MATRIX that's created by criminals for criminal purposes. The joint operation, conducted by French and Dutch authorities under the moniker Passionflower, comes in the aftermath of an investigation that...

Repeat offenders drive bulk of tech support scams via Google Ads

Of all the different kinds of malicious search ads we track, those related to customer service are by far the most common. Brands such as PayPal, eBay, Apple or Netflix are among the most coveted ones as they tend to drive a lot of online searches. Tech support scammers are leveraging Google ads ...

INTERPOL Arrests 5,500 in Global Cybercrime Crackdown, Seizes Over $400 Million

A global law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of more than 5,500 suspects involved in financial crimes and the seizure of more than $400 million in virtual assets and government-backed currencies. The coordinated exercise saw the participation of authorities from 40 countries,...

Warning: Online shopping threats to avoid this Black Friday and Cyber Monday

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Did security gaps at Antwerp port enable drug smuggling operations?

TL;DR Why hack shipping? For profit. Criminals have been proven to have hacked port systems to bypass security and facilitate drug smuggling. Evidence of hacking? Rarely reported, but cases like MSC and Glencore’s cobalt theft and the incidents at the Port of Antwerp below provide real examples...

Inside the Massive Crime Industry That’s Hacking Billion-Dollar Companies

When you download a piece of pirated software, you might also be getting a piece of infostealer malware, and entering a highly complex hacking ecosystem that’s fueling some of the biggest breaches on the planet...

Criminals Are Blowing up ATMs in Germany

It's low tech, but effective. Why Germany? It has more ATMs than other European countries, and--if I read the article right--they have more money in them...

Europol warns about counterfeit goods and the criminals behind them

With the holidays around the bend, many are looking for gifts for their family and friends. And since we somehow decided we want to give more each time, we’re also looking for good deals. But European law enforcement agency Europol issued a warning about buying fake goods. Sure, they are cheaper,...

Nigeria Drops Charges Against Tigran Gambaryan, Jailed Binance Exec and Former IRS Agent

After eight months, one of the US’s most prominent crypto-crime investigators may finally be coming home...

This AI Tool Helped Convict People of Murder. Then Someone Took a Closer Look

Global Intelligence claims its Cybercheck technology can help cops find key evidence to nail a case. But a WIRED investigation reveals the smoking gun often appears far less solid...

LockBit Ransomware and Evil Corp Members Arrested and Sanctioned in Joint Global Effort

A new wave of international law enforcement actions has led to four arrests and the takedown of nine servers linked to the LockBit aka Bitwise Spider ransomware operation, marking the latest salvo against what was once a prolific financially motivated group. This includes the arrest of a suspecte...

Fake Job Applications Deliver Dangerous More_eggs Malware to HR Professionals

A spear-phishing email campaign has been observed targeting recruiters with a JavaScript backdoor called Moreeggs, indicating persistent efforts to single out the sector under the guise of fake job applications. "A sophisticated spear-phishing lure tricked a recruitment officer into downloading a...