China-Linked Earth Alux Uses VARGEIT and COBEACON in Multi-Stage Cyber Intrusions

Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on a new China-linked threat actor called Earth Alux that has targeted various key sectors such as government, technology, logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications, IT services, and retail in the Asia-Pacific APAC and Latin American LATAM regions. "Th...

Six Governments Likely Use Israeli Paragon Spyware to Hack IM Apps and Harvest Data

The governments of Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Israel, and Singapore are likely customers of spyware developed by Israeli company Paragon Solutions, according to a new report from The Citizen Lab. Paragon, founded in 2019 by Ehud Barak and Ehud Schneorson, is the maker of a surveillance...

SideWinder targets the maritime and nuclear sectors with an updated toolset

Last year, we published an article about SideWinder, a highly prolific APT group whose primary targets have been military and government entities in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, and Nepal. In it, we described activities that had mostly happened in the first half of the year. We tried to draw...

Who is the DOGE and X Technician Branden Spikes?

At 49, Branden Spikes isn't just one of the oldest technologists who has been involved in Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency DOGE. As the current director of information technology at X/Twitter and an early hire at PayPal , Zip2 ,Tesla and SpaceX , Spikes is also among Musk's most...

US Charges 12 in Chinese Hacker Network, Offers $10M Reward

U.S. indicts 12 in Chinese Hacker-for-Hire Network tied to cyber attacks on governments & media. DOJ offers $10M reward for info on key suspects...

US Charges 12 Alleged Spies in China’s Freewheeling Hacker-for-Hire Ecosystem

The Justice Department claims 10 alleged hackers and two Chinese government officials took part in a wave of cyberattacks around the globe that included breaching the US Treasury Department and more...

Chinese APT Lotus Panda Targets Governments With New Sagerunex Backdoor Variants

The threat actor known as Lotus Panda has been observed targeting government, manufacturing, telecommunications, and media sectors in the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan with updated versions of a known backdoor called Sagerunex. "Lotus Blossom has been using the Sagerunex backdoor...

Space Pirates Targets Russian IT Firms With New LuckyStrike Agent Malware

The threat actor known as Space Pirates has been linked to a malicious campaign targeting Russian information technology IT organizations with a previously undocumented malware called LuckyStrike Agent. The activity was detected in November 2024 by Solar, the cybersecurity arm of Russian...

Lotus Blossom espionage group targets multiple industries with different versions of Sagerunex and hacking tools

Cisco Talos discovered multiple cyber espionage campaigns that target government, manufacturing, telecommunications and media, delivering Sagerunex and other hacking tools for post-compromise activities. Talos attributes these attacks to the threat actor known as Lotus Blossom. Lotus Blossom has...

Signal Threatens to Exit Sweden Over Government’s Backdoor Proposal

Sweden’s proposal to mandate encryption backdoors faces backlash from Signal, cybersecurity experts, and even its military over privacy and security risks...

UK Demanded Apple Add a Backdoor to iCloud

Last month, the UK government demanded that Apple weaken the security of iCloud for users worldwide. On Friday, Apple took steps to comply for users in the United Kingdom. But the British law is written in a way that requires Apple to give its government access to anyone, anywhere in the world. I...

FatalRAT Phishing Attacks Target APAC Industries Using Chinese Cloud Services

Various industrial organizations in the Asia-Pacific APAC region have been targeted as part of phishing attacks designed to deliver a known malware called FatalRAT. "The threat was orchestrated by attackers using legitimate Chinese cloud content delivery network CDN myqcloud and the Youdao Cloud...

Australia Bans Kaspersky Software Over National Security and Espionage Concerns

Australia has become the latest country to ban the installation of security software from Russian company Kaspersky, citing national security concerns. "After considering threat and risk analysis, I have determined that the use of Kaspersky Lab, Inc. products and web services by Australian...

Trump 2.0 Brings Cuts to Cyber, Consumer Protections

One month into his second term, President Trump's actions to shrink the government through mass layoffs, firings and withholding funds allocated by Congress have thrown federal cybersecurity and consumer protection programs into disarray. At the same time, agencies are battling an ongoing effort ...

Leaked Files Tie Chinese Cybersecurity Firm to Government Censorship

TopSec data leak: 7000+ documents expose potential Chinese government surveillance and censorship practices. Learn about the key findings…...

Apple Drops iCloud's Advanced Data Protection in the U.K. Amid Encryption Backdoor Demands

Apple is removing its Advanced Data Protection ADP feature for iCloud from the United Kingdom with immediate effect following government demands for backdoor access to encrypted user data. The development was first reported by Bloomberg. ADP for iCloud is an optional setting that ensures that...

Angry Likho: Old beasts in a new forest

Angry Likho referred to as Sticky Werewolf by some vendors is an APT group we've been monitoring since 2023. It bears a strong resemblance to Awaken Likho, which we've analyzed before, so we classified it within the Likho malicious activity cluster. However, Angry Likho's attacks tend to be...

Efficiency? Security? When the quest for one grants neither.

Welcome to this week's edition of the Threat Source newsletter. Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." In much the same way, those who rush for efficiency without taking into account...

Elon Musk’s DOGE Is Being Sued Under the Privacy Act: What to Know

At least eight ongoing lawsuits related to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s alleged access to sensitive data hinge on the Watergate-inspired Privacy Act of 1974. But it’s not airtight...

AI and Civil Service Purges

Donald Trump and Elon Musk's chaotic approach to reform is upending government operations. Critical functions have been halted, tens of thousands of federal staffers are being encouraged to resign, and congressional mandates are being disregarded. The next phase: The Department of Government...