Topic: cryptocurrency payments
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AI Face Swaps Fueling a Surge in Romance Scams
The AI app Haotian sells advanced face-swapping technology, reportedly generating millions of dollars, and is marketed to fraud networks in Southeast Asia for use in scams like "pig butchering." These deepfake tools add credibility to scams by enabling convincing video impersonations, with financ...
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Yanluowang Ransomware Broker Pleads Guilty in Landmark Case
Aleksey Volkov, a Russian national, admitted to providing initial network access for Yanluowang ransomware attacks on at least eight U.S. companies from 2021 to 2022, facilitating ransom demands ranging from $300,000 to $15 million. The FBI identified Volkov through his Apple iCloud, cryptocurren...
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Microsoft, Cloudflare Shut Down Massive RaccoonO365 Phishing Operation
Microsoft and Cloudflare dismantled the RaccoonO365 phishing-as-a-service scheme, which harvested thousands of Microsoft 365 credentials through deceptive campaigns. The operation seized 338 websites and accounts, disrupting a group that compromised over 5,000 users across 94 countries and target...
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US Cybersecurity Experts Charged in BlackCat Ransomware Case
Three cybersecurity professionals, including Kevin Tyler Martin and Ryan Clifford Goldberg, have been federally indicted for orchestrating BlackCat ransomware attacks, using their industry expertise to breach networks and extort cryptocurrency payments. The accused, who previously worked as ranso...
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Dutch Police Seize 250 Servers in Bulletproof Hosting Crackdown
Dutch law enforcement dismantled a major bulletproof hosting service used exclusively by cybercriminals, seizing approximately 250 physical servers and taking thousands of virtual servers offline. The service facilitated serious criminal activities like ransomware, botnets, and phishing by ignori...
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Ex-Ransomware Negotiators Accused of Targeting US Firms
Two former cybersecurity professionals have been charged with conspiring to deploy the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware against U.S. companies, allegedly partnering with the criminals they were meant to fight and extorting nearly $1.3 million from one victim. The indictment names Ryan Clifford Goldberg ...
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How Cybercriminals Gain Young People's Trust
Criminal groups systematically recruit minors online through social platforms like TikTok and Discord, exploiting their need for belonging and viewing them as low-risk, disposable assets for cybercrime. Young recruits are often unaware of the legal consequences, starting with seemingly minor task...
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DeadLock Ransomware Evades Security with BYOVD Attack
The DeadLock ransomware campaign uses a BYOVD technique, exploiting a known vulnerability (CVE-2024-51324) in a Baidu Antivirus driver to disable security software and delete recovery options before deploying its payload. The ransomware itself, written in C++, uses process hollowing and a custom ...
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Ex-L3Harris Exec Convicted for Selling Cyber Exploits to Russia
Peter Williams, a former L3Harris Trenchant executive, pleaded guilty to stealing and selling classified cybersecurity materials to a Russian entity from 2022 to 2025, involving at least eight protected cyber-exploit components. He used his senior position and security clearance to steal trade se...
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