Star Blizzard is a Russian espionage group linked to the Federal Security Service Centre 18, targeting government, defense, NGOs, and academia mainly in the UK, US, Ukraine, and NATO countries. The group uses spear-phishing, impersonation, and relationship building to steal credentials and conduct hack-and-leak operations. Since 2024, they have expanded to deploying endpoint malware including SPICA, YESROBOT, MAYBEROBOT, and CosmicPulse backdoors. Their tactics evolved from targeted to bulk phishing campaigns using fake CAPTCHA lures and exploiting iOS devices with the DarkSword exploit kit. They also use compromised WordPress sites for infrastructure and rapidly develop new malware variants after exposure. Recent campaigns have targeted over 100 organizations with the RedFlick delivery chain, showing increased scale and sophistication.
A cyberattack targeted refrigeration controllers in hundreds of European supermarkets, causing refrigerators and freezers to defrost by raising temperatures to 50°C. The attack affected major supermarket chains including Auchan, Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Intermarché, Monoprix, and Cooperative U, with most damage in France and additional impacts in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. The attackers exploited vulnerabilities in Danfoss refrigeration controllers, leading to significant food spoilage and financial losses estimated in the millions of euros. The incident followed a recent disclosure of vulnerabilities in the Danfoss AK-SM 800A management platform, which could allow remote code execution and configuration manipulation. It is unclear if the disclosed vulnerabilities were exploited in this attack. Recovery efforts are ongoing, and investigations are underway.
A new Android malware-as-a-service (MaaS) platform called RemControl is targeting users through malvertising campaigns that impersonate the TVTap IPTV application. [...]
RemControl is an Android banking trojan operating as Malware-as-a-Service since May 2026. It targets over 30 financial institutions in Western Europe, the Middle East, and Canada via fake TVTap IPTV download pages distributed through malvertising. The malware abuses Android Accessibility Service to inject phishing overlays, stream device screens in real-time, log keystrokes, and enable full remote control. The criminal infrastructure was partially built using AI-generated content, including phishing pages and C2 panel documentation. The threat actor UNKK operates these campaigns, with possible links to the Medusa UNKN affiliate botnet.
A suspected Chinese-speaking threat actor linked to Red Heron conducted extensive exploitation campaigns from May to September 2026. The attacker exploited multiple vulnerabilities in WordPress (CVE-2026-63030, CVE-2026-60137) to breach a western government organization, stealing over 18,000 sensitive records including credentials and personally identifiable information. Additionally, the actor exploited CVE-2026-7273 in ZyXEL GS1900 switches, compromising 996 devices across 48 countries and exfiltrating configurations and credentials. The adversary demonstrated sophisticated capabilities such as custom tool development possibly using large language models, privilege escalation, and systematic data exfiltration via PowerShell-based techniques.
A threat actor exploited CVE-2026-15409, a critical unauthenticated server-side request forgery vulnerability in SonicWall SMA1000 appliances, to gain command execution and steal credentials. The attacker used a modified public proof-of-concept exploit to access internal Erlang services on the appliance, enabling remote code execution. This allowed extraction of LDAP configurations, Active Directory credentials, and deployment of tools to dump secrets from internal Windows systems. The campaign targeted at least 250 SonicWall SMA1000 devices across multiple countries and sectors, with confirmed credential theft in France, India, Italy, and the US. The attack leveraged compromised appliances as pivots into internal networks, exposing sensitive Active Directory data and enabling DCSync attacks against domain controllers. The targeting was opportunistic and technology-driven rather than sector-specific. The campaign was uncovered through an open directory left exposed by the attacker, providing a comprehensive view of the operation.
Manic is a newly discovered Android malware family that steals banking credentials, intercepts sensitive data, and allows remote control of infected devices. It uniquely exfiltrates stolen data even without an internet connection by exploiting Android Accessibility services to capture keystrokes and replay them on targeted apps. The malware targets banking apps, government apps, crypto wallets, and two-factor authentication apps across multiple European countries. Infection vectors likely include unofficial app stores, malicious APKs, and phishing links, with no evidence of distribution via Google Play. Manic abuses Accessibility permissions to spy on users, grant itself additional permissions, and prevent removal. It overlays an invisible keyboard to capture passwords and sensitive input. The malware has been active since at least May 2026 and continues to evolve to evade detection.
A newly identified Android malware family named Manic combines banking malware and mobile spyware capabilities, targeting Ukrainian banks, government services, messaging applications, Russian and European financial institutions, and global fintech and cryptocurrency services. Active since February 2026, Manic enables extensive Device Takeover operations through sophisticated surveillance and remote-control features. It employs advanced PIN stealing techniques without requiring traditional overlay attacks, utilizing Accessibility services as a UI keylogger to capture lock-screen inputs, recovery phrases, and authentication codes. A distinctive feature is its Wi-Fi mesh egress technique, allowing compromised devices to relay stolen data through other infected phones via Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, or BLE when direct C2 access is unavailable. The malware monitors 169 applications including banks, cryptocurrency wallets, government eID services, and military-focused messengers across multiple countries.
Researchers identified an exposed web directory on infrastructure supporting a cryptocurrency fraud operation tracked as Operation ASTERIX. The server contained phone-number datasets, account-validation tools, phishing panels, voice-dialing scripts, and fake wallet applications for Ledger, Trezor, and Exodus. The operator validated approximately 885,000 phone numbers against cryptocurrency exchange accounts, achieving a 13.6% hit rate on German numbers. Victims received coordinated phishing emails and vishing calls referencing fake support cases before being directed to counterfeit wallet applications designed to steal recovery phrases via Telegram exfiltration. Notable findings include extensive use of AI coding assistants throughout development, including GitHub Copilot and Claude Code. When one AI model resisted malicious requests, the operator switched providers and attempted to bypass safety controls using a structured jailbreak prompt targeting the model's reasoning patterns and safety mechanisms.
A new NFC relay malware family called WindRelay has been discovered operating in combination with SpyNote RAT to enable sophisticated contactless payment fraud. The scheme uses live social engineering phone calls where fraudsters impersonate bank employees and guide victims to install personalized RAT malware labeled with the victim's own name. Once installed, the RAT enables silent deployment of WindRelay, which captures contactless payment card data via NFC when victims tap their cards to their phones. The captured data is relayed in real-time to fraudster-controlled terminals for immediate cash-out through physical purchases or ATM withdrawals. The operation employs dual monetization, combining RAT-driven digital loan fraud with NFC-based card-present transactions. Group-IB identified 23 WindRelay samples targeting victims in Czechia, Slovakia, and Slovenia between November 2025 and July 2026.
A misconfigured Python HTTP server on a Budapest VPS exposed the complete operational infrastructure of three distinct phishing operators. The investigation uncovered codemado, an Egyptian threat actor operating since 2018, running a full AiTM platform with custom tools including MaDoO Blaster; saroula01, deploying OAuth Device Code Flow attacks that accumulated 218 victims across 12 countries over a year; and mail-argenta, a Nigerian operator identified through infostealer logs containing his own credentials. All three actors leveraged customized Evilginx forks and AI-assisted development to build MFA-bypass infrastructure from public GitHub repositories. The campaigns targeted Microsoft 365 accounts primarily, with codemado maintaining ties to RockyBelling's "The Quarry" cybercrime ecosystem. The exposed server contained phishing configurations, credential logs, RMM installers, combolists, and Telegram session files, revealing sustained operations from at least January 2025 through May 2026.
Turla has been using the backdoor against government and military organizations in Ukraine for espionage. The post Russian APT Deploys ‘StockStay’ Backdoor Against Ukrainian Targets appeared first on SecurityWeek .
The UNC1151/Ghostwriter group is conducting high-intensity phishing campaigns targeting Gmail accounts of Polish citizens since March 2026. The campaigns primarily target individuals in political and public life, prominent positions, researchers, journalists, public administration and law enforcement employees, and their associates. Attackers use fraudulent emails impersonating Gmail administrators, claiming suspicious activity or policy violations to pressure victims into verifying their accounts. The phishing infrastructure captures login credentials and two-factor authentication codes through fake login panels. The group utilizes dedicated domains, Netlify subdomains, and compromised websites to host phishing pages. Campaigns run primarily on weekdays with new domains appearing almost daily, demonstrating persistent operational tempo against Polish targets.
European governments are transitioning from encrypted messaging applications like Signal and WhatsApp to sovereign Matrix-based solutions. This shift follows successful phishing campaigns, primarily attributed to Russian intelligence services, exploiting Signal's linked devices feature to gain persistent access to political communications. While Signal was initially recommended for external communications, scope creep led to its widespread use for sensitive statecraft discussions. Matrix-based systems offer advantages including federated architecture, government-controlled identity platforms, and customizable data retention policies. However, these homegrown solutions introduce new security vulnerabilities and implementation challenges. The walled-garden nature of current sovereign systems limits their utility for international diplomacy, suggesting Signal will continue to be used for communications with external parties despite the security concerns.
The new CrystalX remote access Trojan combines pranks with full control over the victim’s computer. It also spies on its victims, steals their cryptocurrency and accounts, and uses advanced methods to bypass protection. We explain how it works, and how to avoid infection.
The state-sponsored group’s campaign has targeted government, higher education, financial, and legal entities, as well as think tanks. The post Russian APT Star Blizzard Adopts DarkSword iOS Exploit Kit appeared first on SecurityWeek .
The ShinyHunters hacker group claimed to have stolen over 350GB of information from European Commission cloud systems. The post European Commission Reports Cyber Intrusion and Data Theft appeared first on SecurityWeek .
Ilya Angelov was a member of the cybercrime group tracked as TA-551, Shathak, Gold Cabin, Monster Libra, and ATK236. The post Russian Cybercriminal Gets 2-Year Prison Sentence in US appeared first on SecurityWeek .
The attacks included a destructive infiltration of Poland's energy system in December and was suspected of originating in Russia. The post Poland Faced a Surge in Cyberattacks in 2025, Including a Major Assault on the Energy Sector appeared first on SecurityWeek .
