Deliberate internet shutdowns refer to intentional disruptions of internet connectivity by governments or other actors to control information flow, suppress dissent, or manage crises. These shutdowns can severely impact communication, business operations, and access to critical services. While not a traditional software vulnerability or malware threat, they represent a significant cybersecurity and societal risk. European organizations may face operational disruptions, data access issues, and challenges in maintaining service availability during such shutdowns. Mitigation requires strategic planning including alternative communication channels, decentralized infrastructure, and legal advocacy. Countries with high digital dependency and geopolitical tensions are more vulnerable. Given the medium severity rating, the impact is significant but context-dependent, often involving state-level decisions rather than technical exploits. Defenders should focus on resilience and preparedness rather than patching or technical fixes.
The ForumTroll APT group has launched a new targeted phishing campaign against Russian political scientists, exploiting plagiarism reports as bait. The attackers used sophisticated techniques, including a well-prepared domain and personalized emails, to deliver the Tuoni framework malware. This campaign follows their spring attacks, which targeted organizations using zero-day vulnerabilities. The fall campaign relied on social engineering, using emails posing as a scientific library to trick victims into downloading malicious archives. The final payload was delivered through a PowerShell script and established persistence using COM Hijacking. Despite being less technically sophisticated than the spring campaign, this operation demonstrates the group's continued focus on Russian and Belarusian targets.
The U. S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a vulnerability affecting multiple Fortinet products to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Although no specific CVSS score or detailed technical information is provided, the flaw is considered medium severity and currently has no known exploits in the wild. This vulnerability impacts Fortinet devices, which are widely used for network security, including firewalls and VPNs, making it a relevant concern for organizations relying on these products. European organizations using Fortinet products should be aware of this addition to CISA's catalog and prioritize monitoring and patching once updates become available. The threat does not require user interaction but may allow unauthorized access or disruption if exploited. Countries with significant Fortinet deployments and critical infrastructure reliance on these devices are at higher risk. Immediate mitigation steps include reviewing Fortinet advisories, applying patches promptly, and enhancing network monitoring for suspicious activity. Given the medium severity and lack of known exploits, the threat should be taken seriously but does not currently represent an urgent crisis.
The Chinese Ink Dragon threat group has been identified as operating covertly within European government networks, engaging in a cyber espionage campaign. This activity involves persistent unauthorized access, likely aimed at intelligence gathering and strategic advantage. The campaign is considered high severity due to the sensitive nature of the targets and the potential impact on government confidentiality and operations. Although specific technical details and indicators of compromise are limited, the threat actor’s presence in critical government infrastructure poses significant risks. European organizations, especially government entities, face risks including data exfiltration, disruption of services, and compromise of sensitive information. Mitigation requires targeted network monitoring, enhanced threat hunting, and strict access controls tailored to government environments. Countries with high government digitalization and geopolitical relevance to China are most at risk. Given the stealth and persistence of the group, the threat is assessed as high severity, reflecting the potential for substantial confidentiality and integrity impacts without requiring user interaction. Defenders should prioritize detection and response capabilities focused on advanced persistent threat behaviors.
LKQ said the personal information of thousands of individuals was compromised as a result of the hacker attack. The post Auto Parts Giant LKQ Confirms Oracle EBS Breach appeared first on SecurityWeek .
Amazon Threat Intelligence has reported that Russian GRU-affiliated hackers are shifting their tactics from exploiting software vulnerabilities to targeting misconfigured devices. This change indicates a preference for leveraging security weaknesses caused by improper configurations rather than relying on zero-day or known software flaws. Such misconfigurations can include exposed management interfaces, default credentials, or improperly secured network services. The threat is assessed as medium severity due to the moderate impact and the relative ease of exploitation without requiring sophisticated zero-day vulnerabilities. European organizations, especially those with extensive networked infrastructure and IoT deployments, may be at increased risk if devices are not properly secured. Countries with significant critical infrastructure and technology sectors, such as Germany, France, and the UK, could be primary targets. Mitigation requires focused efforts on device configuration management, continuous monitoring, and strict access controls rather than solely patch management. This shift in attacker behavior underscores the importance of comprehensive security hygiene beyond patching software vulnerabilities. Defenders should prioritize auditing device configurations, enforcing strong authentication, and segmenting networks to reduce exposure.
new phishing scam is exploiting Telegram’s built-in Mini Apps: fraudsters are running fake giveaways to steal accounts. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Ink Dragon, a Chinese threat actor, is conducting a sophisticated espionage campaign targeting government entities in Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America. The group exploits IIS misconfigurations to gain initial access and deploys a custom ShadowPad IIS Listener module to create a victim-based relay network, turning compromised servers into nodes of a distributed mesh. They use a new variant of the FinalDraft malware and platform-native tools to maintain stealth and blend into normal enterprise telemetry. Their operations are characterized by disciplined playbooks and advanced software engineering, enabling persistent and covert intrusions. The campaign poses a medium severity threat due to its targeted nature and stealth capabilities, with no known public exploits yet. European organizations, especially government sectors running IIS servers with potential misconfigurations, are at risk. The threat actor’s relay network complicates detection and response efforts, increasing the potential impact on confidentiality and operational integrity. Mitigation requires focused IIS hardening, network segmentation, and advanced telemetry analysis to detect anomalous relay behaviors.
A new campaign by Kimsuky involves distributing malicious mobile apps through QR codes and phishing websites. The apps, masquerading as delivery services, VPNs, and cryptocurrency tools, decrypt an embedded APK to deploy a RAT with extensive capabilities. The malware uses a native decryption function and diverse decoy behaviors. Infrastructure overlaps and Korean language comments link this activity to Kimsuky. The threat actor employs sophisticated phishing techniques and leverages QR codes to redirect victims to malicious downloads. The malware requests extensive permissions and implements keylogging, audio recording, and data exfiltration. Multiple C&C servers were identified, some hosting Naver and Kakao phishing sites.
The Urban VPN browser extension and related extensions from the same publisher have been found to covertly harvest AI chat conversations from millions of users. Hidden scripts injected into AI chat services intercept all prompts and responses, capturing conversation content, timestamps, and session metadata. This data is sent back to Urban VPN’s servers regardless of whether the VPN is active, and users cannot opt out except by uninstalling the extension. The data collection feature was silently introduced via an auto-update in July 2025, affecting over 8 million installs. Despite advertising an “AI protection” feature, the extension fails to prevent data exfiltration and merely warns users about data sharing. Users who have used these extensions with AI chat services should consider their interactions compromised and remove the extension immediately.
A high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability affecting Fortinet FortiGate devices using SAML SSO has been reported and is under active attack. The flaw allows attackers to bypass SAML-based authentication, potentially gaining unauthorized access without valid credentials. Although no CVE or patch information is currently available, the threat is considered high priority due to the critical role FortiGate devices play in network security. European organizations relying on FortiGate for perimeter defense and VPN access are at risk of compromise, data breaches, and network infiltration. Mitigation requires immediate review of SAML configurations, monitoring for suspicious authentication attempts, and applying any forthcoming vendor advisories. Countries with high Fortinet market penetration and strategic infrastructure are most vulnerable. The ease of exploitation and impact on confidentiality and integrity justify a high severity rating. Defenders must prioritize detection and containment while awaiting official patches.
European authorities have dismantled a call center fraud ring operating in Ukraine that targeted European victims. This criminal operation used call centers to conduct fraudulent activities, likely involving social engineering and financial scams. While no specific technical vulnerabilities or exploits are detailed, the disruption of this organized crime group highlights ongoing risks from call center fraud schemes. The threat primarily impacts European organizations and individuals susceptible to social engineering attacks. The operation's takedown reduces immediate risk but underscores the need for vigilance against similar fraud tactics. Ukrainian-based fraud rings have historically targeted European countries due to geographic proximity and language capabilities. The threat does not involve software vulnerabilities but represents a significant social engineering and financial fraud risk. European entities should enhance awareness and detection of call center fraud attempts. Countries with strong economic ties and large populations are more likely to be targeted.
After years of exploiting zero-day and n-day vulnerabilities, Russian state-sponsored threat actors are shifting to misconfigured devices. The post Amazon: Russian Hackers Now Favor Misconfigurations in Critical Infrastructure Attacks appeared first on SecurityWeek .
DDoSia, a participatory DDoS tool created by Russian hacktivists in 2022, is operated by the pro-Russian group NoName057(16). It relies on volunteers to contribute network resources for attacks, primarily targeting Ukraine, European allies, and NATO states. Censys has monitored DDoSia since mid-2025, observing an average of 6 control servers with short lifespans. The tool uses a multi-layered control infrastructure, with systems typically hosted on VPS providers. Despite law enforcement disruption in July 2025, DDoSia quickly reconstituted and resumed operations. The infrastructure is characterized by rapid changes, with most servers active for less than 24 hours. Attacks focus on government, military, transportation, public utilities, financial, and tourism sectors.
AI can be used by extremist groups to pump out propaganda or deepfakes at scale, widening their reach and expanding their influence. The post Militant Groups Are Experimenting With AI, and the Risks Are Expected to Grow appeared first on SecurityWeek .
For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 15th December, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES The Indian government confirmed cyber incidents involving GPS spoofing at seven major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. The attack affected aircrafts using GPS-based landing procedures. Despite signal disruption to navigation […] The post 15th December – Threat Intelligence Report appeared first on Check Point Research .
Hamas-linked threat actors have been reported to deploy AshTag malware targeting diplomatic offices. The malware campaign appears focused on espionage activities against diplomatic entities, aiming to compromise sensitive communications and data. The threat is currently assessed as medium severity, with no known exploits in the wild or detailed technical indicators publicly available. The attack vector and infection methods remain unclear, limiting immediate detection and response capabilities. European diplomatic missions and foreign affairs offices could be potential targets due to their strategic importance. Mitigation requires enhanced monitoring of diplomatic networks, threat intelligence sharing, and strict access controls. Countries with significant diplomatic presence and geopolitical relevance in Middle East affairs are at higher risk. Given the limited technical details and absence of widespread exploitation, the overall risk is medium but warrants vigilance. Defenders should prioritize intelligence gathering and network segmentation to reduce exposure.
VolkLocker ransomware has been exposed due to the discovery of a hard-coded master decryption key embedded within its code, enabling victims to decrypt their files without paying ransom. This vulnerability undermines the ransomware operators' ability to profit and potentially disrupts their campaigns. Although no active exploits leveraging this flaw have been reported, the availability of a master key allows security teams and victims to recover encrypted data freely. European organizations targeted by VolkLocker could leverage this exposure to mitigate impact. However, the ransomware's presence still poses risks of initial infection and operational disruption. Defenders should prioritize identifying VolkLocker infections and apply the master key for decryption while maintaining robust endpoint protections to prevent initial compromise. Countries with significant exposure to ransomware, such as Germany, France, and the UK, are likely most affected due to their large enterprise sectors and historical targeting. The threat severity is assessed as high given the ransomware's potential impact, despite the decryption key exposure reducing ransom payment risks.
