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A Ukrainian security researcher leaked the messages after the gang sided with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. BleepingComputer has independently confirmed the validity of these messages from internal conversations previously shared with BleepingComputer regarding Conti's attack on Shutterfly. Vitali Kremez, CEO of Advintel, has been tracking the Conti/TrickBot operation for the past two years and confirmed to BleepingComputer that the leaked messages were genuine, taken from a log server for the Jabber communication system...

An NBC News report suggests that the US could be preparing for its most significant cyber offensive campaign in recent memory as Biden considers his options for action against Russia. The report cites two US intelligence officials, one Western intelligence official and an unnamed person, claiming that a "menu" of options have been placed in front of the President. Options include taking down Russia's internet connectivity or disrupting power supplies and railway infrastructure to impact...

Ukraine's government has reportedly called for volunteers with hacking skills to aid in the protection of the country's critical infrastructure. Reuters reported on February 24 that government-backed notices have appeared in online forums. Co-founder of Cyber Unit Technologies and major Ukrainian promotor of ethical hacking Yegor Aushev told the news agency that he wrote the post following a request from a Senior Defence Ministry official/ Another individual involved in the scheme confirmed that the request...

A study carried out by cyber security specialist Venafi has confirmed existing fears that in most cases of paying the ransom, extortion simply continues. Key findings include: 18% of victims who paid the ransom still had their data exposed on the dark web. 8% refused to pay the ransom, and the attackers tried to extort their customers. 35% of victims paid the ransom but were still unable to retrieve their data. 83% of all successful...

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has provided the UK construction industry with a guidance document titled Cyber security for construction businesses. The document provided practical, tailored advice for construction firms on protecting their businesses and building projects from cyber-attackers. It provides practical, tailored advice for construction firms on how to defend against common attack vectors such as spear-phishing, ransomware and supply chain attacks. The NCSC partnered with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) to...

The European Union's newly formed Cyber Rapid-Response Team (CRRT) has been deployed to Ukraine to aid in combat against Russian threat actors. In a tweet yesterday, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence confirmed the CRRT is to be deployed at the request of the Ukrainian government. Lithuania will sit at the head of a coalition of six EU countries including Poland, Estonia, Croatia, Romania, and the Netherlands with the goal of "helping Ukrainian institutions to cope...

A new report from Dragos suggests that the industrial sector has become a common target for both financially motivated and state sponsored attacks. Ransomware groups known as LockBit and Conti have been most active in targeting organisations with and Industrial Control System (ICS)/Operational Technology (OT) environment in 2021. Researchers noted that the manufacturing vertical was such a common target because "the sector is often the least mature in their OT security defenses.”

Cybercriminals have put most of their time into breaking supply chains over the last year. The manufacturing sector has emerged as a top target. IBM's annual X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, a report based on threat data and security incidents over 2021, suggests that businesses are being "imprisoned" by criminals exploiting vulnerabilities and deploying ransomware. Researchers for the tech giant say that phishing is still the most used attack vector. However, there has also been a 33%...

The UK’s Secretary of State for Defence has reportedly warned Russia that they will retaliate with cyber attacks if the Kremlin targets British networks. The House of Commons statement from Ben Wallace follows President Putin's order to Russian troops to invade the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. “I’m a soldier – I was always taught the best part of defence is offense,” Wallace is reported to have said in the Commons. The statement comes...

The Ukrainian cyberpolice have arrested five individuals who stole credit card data from at least 70,000 people. The group of phishing actors lured people to fake mobile top up service sites. According to law enforcement, the actors used the stolen information to empty their victims' bank accounts. The phishing operation relied on marketing and advertising services to increase visibility on search engines and social media platforms. They achieved this because internet platforms don't have a...