Source: The Record

Norway announces investigations into telecom Telenor’s work with Myanmar junta

Norwegian police opened crimes-against-humanity and sanctions investigations into Telenor's data handovers to Myanmar's junta, raiding its Oslo headquarters.

Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service is investigating Telenor for complicity in crimes against humanity for repeatedly handing over historical customer traffic data to Myanmar's military regime between the February 2021 coup and the March 2022 subsidiary sale. The Police Security Service is separately probing sanctions violations because the sale to M1 Group included sanctioned surveillance equipment transferred without foreign ministry permission. The subsequent resale passed historical call data of over 18 million people to junta-linked owners, and a class action on behalf of 1,200 people alleges the data enabled arrests, torture, and at least one execution.

The Record·20:01 UTC · 3h agoPolicy & legal

Iranian cyber spies used fake MRI scan results to hack ‘enemy of regime’

UK, US, and Dutch agencies expose CHOSEN BRICK spyware used by Iranian MOIS hackers to surveil dissidents, journalists, and activists via fake MRI lures.

The UK NCSC, FBI, and Dutch AIVD jointly warned that Iranian state-sponsored hackers deploy CHOSEN BRICK Windows spyware against dissidents, activists, and journalists since at least 2025. Operators build rapport over WhatsApp and Telegram, often posing as known contacts or tech support, then deliver malicious files disguised as an MRI scan or installers for Pictory, RunwayML, Norton, Telegram, Adobe Flash Player, and KeePass. The malware steals contacts, emails, and social media messages, captures screen content and microphone audio, adds Microsoft Defender exclusions, and uses per-victim Telegram bots for command and control. The FBI attributes the tradecraft to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, including the 'Handala Hack' persona, and stolen data has surfaced on pro-Iranian leak sites.

The Record·16:28 UTC · 6h agoThreat actor in the wild1

Zelensky appoints former police chief to lead Ukraine’s cyber coordination center

Zelensky appoints former police chief Ihor Klymenko to head Ukraine's National Cybersecurity Coordination Center amid broader security leadership reshuffle.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Ihor Klymenko, former National Police head, interior minister, and NSDC secretary, to lead the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCCC). The NCCC, created in 2016 under the National Security and Defense Council, coordinates government agencies' responses to major cyberthreats including Russian operations. The appointment comes amid a wider reshuffle of Ukraine's defense and security leadership.

The Record·15:09 UTC · 7h agoPolicy & legal

Electric and gas utility CenterPoint Energy warns of data breach after dark web post

CenterPoint Energy confirmed hackers stole customer personal data from an external-facing system after a dark web post claimed 7.5 million records.

Texas utility CenterPoint Energy filed an SEC 8-K disclosing that a dark web post claimed to sell data stolen from the company, and an investigation confirmed personal information was taken from an external-facing system. The criminal post claims about 7.5 million records including customer names, account information, last four Social Security digits and billing data. Electric and gas service was not impacted; the company serves 7 million customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas, and previously disclosed a 2023 breach via a file-sharing platform.

The Record·14:22 UTC · 8h agoData breach

China spy chief points at US AI models in cyber threat warning

The Chinese Communist Party’s top intelligence official named two U.S. artificial intelligence models as cybersecurity risks to China’s critical infrastructure, though he did not accuse either of being used in attacks on the country. Chen Yixin, head of the Ministry of State Security, made the comments in the journal of the Cyberspace Administration of China. The ministry oversees China’s…

The Record·12:54 UTC · 10h agoExploit / PoC

Manhattan DA takes down 12 AI deepfake porn sites

Manhattan DA seized domains of 12 AI deepfake porn sites hosting non-consensual videos of more than 1,200 people; investigation continues.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the seizure of domain names for 12 deepfake pornography sites that hosted AI-generated sexual videos of more than 1,200 real people, many of them celebrities. Bragg cited domestic violence cases where partners threatened to release deepfake images, and declined to say whether arrests or charges would follow. The DA's office will monitor for attempts to revive the sites on new domains.

The Record·12:42 UTC · 10h agoPolicy & legal

Members of ‘Black Axe’ cybercriminal group extradited from South Africa

Five Black Axe members extradited from South Africa face US wire fraud and money laundering charges over romance scams defrauding more than 100 victims.

Perry Osagiede, Franklyn Edosa Osagiede, Osariemen Eric Clement, Collins Owhofasa Otughwor and Musa Mudashiru, leaders of Black Axe's Cape Town branch, were extradited September 11 and appear before a federal judge in Trenton, New Jersey under a 2021 indictment. They ran romance scams from 2011 to 2021 that stole thousands of dollars from over 100 people, threatening to leak sensitive photos and laundering proceeds through South African companies; some funds also traced to business email compromise. Wire fraud and money laundering charges each carry up to 20 years. Treasury estimates $12.7 billion stolen from Americans since 2023 via overseas romance and investment scams.

The Record·updated 11:49 UTC · 11h ago·first Sep 14, 19:40 UTC · 1d agoPolicy & legal 3 sources

Multiple Chinese hacking groups seen using identical Chrome zero-day exploit

Four China-linked espionage groups share identical BlueMoon Chrome zero-day exploit kit targeting US defense contractors and Asian government agencies.

Proofpoint identified at least four Chinese-aligned espionage groups (TA412/RedBravo, UNK_LateNight, UNK_DoubleCheck, UNK_QuietRacket) using an identical Chrome zero-day exploit kit dubbed BlueMoon in late August through this week. Targets include US defense contractors, NGOs, mining companies, and Southeast Asian government agencies. The exploit chains a Chromium patch-gap vulnerability with a Windows flaw, delivering malware such as ShadowPad and a fake Gemini browser extension backdoor, with possible AI-assisted exploit development.

The Record·updated 10:17 UTC · 12h ago·first Sep 9, 16:30 UTC · 6d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 20 sources1

Pro-Ukraine Hacking Cat group deploying new malware against Russian targets

Kaspersky links pro-Ukraine hacktivist group Hacking Cat to Gorilla RAT and Monkey Ransomware in destructive attacks on Russian targets.

Kaspersky reports that pro-Ukraine group Hacking Cat, active since February 2024, has shifted from defacements to destructive encryption attacks, using a previously undocumented Gorilla RAT remote-access tool and Monkey Ransomware, which appends the .monkey extension to files. Initial access in some attacks came from exploited Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities, and rapid multi-language malware variants suggest possible generative AI assistance. Shared tools like Nemo Wiper across groups including Ukrainian Cyber Alliance complicate attribution, and targets include Rosatom contractor and heating provider Donbassteploenergo.

The Record·Sep 14, 16:15 UTC · 1d agoThreat actor in the wild

Hundreds of fake government websites target users in Central Asia

F6 uncovered 360+ fake government and news websites scamming Central Asians with bogus state payouts that harvest personal data and install mobile malware.

F6 researchers identified more than 360 fraudulent domains impersonating government portals and regional news outlets in Uzbekistan, Belarus and Tajikistan. Sites promise weekly payments such as 15 million Uzbek sums (about $1,300) to lure victims into submitting names and phone numbers. Scammers then call posing as personal managers, demanding fees, requesting passport scans, or directing victims to install a malicious mobile app that grants device control. The group behind the campaign is unidentified and victim counts are unknown.

The Record·Sep 14, 16:02 UTC · 1d agoPhishing & fraud

Revolut handed customer data to fraudsters using government email account

Revolut handed sensitive KYC data of high-net-worth crypto customers to fraudsters submitting fake emergency data requests from a compromised government email domain.

Revolut confirmed it disclosed sensitive customer data—including passport and driver's license copies, verification selfies, bank statements, IBANs, and Bitcoin transaction histories—to attackers who submitted fraudulent emergency data requests from a legitimate government agency email account, apparently an Italian domain. Targets were high-net-worth individuals involved in crypto, including Marc Karpelès and entrepreneur Marc Zeller. A Telegram account claiming responsibility posted stolen data as proof and demanded an extortion payment; the account has since been suspended. Revolut says only a limited number of customers were affected and has alerted the relevant government agency, law enforcement, and regulators. The technique mirrors 2021-2022 Lapsus$-linked fraudulent emergency data request scams against Apple, Meta, and Discord.

The Record·Sep 14, 12:00 UTC · 1d agoData breach

Thorough reorganization at NSA will create five 'mission centers,' including cyber and AI

NSA is reorganizing into five mission centers covering China, cybersecurity, AI, combat support and global intelligence, with full capability targeted by January.

NSA Director Gen. Joshua Rudd announced a sweeping reorganization replacing existing directorates with five mission centers focused on China, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, combat support, and global intelligence. A 30-day implementation clock has started, and the centers are expected to reach full operational capability by January. Officials acknowledge the rapid realignment will 'break things' in the agency's bureaucracy; this is the largest restructuring since the NSA21 effort roughly a decade ago, which was widely viewed as a failure.

The Record·Sep 13, 21:36 UTC · 2d agoPolicy & legal

Anthropic caught Russia-linked spies using Claude in hacking operations

Anthropic disrupted Russia-linked APT29 using Claude in espionage against 20+ organizations, including Ukrainian government targets and a military drone maker whose vision SDK was stolen.

Anthropic's threat report covering December 2025 to August 2026 attributes the campaign to Midnight Blizzard (APT29/Cozy Bear, Storm-2945), which it links to Russia's SVR. The group compromised hotel Wi-Fi providers, altered DNS records to redirect travelers, accessed mailboxes at two drone-component manufacturers, and stole a proprietary SDK for a drone vision system, which it reverse-engineered using Claude. The group also used Claude to monitor whether security products detected its implants and to modify and redeploy flagged artifacts. The report also covers ShinyHunters affiliates using AI for credential scanning and extortion, a Chinese-speaking group's autonomous zero-day research, and a French-speaking hacktivist.

The Record·updated Sep 12, 10:30 UTC · 3d ago·first Sep 11, 12:45 UTC · 4d agoThreat actor in the wild 11 sources

Florida says motor vehicle data breach tied to credentials stolen from officer’s personal device

ShinyHunters breached Florida's DMV using credentials stolen from a police officer's personal device; the state confirmed the breach and is investigating.

Florida's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) confirmed a data breach after ShinyHunters obtained DMV data using credentials a criminal actor took from a Plant City police officer's personal electronic device. The department learned of the breach on September 4, is investigating with the Florida Digital Service, and ShinyHunters shared a DMV record of Jeffrey Epstein as proof of access. Experts initially speculated a link to the IDScan breach of 153 million driver's licenses. Anthropic reported that suspected ShinyHunters affiliates use AI to scan credentials, map systems, and exfiltrate data, in one case moving from a stolen developer token to cloud admin access in about three hours.

The Record·Sep 11, 20:00 UTC · 4d agoData breach in the wild 3 sources

Microsoft sees some new wrinkles in invoice-scam emails

Microsoft researchers observed a BEC invoice scam sending 1M+ AI-assisted emails impersonating executives and ServiceNow to request ~$50,000 payments.

Microsoft researchers tracked a campaign of more than one million invoice-scam emails launched in early August, with about 88% of targets in the United States. Attackers impersonated top executives and ServiceNow, fabricating forwarded email threads and invoices to convince accounts payable teams to send payments of nearly $50,000. Microsoft found indicators such as extensive HTML comments and highly uniform template construction consistent with AI-assisted campaign development, though it could not independently establish how much content AI generated.

The Record·Sep 11, 17:56 UTC · 4d agoPhishing & fraud

Ukrainian hacker gets four years in US prison over Conti ransomware attacks

Oleksii Lytvynenko was sentenced to four years in the US for his role in Conti ransomware attacks against 1,000+ victims.

Ukrainian national Oleksii Lytvynenko, 44, was sentenced to four years in a US prison for his role in the Conti ransomware operation, having pleaded guilty in June. He worked as a hacker and developer for Conti, personally targeting at least a dozen companies and building a malware loader, and stolen data from eight US victims and four others overseas was found in his accounts. Between 2020 and 2022, Conti attacked organizations across 47 US states and 31 countries, with the FBI estimating victims paid more than $150 million in ransoms by January 2022. Lytvynenko was arrested in Cork, Ireland in July 2023 and extradited after several years in Irish custody; four other alleged Conti members were charged in a separate September 2023 indictment.

The Record·updated Sep 11, 16:07 UTC · 4d ago·first Sep 11, 12:00 UTC · 4d agoPolicy & legal 7 sources1

Multiple crypto companies warn customers of phishing emails after alleged provider breach

Attackers compromised 120 Brevo email accounts and sent convincing phishing emails to Trezor, BitBox, and CoinTracking newsletter subscribers.

Trezor, BitBox, and CoinTracking confirmed that phishing emails were sent to newsletter subscribers after a compromise of their shared email provider, which CoinTracking identified as Brevo. Brevo said an attacker accessed 120 customer accounts and used them to send phishing emails from legitimate company domains, including fake security alerts like 'Critical Security Alert: STM32 Entropy Vulnerability' and 'Data Breach Notice: Please refresh API Keys.' Trezor had already suffered a separate breach exposing details of 81,000 customers, and CertiK reports physical wrench attacks on crypto holders rose 33 percent year-over-year with $124 million in losses in 2026.

The Record·updated Sep 11, 15:01 UTC · 4d ago·first Sep 10, 04:00 UTC · 5d agoData breach 6 sources

US disrupts Xinbi Guarantee marketplace fueling the cyber scam economy

US Treasury sanctions and DOJ seizures take down Xinbi Guarantee, a Telegram marketplace that processed $24B+ for cyber scams, freezing $52.8M.

The Treasury Department sanctioned the Chinese-language Telegram marketplace Xinbi Guarantee and two supporting firms, Anwen Technology (XinbiPay) and SafeW Technology, while the DOJ seized its Telegram channels and $52.8 million in USDT from 52 wallets. Blockchain intelligence firm Elliptic, which assisted the Secret Service, estimates Xinbi has processed at least $24 billion in transactions since 2022, making it the second-largest illicit online marketplace and a cornerstone of Southeast Asian cybercrime. Vendors sold money laundering, stolen personal data, deepfake technology, and other services for pig-butchering scams, with payments in Tether's USDT. The DOJ's Scam Center Task Force also dismantled 13 scam centers in Madagascar, arresting dozens of alleged leaders who were repatriated to China.

The Record·updated Sep 10, 21:15 UTC · 5d ago·first Sep 9, 19:54 UTC · 6d agoPolicy & legal 4 sources

IDScan confirms breach after hackers offer 153 million driver’s license scans for sale

IDScan confirmed hackers accessed customer data in its cloud after scans of roughly 153 million driver's licenses surfaced for sale on a dark web marketplace.

IDScan.net published a breach notice on September 4, after learning around September 1 that an unauthorized third party may have accessed or copied customer information in its cloud platform, potentially including full names and government-issued ID numbers. KrebsOnSecurity tied the incident to Nexus, a Russia-linked dark web marketplace selling access to over 153 million US and Canadian driver's license scans, plus 10 million ID cards, more than 3 million travel documents, and at least 579,000 medical cards. The company did not disclose how many customers were affected, is offering free credit monitoring, faces multiple lawsuits, and the FBI has opened an inquiry. IDScan's government ID authentication is widely used by banks, cannabis retailers, and gun stores.

The Record·Sep 10, 18:55 UTC · 5d agoData breach in the wild

Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries says DDoS attack delayed payments to sellers

Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries says a DDoS attack and subsequent security measures delayed seller payments, leaving roughly $240 million unpaid.

Wildberries, one of Russia's largest online marketplaces, said a distributed denial-of-service attack on systems used to track and withdraw seller earnings delayed payments, with funds to be transferred after technical procedures complete. The Russian Union of Marketplace Sellers reported about 20 billion rubles ($240 million) unpaid, and 95.6% of nearly 2,000 surveyed sellers had not received expected payments. Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) previously claimed an operation with the hacker group Cyber Corps disrupted Wildberries' payment and customer service systems, though the company has not confirmed whether the DDoS attacks were connected.

The Record·Sep 10, 13:31 UTC · 5d agoThreat actor in the wild

Electronic health record company says customer data stolen in breach

Veradigm disclosed that attackers used stolen vendor credentials via an API to steal patient data including Social Security numbers, as the Gentlemen ransomware gang claims 3.5 million patients' records.

Electronic health records company Veradigm filed an 8-K with the SEC stating that an unauthorized party obtained credentials from a vendor's environment and used them to access a Veradigm API, downloading patients' personal data including Social Security numbers; no clinical or medical data was involved. The Gentlemen ransomware gang added Veradigm to its leak site, claiming theft of 3.5 million patients' health records. Access was limited to the specific API interface, with no operational disruption. Veradigm was previously hit by SamSam ransomware in 2019 and disclosed a December 2024 breach affecting 2,672,036 people.

The Record·updated Sep 10, 13:13 UTC · 5d ago·first Sep 9, 17:03 UTC · 6d agoData breach in the wild 4 sources

UK appoints new commander of National Cyber Force

The UK National Cyber Force has a new commander, its third since 2020, succeeding Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes; identity not yet avowed.

The United Kingdom's National Cyber Force has changed commanders, with the new leader's identity not yet formally avowed pending security considerations. The new commander is the third since the force was established in 2020, following James Babbage (GCHQ) and Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes (armed forces), both of whom have now completed their tenure. The NCF consolidates UK offensive cyber capabilities under a joint defense-intelligence partnership including GCHQ, MI6, and Dstl, with funding committed to 2030 and a permanent headquarters at Samlesbury progressing as scheduled.

The Record·Sep 10, 12:44 UTC · 5d agoPolicy & legal

CISA head says agency must change quickly to prevent the 'worst that could happen'

Acting CISA Director Nick Andersen warned of US cyber vulnerabilities and said the agency is refilling staff cut to about half strength.

Speaking at the Billington CyberSecurity Summit, acting CISA Director Nick Andersen warned that decades of bad decisions, overwhelming technical debt, outdated technology and AI-driven threats could lead to devastating cyber incidents without rapid, significant changes. He said the agency has about 250 screened hires awaiting security clearances after losing roughly a third of its staff to DOGE-related cuts and attrition, and referenced a June pledge by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to refill about 600 CISA jobs. Andersen called AI a gamechanger, citing daily headlines about rogue AI agents and an Anthropic researcher leaving over model safety concerns.

The Record·Sep 9, 21:25 UTC · 6d agoPolicy & legal

Cyber Security News

Microsoft's September Patch Tuesday fixes nearly 1,000 vulnerabilities; CISA warns two of the flaws are being actively exploited.

Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday release addresses close to 1,000 vulnerabilities, with CISA warning that two of the bugs are being actively exploited. The Record's homepage digest also lists briefs including a US offer of $10 million for information on an Iranian hacker accused of attacking critical infrastructure and a leak of health data on more than 9.5 million people from the Aesto record system. Additional briefs cover a Russian suspect's extradition to the US for bank account takeovers, US-British coordination on scam center takedowns, G7 guidance on quantum cyber threats, a large DDoS attack on Norwegian public services, and Slovenian casinos reopening after a cyberattack.

The Record·Sep 9, 20:23 UTC · 6d agoVulnerability in the wild

Grindr settles privacy lawsuit tied to disclosure of users’ HIV statuses for $35 million

Grindr will pay $35.2 million to settle a UK privacy lawsuit alleging it shared users' HIV status with advertisers.

Grindr agreed to pay 26 million pounds ($35.2 million) in two lump sums to resolve a UK class action alleging it provided advertisers with sensitive user data including HIV status. The suit was filed in April 2024 over conduct before early 2020, when the app was under Chinese ownership, and involved roughly 12,000 class members. Per an SEC filing, the settlement includes no findings or admission of liability, and the company says data was shared in encrypted form with two service providers.

The Record·Sep 9, 18:11 UTC · 6d agoPolicy & legal

FBI puts its cyber strategy on paper

FBI publishes its first public cybersecurity strategy, a 17-page document with four pillars prioritizing disruption of cybercrime and nation-state hackers.

The FBI released its first-ever public cybersecurity strategy, a 17-page unclassified document outlining four pillars: imposing costs on adversaries, victim support, industry collaboration, and strengthening the bureau's digital capabilities. Cyber Division assistant director Brett Leatherman said the plan builds on the Trump administration's cybersecurity strategy, a recent executive order on countering digital criminals, and a memo enabling private-industry participation in disruptive operations, and promises a faster tempo of sequenced operations after 50 such actions since the start of 2025, including the Lumma malware takedown with Microsoft. No implementation plan or timeline exists yet; threat teams targeting China, Russia, and criminal gangs will develop classified sub-strategies.

The Record·Sep 9, 15:37 UTC · 6d agoPolicy & legal

Ukraine prosecutor general steps down amid scam call center bribery probe

Ukraine's prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko resigned amid a probe into officials who allegedly took bribes to protect fraudulent call centers.

Ukraine's prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko resigned over an anti-corruption probe into officials who allegedly took bribes since mid-2025 to protect fraudulent call centers; he has not been charged. NABU named five suspects, including senior prosecutor Serhii Kropyva, who was remanded with bail of 120 million hryvnias (about $2.7 million) on suspicion of laundering over 89 million hryvnias (roughly $2 million). The scam centers targeted victims in Ukraine and abroad; Ukrainian authorities reported shutting about 340 call centers over the past year, including 94 in a single week during a nationwide crackdown.

The Record·Sep 9, 12:15 UTC · 6d agoPolicy & legal

Microsoft posts nearly 1,000 bugs for Patch Tuesday as CISA warns two being exploited

CISA confirms exploitation of two Windows zero-days among 973 Microsoft patches; 22,000 Exchange servers remain unpatched.

Microsoft's September Patch Tuesday sets a record with 973 vulnerabilities, and CISA confirms CVE-2026-81963 and CVE-2026-85880 are being exploited, giving federal agencies until September 22 to patch. Nightwing estimates over 22,000 corporate Exchange servers are unpatched against weaponized exploit code. Analysts describe CVE-2026-81963 as an early link in ransomware chains where phishing leads to privilege escalation, and note year-to-date Microsoft disclosures exceed 2,600 bugs.

The Record·Sep 8, 22:40 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-81963CVE-2026-85880

Massachusetts school district, city hall shutter after cyber incidents

Springfield Public Schools (23,000 students) and Everett city hall in Massachusetts closed after weekend cyber incidents disrupted essential systems.

Springfield Public Schools, serving 23,000 students across more than 60 schools, closed buildings on Tuesday to investigate a cyber incident that disrupted systems needed for essential operations, including phones and attendance reporting. Separately, Everett, Massachusetts (population over 50,000) closed City Hall to the public after a cyberattack discovered Sunday evening impacted its internal network, though police, fire, public works and schools operate normally. The article notes multiple universities and K-12 districts have announced cyberattacks in recent weeks as hackers exploit the new school year for ransom leverage.

The Record·Sep 8, 21:05 UTC · 7d agoData breach in the wild

Scammer behind $245 million crypto heist pleads guilty to RICO charges

Malone Lam, leader of a social engineering ring that stole over $245 million in cryptocurrency, pleaded guilty to US RICO charges.

Singaporean national Malone Lam, 22, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy charges for leading the 'Social Engineering Enterprise,' which stole more than $245 million in cryptocurrency. The group posed as Apple and Google customer support, tricked victims into installing remote desktop software, and even burgled homes to steal hardware wallets, including $263 million from a single Washington, D.C. victim. At least nine others have already pleaded guilty; Lam faces a December 8 sentencing hearing and a possible 7-to-20-year term.

The Record·Sep 8, 20:52 UTC · 7d agoPhishing & fraud

CIA official touts agency’s Cyber Mission Center in capture of Venezuela’s Maduro

CIA deputy director credits the Cyber Mission Center's cyber operations for the intelligence picture behind Nicolás Maduro's capture.

CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis said at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit that cyber operations built the 'flawless intelligence picture' enabling US special forces to locate Nicolás Maduro in his Caracas bunker and apprehend him within four minutes of landing during January's Operation Absolute Resolve. Director John Ratcliffe elevated the Center for Cyber Intelligence to a standalone mission center, which Ellis said smooths reporting chains and aligns resources. Ellis also said AI will 'permeate' every aspect of intelligence work, with human-in-the-loop safeguards and multi-vendor approaches to avoid model lock-in. The US has unsealed narcoterrorism charges against Maduro and his wife, who are seeking dismissal under immunity claims.

The Record·Sep 8, 19:46 UTC · 7d agoPolicy & legal 2 sources

Russian suspect in bank account takeovers is extradited to US

Russian web developer Sergei Filimonov was extradited from Georgia to the US to face charges in a multimillion-dollar bank account takeover fraud.

Sergei Anatolyevich Filimonov, 36, appeared in an Atlanta federal court on September 4 and pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, wire fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges. Prosecutors say that from November 2023 to October 2025 his group bought sponsored search-engine links that diverted online banking customers to spoofed login pages, stole their credentials, and initiated unauthorized wire transfers. The FBI linked the scheme to the December 2025 seizure of the domain web3adspanels.org, identifying at least 19 victims, roughly $14.6 million in confirmed losses, and about $28 million in attempted losses.

The Record·Sep 8, 19:37 UTC · 7d agoPolicy & legal

Italian tech collective Autistici/Inventati shuts down after US terrorist designation

Italian privacy collective Autistici/Inventati shut down after a US State Department terrorist designation triggered its domain suspension and bank account closure.

The volunteer-run Italian collective Autistici/Inventati, founded in 2001, announced Sunday it would shut down after the State Department labeled it an extremist group on August 26, 2026. The designation led the Public Interest Registry to suspend the group's .org domain on August 28 and its bank, Banca Etica, to suspend its account. The collective hosted roughly 16,000 email addresses, 1,500 websites, 5,500 mailing lists, and about 10,000 blogs, including the Noblogs platform. European Digital Rights warned the move sets a dangerous precedent for non-commercial European hosts and digital sovereignty.

The Record·Sep 8, 19:12 UTC · 7d agoPolicy & legal

‘White hat’ hackers take $47 million bounty after $320 million crypto theft

Hackers withdrew $320 million in bitcoin from Liquid Network, negotiated on-chain, returned $266.5 million and kept a $47 million reward.

Purported white-hat hackers withdrew 4,000 BTC (about $320 million) from Liquid Network's own wallet, one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts of 2026. Over roughly 12 hours of public on-chain negotiation with operator Blockstream, the hackers returned $266.5 million in bitcoin and kept 598.5 BTC (about $47 million), claiming it as a reward for uncovering a bug. Blockstream deployed updated software and paused deposits and withdrawals while experts traced the flaw to the Elements sidechain framework. April thefts of $290 million from Kelp and $280 million from Drift, attributed to North Korean hackers, were previously 2026's largest.

The Record·Sep 8, 17:00 UTC · 7d agoData breach in the wild

Where the backlash against Flock Safety is having the biggest impact

More than 90 cities ended Flock Safety contracts in August as Texas and Florida restrict license plate reader use amid privacy protests.

Over 90 cities and counties terminated Flock Safety contracts in August, per Secure Justice, which has tracked more than 200 municipal terminations since 2021. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott barred state agencies from funding Flock cameras on Aug. 28 after a report that a state agency secretly diverted $30 million; Florida's transportation department banned ALPRs on state highways and Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the technology. Los Angeles chose not to renew its LAPD contract over data-ownership terms, and Atlanta's mayor ordered a 30-day review of the roughly 5,000 ALPR cameras in the metro area. Several Flock-related police abuse cases, including a Texas officer indicted on 100 felony counts, have fueled the backlash.

The Record·Sep 8, 14:03 UTC · 7d agoPolicy & legal

French prosecutors confirm arrest of suspected ZeroBytes hacker behind tax cyberattack

French prosecutors arrested an 18-year-old suspected ZeroBytes member tied to a tax authority breach exposing data of 600,000 people.

French authorities arrested an 18-year-old, alias 'ChatNoir,' in the Paris region on Aug. 18 and placed him in pretrial detention two days later over ZeroBytes attacks; a second suspect under 16 was arrested Aug. 26 and released. ZeroBytes claimed attacks on French government agencies, schools and companies starting July 16, including the DGFiP tax authority, which disclosed an August breach affecting data of more than 600,000 people. The suspect was previously under formal investigation for the 2024 Free telecom breach affecting over 19 million customers and for X account takeovers of BFM-TV and RMC linked to the Epsilon collective. Charged offenses carry up to 10 years in prison and a 300,000-euro fine.

The Record·Sep 8, 12:30 UTC · 7d agoPolicy & legal

Cyberattack encrypts systems at Bavarian municipal utility

Hackers encrypted the central IT network of Bavarian utility Stadtwerke Landsberg, disrupting office systems but not electricity or water services.

Stadtwerke Landsberg said hackers encrypted its central IT network overnight on Sept. 1, prompting disconnection from the internet, crisis-team activation and external forensic support. Essential electricity and water services were unaffected, but staff availability was limited and customer data such as names, addresses and bank details may have been accessed. No ransomware group was named and no extortion demand was confirmed. The attack follows a similar late-June encryption incident at a North Rhine-Westphalia municipal utility, and the BSI consistently ranks ransomware among Germany's most serious cyber threats.

The Record·Sep 8, 12:00 UTC · 7d agoRansomware in the wild

Pro-Palestinian operation claims dozens of data breaches against Israeli firms

Hacktivist group Cyber Toufan claims 60 data breaches of Israeli and allied firms, wiping systems and erasing backups; Check Point links it to Iran.

The pro-Palestinian group Cyber Toufan said it released stolen data from 60 Israeli and foreign firms, including SpaceX, Toyota and IKEA, as part of a month-long leak operation launched in late November. Researchers at Check Point and SOC Radar assess the leaks are genuine, likely stemming partly from a major attack on Israeli hosting company Signature-IT, and attribute the group to Iran; researcher Kevin Beaumont said roughly a third of victims remain offline weeks later with backups erased. Google blocked the group's Telegram leak channel, while about 10 Iranian-backed hacking groups are assessed to be attacking Israel in the ongoing cyberwar.

The Record·Sep 8, 00:00 UTC · 7d agoThreat actor in the wild

Georgia’s largest county confirms cyberattack causing widespread issues

Fulton County, Georgia — home to Atlanta and over 1 million residents — confirms a cyberattack that disrupted county phone, court, and tax systems.

Fulton County government disclosed a widespread IT outage caused by a cybersecurity incident discovered over the weekend, affecting phone systems, the court system, and the tax system, including firearm and marriage license transactions. County Chairman Robb Pitts said the incident is under active investigation by law enforcement, and the FBI confirmed its involvement. The Tax Commissioner office in downtown Atlanta was closed and library public computers were offline. No group has claimed responsibility, though the article notes recent ransomware attacks on other Georgia local governments, including Forsyth County (AlphV) and Augusta.

The Record·Sep 8, 00:00 UTC · 7d agoData breach

Georgia man charged for robbing NBA, NFL players through stolen Apple account details

Georgia man Kwamaine Jerell Ford charged with phishing NBA and NFL players' Apple accounts, making over 2,000 fraudulent transactions, and sex trafficking counts.

Kwamaine Jerell Ford, 34, was arrested and pleaded not guilty to dozens of counts including wire fraud, computer fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, and sex trafficking. He posed as an adult film actress offering explicit videos, then as Apple customer support to harvest usernames, passwords, and MFA codes from professional athletes, gaining access to their credit and debit cards and making more than 2,000 transactions including fund transfers and DoorDash orders. Prosecutors say he ran the scheme while on probation for a similar 2019 phishing offense in which he spent nearly $325,000 of stolen funds, and also coerced a woman into sex with players, filmed encounters without consent, and hacked one athlete's home security cameras. He was held without bail.

The Record·Sep 8, 00:00 UTC · 7d agoPolicy & legal in the wild