Cybercriminals Court Traitorous Insiders via Ransom Notes
Source: Dark Reading
Ransomware actors are offering individuals millions to turn on their employers and divulge private company information, in a brand-new cybercrime tactic. Researchers at the GroupSense threat intelligence team shared their findings with Dark Reading, including screenshots of the strategies these gangs are using.
Ransomware: Victims Who Pay a Ransom Drops to All-Time Low
Source: Data Breach Today
The slice of organizations opting to pay extortion after being hit by ransomware dropped to an all-time low of 25%. Incident response firm Coveware says the drop comes from data collected from thousands of cases it helped investigate in the final three months of last year. Roughly a third of organizations paid out during the third quarter of 2024.
1-Click Phishing Campaign Targets High-Profile X Accounts
Source: Dark Reading
In an attack vector that's been used before, threat actors aim to commit crypto fraud by hijacking highly followed users, thus reaching a broad audience of secondary victims. An active, one-click phishing campaign is targeting the X accounts of high-profile individuals — including journalists, political figures, and even an X employee — to hijack and exploit them to commit cryptocurrency fraud.
Insurance Company Globe Life Notifying 850,000 People of Data Breach
Source: Security Week
Insurance company Globe Life is notifying 850,000 individuals of a data breach that might have involved their personal, health, and insurance information. The data breach, Globe Life told the Securities and Exchange Commission in October 2024, was discovered after a threat actor attempted to extort the company, demanding a ransom payment in exchange for not publishing stolen information.
Hackers Hijack AI: Google Warns Of Gemini Misuse By Cybercriminals
Source: Forbes
While AI assistants like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT offer incredible benefits, they are also being exploited by cybercriminals—including state-sponsored hackers—to enhance their attacks. Google’s latest report reveals that advanced persistent threat (APT) groups from multiple nations, including Iran, China, North Korea, and Russia, have been experimenting with Gemini to streamline their cyber operations.