2026-01-07 AI创业新闻

Two Chrome Extensions Caught Stealing ChatGPT and DeepSeek Chats from 900,000 Users

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered two new malicious extensions on the Chrome Web Store that are designed to exfiltrate OpenAI ChatGPT and DeepSeek conversations alongside browsing data to servers under the attackers’ control. The names of the extensions, which collectively have over 900,000 users, are below - Chat GPT for Chrome with GPT-5, Claude Sonnet & DeepSeek AI (ID: fnmihdojmnkclgjpcoonokmkhjpjechg, 600,000 users) AI Sidebar with Deepseek, ChatGPT, Claude, and more. (ID: inhcgfpbfdjbjogdfjbclgolkmhnooop, 300,000 users) The findings follow weeks after Urban VPN Proxy , another extension with millions of installations on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, was caught spying on users’ chats with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. This tactic of using browser extensions to stealthily capture AI conversations has been codenamed Prompt Poaching by Secure Annex.

The two newly identified extensions “were found exfiltrating user conversations and all Chrome tab URLs to a remote C2 server every 30 minutes,” OX Security researcher Moshe Siman Tov Bustan said. “The malware adds malicious capabilities by requesting consent for ‘anonymous, non-identifiable analytics data’ while actually exfiltrating complete conversation content from ChatGPT and DeepSeek sessions.” The malicious browser add-ons have been found to impersonate a legitimate extension named “Chat with all AI models (Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek…) & AI Agents” from AITOPIA that has about 1 million users. They are still available for download from the Chrome Web Store as of writing, although “Chat GPT for Chrome with GPT-5, Claude Sonnet & DeepSeek AI” has since been stripped of its “Featured” badge. Once installed, the rogue extensions request that users grant them permissions to collect anonymized browser behavior to purportedly improve the sidebar experience.

Should the user agree to the practice, the embedded malware begins to harvest information about open browser tabs and chatbot conversation data. To accomplish the latter, it looks for specific DOM elements inside the web page, extracts the chat messages, and stores them locally for subsequent exfiltration to remote servers (“chatsaigpt[.]com” or “deepaichats[.]com”). What’s more, the threat actors have been found to leverage Lovable, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered web development platform, to host their privacy policies and other infrastructure components (“chataigpt[.]pro” or “chatgptsidebar[.]pro”) in an attempt to obfuscate their actions. The consequences of installing such add-ons can be severe, as they have the potential to exfiltrate a wide range of sensitive information, including data shared with chatbots like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, and web browsing activity, including search queries and internal corporate URLs.

“This data can be weaponized for corporate espionage, identity theft, targeted phishing campaigns, or sold on underground forums,” OX Security said. “Organizations whose employees installed these extensions may have unknowingly exposed intellectual property, customer data, and confidential business information.” Legitimate Extensions Join Prompt Poaching The disclosure comes as Secure Annex said it identified legitimate browser extensions such as Similarweb and Sensor Tower’s Stayfocusd – each with 1 million and 600,000 users, respectively – engaging in prompt poaching. Similarweb is said to have introduced the ability to monitor conversations in May 2025, with a January 1, 2026, update adding a full terms of service pop-up that makes it explicit that data entered into AI tools is being collected to “provide the in-depth analysis of traffic and engagement metrics.” A December 30, 2025, privacy policy update also spells this out - This information includes prompts, queries, content, uploaded or attached files (e.g., images, videos, text, CSV files) and other inputs that you may enter or submit to certain artificial intelligence (AI) tools, as well as the results or other outputs (including any attached files included in such outputs) that you may receive from such AI tools (“AI Inputs and Outputs”). Considering the nature and general scope of AI Inputs and Outputs and AI Metadata that is typical to AI tools, some Sensitive Data may be inadvertently collected or processed.

However, the aim of the processing is not to collect Personal Data in order to be able to identify you. While we cannot guarantee that all Personal Data is removed, we do take steps, where possible, to remove or filter out identifiers that you may enter or submit to these AI tools. Further analysis has revealed that Similarweb uses DOM scraping or hijacks native browser APIs like fetch() and XMLHttpRequest() – like in the case of Urban VPN Proxy – to gather the conversation data by loading a remote configuration file that includes custom parsing logic for ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. Secure Annex’s John Tuckner told The Hacker News that the behavior is common to both Chrome and Edge versions of the Similarweb extension.

Similarweb’s Firefox add-on was last updated in 2019. “It is clear prompt poaching has arrived to capture your most sensitive conversations and browser extensions are the exploit vector,” Tuckner said. “It is not clear if this violates Google’s policies that extensions should be built for a single purpose and not load code dynamically.” “This is just the beginning of this trend. More firms will begin to realize these insights are profitable.

Extension developers looking for a way to monetize will add sophisticated libraries like this one supplied by the marketing companies to their apps.” Users who have installed these add-ons and are concerned about their privacy are advised to remove them from their browsers and refrain from installing extensions from unknown sources, even if they have the “Featured” tag on them. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Unpatched Firmware Flaw Exposes TOTOLINK EX200 to Full Remote Device Takeover

The CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) has disclosed details of an unpatched security flaw impacting TOTOLINK EX200 wireless range extender that could allow a remote authenticated attacker to gain full control of the device. The flaw, CVE-2025-65606 (CVSS score: N/A), has been characterized as a flaw in the firmware-upload error-handling logic, which could cause the device to inadvertently start an unauthenticated root-level telnet service. CERT/CC credited Leandro Kogan for discovering and reporting the issue. “An authenticated attacker can trigger an error condition in the firmware-upload handler that causes the device to start an unauthenticated root telnet service, granting full system access,” CERT/CC said .

Successful exploitation of the flaw requires an attacker to be already authenticated to the web management interface to access the firmware-upload functionality. CERT/CC said the firmware-upload handler enters an “abnormal error state” when certain malformed firmware files are processed, causing the device to launch a telnet service with root privileges and without requiring any authentication. This unintended remote administration interface could be exploited by the attacker to hijack susceptible devices, leading to configuration manipulation, arbitrary command execution, or persistence. According to CERT/CC, TOTOLINK has not released any patches to address the flaw, and the product is said to be no longer actively maintained.

TOTOLINK’s web page for EX200 shows that the firmware for the product was last updated in February 2023. In the absence of a fix, users of the appliance are advised to restrict administrative access to trusted networks, prevent unauthorized users from accessing the management interface, monitor for anomalous activity, and upgrade to a supported model. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Fake Booking Emails Redirect Hotel Staff to Fake BSoD Pages Delivering DCRat

Source: Securonix Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new campaign dubbed PHALT#BLYX that has leveraged ClickFix -style lures to display fixes for fake blue screen of death ( BSoD ) errors in attacks targeting the European hospitality sector. The end goal of the multi-stage campaign is to deliver a remote access trojan known as DCRat , according to cybersecurity company Securonix. The activity was detected in late December 2025. “For initial access, the threat actors utilize a fake Booking.com reservation cancellation lure to trick victims into executing malicious PowerShell commands, which silently fetch and execute remote code,” researchers Shikha Sangwan, Akshay Gaikwad, and Aaron Beardslee said .

The starting point of the attack chain is a phishing email impersonating Booking.com that contains a link to a fake website (e.g., “low-house[.]com”). The messages warn recipients of unexpected reservation cancellations, urging them to click the link to confirm the cancellation. The website to which the victim is redirected masquerades as Booking.com, and serves a fake CAPTCHA page that leads them to a bogus BSoD page with “recovery instructions” to open the Windows Run dialog, paste a command, and press the Enter key. In reality, this results in the execution of a PowerShell command that ultimately deploys DCRat.

Specifically, this entails a multi-step process that commences with the PowerShell dropper downloading an MSBuild project file (“v.proj”) from “2fa-bns[.]com”, which is then executed using “MSBuild.exe” to run an embedded payload responsible for configuring Microsoft Defender Antivirus exclusions to evade detection, setting up persistence on the host in the Startup folder, and launching the RAT malware after downloads it from the same location as the MSBuild project. It’s also capable of disabling the security program altogether if found to be running with administrator privileges. If it doesn’t have elevated rights, the malware enters a loop that triggers a Windows User Account Control (UAC) prompt every two seconds for three times in hopes that the victim will grant it the necessary permissions out of sheer frustration. In tandem, the PowerShell code takes steps to open the legitimate Booking.com admin page in the default browser as a distraction mechanism and to give an impression to the victim that the action was legitimate.

DCRat , also called Dark Crystal RAT, is an off-the-shell .NET trojan that can harvest sensitive information and expand its functionality by means of a plugin-based architecture. It’s equipped to connect to an external server, profile the infected system, and await incoming commands from the server, enabling the attackers to log keystrokes, run arbitrary commands, and deliver additional payloads like a cryptocurrency miner. The campaign is an example of how threat actors are leveraging living-off-the-land (LotL) techniques, such as abusing trusted system binaries like “MSBuild.exe,” to move the attack to the next stage, establish a deeper foothold, and maintain persistence within compromised hosts. “The phishing emails notably feature room charge details in Euros, suggesting the campaign is actively targeting European organizations,” Securonix said.

“The use of the Russian language within the ‘v.proj’ MSBuild file links this activity to Russian threat factors using DCRat.” “The use of a customized MSBuild project file to proxy execution, coupled with aggressive tampering of Windows Defender exclusions, demonstrates a deep understanding of modern endpoint protection mechanisms.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

What is Identity Dark Matter?

The Invisible Half of the Identity Universe Identity used to live in one place - an LDAP directory, an HR system, a single IAM portal. Not anymore. Today, identity is fragmented across SaaS, on-prem, IaaS, PaaS, home-grown, and shadow applications. Each of these environments carries its own accounts, permissions, and authentication flows.

Traditional IAM and IGA tools govern only the nearly managed half of this universe - the users and apps that have been fully onboarded, integrated, and mapped. Everything else remains invisible: the unverified, non-human, unprotected mass of identities we call identity dark matter. Every new or modernized app demands onboarding - connectors, schema mapping, entitlement catalogs, and role modeling - work that consumes time, money, and expertise. Many applications never make it that far.

The result is fragmentation: unmanaged identities and permissions operating outside corporate governance. And beyond the human layer lies an even larger challenge - non-human identities (NHIs). APIs, bots, service accounts, and agent-AI processes authenticate, communicate, and act across infrastructure - yet they’re often untraceable, created and forgotten without ownership, oversight, or lifecycle controls, even for managed apps. These ungoverned entities form the deepest, most invisible layer of identity dark matter, one that no traditional IAM tool was ever designed to manage.

The Components of Identity Dark Matter As organizations modernize, the identity landscape fragments into several high-risk categories: Unmanaged Shadow Apps: Applications that operate outside corporate governance due to the time and cost of traditional onboarding. Non-Human Identities (NHIs): A rapidly expanding layer including APIs, bots, and service accounts that act without oversight. Orphaned and Stale Accounts: 44% of organizations report over 1,000 orphaned accounts, and 26% of all accounts are considered stale (unused for >90 days). Agent-AI Entities: Autonomous agents that perform tasks and grant access independently, breaking traditional identity models.

Why Identity Dark Matter is a Security Crisis The growth of these ungoverned entities creates significant “blind spots” where cyber risks thrive. In 2024, 27% of cloud breaches involved the misuse of dormant credentials, including orphaned and local accounts. The primary risks include: Credential Abuse: 22% of all breaches are attributed to the exploitation of credentials. Visibility Gaps: Enterprises cannot evaluate what they cannot see, leading to an “illusion of control” while risks grow.

Compliance & Response Failures: Unmanaged identities sit outside audit scopes and slow down incident response times. Hidden Threats: Dark matter masks lateral movement, insider threats, and privilege escalation. Download the Identity Dark Matter Buyer’s Guide To navigate these hidden risks and bridge the gap between IAM and unmanaged systems, download our Identity Dark Matter Buyer’s Guide. Learn how to identify critical visibility gaps and select the right tools to secure your entire identity perimeter.

Solving the Problem: From Configuration to Observability To eliminate identity dark matter, organizations must shift from configuration-based IAM to evidence-based governance. This is achieved through Identity Observability, which provides continuous visibility across every identity. According to the Orchid Perspective, the future of cyber resilience requires a three-pillar approach: See Everything: Collect telemetry directly from every application, not just standard IAM connectors. Prove Everything: Build unified audit trails that show who accessed what, when, and why.

Govern Everywhere: Extend controls across managed, unmanaged, and agent-AI identities. By unifying telemetry, audit, and orchestration, enterprises can transform identity dark matter into actionable, measurable truth. The Orchid Security Perspective At Orchid Security, we believe the future of cyber resilience lies in an identity infrastructure that operates like observability for compliance and security: seeing how identity is coded, how it’s used, and how it behaves. By unifying telemetry, audit, and orchestration, Orchid enables enterprises to turn hidden identity data into actionable truth - ensuring that governance is not claimed, but proven.

Note: This article was written and contributed by Roy Katmor , CEO of Orchid Security . Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Popular artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) forks such as Cursor, Windsurf, Google Antigravity, and Trae have been found to recommend extensions that are non-existent in the Open VSX registry, potentially opening the door to supply chain risks when bad actors publish malicious packages under those names. The problem, according to Koi , is that these integrated development environments (IDEs) inherit the list of officially recommended extensions from Microsoft’s extensions marketplace. These extensions don’t exist in Open VSX. The VS Code extension recommendations can take two different forms: file-based, which are displayed as toast notifications when users open a file in specific formats, or software-based, which are suggested when certain programs are already installed on the host.

“The problem: these recommended extensions didn’t exist on Open VSX,” Koi security researcher Oren Yomtov said. “The namespaces were unclaimed. Anyone could register them and upload whatever they wanted.” In other words, an attacker could weaponize the absence of these VS Code extensions and the fact that the AI-powered IDEs are VS Code forks to upload a malicious extension to the Open VSX registry, such as ms-ossdata.vscode-postgresql. As a result, any time a developer with PostgreSQL installed opens one of the aforementioned IDEs and sees the message “Recommended: PostgreSQL extension,” a trivial install action is enough to result in the deployment of the rogue extension on their system instead.

This simple act of trust can have severe consequences, potentially leading to the theft of sensitive data, including credentials, secrets, and source code. Koi said its placeholder PostgreSQL extension attracted no less than 500 installs, indicating that developers are downloading it simply because the IDE suggested it as a recommendation. The names of some of the extensions that have been claimed by Koi with a placeholder are listed below - ms-ossdata.vscode-postgresql ms-azure-devops.azure-pipelines msazurermtools.azurerm-vscode-tools usqlextpublisher.usql-vscode-ext cake-build.cake-vscode pkosta2005.heroku-command In response to responsible disclosure, Cursor, Windsurf, and Google have rolled out fixes to address the issue. The Eclipse Foundation, which oversees Open VSX, has since removed non-official contributors and enforced broader registry-level safeguards.

With threat actors increasingly focusing on exploiting the security gaps in extension marketplaces and open-source repositories, it’s essential that developers exercise caution prior to downloading any packages or approving installs by verifying they come from a trusted publisher. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Traditional Firewalls Are Obsolete in the AI Era

New n8n Vulnerability (9.9 CVSS) Lets Authenticated Users Execute System Commands

A new critical security vulnerability has been disclosed in n8n, an open-source workflow automation platform, that could enable an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary system commands on the underlying host. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-68668 , is rated 9.9 on the CVSS scoring system. It has been described as a case of a protection mechanism failure. Cyera Research Labs’ Vladimir Tokarev and Ofek Itach have been credited with discovering and reporting the flaw, which has been codenamed N8scape .

It affects n8n versions from 1.0.0 up to, but not including, 2.0.0, and allows an authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the host running n8n. The issue has been addressed in version 2.0.0. “A sandbox bypass vulnerability exists in the Python Code Node that uses Pyodide,” an advisory for the flaw states . “An authenticated user with permission to create or modify workflows can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands on the host system running n8n, using the same privileges as the n8n process.” N8n said it had introduced task runner-based native Python implementation in version 1.111.0 as an optional feature for improved security isolation.

The feature can be enabled by configuring the N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED and N8N_NATIVE_PYTHON_RUNNER environment variables. With the release of version 2.0.0, the implementation has been made the default. As workarounds, n8n is recommending that users follow the outlined steps below - Disable the Code Node by setting the environment variable NODES_EXCLUDE: “["n8n-nodes-base.code"]” Disable Python support in the Code node by setting the environment variable N8N_PYTHON_ENABLED=false Configure n8n to use the task runner-based Python sandbox via the N8N_RUNNERS_ENABLED and N8N_NATIVE_PYTHON_RUNNER environment variables The disclosure comes as n8n addressed another critical vulnerability ( CVE-2025-68613 , CVSS score: 9.9) that could result in arbitrary code execution under certain circumstances. Found this article interesting?

Critical AdonisJS Bodyparser Flaw (CVSS 9.2) Enables Arbitrary File Write on Servers

Users of the “ @adonisjs/bodyparser “ npm package are being advised to update to the latest version following the disclosure of a critical security vulnerability that, if successfully exploited, could allow a remote attacker to write arbitrary files on the server. Tracked as CVE-2026-21440 (CVSS score: 9.2), the flaw has been described as a path traversal issue affecting the AdonisJS multipart file handling mechanism. “@adonisjs/bodyparser” is an npm package associated with AdonisJS, a Node.js framework for developing web apps and API servers with TypeScript. The library is used to process AdonisJS HTTP request body .

“If a developer uses MultipartFile.move() without the second options argument or without explicitly sanitizing the filename, an attacker can supply a crafted filename value containing traversal sequences, writing to a destination path outside the intended upload directory,” the project maintainers said in an advisory released last week. “This can lead to arbitrary file write on the server.” However, successful exploitation hinges on a reachable upload endpoint. The problem, at its core, resides in a function named “ MultipartFile.move(location, options) “ that allows a file to be moved to the specified location. The “options” parameter holds two values: the name of a file and an overwrite flag indicating “true” or “false.” The issue arises when the name parameter is not passed as input, causing the application to default to an unsanitized client filename that opens the door to path traversal.

This, in turn, allows an attacker to choose an arbitrary destination of their liking and overwrite sensitive files, if the overwrite flag is set to “true.” “If the attacker can overwrite application code, startup scripts, or configuration files that are later executed/loaded, RCE [remote code execution] is possible,” AdonisJS said. “RCE is not guaranteed and depends on filesystem permissions, deployment layout, and application/runtime behavior.” The issue, discovered and reported by Hunter Wodzenski (@ wodzen ) impacts the following versions - <= 10.1.1 (Fixed in 10.1.2) <= 11.0.0-next.5 (Fixed in 11.0.0-next.6) Flaw in jsPDF npm Library The development coincides with the disclosure of another path traversal vulnerability in an npm package named jsPDF ( CVE-2025-68428 , CVSS score: 9.2) that could be exploited to pass unsanitized paths and retrieve the contents of arbitrary files in the local file system the node process is running. The vulnerability has been patched in jsPDF version 4.0.0 released on January 3, 2026. As workarounds, it’s advised to use the –permission flag to restrict access to the file system.

A researcher named Kwangwoon Kim has been acknowledged for reporting the bug. “The file contents are included verbatim in the generated PDFs,” Parallax, the developers of the JavaScript PDF generation library, said . “Only the node.js builds of the library are affected, namely the dist/jspdf.node.js and dist/jspdf.node.min.js files.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Russia-Aligned Hackers Abuse Viber to Target Ukrainian Military and Government

The Russia-aligned threat actor known as UAC-0184 has been observed targeting Ukrainian military and government entities by leveraging the Viber messaging platform to deliver malicious ZIP archives. “This organization has continued to conduct high-intensity intelligence gathering activities against Ukrainian military and government departments in 2025,” the 360 Threat Intelligence Center said in a technical report. Also tracked as Hive0156, the hacking group is primarily known for leveraging war-themed lures in phishing emails to deliver Hijack Loader in attacks targeting Ukrainian entities. The malware loader subsequently acts as a pathway for Remcos RAT infections.

The threat actor was first documented by CERT-UA in early January 2024. Subsequent attack campaigns have been found to leverage messaging apps like Signal and Telegram as a delivery vehicle for malware. The latest findings from the Chinese security vendor points to a further evolution of this tactic. The attack chain involves the use of Viber as an initial intrusion vector to distribute malicious ZIP archives containing multiple Windows shortcut (LNK) files disguised as official Microsoft Word and Excel documents to trick recipients into opening them.

The LNK files are designed to serve a decoy document to the victim to lower their suspicion, while silently executing Hijack Loader in the background by fetching a second ZIP archive (“smoothieks.zip”) from a remote server by means of a PowerShell script. The attack reconstructs and deploys Hijack Loader in memory through a multi-stage process that employs techniques like DLL side-loading and module stomping to evade detection by security tools. The loader then scans the environment for installed security software, such as those related to Kaspersky, Avast, BitDefender, AVG, Emsisoft, Webroot, and Microsoft, by calculating the CRC32 hash of the corresponding program. Besides establishing persistence by means of scheduled tasks, the loader takes steps to subvert static signature detection before covertly executing Remcos RAT by injecting it into “chime.exe.” The remote administration tool grants the attackers the ability to manage the endpoint, execute payloads, monitor activities, and steal data.

“Although marketed as legitimate system management software, its powerful intrusive capabilities make it frequently used by various malicious attackers for cyber espionage and data theft activities,” the 360 Threat Intelligence Center said. “Through the graphical user interface (GUI) control panel provided by Remcos, attackers can perform batch automated management or precise manual interactive operations on the victim’s host.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Kimwolf Android Botnet Infects Over 2 Million Devices via Exposed ADB and Proxy Networks

The botnet known as Kimwolf has infected more than 2 million Android devices by tunneling through residential proxy networks, according to findings from Synthient. “Key actors involved in the Kimwolf botnet are observed monetizing the botnet through app installs, selling residential proxy bandwidth, and selling its DDoS functionality,” the company said in an analysis published last week. Kimwolf was first publicly documented by QiAnXin XLab last month, while documenting its connections to another botnet known as AISURU. Active since at least August 2025, Kimwolf is assessed to be an Android variant of AISURU.

There is growing evidence to suggest that the botnet is actually behind a series of record-setting DDoS attacks late last year. The malware turns infected systems into conduits for relaying malicious traffic and orchestrating distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks at scale. The vast majority of the infections are concentrated in Vietnam, Brazil, India, and Saudi Arabia, with Synthient observing approximately 12 million unique IP addresses per week. Attacks distributing the botnet have been primarily found to target Android devices running an exposed Android Debug Bridge (ADB) service using a scanning infrastructure that uses residential proxies to install the malware.

No less than 67% of the devices connected to the botnet are unauthenticated and have ADB enabled by default. It’s suspected that these devices come pre-infected with software development kits (SDKs) from proxy providers so as to surreptitiously enlist them in the botnet. The top compromised devices include unofficial Android-based smart TVs and set-top boxes. As recently as December 2025, Kimwolf infections have leveraged proxy IP addresses offered for rent by China-based IPIDEA, which implemented a security patch on December 27 to block access to local network devices and various sensitive ports.

IPIDEA describes itself as the “world’s leading provider of IP proxy” with more than 6.1 million daily updated IP addresses and 69,000 daily new IP addresses. In other words, the modus operandi is to leverage IPIDEA’s proxy network and other proxy providers, and then tunnel through the local networks of systems running the proxy software to drop the malware. The main payload listens on port 40860 and connects to 85.234.91[.]247:1337 to receive further commands. “The scale of this vulnerability was unprecedented, exposing millions of devices to attacks,” Synthient said.

Furthermore, the attacks infect the devices with a bandwidth monetization service known as Plainproxies Byteconnect SDK, indicating broader attempts at monetization. The SDK uses 119 relay servers that receive proxy tasks from a command-and-control server, which are then executed by the compromised device. Synthient said it detected the infrastructure being used to conduct credential-stuffing attacks targeting IMAP servers and popular online websites. “Kimwolf’s monetization strategy became apparent early on through its aggressive sale of residential proxies,” the company said.

“By offering proxies as low as 0.20 cents per GB or $1.4K a month for unlimited bandwidth, it would gain early adoption by several proxy providers.” “The discovery of pre-infected TV boxes and the monetization of these bots through secondary SDKs like Byteconnect indicates a deepening relationship between threat actors and commercial proxy providers.” To counter the risk, proxy providers are recommended to block requests to RFC 1918 addresses, which are private IP address ranges defined for use in private networks. Organizations are advised to lock down devices running unauthenticated ADB shells to prevent unauthorized access. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

⚡ Weekly Recap: IoT Exploits, Wallet Breaches, Rogue Extensions, AI Abuse & More

The year opened without a reset. The same pressure carried over, and in some places it tightened. Systems people assume are boring or stable are showing up in the wrong places. Attacks moved quietly, reused familiar paths, and kept working longer than anyone wants to admit.

This week’s stories share one pattern. Nothing flashy. No single moment. Just steady abuse of trust — updates, extensions, logins, messages — the things people click without thinking.

That’s where damage starts now. This recap pulls those signals together. Not to overwhelm, but to show where attention slipped and why it matters early in the year. ⚡ Threat of the Week RondoDox Botnet Exploits React2Shell Flaw — A persistent nine-month-long campaign has targeted Internet of Things (IoT) devices and web applications to enroll them into a botnet known as RondoDox.

As of December 2025, the activity has been observed leveraging the recently disclosed React2Shell (CVE-2025-55182, CVSS score: 10.0) flaw as an initial access vector. React2Shell is the name assigned to a critical security vulnerability in React Server Components (RSC) and Next.js that could allow unauthenticated attackers to achieve remote code execution on susceptible devices. According to statistics from the Shadowserver Foundation, there are about 84,916 instances that remain susceptible to the vulnerability as of January 4, 2026, out of which 66,200 instances are located in the U.S., followed by Germany (3,600), France (2,500), and India (1,290). A New Framework for Identity Security in the AI Era In 2026, the security landscape is littered with unmanaged threats, including AI tools, SaaS apps, devices, and identities.

Join 1Password CPO Abe Ankumah and security analyst Francis Odum to hear how security and IT leaders are taking control – without slowing down the pace of innovation. Join the webinar ➝ 🔔 Top News Trust Wallet Chrome Extension Hack Traced to Shai-Hulud Supply Chain Attack — Trust Wallet revealed that the second iteration of the Shai-Hulud (aka Sha1-Hulud) supply chain outbreak in November 2025 was likely responsible for the hack of its Google Chrome extension, ultimately resulting in the theft of approximately $8.5 million in assets. “Our Developer GitHub secrets were exposed in the attack, which gave the attacker access to our browser extension source code and the Chrome Web Store (CWS) API key,” the company said. “The attacker obtained full CWS API access via the leaked key, allowing builds to be uploaded directly without Trust Wallet’s standard release process, which requires internal approval/manual review.” The unknown threat actors are said to have registered a domain to exfiltrate users’ wallet mnemonic phrases.

Koi’s analysis found that directly querying the server to which the data was exfiltrated returned the response “He who controls the spice controls the universe,” a Dune reference that echoes similar references observed in the Shai-Hulud npm incident. There is evidence to suggest that preparations for the hack were underway since at least December 8, 2025. DarkSpectre Linked to Massive Browser Extension Campaigns — A newly uncovered Chinese threat group, DarkSpectre, has been linked to one of the most widespread browser-extension malware operations discovered to date, compromising more than 8.8 million users of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera over the past seven years. DarkSpectre’s structure differs from that of traditional cybercrime operations.

The group has been found to run disparate but interconnected malware clusters, each with distinct goals. The ShadyPanda campaign, responsible for 5.6 million infections, focuses on long-term user surveillance and e-commerce affiliate fraud. The second campaign, GhostPoster, spreads via Firefox and Opera extensions that conceal malicious payloads in PNG images via steganography. After lying dormant for several days, the extensions extract and execute JavaScript hidden within images, enabling stealthy remote code execution.

This campaign has affected over one million users and relies on domains like gmzdaily.com and mitarchive.info for payload delivery. The most recent discovery, The Zoom Stealer, exposes around 2.2 million users to corporate espionage. The discovery reveals a highly organized criminal organization that has devoted itself to steadily churning out legitimate-looking browser extensions that sneak in malicious code. U.S.

Treasury Lifts Sanctions on 3 Individuals Connected to Intellexa — The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed three individuals linked to the Intellexa Consortium, the holding company behind a commercial spyware known as Predator, from the specially designated nationals list. They included Merom Harpaz, Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, and Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou. In a statement shared with Reuters, the Treasury said the removal “was done as part of the normal administrative process in response to a petition request for reconsideration.” The department added that the individuals had “demonstrated measures to separate themselves from the Intellexa Consortium.” Silver Fox Strikes India with Tax Lures — The Chinese cybercrime group known as Silver Fox has turned its focus to India, using income tax-themed lures in phishing campaigns to distribute a modular remote access trojan called ValleyRAT (aka Winos 4.0).

In the campaign, phishing emails containing decoy PDFs purported to be from India’s Income Tax Department are used to deploy ValleyRAT, a variant of Gh0st RAT that implements a plugin-oriented architecture to extend its functionality in an ad hoc manner, thereby allowing its operators to deploy specialized capabilities to facilitate keylogging, credential harvesting, and defense evasion. The disclosure came as a link management panel associated with Silver Fox was identified as being used to keep track of the web pages used to deliver fake installers containing ValleyRAT and the number of clicks to download the installers. An analysis of the origin IP addresses that have clicked on the download links has revealed that at least 217 clicks originated from China, followed by the U.S. (39), Hong Kong (29), Taiwan (11), and Australia (7).

Mustang Panda Uses Rootkit Driver to Deliver TONESHELL — The Chinese hacking group known as Mustang Panda (aka HoneyMyte) leveraged a previously undocumented kernel-mode rootkit driver to deliver a new variant of backdoor dubbed TONESHELL in a cyber attack detected in mid-2025 targeting an unspecified entity in Asia. The main objective of the driver is to inject a backdoor trojan into the system processes and provide protection for malicious files, user-mode processes, and registry keys. The final payload deployed as part of the attack is TONESHELL, an implant with reverse shell and downloader capabilities to fetch next-stage malware onto compromised hosts. The use of TONESHELL has been attributed to Mustang Panda since at least late 2022.

The command-and-control (C2) infrastructure used for TONESHELL is said to have been erected in September 2024, although there are indications that the campaign itself did not commence until February 2025. ‎️‍🔥 Trending CVEs Hackers act fast. They can use new bugs within hours. One missed update can cause a big breach.

Here are this week’s most serious security flaws. Check them, fix what matters first, and stay protected. This week’s list includes — CVE-2025-13915 (IBM API Connect), CVE-2025-52691 (SmarterTools SmarterMail), CVE-2025-47411 (Apache StreamPipes), CVE-2025-48769 (Apache NuttX RTOS), CVE-2025-14346 (WHILL Model C2 Electric Wheelchairs and Model F Power Chairs), CVE-2025-52871, CVE-2025-53597 (QNAP), CVE-2025-59887, and CVE-2025-59888 (Eaton UPS Companion). 📰 Around the Cyber World 200 Security Incidents Target Crypto in 2025 — According to “incomplete statistics” from blockchain security firm SlowMist, 200 security breaches occurred last year, impacting the crypto community, resulting in losses of around $2.935 billion.

“In comparison, 2024 saw 410 incidents with around $2.013 billion in losses,” the company said . “While the number of incidents declined year-over-year, the total amount of losses increased by approximately 46%.” PyPI Says 52% of Active Users Have 2FA Enabled — The Python Software Foundation said 52% of active PyPI users are now using two-factor authentication to secure their accounts, and that more than 50,000 projects are using trusted publishing. Some of the other notable security measures rolled out in the Python Package Index (PyPI) include warning users about untrusted domains, preventing attacks involving malicious ZIP files, flagging potential typosquatting attempts during project creation, periodically checking for expired domains to prevent domain resurrection attacks, and prohibiting registrations from specific domains that were a source of abuse. TikTok Takes Down Influence Network Targeting Hungary — TikTok said it took down a network of 95 accounts with 131,342 followers that operated from Hungary and targeted audiences in the country.

“The individuals behind this network created inauthentic accounts in order to amplify narratives favorable to the Fidesz political party,” the social media platform said. “The network was found to coordinate across multiple online platforms.” Handala Team Breaches Telegram Account of Israeli Officials — The pro-Iranian group known as Handala broke into the Telegram accounts of two prominent Israeli political figures, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff. “The most probable attack vectors include social engineering or spear phishing targeting passwords and OTPs, the exfiltration of Telegram Desktop session files (tdata) from compromised workstations, or unauthorized access to cloud backups,” KELA said . “While the scope of the breach was likely exaggerated by Handala, the incident highlights the critical need for session management and MFA, even on ‘secure’ messaging apps.” In late November 2025, the group also published a list of Israeli high-tech and aerospace professionals, misleadingly describing them as criminals.

Flaws in Bluetooth Headphones Using Airoha Chips Detailed — More details have emerged about three vulnerabilities impacting Bluetooth headphones using Airoha chips: CVE-2025-20700, CVE-2025-20701, and CVE-2025-20702. The flaws impacted headphones from Sony, Marshall, JBL, and Beyerdynamic, and were patched back in June. The issues could be exploited by an attacker in physical proximity to silently connect to a pair of headphones via BLE or Classic Bluetooth, exfiltrate the flash memory of the headphones, and extract the Bluetooth Link Key. This, in turn, allows the attacker to impersonate a “Bluetooth” device, connect to a target’s phone, and interact with it from the privileged position of a trusted peripheral, including even eavesdropping on conversations and extracting call history and stored contacts.

Ransomware Turns Breaches into Bidding Wars — Ransomware’s evolution from digital extortion into a “structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise” has paved the way for an ecosystem that not only attempts to ransom stolen data, but also monetizes for maximum profit by selling it to the highest bidder through data auctions. “By opening additional profit streams and attracting more participants, these actors are amplifying both the frequency and impact of ransomware operations,” Rapid7 said . “The rise of data auctions reflects a maturing underground economy, one that mirrors legitimate market behavior, yet drives the continued expansion and professionalization of global ransomware activity.” Teams Notifications Abused for Callback Phishing — Threat actors are abusing #Microsoft Teams notifications for callback phishing attacks. “Victims are invited to groups where team names contain the scam content, such as fake invoices, auto-renewal notices, or PayPal payment claims, and are urged to call a fake support number if the charge was not authorized.

Because these messages come from the official Microsoft Teams sender address (no-reply@teams.mail[.]microsoft), they may bypass user suspicion and email filters,” Trustwave said . Teams Vishing Attack Leads to .NET Malware — In another campaign spotted by the security vendor, a vishing campaign originating from Teams has been found to trick unsuspecting users into installing Quick Assist software, ultimately leading to the deployment of a multi-stage .NET malware using an executable named updater.exe. “The Victim receives a Teams call from an attacker impersonating Senior IT Staff,” it said . “Attacker convinces user to launch Quick Assist.

The ‘updater.exe’ is a .NET Core 8.0 wrapper with embedded “loader.dll” that downloads encryption keys from jysync[.]info, retrieves encrypted payload, decrypts using AES-CBC + XOR, then loads assembly directly into memory for fileless execution via reflection.” SEO Poisoning Distributes Oyster — A search engine optimization (SEO) poisoning campaign has continued to promote fake sites when users search for Microsoft Teams or Google Meet to distribute a backdoor called Oyster . This malware distribution threat has been active since at least November 2024. In July 2025, Arctic Wolf said it observed a similar wave of attacks that leveraged bogus sites hosting trojanized versions of legitimate tools like PuTTY and WinSCP to deliver the malware. Oyster is delivered via a loader component that’s responsible for dropping the main component.

The main payload then gathers system information, communicates with a C2 server, and provides the ability to remotely execute code. Fake SAP Concur Extensions Deliver FireClient Malware — A new campaign discovered by BlueVoyant is deceiving users into downloading fake SAP Concur browser extensions. The fake browser extension installer contains a loader designed to gather host information and send it to its C2 server. The loader subsequently extracts an embedded backdoor called FireClient that contains functionality to execute remote commands using the command console and PowerShell.

It’s assessed that the malware is distributed via malvertising, hijacking search queries for “Concur log in” on search engines like Bing. The starting point is an MSI installer that deploys a portable version of Firefox to the directory “LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Firefox” in a deliberate effort to evade detection and avoid conflicts with existing Firefox installations. “After installation, the MSI file launches Firefox in headless mode, meaning the browser runs without a visible window, making its execution undetectable to the user,” researchers Joshua Green and Thomas Elkins said . “Once Firefox is running, the user’s default browser is opened and redirected to the legitimate Concur website.

This tactic is intended to create the illusion that the extension installation was successful, thereby deceiving the user.” In the background, the malware proceeds to overwrite configuration files located within Firefox profile directories to induce the browser to launch the loader DLL. BlueVoyant’s analysis has uncovered tactical and infrastructural overlaps with GrayAlpha (aka FIN7), which was previously observed leveraging fake browser update websites as part of its operations. “The FireClient malware likely represents a sophisticated component of GrayAlpha’s evolving toolkit, deployed within a multi-pronged campaign leveraging a variety of trusted software lures,” the company said. OpenAI Says Prompt Injections May Never Go Away in Browser Agents — OpenAI disclosed that it shipped a security update to its ChatGPT Atlas browser with a newly adversarially trained model and strengthened surrounding safeguards to better combat prompt injections, which makes it possible to conceal malicious instructions within online content and cause the artificial intelligence (AI) agent to override its guardrails.

The company conceded that “agent mode” in ChatGPT Atlas broadens the security threat surface. “This update was prompted by a new class of prompt-injection attacks uncovered through our internal automated red teaming,” it said. The AI company said it built an LLM-based automated attacker and trained it with reinforcement learning to look for prompt injections that can successfully attack a browser agent. “Prompt injection, much like scams and social engineering on the web, is unlikely to ever be fully ‘solved,’” it added.

“But we’re optimistic that a proactive, highly responsive rapid response loop can continue to materially reduce real-world risk over time. By combining automated attack discovery with adversarial training and system-level safeguards, we can identify new attack patterns earlier, close gaps faster, and continuously raise the cost of exploitation.” The changes are in line with similar approaches undertaken by Anthropic and Google to fight the persistent risk of prompt-based attacks. The development comes as Microsoft revealed that adversaries have begun implementing AI across a range of malicious activities, including automated vulnerability discovery or phishing campaigns, malware or deepfake generation, data analysis, influence operations, and crafting convincing fraudulent messages. “AI-automated phishing emails achieved 54% click-through rates compared to 12% for standard attempts – a 4.5x increase,” it said .

“AI enables more targeted phishing and better phishing lures.” 🎥 Cybersecurity Webinars Defeating “Living off the Land”: Proactive Security for 2026

To stay ahead of evolving threats, defenders must move beyond traditional file-based detection toward proactive, AI-powered visibility. This session reveals how to catch “living off the land” and fileless attacks that use legitimate system tools to bypass legacy security. You’ll learn how to secure developer workflows and encrypted traffic using Zero Trust principles, ensuring that even the most stealthy, binary-less threats are neutralized before they reach your endpoints. How to Scale AI Agents Without Scaling Your Attack Surface
As developers use AI agents like Claude Code and Copilot to ship code at warp speed, they are unknowingly introducing new risks through unmanaged “MCP” servers and hidden API keys.

This webinar explains how to secure these autonomous tools before they become backdoors for data theft or remote attacks. Join us to learn how to identify malicious tools in your environment and enforce the security policies needed to keep your organization fast but safe. Scaling Your MSSP: High-Margin CISO Services Powered by AI

In 2026, staying competitive as an MSSP requires moving beyond manual labor to AI-driven security management. This session explores how leading providers are using automation to slash workloads and deliver high-value CISO services without increasing headcount.

By joining industry experts David Primor and Chad Robinson, you’ll learn proven strategies to package tier-based offerings, boost profit margins, and empower your existing team to deliver expert-level results at scale. 🔧 Cybersecurity Tools rnsec

It is a lightweight command-line security scanner for React Native and Expo apps. It runs with no configuration, analyzes the code statically, and flags common security issues such as hardcoded secrets, insecure storage, weak crypto, and unsafe network usage. Results are delivered as a simple HTML or JSON report, making it easy to review locally or plug into CI pipelines.

Duplicati

It is a free, open-source backup tool that encrypts your data before sending it to cloud storage or remote servers. It supports incremental and compressed backups, runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and works with many providers like S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, and SFTP. Backups can be scheduled automatically and managed through a simple web interface or the command line. Disclaimer: These tools are for learning and research only.

They haven’t been fully tested for security. If used the wrong way, they could cause harm. Check the code first, test only in safe places, and follow all rules and laws. Conclusion What matters is not any single incident, but what they show together.

The same weaknesses keep getting tested from different angles. When something works once, it gets reused, copied, and scaled. That pattern is clear before the details even matter. Use this recap as a check, not a warning.

If these issues feel familiar, that’s the point. Familiar problems are the ones most likely to be missed again. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

The State of Cybersecurity in 2025: Key Segments, Insights, and Innovations

Featuring: Cybersecurity is being reshaped by forces that extend beyond individual threats or tools. As organizations operate across cloud infrastructure, distributed endpoints, and complex supply chains, security has shifted from a collection of point solutions to a question of architecture, trust, and execution speed. This report examines how core areas of cybersecurity are evolving in response to that shift. Across authentication, endpoint security, software supply chain protection, network visibility, and human risk, it explores how defenders are adapting to adversaries that move faster, blend technical and social techniques, and exploit gaps between systems rather than weaknesses in any single control.

Download the Full Report Here: https://papryon.live/report Authentication — Yubico Authentication is evolving from password-based verification to cryptographic proof of possession. As phishing and AI-driven impersonation scale, identity has become the primary control point for security. Hardware-backed authentication and passkeys are emerging as the most reliable defense against credential theft. “Hackers aren’t breaking in — they’re logging in.

In an AI-driven threat environment, authentication has to be hardware-bound and phishing-resistant.” — Ronnie Manning, Chief Brand Advocate, Yubico Website: yubico.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yubico/ SaaS Data Security — Metomic As organizations rely on dozens of SaaS platforms, sensitive data is increasingly fragmented and overexposed. Traditional governance models struggle to track unstructured, collaborative data — especially as AI tools ingest and interpret it automatically. “Most companies don’t know where their sensitive data is, who has access to it, or what their AI tools are doing with it.” — Ben van Enckevort, CTO & Co-founder, Metomic Website: Metomic.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/metomic/ Network Detection & Response — Corelight Encrypted traffic and hybrid infrastructure have made network visibility harder — but also more essential. Network telemetry remains the most objective record of attacker behavior, enabling defenders to reconstruct incidents and validate what truly happened.

“As AI reshapes security, the organizations that win will be those that know, and can prove, exactly what happened on their network.” — Vincent Stoffer, Field CTO, Corelight Website: Corelight.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/corelight/ AI in Cybersecurity — Axiado Attack velocity now exceeds the capabilities of software-only defenses. This is driving security closer to the hardware layer, where AI can monitor and respond at the source of computation — before attackers establish control. “Software-only security can’t keep up. The future of defense is hardware-anchored and AI-driven.” — Gopi Sirineni, Founder & CEO, Axiado Website: Axiado.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/axiado/ Human Risk Management — usecure Most breaches still involve human behavior, yet traditional awareness training has failed to reduce risk meaningfully.

Human risk management is shifting toward continuous measurement, behavioral insight, and adaptive intervention. “Human risk management is about understanding why risky behavior happens — and changing it over time.” — Jordan Daly, Chief Marketing Officer, usecure Website: usecure.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/usecure/ Network Security — SecureCo Even encrypted communications leak valuable metadata. Attackers increasingly rely on traffic analysis rather than decryption to map networks and plan attacks. Securing data in transit now requires concealing context, not just content.

“Adversaries don’t need to break encryption to map a network — they can track patterns, endpoints, and behaviors.” — Eric Sackowitz, CTO & Co-Founder, SecureCo Website: secureco.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/secureco/ Software Supply Chain Security — Unknown Cyber Modern software supply chains increasingly deliver compiled binaries assembled from open-source, third-party, and AI-generated components — often without full visibility. Binary-level verification is emerging as the most reliable way to establish trust in what software actually does once it enters an environment. “The problem is limited visibility into software supply chains — and that problem is only amplified with the rise of open-source and AI-generated code.” — James Hess, Founder & CEO, Unknown Cyber Website: unknowncyber.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unknown-cyber/ Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) — ShadowDragon OSINT has moved from manual research to targeted, real-time investigation. Ethical, selector-based collection is replacing bulk scraping, enabling defensible intelligence without data hoarding or predictive profiling.

“Most organizations still underestimate how much threat activity is detectable through publicly available data.” — Jonathan Couch, CEO, ShadowDragon Website: shadowdragon.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shadowdragon/ Endpoint Security & Threat Detection — CrowdStrike Attackers now move laterally within minutes, making speed the defining factor in breach prevention. Endpoint security is consolidating around behavioral telemetry, automation, and adversary intelligence. “We’re up against time when it comes to the more sophisticated threat actors.” — Zeki Turedi, Field CTO Europe, CrowdStrike Website: crowdstrike.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crowdstrike/ Autonomous Endpoint Security — SentinelOne As environments decentralize, security teams are prioritizing autonomous platforms that reduce manual effort and accelerate response. AI-driven investigation and natural-language querying are becoming operational necessities.

“We’re trying to simplify our AI for our customers so they can better digest it.” — Meriam El Ouazzani, Regional Sales Senior Director, SentinelOne Website: sentinelone.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sentinelone/ Download The Full Report Here: https://papryon.live/report Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Bitfinex Hack Convict Ilya Lichtenstein Released Early Under U.S. First Step Act

Ilya Lichtenstein, who was sentenced to prison last year for money laundering charges in connection with his role in the massive hack of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex in 2016, said he has been released early. In a post shared on X last week, the 38-year-old announced his release, crediting U.S. President Donald Trump’s First Step Act. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ inmate locator , Lichtenstein is scheduled for release on February 9, 2026.

“I remain committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as soon as I can,” Lichtenstein added. “To the supporters, thank you for everything. To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong.” The First Step Act , passed by the Trump administration in 2018, is a bipartisan legislation that aims to improve criminal justice outcomes and reduce the federal prison population through a series of reforms, including by establishing a “risk and needs assessment system” to determine the recidivism risk and chart a way forward for an early release in some cases. Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Rhiannon “Razzlekhan” Morgan, pleaded guilty to the Bitfinex hack in 2023, following their arrest in February 2022.

The 2016 security breach enabled Lichtenstein to fraudulently authorize more than 2,000 transactions, transferring 119,754 bitcoin (then worth approximately $71 million) from Bitfinex to a cryptocurrency wallet in his control. Law enforcement authorities also recovered approximately 94,000 bitcoin (valued at around $3.6 billion in 2022), making it one of the largest seizures in the history of the U.S. In January 2025, U.S. prosecutors filed a motion for the recovered assets to be returned to Bitfinex.

Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs said Lichtenstein exploited a vulnerability in Bitfinex’s multi-signature withdrawal setup to initiate and authorize withdrawals from Bitfinex without requiring approvals from BitGo, a third-party digital asset trust company. While the illicit proceeds were subsequently converted to other cryptocurrencies and funneled through mixing services like Bitcoin Fog, the couple’s role came to light following the purchase of Walmart gift cards using the stolen bitcoin at an unnamed virtual currency exchange. The gift cards were redeemed using Walmart’s iPhone app under an account in Morgan’s name. Lichtenstein was sentenced to five years in prison in November 2024.

Morgan, who was sentenced to 18 months of incarceration shortly after, posted on X in late October 2025, stating she was released “like a month ago” and that “prison was chill enough.” In a statement shared with CNBC, a Trump administration official said Lichtenstein “served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and Bureau of Prisons policies.” Morgan also acknowledged the news with a message on X, saying , “The best New Years present I could get was finally having my husband home after 4 years of being apart.” Found this article interesting? Follow us on Google News , Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

New VVS Stealer Malware Targets Discord Accounts via Obfuscated Python Code

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new Python-based information stealer called VVS Stealer (also styled as VVS $tealer) that’s capable of harvesting Discord credentials and tokens. The stealer is said to have been on sale on Telegram as far back as April 2025, according to a report from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42. “VVS stealer’s code is obfuscated by Pyarmor,” researchers Pranay Kumar Chhaparwal and Lee Wei Yeong said . “This tool is used to obfuscate Python scripts to hinder static analysis and signature-based detection.

Pyarmor can be used for legitimate purposes and also leveraged to build stealthy malware.” Advertised on Telegram as the “ultimate stealer,” it’s available for €10 ($11.69) for a weekly subscription. It can also be purchased at different pricing tiers: €20 ($23) for a month, €40 ($47) for three months, €90 ($105) for a year, and €199 ($232) for a lifetime license, making it one of the cheapest stealers for sale. According to a report published by Deep Code in late April 2025, the stealer is believed to be the work of a French-speaking threat actor, who is also active in stealer-related Telegram groups such as Myth Stеaler and Еуes Steаlеr GC. The Pyarmor-protected VVS Stealer malware is distributed as a PyInstaller package.

Once launched, the stealer sets up persistence by adding itself to the Windows Startup folder to ensure that it’s automatically launched following a system reboot. It also displays fake “Fatal Error” pop-up alerts that instruct users to restart their computers to resolve an error and steal a wide range of data - Discord data (tokens and account information) Web browser data from Chromium and Firefox (cookies, history, passwords, and autofill information) Screenshots VVS Stealer is also designed to perform Discord injection attacks so as to hijack active sessions on the compromised device. To achieve this, it first terminates the Discord application, if it’s already running. Then, it downloads an obfuscated JavaScript payload from a remote server that’s responsible for monitoring network traffic via the Chrome DevTools Protocol ( CDP ).

“Malware authors are increasingly leveraging advanced obfuscation techniques to evade detection by cybersecurity tools, making their malicious software harder to analyze and reverse-engineer,” the company said. “Because Python is easy for malware authors to use and the complex obfuscation used by this threat, the result is a highly effective and stealthy malware family.” The disclosure comes as Hudson Rock detailed how threat actors are using information stealers to siphon administrative credentials from legitimate businesses and then leverage their infrastructure to distribute the malware via ClickFix -style campaigns, creating a self-perpetuating loop. “A significant percentage of domains hosting these campaigns are not malicious infrastructure set up by attackers, but legitimate businesses whose administrative credentials were stolen by the very infostealers they are now distributing,” the company said . Found this article interesting?