Agentic AI, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Government Schellman CEO Avani Desai Discusses Balancing Innovation and Compliance Amid Market Changes Anna Delaney (annamadeline) • August 15, 2025 Avani Desai, CEO, Schellman The recent AI action plan initiated by the Trump…
Czech Republic Accuses China-Linked APT31 Hackers in 2022 Cyberattack on Foreign Ministry
May 28, 2025
Cybersecurity / Cyber Espionage
On Wednesday, the Czech Republic officially charged a threat actor connected to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with a cyber intrusion targeting its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a public announcement, the government revealed that it identified China as responsible for a malicious campaign affecting one of the Ministry’s unclassified networks. The full scope of the breach remains unclear. “The malicious activity […] began in 2022 and impacted an institution designated as critical infrastructure in the Czech Republic,” the statement said. The attack has been linked to the state-sponsored group APT31, which overlaps with threat clusters known as Altaire, Bronze Vinewood, Judgement Panda, PerplexedGoblin, RedBravo, Red Keres, and Violet Typhoon (formerly Zirconium). This hacking group, publicly associated with the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and the Hubei State Security Department, has been active since at least 2010, according to the U.S. Department of…
Czech Republic Accuses China-Linked APT31 of 2022 Cyberattack On May 28, 2025, the Czech Republic’s government officially attributed a cyberattack that took place in 2022 to a state-sponsored actor linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The targeted entity…
AT&T Agrees to $177 Million Settlement for Data Breach, Offering Customers Potential Compensation of Up to $7,500 In a significant development for data privacy, telecommunications giant AT&T has consented to a settlement of $177 million following a massive data breach…
On June 26, 2025, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added three security vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, all of which are subject to active exploitation. These vulnerabilities affect AMI MegaRAC, D-Link DIR-859 routers, and Fortinet FortiOS. The details of the vulnerabilities are as follows:
CISA Updates KEV Catalog with Three Critical Vulnerabilities Affecting AMI MegaRAC, D-Link, and Fortinet On June 26, 2025, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) expanded its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog to include three significant security flaws. These…
New HTML Smuggling Scheme Distributes DCRat Malware to Russian-Speaking Users
On September 27, 2024
GenAI / Cybercrime
A recent campaign is specifically targeting Russian-speaking users by spreading the DCRat malware (also known as DarkCrystal RAT) through a method known as HTML smuggling. This marks the first instance of this malware being delivered via this technique, shifting away from traditional methods such as compromised websites or phishing emails that included malicious PDF attachments or Excel documents with macros. “HTML smuggling serves primarily as a means of delivering the payload,” explained Netskope researcher Nikhil Hegde in an analysis released Thursday. “The payload can either be embedded directly within the HTML or fetched from an external source.” The HTML files can be distributed via fake websites or malicious spam emails. When victims open the file in their web browser, the hidden payload is decoded and downloaded to their system. The success of this attack relies significantly on social engineering tactics to persuade the victim to execute the file.
New HTML Smuggling Campaign Targets Russian-Speaking Users with DCRat Malware September 27, 2024 GenAI / Cybercrime A recent cybersecurity development highlights a targeted campaign aimed at Russian-speaking users, delivering the commodity trojan known as DCRat, also referred to as DarkCrystal…
A recent collaborative investigation by WIRED, The Markup, and CalMatters has unveiled that numerous data brokers are purposefully obscuring their opt-out and data deletion tools from Google Search results. This tactic complicates the ability of consumers to locate and utilize…
Explore topics in Governance & Risk Management, Operational Technology (OT), and Video. Insights from Space Policy and Technology Director Paul Liias on Satellite Security Challenges By Tony Morbin (@tonymorbin) • August 15, 2025 Paul Liias, Head of Space Policy and…
Date: May 28, 2025
Category: Ransomware / Data Breach
An Iranian national has acknowledged his involvement in a major ransomware and extortion operation linked to the Robbinhood ransomware in the U.S. Sina Gholinejad (also known as Sina Ghaaf), 37, along with his accomplices, infiltrated the computer networks of multiple U.S. organizations, encrypting files and demanding Bitcoin ransoms. Arrested in North Carolina in early January, Gholinejad pleaded guilty to charges of computer fraud and abuse, as well as conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces up to 30 years in prison, with his sentencing set for August 2025. The U.S. Department of Justice reported that these cyberattacks led to significant disruptions and financial losses exceeding $19 million for cities like Greenville, North Carolina, and Baltimore, Maryland.
Iranian Hacker Pleads Guilty in $19 Million Robbinhood Ransomware Attack on Baltimore May 28, 2025 In a significant development in the realm of cybersecurity, an Iranian national, Sina Gholinejad, has entered a guilty plea in the United States for his…
Data Breach Exposes Personal Information of Afghan Resettlement Applicants in UK A recent data breach involving a subcontractor for the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has resulted in the exposure of sensitive personal information of several thousand Afghan resettlement applicants.…
Severe RCE Vulnerabilities in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC Enable Unauthenticated Attackers to Obtain Root Access
Jun 26, 2025
Vulnerability, Network Security
Cisco has issued updates to resolve two critical security vulnerabilities in the Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC) that may allow unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges. These vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2025-20281 and CVE-2025-20282, both carry a maximum CVSS score of 10.0. Here’s a detailed overview of the vulnerabilities:
CVE-2025-20281: A remote code execution flaw impacting Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC versions 3.3 and later, enabling an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system as root.
CVE-2025-20282: A remote code execution vulnerability in Cisco ISE and ISE-PIC version 3.4 that allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload arbitrary files to the device and execute them as root.
Cisco has indicated that CVE-2025-20281 stems from inadequate…
Cisco Addresses Critical RCE Vulnerabilities in ISE and ISE-PIC On June 26, 2025, Cisco issued urgent updates to mitigate two severe vulnerabilities in its Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC). These flaws could allow unauthenticated remote…
