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Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity stories, news and updates.
9 stories published
Technology
Costa Rica Probes Alleged 400 Million Record Leak From Credit Agency Cero Riesgo on Dark Web
Costa Rica's National Cybersecurity Directorate has opened an investigation into an alleged massive data leak from credit protection company Cero Riesgo, after a threat actor using the name jarol1488 advertised a database of more than 400 million records on the DarkForums marketplace, including salaries, addresses, phone numbers and photographs of Costa Rican citizens. Specialists analyzing a sample of roughly 10,000 released entries have confirmed some data is genuine, though authorities say it is not yet possible to verify the full scope of the file. Director Gezer Molina Colomer said the issue was identified over the weekend. The Central Bank has denied any breach of its own systems after speculation linked the data to the national beneficial-ownership registry it manages.
Technology
Hackers Impersonate Italian Law Enforcement to Extort Revolut Over 680 Customers
A hacking group calling itself iamnotavillain has demanded 6,000 monero, worth roughly 3 million dollars, from fintech Revolut after tricking the company into handing over customer data by impersonating Italian law enforcement through the country's certified government email system. The group says it holds files on 680 Revolut customers across 31 countries, most based in Switzerland and France, including passports, identity-check selfies, account IDs and crypto transaction records, after targeting users with large crypto holdings identified through onchain analysis. Revolut says its core systems, databases and customer funds were never breached and that it identified the scam, blocked the fraudulent address and notified law enforcement and regulators, saying it has received no direct ransom demand. Italian postal police and the interior ministry have confirmed an investigation into the compromised PEC email channel, while opposition lawmaker Giulia Pastorella called the breach of a government email account alarming.
Technology
CenterPoint Energy Confirms Customer Data Stolen as Hacker Claims 7.49 Million Records in Utility Breach
CenterPoint Energy has confirmed in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing that an unauthorised third party stole personal information from an external-facing system, after a threat actor leaked data allegedly covering 7.49 million customer records including names, addresses, account numbers and partial Social Security numbers. The Houston-based utility, which serves roughly 7 million metered customers across four states, says its electric and gas services were not impacted and that it does not expect a material financial effect. The intruder claims the data was exfiltrated through a public API lacking rate limiting and firewall protection, and multiple class-action lawsuits have already been filed in federal courts.
Technology
Hackers Exploit VPN Flaw to Breach Japan's Digital Agency and Access 240,000 People's Data
Japan's Digital Agency has disclosed that hackers exploited a vulnerability in VPN equipment to infiltrate the Government Solution Service, the shared IT network used across government, potentially exposing the personal information of about 240,000 government workers and contractors. Records accessed include roughly 246,000 entries with names, about 231,000 email addresses, some 94,000 phone numbers and around 1,000 addresses, although My Number identification data, bank account information and pension numbers were not affected. The third party infiltrated the system from around late May, and the agency opened an investigation in June after detecting large-scale file access through a network maintenance operator's account. "We take this extremely seriously," Digital Agency Minister Hisashi Matsumoto told a news conference, pledging strengthened security measures. No misuse has been confirmed.
Technology
Global Ransomware Attacks Hit Record 997 in August as Utilities Surge
Global ransomware attacks reached a record 997 worldwide in August 2026, averaging 32 attacks per day and marking a 23 percent increase from 809 attacks in July, according to new data from Comparitech. The total surpassed the previous monthly record of 988 attacks recorded in February 2025. Businesses absorbed 861 attacks, up 24 percent from July, while incidents against healthcare providers rose 30 percent to 69. Utility companies saw the sharpest spike, with attacks doubling from five in July to 10 in August. The surge was led by the Qilin and The Gentlemen groups, which together accounted for more than 26 percent of the month's attacks, with Qilin claiming 157 incidents and The Gentlemen 107. Rebecca Moody, head of data research at Comparitech, said utility companies saw the biggest spike, while law firms rose 52 percent and tech companies 42 percent.
Technology
ICE to Purchase Robot Dogs From Boston Dynamics for Officer Safety
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is set to spend over a million dollars on robot dogs from Boston Dynamics according to 404 Media. The agency announcement says the bots will improve officer safety in part because they can be remotely operated. This follows another recent announcement that the agency will be purchasing electric shock gloves for its officers. In April DHS requested nearly 100 billion dollars in discretionary spending. The robot dog purchase has raised concerns about the militarization of domestic law enforcement and the use of autonomous technology in immigration enforcement. The devices can navigate rough terrain climb stairs and operate in extreme temperatures.
Technology
Jaguar Land Rover Extends Production Pause Until Sept 24 After Cyberattack Steals Data
Jaguar Land Rover extended a global production pause until Sept. 24 as it investigates a cyberattack first disclosed on Sept. 2, 2025, with the company confirming on Sept. 10 that hackers stole some of its data after initially reporting no evidence of theft. A group claiming affiliation with Scattered Spider, Lapsus$ and ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, according to Sophos researchers. The U.K. National Cyber Security Centre is helping JLR respond, and labor union Unite has called on the British government to create a furlough plan protecting thousands of workers affected by the shutdown. The company says it is considering different stages of a controlled restart of global operations while its forensic investigation continues.
Technology
FBI Seizes QScan and QTRouter Hacking Platforms Used by Chinese State Sponsored Group
The Justice Department and FBI announced court-authorized domain seizures on Aug. 26 that disabled two hacking platforms known as QScan and QTRouter, operated by a China state-sponsored group called QTFY that targeted U.S. critical infrastructure including NASA, the Federal Reserve and the Department of Energy. Court documents in the Southern District of California allege the group, employed by the Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, sold hacking services to China's Ministry of State Security and the People's Liberation Army. The seizures rendered both platforms inoperable and mark the latest in a series of FBI technical operations against China-sponsored botnets dating back to 2023.
Technology
AI-Powered Cyberattacks Surge as Global Data Breaches Hit Record Highs in 2026
Data breaches involving consumer personal information are on pace to surpass last year record in 2026, with artificial intelligence playing a growing role in enabling cyberattacks. Between March 2025 and February 2026, one in four data breaches was AI-enabled, representing a 56 percent increase from the prior year, according to a new study from IBM. The Identity Theft Resource Center reported 1,803 data compromises in the first half of 2026 alone, up from 1,732 during the same period last year. More than 471 million victim notices were associated with those compromises, compared with 297.5 million notices issued in all of 2025.