Tag: extortion
150 articles
Checkmarx GitHub Data Leaked by LAPSUS$ Hackers
Checkmarx confirmed that hackers from the LAPSUS$ group breached its GitHub repository on March 23, 2026, and published stolen data on April 22, after a series of supply-chain and credential-theft events. The attackers used the access to publish malicious code to certain artifacts, compromising the integrity of Checkmarx's software development process.
ADT Confirms Cyber Intrusion After ShinyHunters Extortion Attempt
ADT confirmed a cyber intrusion on April 20, swiftly isolating the breach and collaborating with incident responders and law enforcement to contain the damage. The compromised data included sensitive information like names, phone numbers, and addresses, as well as dates of birth and partial Social Security numbers for a smaller subset of individuals.
ADT Confirms Data Breach After ShinyHunters Extortion Threat
ADT confirmed a data breach after a threat from hackers known as ShinyHunters, who demanded an extortion payment. The breach exposed sensitive customer info, including names, phone numbers, addresses, and in some cases, dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
Carnival Breach Exposes 7.5M Emails in Alleged ShinyHunters Hack
A massive data breach at Carnival Corporation has exposed a whopping 7.5 million emails, allegedly at the hands of the notorious ShinyHunters hack group, after failed negotiations between the two parties left customers' sensitive information vulnerable. The breach is said to have yielded terabytes of internal corporate data, sparking concerns for customers and the company behind Holland America Line.
Former Ransomware Negotiator Pleads Guilty to Aiding BlackCat Cyber Gang
A former ransomware negotiator turned rogue, Angelo Martino has pleaded guilty to aiding the notorious BlackCat cyber gang, betraying his employer and the industry he was meant to serve. By secretly collaborating with BlackCat, Martino launched devastating ransomware attacks, causing harm to innocent victims and lining his own pockets.
Ransomware Negotiator Pleads Guilty to Aiding BlackCat Extortions
Meet Angelo Martino, a 41-year-old from Florida who just pleaded guilty to helping the notorious BlackCat ransomware gang extort even bigger payouts from US companies. Martino teamed up with the BlackCat operators in April 2023, marking the start of his involvement in their malicious activities.
Former Ransomware Negotiator Pleads Guilty in High-Profile Gang Case
In a shocking twist, a former ransomware negotiator has pleaded guilty to aiding the notorious ALPHV/BlackCat gang in extorting millions from US businesses, raising disturbing questions about the blurred lines between victim and perpetrator. This comes on the heels of a nonprofit organization paying a staggering $26.8 million ransom.
McGraw Hill Breach Exposes 13.5 Million User Accounts
A massive data breach at McGraw Hill has exposed the personal and academic records of 13.5 million students and educators, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by the ShinyHunters extortion group. The breach, which targeted McGraw Hill's Salesforce environment, has raised urgent concerns about digital security and data protection in the education sector.
Kraken Faces Extortion Threat After Insider Breach
Kraken is facing a sinister threat: a cybercrime group is trying to extort the cryptocurrency exchange by leaking videos of its internal systems that host client data, allegedly obtained from an insider breach. The attackers are holding Kraken hostage, demanding a payoff to keep sensitive customer information under wraps.
Rockstar Games Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Analytics Information
Rockstar Games has suffered a data breach, with sensitive analytics information - including insights into the behavior of millions of players - leaked by the ShinyHunters extortion gang on a criminal site. The breach is linked to a recent security incident at Anodot, a company used by Rockstar Games.
Phishing Gang Targets Dozens of Corporations in Helpdesk Scam Spree
Beware of the person on the other end of the line - a new phishing gang is impersonating IT helpdesks to scam dozens of major corporations, leaving investigators racing to keep up. Google is sounding the alarm on this latest extortion tactic, which uses clever social engineering to catch victims off guard.
Engineer Pleads Guilty to Ransomware Extortion Plot Targeting Industrial Firm
A former infrastructure engineer has pleaded guilty to a ransomware extortion plot that targeted his own employer, an industrial firm in New Jersey, by locking administrators out of 254 servers. This shocking breach of trust highlights the devastating consequences of insider threats in the digital age.
Meet Rey: Exclusive Profile of Controversial Admin
Meet Rey—the pseudonymous face of Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters—who unexpectedly lifted his veil after KrebsOnSecurity traced him to his father and secured an interview. That admission could shatter the groups anonymity and change the game for investigators, rivals and recruits.
Rey Exclusive: Inside the Best Scattered Lapsus$ Admin
When a reporter called his father and unmasked Rey, the public face of Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters, it upended a group built on anonymity and exposed how social‑engineering, account takeovers and micropaid crowds power a new, scalable extortion playbook. The fallout forces a rare reckoning about motive, accountability—and the practical fixes defenders and regulators can’t ignore.
Google Maps Launches Exclusive Effortless Tool vs Extortion
When a one-star review reads like a ransom note, Google Maps is giving small businesses a direct line to fight back. The new dedicated form makes reporting review bombing and extortion attempts effortless, helping protect reputations and revenue.
Scattered Spider Exclusive: Dangerous Unified Collective
Imagine low‑tech social engineering and SIM swaps teaming up with mass data brokers — that’s Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters and LAPSUS$ fusing tactics to turn bulk theft into pinpoint extortion. Security teams and cloud customers now face a hybrid, high‑leverage threat targeting SaaS platforms like Salesforce.
Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters: Exclusive Alarming Tactic Shift
Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters are reportedly swapping big-data breaches for micropaid crowdsourcing: tiny Bitcoin bounties to many contributors to flood executives with calls, DMs and mentions. Its a cheap, scalable harassment‑for‑hire tactic that blurs into extortion and could leave platforms and regulators flat-footed.
ShinyHunters extortion: Stunning Risky Corporate Threat
Imagine waking up to find your company’s secrets posted online unless you pay up — that’s the stark reality dozens of firms now face after ShinyHunters launched a brazen public extortion site. This escalation — tied to prior Salesforce, Discord, and Red Hat breaches — raises the stakes for stronger security, faster incident response, and clearer vendor transparency.
ShinyHunters Exclusive: Dangerous Corporate Extortion
ShinyHunters has escalated from voice‑phishing to a public extortion site threatening to dump data from dozens of Fortune 500 companies. That shift puts customers and companies at risk and makes strengthening human‑centric defenses and zero‑trust controls urgently necessary.
Scattered Spider Shocking $115M Ransom Scandal
How did a 19‑year‑old become the alleged face of a criminal group accused of extracting $115 million in ransoms? U.S. prosecutors say Thalha Jubair and a co‑conspirator tied to Scattered Spider used social engineering and stolen credentials to hit hospitals, transit and retailers—proof that stronger defenses and international cooperation are now essential.
ransomware payments: Stunning Risky Surge to $3.6M
Ransomware payments jumped 44% to an average $3.6M in 2025 as attackers shift to fewer, higher-value strikes—forcing organizations to weigh grim pragmatism against costly downtime, data leaks, and regulatory fallout.
email bomb campaigns: Exclusive Dangerous Zendesk Flaw
Imagine waking to hundreds of threatening emails that look like they came from companies you trust — attackers abused weak outbound authentication in Zendesk to launch hard-to-block email bomb campaigns, a wake-up call for vendors and customers to tighten SPF/DKIM/DMARC and stronger default protections now.
Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters: Exclusive Risky Hiatus
After the FBI seized their site, teenage collective Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters vowed to go dark until 2026 — a defiant restart in a familiar retire-regroup-return cycle. Whether they stick to it or not, defenders should treat the pause as a chance to patch vulnerabilities, rotate credentials and strengthen defenses.
BreachForums Stunning Win: Risky Yet Crucial Takedown
U.S. and French authorities have shut down the latest BreachForums marketplace, a welcome blow to a forum that trafficked stolen data and coordinated extortion. But while the takedown disrupts criminals and helps victims, the real test is whether arrests and sustained action can stop cybercriminals from just reappearing elsewhere.