The FBI has been investigating a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the contractor’s alleged role in a hack-and-leak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company’s biggest critics, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The operation involved mercenary hackers who successfully breached the email accounts of environmental activists and others, the sources told Reuters. The scheme allegedly began in late 2015, when U.S. authorities contend that the names of the hacking targets were compiled by the DCI Group, a public affairs and lobbying company working for Exxon at the time, one of the sources said. DCI provided the names to an Israeli private detective, who then outsourced the hacking, according to the source.
Read more…
Source: Reuters News
Related:
- Hackers hijacking WhatsApp accounts without any need to crack the authentication
December 21, 2025
Security researchers are warning WhatsApp users about a growing account hijacking technique that does not rely on breaking passwords or bypassing encryption. Attackers exploit WhatsApp’s legitimate device-linking feature to quietly attach their own browser to a victim’s account. Once linked, the attacker can read messages in real time, download shared media, and send messages that appear ...
- U.S. DOJ: Ukrainian National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Use Ransomware
December 19, 2025
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Artem Stryzhak pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity, including extortion, in connection with computers, for his role in a series of international ransomware attacks. Stryzhak, a Ukrainian citizen, was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and extradited to the United States on April 30, ...
- Hunting for Mythic in network traffic
December 11, 2025
Threat actors frequently employ post-exploitation frameworks in cyberattacks to maintain control over compromised hosts and move laterally within the organization’s network. While they once favored closed-source frameworks, such as Cobalt Strike and Brute Ratel C4, open-source projects like Mythic, Sliver, and Havoc have surged in popularity in recent years. Malicious actors are also quick to adopt ...
- U.S. Justice Department Announces Actions to Combat Two Russian State-Sponsored Cyber Criminal Hacking Groups
December 9, 2025
The Justice Department announced two indictments in the Central District of California charging Ukrainian national Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova, 33, also known as Vika, Tory, and SovaSonya, for her role in conducting cyberattacks and computer intrusions against critical infrastructure and other victims around the world, in support of Russia’s geopolitical interests. Dubranova was extradited to the ...
- React2Shell RCE flaw exploited by Chinese hackers hours after disclosure
December 8, 2025
Just as the experts predicted, cybercriminals are now actively exploiting the critical severity vulnerability in React Server Components (RSC) that was discovered late last week. To make matters worse, the crooks observed abusing the bug seem to be working for the Chinese government. Late last week, the React team published a security advisory detailing a pre-authentication ...
- Poland detains three Ukrainians over possession of hacking equipment
December 8, 2025
A Polish court has ordered three Ukrainian nationals held on charges of computer fraud and possessing hardware and software designed to commit crimes, including a suspected attempt to damage IT data deemed crucial to national defence. The three men, aged 43, 42 and 39, were detained after a roadside check in Warsaw, Polish state news agency ...