SesameOp: Novel backdoor uses OpenAI Assistants API for command and control

Microsoft Incident Response – Detection and Response Team (DART) researchers uncovered a new backdoor that is notable for its novel use of the OpenAI Assistants Application Programming Interface (API) as a mechanism for command-and-control (C2) communications. Instead of relying on Read More …

University of Pennsylvania says it has called FBI over data breach

The University of Pennsylvania says it has called in the Federal Bureau of Investigation after offensive emails were distributed to alumni. In a statement, the university said that a data breach had affected “select information systems.” An email sent to Read More …

US government warns Linux CVE-2024-1086 flaw is now being exploited for ransomware attacks

The US government is warning that a Linux flaw introduced more than a decade ago – and fixed more than a year ago – is being actively used in ransomware attacks. In February 2014, a vulnerability was introduced into the Read More …

Chicago firm that resolves ransomware attacks had rogue workers carrying out their own hacks

Rogue employees of a Chicago company that specializes in negotiating ransoms to mitigate cyber attacks were carrying out their own piracy in a plot to extort millions of dollars from a series of companies, prosecutors say. Kevin Tyler Martin, a Read More …

Update Chrome now: 20 security fixes just landed

Google has released an update for its Chrome browser that includes 20 security fixes, several of which are classed as high severity. Most of these flaws were found in Chrome’s V8 engine—the part of Chrome (and other Chromium-based browsers) that Read More …

Canadian government claims hacktivists are attacking water and energy facilities

The Canadian government has issued a new security alert warning of so-called hacktivists targeting Industrial Control Systems (ICS). The report says the Cyber Centre and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has received “multiple reports” of incidents involving internet-accessible ICS. Among Read More …

Government hackers breached telecom giant Ribbon for months before getting caught

U.S. telecommunications giant Ribbon has confirmed that government-backed hackers had access to its network for almost a year before getting caught, according to a public filing. The telco giant said in a 10-Q disclosure last week with the U.S. Securities Read More …

UK: Woman charged after around 100 patient records accessed in data breach

A woman has been charged after around 100 patients had their medical records accessed in a data breach at NHS Lothian. The health board has written letters to patients affected by the breach, which they say was caused by one Read More …

Ransomware gang claims Conduent breach: what you should watch for next [updated]

Updated – October 30, 2025: New information confirms that Conduent’s 2024 breach has impacted over 10.5 million people, based on notifications filed with multiple state attorneys general. The largest disclosure came from the Oregon government, which reported 10.5 million affected Read More …

Suspected Nation-State Threat Actor Uses New Airstalk Malware in a Supply Chain Attack

Palo Alto Unit 42 researchers have discovered a new Windows-based malware family they’ve named Airstalk, which is available in both PowerShell and .NET variants. Unit 42 assess with medium confidence that a possible nation-state threat actor used this malware in Read More …