Security News

Chinese hackers backdoor chat app with new Linux, macOS malware
2022-08-12 20:45

Versions of a cross-platform instant messenger application focused on the Chinese market known as 'MiMi' have been trojanized to deliver a new backdoor that can be used to steal data from Linux and macOS systems. SEKOIA's Threat & Detection Research Team says that the app's macOS 2.3.0 version has been backdoored for almost four months, since May 26, 2022.

Tech world may face huge fines if it doesn't scrub CSAM from encrypted chats
2022-07-07 06:27

Tech companies could be fined $25 million - or ten percent of their global annual revenue - if they don't build suitable mechanisms to scan for child sex abuse material in end-to-end encrypted messages and an amended UK law is passed. The proposed update to the Online Safety bill [PDF], currently working its way through Parliament, states that British and foreign providers of a "Regulated user-to-user service" must report child sexual exploitation and abuse content to the country's National Crime Agency.

Tencent admits to poisoned QR code attack on QQ chat platform
2022-06-28 04:31

Chinese web giant Tencent has admitted to a significant account hijack attack on its QQ.com messaging and social media platform. In a post to rival social media platform Sina Weibo - a rough analog of Twitter - Tencent apologized for the incident.

Speek! is a new encrypted chat service that uses Tor to offer secure communication
2022-05-31 14:35

Speek! is a new encrypted chat service that uses Tor to offer secure communication. Speek! isn't quite like the chat apps and services you are used to.

Patch now: Zoom chat messages can infect PCs, Macs, phones with malware
2022-05-24 21:33

Zoom has fixed a security flaw in its video-conferencing software that a miscreant could exploit with chat messages to potentially execute malicious code on a victim's device. The upshot is that someone who can send you chat messages could cause your vulnerable Zoom client app to install malicious code, such as malware and spyware, from an arbitrary server.

Experts Analyze Conti and Hive Ransomware Gangs' Chats With Their Victims
2022-05-04 00:39

An analysis of four months of chat logs spanning more than 40 conversations between the operators of Conti and Hive ransomware and their victims has offered an insight into the groups' inner workings and their negotiation techniques. Conti and Hive are among the most prevalent ransomware strains in the threat landscape, cumulatively accounting for 29.1% of attacks detected during the three-month-period between October and December 2021.

Conti Ransomware Gang's Internal Chats Leaked Online After Siding With Russia
2022-03-03 20:29

Days after the Conti ransomware group broadcasted a pro-Russian message pledging its allegiance to Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a disgruntled member of the cartel has leaked the syndicate's internal chats. The file dump, published by malware research group VX-Underground, is said to contain 13 months of chat logs between affiliates and administrators of the Russia-affiliated ransomware group from January 2021 to February 2022, in a move that's expected to offer unprecedented insight into the gang's workings.

Conti ransomware's internal chats leaked after siding with Russia
2022-02-28 04:23

An angry member of the Conti ransomware operation has leaked over 60,000 private messages after the gang sided with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. AdvIntel CEO Vitali Kremez, who has been tracking the Conti/TrickBot operation over the last couple of years, also confirmed to BleepingComputer that the leaked messages are valid and were taken from a log server for the Jabber communication system used by the ransomware gang.

Hackers slip into Microsoft Teams chats to distribute malware
2022-02-17 14:00

Security researchers warn that some attackers are compromising Microsoft Teams accounts to slip into chats and spread malicious executables to participants in the conversation. More than 270 million users are relying on Microsoft Teams every month, many of them trusting the platform implicitly, despite the absence of protections against malicious files.

Major Discord API outage prevents logins and voice chats
2022-01-26 20:27

Discord is suffering a 'massive outage' preventing users from logging in to the service or using voice chats. The outage started at 2:49 PM EST and was originally caused by a widespread API outage.