cyberlights – week 34/2025
A weekly shortlist of cyber security highlights. The short summaries are AI generated! If something is wrong, please let me know!
News For All
🚦 Dutch prosecution service attack keeps speed cameras offline cybercrime – A cyberattack on the Dutch Public Prosecution Service has left numerous speed cameras offline. While the attack didn't target the cameras directly, it hampers their reactivation due to system interconnectivity. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/15/cyberattack_on_dutch_prosecution_service/
🎟️ Gefälschtes Gewinnspiel für Wiener Linien Jahreskarte im Umlauf warning – Fake Facebook posts are promoting a bogus contest for a Wiener Linien half-year ticket. The scam aims to steal credit card and personal information through a deceptive website. https://www.watchlist-internet.at/news/gefaelschtes-gewinnspiel-fuer-wiener-linien-jahreskarte-im-umlauf/
🔒 Multiple Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Products warning – Microsoft's August 2025 Patch Tuesday advisory addresses 111 security vulnerabilities, with 16 critical ones. Users are urged to update systems promptly, especially public-facing assets. https://cert.europa.eu/publications/security-advisories/2025-032/
🤖 Grok Exposes Underlying Prompts for Its AI Personas: ‘EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR ASS’ security research – Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has revealed prompts for its various personas, including a conspiracist character. This exposure raises concerns about the chatbot's design and potential influence on users. https://www.404media.co/grok-exposes-underlying-prompts-for-its-ai-personas-even-putting-things-in-your-ass/
🔓 HR giant Workday says hackers stole personal data in recent breach data breach – Workday confirmed a data breach involving the theft of personal information from a third-party database, raising concerns about potential social engineering scams. Details on affected individuals remain unclear. https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/18/hr-giant-workday-says-hackers-stole-personal-data-in-recent-breach/
🔐 Allianz Life data breach affects 1.1 million customers data breach – A data breach at Allianz Life has compromised the personal information of 1.1 million customers, including Social Security numbers. The breach is linked to the hacking group ShinyHunters. https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/18/allianz-life-data-breach-affects-1-1-million-customers/
🔑 UK drops demand for backdoor into Apple encryption privacy – The UK government has abandoned its demand for a backdoor into Apple’s encryption, potentially allowing Apple to restore Advanced Data Protection (ADP) iCloud encryption services in the UK. https://www.theverge.com/news/761240/uk-apple-us-encryption-back-door-demands-dropped
🚓 Speed cameras knocked out after cyber attack security news – A cyberattack on the Netherlands' Public Prosecution Service has rendered many speed cameras inoperable, impacting road safety and delaying legal proceedings as the organization remains offline. https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/speed-cameras-knocked-out-after-cyber-attack
🎤 Officials gain control of Rapper Bot DDoS botnet, charge lead developer and administrator cybercrime – Authorities have taken control of the powerful Rapper Bot DDoS botnet and charged its developer, Ethan Foltz, with aiding computer intrusions. The botnet conducted over 370,000 attacks worldwide since 2021. https://cyberscoop.com/rapper-bot-ddos-botnet-disrupted/
💊 Pharmaceutical firm Inotiv discloses ransomware attack. Qilin group claims responsibility for the hack data breach – Inotiv has reported a ransomware attack that encrypted systems and disrupted operations. The Qilin group claimed responsibility, alleging they stole 176GB of data from the firm. https://securityaffairs.com/181311/data-breach/pharmaceutical-firm-inotiv-discloses-ransomware-attack-qilin-group-claims-responsibility-for-the-hack.html
⚠️ Critical Chrome Flaw CVE‑2025‑9132 Exposes Browsers to Remote Code Execution vulnerability – A remote code execution flaw in Google Chrome, CVE-2025-9132, was discovered in the V8 JavaScript engine, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. Users are urged to update to version 139.0.7258.138 or later to mitigate risks. https://thecyberexpress.com/chrome-v8-vulnerability-cve%E2%80%912025%E2%80%919132/
🍔 McDonald's not lovin' it when hacker exposes rotten security security news – A white-hat hacker uncovered severe security flaws in McDonald's portals, enabling free food orders and access to sensitive data. The company has since made some fixes but still lacks a proper security disclosure process. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/20/mcdonalds_terrible_security/
🤦♂Researcher Exposes Zero-Day Clickjacking Vulnerabilities in Major Password Managers vulnerability – A researcher revealed serious clickjacking vulnerabilities in popular password managers, enabling hackers to easily steal sensitive data if users visit malicious sites. Many remain unpatched. https://socket.dev/blog/password-manager-clickjacking
📞 Major Belgian telecom firm says cyberattack compromised data on 850,000 accounts data breach – Orange Belgium reported a cyberattack that compromised data from 850,000 customer accounts, including names and phone numbers. No critical data like passwords or financial details were hacked. https://therecord.media/belgian-telecom-says-cyberattack-compromised-data-on-850000
👓 Harvard dropouts to launch 'always on' AI smart glasses that listen and record every conversation privacy – Former Harvard students are launching Halo X, AI-powered smart glasses that record conversations and provide real-time information. Privacy advocates raise concerns about covert recording and consent laws. https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/20/harvard-dropouts-to-launch-always-on-ai-smart-glasses-that-listen-and-record-every-conversation/
📸 'Screenshot-grabbing' Chrome VPN extension still available privacy – The FreeVPN.One Chrome extension has been found capturing users' screenshots and sending them to a remote server without consent. Despite warnings, it remains available on the Chrome Web Store. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/21/freevpn_privacy_research/
🕵️♂️ Hackers who exposed North Korean government hacker explain why they did it cybercrime – Two hackers infiltrated a North Korean government hacker's computer, uncovering evidence of cyberespionage. They decided to leak their findings to expose the operations and help victims, despite legal risks. https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/hackers-who-exposed-north-korean-government-hacker-explain-why-they-did-it/
🔒 Apple rushes out fix for active zero-day in iOS and macOS vulnerability – Apple released emergency updates for a zero-day vulnerability in its ImageIO framework, allowing potential device hijacking through malicious image files. The flaw has reportedly been exploited in targeted attacks. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/21/apple_imageio_exploit/
🎥 Real Footage Combined With AI Slop About DC Is Creating a Disinformation Mess on TikTok security news – TikTok is flooded with misleading videos combining real and AI-generated footage about the National Guard's actions in D.C., complicating viewers' ability to discern truth from misinformation amidst a trending disinformation campaign. https://www.404media.co/real-footage-combined-with-a-ai-slop-about-dc-is-creating-a-disinformation-mess-on-tiktok/
🔍 Criminal background checker APCS faces data breach data breach – Access Personal Checking Services (APCS) is managing a data breach linked to a third-party developer, Intradev, which compromised customer data including personal details. An investigation is ongoing. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/22/apcs_breach/
🚨 Europol says Telegram post about 50,000 Qilin ransomware award is fake cybercrime – A fake Telegram post claimed Europol was offering a $50,000 reward for information on Qilin ransomware gang members. Europol confirmed the announcement was false and originated from a newly created account. https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/europol-says-telegram-post-about-50-000-qilin-ransomware-award-is-fake
🏥 DaVita tells 2.4M people ransomware scum stole health data data breach – DaVita confirmed a ransomware breach affecting 2.4 million individuals, compromising sensitive health and personal information. The Interlock ransomware gang is suspected to be behind the attack. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/22/davita_ransomware_infection/
Some More, For the Curious
🏢 Coinbase CEO says he's mandating in-person orientation to combat North Korean hackers seeking remote jobs security news – Coinbase is shifting to in-person orientations to prevent North Korean hackers from exploiting remote work. New policies include US citizenship requirements and stricter security measures. https://www.businessinsider.com/coinbase-north-korea-threats-remote-work-2025-8
🎭 How attackers are using Active Directory Federation Services to phish with legit office.com links security research – Phishers exploit Microsoft services by redirecting users from legitimate links to malicious sites, utilizing techniques like ADFSjacking. This complicates detection efforts and highlights the growing threat landscape. https://pushsecurity.com/blog/phishing-with-active-directory-federation-services/
🔍 How Researchers Collect Indicators of Compromise cyber defense – Security researchers analyze malware like Snake Keylogger to gather indicators of compromise and create detection signatures. They focus on exfiltration techniques and utilize tools to improve threat detection. https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blogs/spiderlabs-blog/how-researchers-collect-indicators-of-compromise/
📡 Boffins release 5G traffic sniffing tool security research – Researchers have launched Sni5Gect, an open-source tool for sniffing 5G traffic and executing connection downgrade attacks. It exploits vulnerabilities in pre-authentication communication to inject malicious payloads. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/18/sni5gect/
⚠️ New HTTP/2 DoS Vulnerability Prompts Vendor and Project Fixes vulnerability – A newly discovered HTTP/2 DoS vulnerability, CVE-2025-8671, allows attackers to bypass concurrency limits, causing denial of service. Vendors are rapidly addressing the flaw, which affects unpatched server implementations. https://thecyberexpress.com/new-http-2-dos-vulnerability/
🩹 Apache ActiveMQ attackers patch critical vuln after entry security news – Attackers exploiting a critical Apache ActiveMQ vulnerability have installed malware called DripDropper to maintain persistence on infected Linux servers and subsequently patched the original flaw. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/19/apache_activemq_patch_malware/
🤳 Stop Spoofing Yourself! Disabling M365 Direct Send cyber defense – Threat actors are exploiting Microsoft 365's Direct Send feature to spoof emails within organizations. Users can now disable Direct Send with a simple command, enhancing security against these attacks. https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/disabling-m365-direct-send/
🧷 Commvault releases patches for two pre-auth RCE bug chains vulnerability – Commvault has patched two critical remote code execution vulnerabilities following their disclosure by researchers. Users are urged to update immediately, as the flaws could allow unauthenticated attackers to gain admin access. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/20/commvault_bug_chains_patched/
🚗 Inside the Underground Trade of ‘Flipper Zero’ Tech to Break into Cars security research – The Flipper Zero device, known for its hacking capabilities, is being used in an underground market to unlock various car models, with hackers selling software to exploit vulnerabilities. https://www.404media.co/inside-the-underground-trade-of-flipper-zero-tech-to-break-into-cars/
🖼️ Honey, I shrunk the image and now I'm pwned vulnerability – Researchers at Trail of Bits revealed that image scaling attacks can exploit Google Gemini and other AI systems, allowing hidden prompts to exfiltrate data. Google downplays the issue, citing non-default configurations. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/21/google_gemini_image_scaling_attack/
🔒 Microsoft cuts off China's early access to bug disclosures security news – Microsoft has halted providing proof-of-concept exploit code to Chinese companies in its MAPP program following exploitation of SharePoint vulnerabilities. The change aims to prevent leaks and improve security measures. https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/21/microsoft_cuts_chinas_early_access/
CISA Corner
⚠️ CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog warning – CISA added a new vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex One to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2025/08/18/cisa-adds-one-known-exploited-vulnerability-catalog ⚠️ CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog warning – CISA added a new vulnerability in Apple iOS, iPadOS and macOS to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2025/08/21/cisa-adds-one-known-exploited-vulnerability-catalog
⚙️ CISA Releases Four Industrial Control Systems Advisories vulnerability – CISA issued four advisories detailing vulnerabilities in Industrial Control Systems by Siemens, Tigo and EG5. https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2025/08/19/cisa-releases-four-industrial-control-systems-advisories ⚙️ CISA Releases Three Industrial Control Systems Advisories vulnerability – CISA issued three advisories detailing vulnerabilities in Mitsubishi Electric systems and FUJIFILM Healthcare's Synapse Mobility. https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2025/08/21/cisa-releases-three-industrial-control-systems-advisories
While my intention is to pick news that everyone should know about, it still is what I think is significant, cool, fun... Most of the articles are in English, but some current warnings might be in German.
(by @wrzlbrmpft@infosec.exchange) Obviously, the opinions inside these articles are not my own. No guarantee for correct- or completeness in any way.