Nike has launched an internal investigation following claims by the WorldLeaks cybercrime group that company data was stolen from its systems.
The sportswear giant said it is assessing a potential cybersecurity incident after the group listed Nike on its Tor leak site and published a large volume of files allegedly taken during the intrusion.
WorldLeaks claims to have released approximately 1.4 terabytes of data, comprising more than 188,000 files. The group is known for data theft and extortion tactics, pressuring organisations to pay by threatening public disclosure instead of encrypting systems with ransomware.
The cybercrime operation emerged in 2025 after rebranding from Hunters International, a ransomware gang active since 2023. Increased law enforcement pressure reportedly led the group to abandon encryption-based attacks and focus exclusively on stealing sensitive corporate data.
An incident that adds to growing concerns across the retail and apparel sector, following a recent breach affecting Under Armour that exposed tens of millions of customer records.
Nike has stated that consumer privacy and data protection remain priorities while the investigation continues.
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Researchers and free-speech advocates are warning that coordinated swarms of AI agents could soon be deployed to manipulate public opinion at a scale capable of undermining democratic systems.
According to a consortium of academics from leading universities, advances in generative and agentic AI now enable large numbers of human-like bots to infiltrate online communities and autonomously simulate organic political discourse.
Unlike earlier forms of automated misinformation, AI swarms are designed to adapt to social dynamics, learn community norms and exchange information in pursuit of a shared objective.
By mimicking human behaviour and spreading tailored narratives gradually, such systems could fabricate consensus, amplify doubt around electoral processes and normalise anti-democratic outcomes without triggering immediate detection.
Evidence of early influence operations has already emerged in recent elections across Asia, where AI-driven accounts have engaged users with large volumes of unverifiable information rather than overt propaganda.
Researchers warn that information overload, strategic neutrality and algorithmic amplification may prove more effective than traditional disinformation campaigns.
The authors argue that democratic resilience now depends on global coordination, combining technical safeguards such as watermarking and detection tools with stronger governance of political AI use.
Without collective action, they caution that AI-enabled manipulation risks outpacing existing regulatory and institutional defences.
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Generative phishing techniques are becoming harder to detect as attackers use subtle visual tricks in web addresses to impersonate trusted brands. A new campaign reported by Cybersecurity News shows how simple character swaps create fake websites that closely resemble real ones on mobile browsers.
The phishing attacks rely on a homoglyph technique where the letters ‘r’ and ‘n’ are placed together to mimic the appearance of an ‘m’ in a domain name. On smaller screens, the difference is difficult to spot, allowing phishing pages to appear almost identical to real Microsoft or Marriott login sites.
Cybersecurity researchers observed domains such as rnicrosoft.com being used to send fake security alerts and invoice notifications designed to lure victims into entering credentials. Once compromised, accounts can be hijacked for financial fraud, data theft, or wider access to corporate systems.
Experts warn that mobile browsing increases the risk, as users are less likely to inspect complete URLs before logging in. Directly accessing official apps or typing website addresses manually remains the safest way to avoid falling into these traps.
Security specialists also continue to recommend passkeys, strong, unique passwords, and multi-factor authentication across all major accounts, as well as heightened awareness of domains that visually resemble familiar brands through character substitution.
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A multi-faceted phishing campaign is abusing LinkedIn private messages to deliver weaponised malware using DLL sideloading, security researchers have warned. The activity relies on PDFs and archive files that appear trustworthy to bypass conventional security controls.
Attackers contact targets on LinkedIn and send self-extracting archives disguised as legitimate documents. When opened, a malicious DLL is sideloaded into a trusted PDF reader, triggering memory-resident malware that establishes encrypted command-and-control channels.
Using LinkedIn messages increases engagement by exploiting professional trust and bypassing email-focused defences. DLL sideloading allows malicious code to run inside legitimate applications, complicating detection.
The campaign enables credential theft, data exfiltration and lateral movement through in-memory backdoors. Encrypted command-and-control traffic makes containment more difficult.
Organisations using common PDF software or Python tooling face elevated risk. Defenders are advised to strengthen social media phishing awareness, monitor DLL loading behaviour and rotate credentials where compromise is suspected.
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Police in Japan have arrested a man accused of creating and selling non-consensual deepfake pornography using AI tools. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said thousands of manipulated images of female celebrities were distributed through paid websites.
Investigators in Japan allege the suspect generated hundreds of thousands of images over two years using freely available generative AI software. Authorities say the content was promoted on social media before being sold via subscription platforms.
The arrest follows earlier cases in Japan and reflects growing concern among police worldwide. In South Korea, law enforcement has reported hundreds of arrests linked to deepfake sexual crimes, while cases have also emerged in the UK.
European agencies, including Europol, have also coordinated arrests tied to AI-generated abuse material. Law enforcement bodies say the spread of accessible AI tools is forcing rapid changes in forensic investigation and in the handling of digital evidence.
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Under Armour is facing growing scrutiny following the publication of customer data linked to a ransomware attack disclosed in late 2025.
According to breach verification platform Have I Been Pwned, a dataset associated with the incident appeared on a hacking forum in January, exposing information tied to tens of millions of customers.
The leaked material reportedly includes 72 million email addresses alongside names, dates of birth, location details and purchase histories. Security analysts warn that such datasets pose risks that extend far beyond immediate exposure, particularly when personal identifiers and behavioural data are combined.
Experts note that verified customer information linked to a recognised brand can enable compelling phishing and fraud campaigns powered by AI tools.
Messages referencing real transactions or purchase behaviour can blur the boundary between legitimate communication and malicious activity, increasing the likelihood of delayed victimisation.
The incident has also led to legal action against Under Armour, with plaintiffs alleging failures in safeguarding sensitive customer information. The case highlights how modern data breaches increasingly generate long-term consequences rather than immediate technical disruption.
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Online scams are expected to surge in 2026, overtaking ransomware as the top cyber-risk, the World Economic Forum warned, driven by the growing use of generative AI.
Executives are increasingly concerned about AI-driven scams that are easier to launch and harder to detect than traditional cybercrime. WEF managing director Jeremy Jurgens said leaders now face the challenge of acting collectively to protect trust and stability in an AI-driven digital environment.
Consumers are also feeling the impact. An Experian report found 68% of people now see identity theft as their main concern, while US Federal Trade Commission data shows consumer fraud losses reached $12.5 billion in 2024, up 25% year on year.
Generative AI is enabling more convincing phishing, voice cloning, and impersonation attempts. The WEF reported that 62% of executives experienced phishing attacks, 37% encountered invoice fraud, and 32% reported identity theft, with vulnerable groups increasingly targeted through synthetic content abuse.
Experts warn that many organisations still lack the skills and resources to defend against evolving threats. Consumer groups advise slowing down, questioning urgent messages, avoiding unsolicited requests for information, and verifying contacts independently to reduce the risk of generative AI-powered scams.
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Security researchers from Check Point have uncovered VoidLink. This advanced and modular Linux malware framework has been developed predominantly with AI assistance, likely by a single individual rather than a well-resourced threat group.
VoidLink’s development process, exposed due to the developer’s operational security (OPSEC) failures, indicates that AI models were used not just for parts of the code but to orchestrate the entire project plan, documentation and implementation.
According to analysts, the malware framework reached a functional state in under a week with more than 88,000 lines of code, compressing what would traditionally take weeks or months into days.
Technically, VoidLink is remarkable for its modular design, offering dozens of plugins and capabilities that could enable stealthy long-term access to Linux and cloud environments.
While no confirmed in-the-wild attacks have yet been reported, researchers caution that the advent of AI-assisted malware represents a significant cybersecurity shift, lowering the barrier to creating sophisticated threats and potentially enabling widespread future misuse.
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The UK government has launched the Software Security Ambassadors Scheme to promote stronger software security practices nationwide. The initiative is led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the National Cyber Security Centre.
In the UK, participating organisations commit to championing the new Software Security Code of Practice within their industries. Signatories agree to lead by example through secure development, procurement and advisory practices, while sharing lessons learned to strengthen national cyber resilience.
The scheme aims to improve transparency and risk management across UK digital supply chains. Software developers are encouraged to embed security throughout the whole lifecycle, while buyers are expected to incorporate security standards into procurement processes.
Officials say the approach supports the UK’s broader economic and security goals by reducing cyber risks and increasing trust in digital technologies. The government believes that better security practices will help UK businesses innovate safely and withstand cyber incidents.
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The US tech giant, Microsoft, investigated a service disruption affecting Exchange Online, Teams and other Microsoft 365 services after users reported access and performance problems.
An incident that began late on Wednesday affected core communication tools used by enterprises for daily operations.
Engineers initially focused on diagnosing the fault, with Microsoft indicating that a potential third-party networking issue may have interfered with access to Outlook and Teams.
During the disruption, users experienced intermittent connectivity failures, latency and difficulties signing in across parts of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Microsoft later confirmed that service access had been restored, although no detailed breakdown of the outage scope was provided.
The incident underlined the operational risks associated with cloud productivity platforms and the importance of transparency and resilience in enterprise digital infrastructure.
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