The US Department of Justice has moved to seize over $2.3 million in Bitcoin tied to a member of the Chaos ransomware group. The funds, taken from a wallet linked to the individual known as ‘Hors’, are alleged to be proceeds of extortion and money laundering.
Chaos operates as a ransomware-as-a-service group, renting its malware to affiliates targeting Windows, Linux, and NAS systems. The group has been active since early 2025 and is known for encrypting victims’ data while demanding crypto payments under threat of public leaks.
US Federal agents accessed the wallet in April using a recovery seed phrase from an older Electrum platform and transferred the assets to a government-controlled address. The DOJ said the operation demonstrates growing success in disrupting ransomware-related crypto flows.
Despite the seizure, challenges remain as such groups evolve their tactics and benefit from the relative anonymity of decentralised platforms. Authorities stress that continued cross-agency cooperation and advances in blockchain forensics are essential in combating future threats.
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Global corporations are under growing threat from increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks as AI tools boost the capabilities of malicious actors.
Allianz Life recently confirmed a breach affecting most of its 1.4 million North American customers, adding to a string of high-profile incidents this year.
Microsoft is also contending with the aftermath of a wide-scale intrusion, as attackers continue to exploit AI-driven methods to bypass traditional defences.
Cybersecurity firm DeepStrike reports that over 560,000 new malware samples are detected daily, underscoring the scale of the threat.
Each month in 2025 has brought fresh incidents. January saw breaches at the UN and Hewlett-Packard, while crypto lender zkLend lost $9.5 million to hackers in February.
March was marked by a significant attack on Elon Musk’s X platform, and Oracle lost six million data records.
April and May were particularly damaging for retailers and financial services. M&S, Harrods, and Coinbase were among the prominent names hit, with the latter facing a $20 million ransom demand. In June, luxury brands and media companies, including Cartier and the Washington Post, were also targeted.
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Allianz Life has confirmed a major cyber breach that exposed sensitive data from most of its 1.4 million customers in North America.
The attack was traced back to 16 July, when a threat actor accessed a third-party cloud system using social engineering tactics.
The cybersecurity breach affected a customer relationship management platform but did not compromise the company’s core network or policy systems.
Allianz Life acted swiftly by notifying the FBI and other regulators, including the attorney general’s office in Maine.
Those impacted are offered two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection. The company has begun contacting affected individuals but declined to reveal the full number involved due to an ongoing investigation.
No other Allianz subsidiaries were affected by the breach. Allianz Life employs around 2,000 staff in the US and remains a key player within the global insurer’s North American operations.
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Thanks to AI, historians studying ancient Rome now have a powerful new tool.
A research team, including scholars from Google DeepMind and the University of Nottingham, developed a generative AI model called Aeneas that can help interpret damaged Latin inscriptions by estimating their location and date and suggesting likely missing text.
Each year, roughly 1,500 new Latin inscriptions are unearthed, ranging from imperial decrees to everyday graffiti. These inscriptions, written by ancient Romans across all social classes, offer rare, first-hand insights into daily life, language, and society.
Yet many of them are incomplete or difficult to contextualise. Traditionally, scholars must compare each inscription against hundreds of others manually — a process described as laborious and requiring exceptional expertise.
Aeneas, trained on over 170,000 Latin texts, can now predict when and where an inscription was written across the Roman Empire’s 62 provinces. In one test case, it analysed the famous Res Gestae Divi Augusti, narrowing down the date to the same two options long debated by historians.
Aeneas significantly improved research outcomes when used alongside human expertise instead of replacing it, helping scholars piece together history more efficiently than ever.
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Microsoft has officially removed the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) from Windows 11 and replaced it with a sleeker, black version.
As part of the update KB5062660, the Black Screen of Death now appears briefly—around two seconds—before a restart, showing only a short error message without the sad face or QR code that became symbolic of Windows crashes.
The update, which brings systems to Build 26100.4770, is optional and must be installed manually through Windows Update or the Microsoft Update Catalogue.
It is available for both x64 and arm64 platforms. Microsoft plans to roll out the update more broadly in August 2025 as part of its Windows 11 24H2 feature preview.
In addition to the screen change, the update introduces ‘Recall’ for EU users, a tool designed to operate locally and allow users to block or turn off tracking across apps and websites. The feature aims to comply with European privacy rules while enhancing user control.
Also included is Quick Machine Recovery, which can identify and fix system-wide failures using the Windows Recovery Environment. If a device becomes unbootable, it can download a repair patch automatically to restore functionality instead of requiring manual intervention.
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Online searches for VPNs skyrocketed in the UK following the introduction of new age verification rules on adult websites such as PornHub, YouPorn and RedTube.
Under the Online Safety Act, these platforms must confirm that visitors are over 18 using facial recognition, photo ID or credit card details.
Data from Google Trends showed that searches for ‘VPN’ jumped by over 700 percent on Friday morning, suggesting many attempt to sidestep the restrictions by masking their location. VPN services allow users to spoof their device’s location to another country instead of complying with local regulations.
Critics argue that the measures are both ineffective and risky. Aylo, the company behind PornHub, called the checks ‘haphazard and dangerous’, warning they put users’ privacy at risk.
Legal experts also doubt the system’s impact, saying it fails to block access to dark web content or unregulated forums.
Aylo proposed that age verification should occur on users’ devices instead of websites storing sensitive information. The company stated it is open to working with governments, civil groups and tech firms to develop a safer, device-based system that protects privacy while enforcing age limits.
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Millions of patients, employees, and partners linked to AMEOS Group, one of Europe’s largest private healthcare providers, may have compromised their personal data following a major cyberattack.
The company admitted that hackers briefly accessed its IT systems, stealing sensitive data including contact information and records tied to patients and corporate partners.
Despite existing security measures, AMEOS was unable to prevent the breach. The company operates over 100 facilities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, employing 18,000 staff and managing over 10,000 beds.
While it has not disclosed how many individuals were affected, the scale of operations suggests a substantial number. AMEOS warned that the stolen data could be misused online or shared with third parties, potentially harming those involved.
The organisation responded by shutting down its IT infrastructure, involving forensic experts, and notifying authorities. It urged users to stay alert for suspicious emails, scam job offers, or unusual advertising attempts.
Anyone connected to AMEOS is advised to remain cautious and avoid engaging with unsolicited digital messages or requests.
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US federal authorities have issued a joint warning over a spike in ransomware attacks by the Interlock group, which has been targeting healthcare and public services across North America and Europe.
The alert was released by the FBI, CISA, HHS and MS-ISAC, following a surge in activity throughout June.
Interlock operates as a ransomware-as-a-service scheme and first emerged in September 2024. The group uses double extortion techniques, not only encrypting files but also stealing sensitive data and threatening to leak it unless a ransom is paid.
High-profile victims include DaVita, Kettering Health and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Rather than relying on traditional methods alone, Interlock often uses compromised legitimate websites to trigger drive-by downloads.
The malicious software is disguised as familiar tools like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge installers. Remote access trojans are then used to gain entry, maintain persistence using PowerShell, and escalate access using credential stealers and keyloggers.
Authorities recommend several countermeasures, such as installing DNS filtering tools, using web firewalls, applying regular software updates, and enforcing strong access controls.
They also advise organisations to train staff in recognising phishing attempts and to ensure backups are encrypted, secure and kept off-site instead of stored within the main network.
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Cybersecurity experts in London have warned of a sharp increase in corporate data breaches, with leaked files now frequently containing sensitive financial and personal records.
A new report by Lab 1 reveals that 93 percent of such breaches involve documents like invoices, IBANs, and bank statements, fuelling widespread fraud and reputational damage in the UK.
The study examined 141 million leaked files and shows how hackers increasingly target unstructured data such as HR records, emails, and internal code.
Often ignored in standard breach reviews, these files contain rich details that can be used for identity theft or follow-up cyberattacks.
Hackers are now behaving more like data scientists, according to Lab 1’s CEO, mining leaks for valuable information to exploit. The average breach now affects over 400 organisations indirectly, including business partners and vendors, significantly widening the fallout.
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Millions of Android-based devices have been infected by a new strain of malware called BadBox 2.0, prompting urgent warnings from Google and the FBI. The malicious software can trigger ransomware attacks and collect sensitive user data.
The infected devices are primarily cheap, off-brand products manufactured in China, many of which come preloaded with the malware. Models such as the X88 Pro 10, T95, and QPLOVE Q9 are among those identified as compromised.
Google has launched legal action to shut down the illegal operation, calling BadBox 2.0 the largest botnet linked to internet-connected TVs. The FBI has advised the public to disconnect any suspicious devices and check for unusual network activity.
The malware generates illicit revenue through adware and poses broader cybersecurity threats, including denial-of-service attacks. Consumers are urged to avoid unofficial products and verify devices are Play Protect-certified before use.
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