Security & cybercrime blog
Iran-Backed Hackers Claim Wiper Attack on Medtech Firm Stryker
11 March 2026 @ 4:20 pm
A hacktivist group with links to Iran's intelligence agencies is claiming responsibility for a data-wiping attack against Stryker, a global medical technology company based in Michigan. News reports out of Ireland, Stryker's largest hub outside of the United States, said the company sent home more than 5,000 workers there today. Meanwhile, a voicemail message at Stryker's main U.S. headquarters says the company is currently experiencing a building emergency.
Microsoft Patch Tuesday, March 2026 Edition
11 March 2026 @ 12:32 am
Microsoft Corp. today pushed security updates to fix at least 77 vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and other software. There are no pressing "zero-day" flaws this month (compared to February's five zero-day treat), but as usual some patches may deserve more rapid attention from organizations using Windows. Here are a few highlights from this month's Patch Tuesday.
How AI Assistants are Moving the Security Goalposts
8 March 2026 @ 11:35 pm
AI-based assistants or "agents" -- autonomous programs that have access to the user's computer, files, online services and can automate virtually any task -- are growing in popularity with developers and IT workers. But as so many eyebrow-raising headlines over the past few weeks have shown, these powerful and assertive new tools are rapidly shifting the security priorities for organizations, while blurring the lines between data and code, trusted co-worker and insider threat, ninja hacker and novice code jockey.
Who is the Kimwolf Botmaster “Dort”?
28 February 2026 @ 12:01 pm
In early January 2026, KrebsOnSecurity revealed how a security researcher disclosed a vulnerability that was used to assemble Kimwolf, the world's largest and most disruptive botnet. Since then, the person in control of Kimwolf -- who goes by the handle "Dort" -- has coordinated a barrage of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), doxing and email flooding attacks against the researcher and this author, and more recently caused a SWAT team to be sent to the researcher's home. This post examines what is knowable about Dort based on public information.
‘Starkiller’ Phishing Service Proxies Real Login Pages, MFA
20 February 2026 @ 8:00 pm
Most phishing websites are little more than static copies of login pages for popular online destinations, and they are often quickly taken down by anti-abuse activists and security firms. But a stealthy new phishing-as-a-service offering lets customers sidestep both of these pitfalls: It uses cleverly disguised links to load the target brand's real website, and then acts as a relay between the target and the legitimate site -- forwarding the victim's username, password and multi-factor authentication (MFA) code to the legitimate site and returning its responses.
Kimwolf Botnet Swamps Anonymity Network I2P
11 February 2026 @ 4:08 pm
For the past week, the massive "Internet of Things" (IoT) botnet known as Kimwolf has been disrupting the The Invisible Internet Project (I2P), a decentralized, encrypted communications network designed to anonymize and secure online communications. I2P users started reporting disruptions in the network around the same time the Kimwolf botmasters began relying on it to evade takedown attempts against the botnet's control servers.
Patch Tuesday, February 2026 Edition
10 February 2026 @ 9:49 pm
Microsoft today released updates to fix more than 50 security holes in its Windows operating systems and other software, including patches for a whopping six "zero-day" vulnerabilities that attackers are already exploiting in the wild.
Please Don’t Feed the Scattered Lapsus ShinyHunters
2 February 2026 @ 4:15 pm
A prolific data ransom gang that calls itself Scattered Lapsus ShinyHunters (SLSH) has a distinctive playbook when it seeks to extort payment from victim firms: Harassing, threatening and even swatting executives and their families, all while notifying journalists and regulators… Read More »
Who Operates the Badbox 2.0 Botnet?
26 January 2026 @ 4:11 pm
The cybercriminals in control of Kimwolf -- a disruptive botnet that has infected more than 2 million devices -- recently shared a screenshot indicating they'd compromised the control panel for Badbox 2.0, a vast China-based botnet powered by malicious software that comes pre-installed on many Android TV streaming boxes. Both the FBI and Google say they are hunting for the people behind Badbox 2.0, and thanks to bragging by the Kimwolf botmasters we may now have a much clearer idea about that.
Kimwolf Botnet Lurking in Corporate, Govt. Networks
20 January 2026 @ 6:19 pm
A new Internet-of-Things botnet called Kimwolf has spread to more than 2 million devices, forcing infected systems to participate in massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and to relay other malicious and abusive Internet traffic. Kimwolf's ability to scan the local networks of compromised systems for other IoT devices to infect makes it a sobering threat to organizations, and new research reveals Kimwolf is surprisingly prevalent in government and corporate networks.