In what may be the most extensive data breach in China’s history, a stunning 4 billion sensitive records have been publicly exposed due to a misconfigured database. The leak, which includes financial data, WeChat and Alipay information, and deeply personal user details, could impact hundreds of millions of people, mostly Chinese citizens.
Continue reading “China’s Largest-Ever Data Leak Exposes Billions of Sensitive Records”
A South African court has given a man an eight year prison sentence after finding him guilty of holding his former employer to ransom, after breaching its security.
36-year-old Lucky Majangandile Erasmus was convicted of 17 charges related to the attempted extortion of payment service provider Ecentric Payment Systems, in what has been described as a landmark case.
Continue reading “South African man imprisoned after ransom demand against his former employer”
Security researchers have revealed a potential data breach involving the personal and financial information of around 10,000 customers of VirtualMacOSX.com, a cloud-based macOS service provider.
Continue reading “VMOSX Data Leak: Info of Thousands of Mac Cloud Users Potentially Exposed Online”
Chinese-owned VPN apps remain available in major app stores, raising concerns about user privacy and national security.
Continue reading “China-Linked VPNs Still Offered in Apple and Google Stores, Report Warns”
Dutch police have announced that they have identified 126 individuals linked to the now dismantled Cracked.io cybercrime forum.
Cracked.io was an online platform used by cybercriminals to trade stolen data, access to compromised accounts, hacking tools, and fraud tutorials.
The forum, which is said to have helped hackers and fraudsters target at least 17 million US computer users, was seized by international law enforcement agencies in January 2025 as part of “Operation Talent,” which dismantled the site’s infrastructure and seized its domain.
A subsequent investigation by Dutch police, using data seized from Cracked.io’s servers, has identified 126 Dutch users of the site – some of whom had previous convictions or were already the subject of ongoing investigations.
What makes the announcement particularly notable is the profile of those identified by investigators. According to the Dutch police, the majority of the individuals identified are young – many are teenagers or in their early twenties.
The youngest person identified by investigators is just 11 years old.
Some of those identified by the authorities simply browsed the site, or posted messages in the forum. Others, however, were actively involved in the sale and distribution of stolen data.
According to Dutch police, most of those identified have now received a formal warning via email or post about their use of the site. In addition, police say they have summoned 20 individuals to a police station for a face-to-face conversation, intended to steer them away from future cybercriminal activity.
Dutch police have wisely attempted to try to make the young people realise the consequences of their actions – recognising that many of them may not see themselves as criminals.
According to the police’s press release, involvement in a cybercrime forum can have long-term consequences. A criminal record could impact education, limit career opportunities, or make it very difficult to get a mortgage.
Recognising the scale of the problem amongst young people, Dutch officials say that they are offering resources and guidance to parents and teachers to help at-risk youths understand the real-world consequences of participating in cybercriminal communities.
In general, you would be wise to steer well clear of hacking forums – even out of mild curiosity. Their usage can result in you finding yourself in hot water with law enforcement investigators in the years to come.
Meanwhile, what of cracked.io? Well, the site itself remains under the control of law enforcement – which has published a large “seized” graphic on its main page.
However, the site resurrected itself in April at a new URL. The question is, can users of the new Cracked site trust that it won’t one day also be seized by the authorities, and – like its predecessor – spill critical information which might identify its users identities?
A global cybercrime operation dismantles major infostealer networks, resulting in arrests and widespread alerts to victims.
Continue reading “216,000 Victims Notified as Interpol Unravels Major Infostealer Ring”
We rely on our phones and computers to stay connected, work, shop, and manage our finances. But as our digital lives expand, so do the risks. Cybercriminals are working around the clock to find new ways to steal data, money, and identities.
Starting in 2026, OpenAI plans to turn ChatGPT into something much more than a chatbot. They want it to become a smart digital assistant that knows you well, understands your needs, and helps you with all kinds of tasks — big or small.
If you’re an entrepreneur, this could be a game-changer.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) lets customers split payments into smaller chunks over time, often interest-free. It’s fast, easy, and increasingly expected by online shoppers.
But where money flows quickly, fraud often follows. Criminals use BNPL to make unauthorized purchases, open fake accounts, or avoid paying back what they owe. In some cases, even real users or family members may misuse it.
Continue reading “How to Prevent Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Fraud on Your eCommerce Site”
The spate of cyber attacks impacting the retail industry continues, with the latest victim being United Natural Foods, one of the USA’s largest wholesale distributors of healthy and specialty food.