As analysts and governments around the world continue to draw attention to North Korea’s digital fraud, researchers posted 1,000 email addresses this week claiming to be linked to North Korean IT workers scams against Western companies, as well as photos of people suspected of participating in the fraud. XINBI Sublice is a market and platform for Chinese-speaking crypto scammers to use for money laundering, which will increase to a hub of $8.4 billion before the telegraph crackdown this week. After a wired inquiry, the messaging app Telegram banned thousands of accounts used to launder money in cryptocurrency scams. The split includes famous names such as Haowang Sublice, a black market known for its $27 billion deal.
Russell, acting director, gradually eliminated a plan to more strictly regulate sales of sensitive personal data in the United States. CFPB initially launched the program in response to the growing distant behavior of data brokers. With the rise of widely available generative AI services and corresponding fraud, people are increasingly looking for ways to validate and review their digital interactions online.
Meanwhile, ahead of Google’s Android 16 release next week, the company announced an extension of its Android Scam detection tool, which uses native AI analytics to tag potential scam text in Google messages. The company has also launched a new security mode for Android 16 that will allow vulnerable or targeted users to lock their devices and leverage advanced scanning capabilities to capture potential suspicious activity.
But there are more. Every week, we fill in security and privacy news that we don’t cover in depth. Click on the headlines to read the full story. And stay safe.
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said this week it suffered a data breach in which attackers stole data, including customers’ names, physical and email addresses, phone numbers, government IDs such as driver’s licenses and passports, the last four digits of social insurance numbers, and other financial information. “The criminals target customer support agents of overseas customers. They use cash offers to convince a small group of insiders to copy data in our customer support tool to reduce Coinbase monthly transaction users,” the company said. The attacker’s goal is to collect customer data, then contact these Coinbase users, mimic Coinbase, and lure them to give away cryptocurrencies. The attacker also contacted the company and tried to ransom the company for $20 million. Coinbase’s current total number of users is about 9.7 million. The company said in a SEC disclosure notice that it expects it to compensate for the violation and repay the stolen funds ranging from $180 million to $400 million.
Four indictments this week replace the indictment in the week’s alleged crimes, including more than $263 million in cryptocurrency theft, money laundering and even physical break-in. Several suspects in connection with the case were arrested in California this week. The indictment accused the defendant of using stolen cryptocurrencies, such as $500,000 for sale at the club for $500,000, and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on luxury handbags, watches and clothes, private jet rentals, and “a fleet of at least 28 peculiar cars, ranging from $100,000 to $3.8 million.” Replacement of the indictment also claimed that some defendants used Shell to register their “exotic cars” and “shipped bulk cash by U.S. mail to corporate members hiding among the chunky animals.”
On Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey posted and deleted an Instagram shell photo that arranged a number titled “8647”: “Cool shells on my beach trail.” Within hours, Republicans were fixed on the post office, claiming it was a call for violence by 47th President Donald Trump. Now, the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating.
If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you might hear someone in the kitchen shouting that an item is “86’D”, which is a spoken language, which means the kitchen is not in a specific menu, such as a cheeseburger. Although most people don’t interpret it as a violent threat to cheeseburger, it’s obviously not how the president and his allies understand Comey’s position.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X on Thursday that both the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating. “The lost former FBI director James Comey just called for the assassination of @potus Trump,” she wrote. Later that night on Fox News, NIA Director Tulsi Gabbard accused Comey of “strikes” against Trump and believed he should be “behind.”
“It means assassination, it’s loud,” Trump told Fox News in an interview with the post on Friday. Last year, Trump survived two attempts to assassinate.
Comey objected to this in a follow-up post on Instagram: “I didn’t realize that some people associate these numbers with violence. I never happened, but I opposed any kind of violence, so I fell down my post.”
Comey has served as director of the FBI since 2013 until he was fired by President Trump during his ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
