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An Iranian state hacking group is using custom malware to compromise IoT and OT infrastructure in Israel and the United States. An attack wave from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated "CyberAv3ngers" swept up fuel management systems made by U.S.-based firm Gilbarco Veeder-Root.

IT Outage, Downtime Procedures Affecting Services at California Healthcare Provider
Cybercriminals claim they stole 17 million patient records from a southern California regional healthcare provider that is still struggling with IT and phone systems outages that have been disrupting patient care since the organization was hit by a ransomware attack on Dec. 1.

Also: How Leading Cybersecurity Firms Are Gearing Up for 2025
In the latest weekly update, ISMG editors discussed the shooting death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO and its wider implications for AI-driven decision-making, market strategies for the top cybersecurity companies in 2025, and how these strategies reflect industry trends.

Around 30,000 German IoT Devices Infected From Backdoored Android Applications
The German federal information security agency disrupted a botnet that infected thousands of backdoored digital picture frames and media players made with knockoff Android operating systems shipped from China. The agency identified at least 30,000 infected devices.

Possible Long-Term Attack by Unknown Hackers Thwarted
Hackers exploiting flaws in Cleo Communications software instances had intimate knowledge of their internals and deployed a previously unknown family of malware, security researchers from Huntress said Thursday. Cleo published a patch Wednesday evening.

DOJ Indicts North Korean IT Workers for Using Remote Jobs to Steal Sensitive Info
U.S. federal prosecutors indicted 14 North Koreans for a long-running IT scam generating $88 million by exploiting remote work with U.S. firms, a scheme prosecutors say is tied to DPRK-controlled companies that fund weapons programs through stolen identities, data theft and extortion.

Secret Blizzard Used Third-Party Amadey Bots to Hack Ukrainian Military Devices
A Russian state-backed hacker group used third-party data-stealing bots and possibly a backdoor used by another Russia-based threat group to infiltrate and spy on devices used by frontline Ukrainian military units, according to a report from the Microsoft threat intelligence team.

Also: Australia Fines Kraken AU$8 Million Over Breaches
This week, scammers targeted crypto workers with fake meeting apps, Australia fined Kraken crypto exchange operator Bit Trade, a Los Angeles federal court ordered five individuals to pay $5 million, Polish police detained a Russian former exchange operator and FTX debtors clawed back more cash.

Tech and Training Ideas to Help Cyber Professionals Advance Their Skills
If you're a cybersecurity professional trying to come up with ideas for your holiday wish list (or maybe you’re a loved one trying to pick out the perfect gift), look no further! Here are some top picks that will thrill any cybersecurity practitioner.

Multimodal Agentic AI Delivers Speed, Tools and Research Prototypes
Google's latest AI model can natively process and output text, images and audio in the search giant's push toward more autonomous reasoning, planning and action. The company said Gemini 2.0 is designed for applications ranging from development and gaming to research and everyday assistance.

Evidence Mounts for Chinese Hacking 'Quartermaster'
A probable Chinese nation-state threat actor compromised Visual Studio Code and Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure to target Western technology firms for espionage, security firms Tinexta Cyber and SentinelLabs said. The companies call the campaign "Operation Digital Eye."

Inmediata Health Group Has Paid $2.7M in Fines, Civil Claims for 2019 HIPAA Breach
A breach that exposed the personal information of nearly 1.6 million patients of a Puerto Rico-based clearinghouse has led to a $250,000 financial settlement with federal regulations for multiple HIPAA violations. The 2019 leak has cost Inmediata Health $2.7 million in fines and civil settlements.

LexisNexis Combines AI-Driven Document Authentication With Its Fraud Solutions
To counter AI-driven fraud, LexisNexis acquired IDVerse, a London-based startup focused on document authentication and regulatory compliance. This acquisition aims to seamlessly integrate advanced tools into LexisNexis' fraud and identity platforms, enhancing global operations.

Attackers Target Managed File Transfer Software Vulnerabilities
File transfer software made by Cleo Communications is under active attack and a patch meant to stymie hackers doesn't fix the flaw, say security researchers from Huntress. Hackers exploit an arbitrary file-write vulnerability along with a feature that automatically executes files.

Cybercriminal Gang 'Money Message' Claims Credit, Publishes Stolen Records
A Massachusetts hospital is notifying 316,000 people that their information was compromised in a cyberattack discovered nearly a year ago during Christmas 2023. Cybercriminal group Money Message claimed that it stole 600 gigabytes data, posting patient and employee records on the darkweb.

Flaw in Embedded Device Operating System Allowed Hackers to Bypass Integrity Check
A critical flaw in the updating service of a popular Linux operating system for embedded devices could enable hackers to compromise firmware with malicious images. OpenWrt developers patched the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-54143, with a CVSS score of 9.3.

deviceTrust, Strong Network Acquisitions Improve Zero Trust, Developer Protections
Citrix enhances its security for hybrid work by acquiring deviceTrust and Strong Network. Purchasing these European startups boosts protection for VDI, DaaS and cloud development, empowering organizations to enforce zero-trust principles and reduce risks across their hybrid environments.

Report: Financial Orgs Shift to Multi-Cloud to Address Cyber Threats and Regulation
Financial institutions are increasingly adopting multi-cloud strategies to mitigate rising cyber risks and comply with complex regulations, according to a new report. The move enhances flexibility and disaster recovery, though challenges remain, from implementation costs to a growing skills gap.