A major leak of Chinese hacking contractor KnownSec has revealed a treasure trove of tools and targets, offering a rare glimpse into the country's surveillance and hacking capabilities. The leak, which includes 12,000 documents, reveals hacking tools such as remote-access Trojans, data extraction programs, and analysis software.
But it's what's been stolen that's just as revealing - over 80 organizations from across the globe have been targeted by KnownSec hackers, who claim to have obtained sensitive information including 95 GB of Indian immigration data, three TB of call records from South Korean telecom operator LG U Plus, and 459 GB of road-planning data from Taiwan.
The leak also includes details of KnownSec's contracts with the Chinese government, further solidifying its role as a key player in China's intelligence apparatus. The documents reveal that the company has worked on various projects for the Chinese state, including hacking operations against US companies.
In other news, Anthropic, an AI startup, has discovered a group of China-backed hackers using its Claude tool set to run an espionage campaign. According to Anthropic, the hackers used Claude to write malware and extract and analyze stolen data with "minimal human interaction." While this marks one of the first known AI-run hacking campaigns, experts caution that fully AI-based hacking is still not ready for prime time.
Meanwhile, four Americans have pleaded guilty to helping North Koreans infiltrate companies by using their identities as remote IT workers. Another man, Ukrainian national Oleksandr Didenko, has also pleaded guilty to stealing 40 American identities to sell to North Koreans for use in setting up IT worker profiles.
Lastly, a report from 404 Media has revealed that a Customs and Border Protection app that uses face recognition to identify immigrants is being hosted by Google. The app can be used by local law enforcement to determine whether a person is of potential interest to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But it's what's been stolen that's just as revealing - over 80 organizations from across the globe have been targeted by KnownSec hackers, who claim to have obtained sensitive information including 95 GB of Indian immigration data, three TB of call records from South Korean telecom operator LG U Plus, and 459 GB of road-planning data from Taiwan.
The leak also includes details of KnownSec's contracts with the Chinese government, further solidifying its role as a key player in China's intelligence apparatus. The documents reveal that the company has worked on various projects for the Chinese state, including hacking operations against US companies.
In other news, Anthropic, an AI startup, has discovered a group of China-backed hackers using its Claude tool set to run an espionage campaign. According to Anthropic, the hackers used Claude to write malware and extract and analyze stolen data with "minimal human interaction." While this marks one of the first known AI-run hacking campaigns, experts caution that fully AI-based hacking is still not ready for prime time.
Meanwhile, four Americans have pleaded guilty to helping North Koreans infiltrate companies by using their identities as remote IT workers. Another man, Ukrainian national Oleksandr Didenko, has also pleaded guilty to stealing 40 American identities to sell to North Koreans for use in setting up IT worker profiles.
Lastly, a report from 404 Media has revealed that a Customs and Border Protection app that uses face recognition to identify immigrants is being hosted by Google. The app can be used by local law enforcement to determine whether a person is of potential interest to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
like what kinda info is sensitive enough 2 warrant an entire TB of call records lol? and btw why do hackers always gotta be so extra about getting gov contracts 
it just raises more questions abt who's funding these operations & what kinda impact it could have on the global stage 
experts say its not ready for prime time yet? but what if we're already seeing the beginning of a new era in cyber attacks? 
I'm low-key freaked out about this KnownSec leak! 
And those contracts with China's gov? Red flag city, right?! 
What really scares me is how easily these hackers were able to use AI to write malware and extract data with minimal human interaction... like, we're not even close to being prepared for this level of tech-y espionage 
It's just not right.
And now our personal data is out there being used for God knows what. The fact that it was stolen from Indian immigration and South Korean telecom operators is just crazy - what kind of resources do we need to protect that kinda stuff?! 
this is getting outta hand fam... like, what's the deal with all these hacking leaks? First it's KnownSec, then Anthropic discovers China-backed hackers using AI tools... is China just trying to show off its tech prowess or what? 
. I mean, what if this is all connected to some bigger game? Maybe there's more to these hacks than just your average espionage campaign... 
. But seriously, this is a big deal - 12k docs exposed like that? It's crazy what they got away with... I mean, who needs all those orgs targeted and sensitive info nicked tho? 
And what's up with the Chinese government contracts, eh? That solidifies KnownSec's role in China's intel apparatus for sure 
. On a more chill note, AI hacking campaigns are getting out of hand... minimal human interaction? 
Not ready for prime time yet imo 
.
.
.