Recent Government Cyber Attacks

Social engineering attacks on government agencies, from federal departments to municipal offices and the contractors around them. Each entry is broken down with an original video explainer, key findings, and the red flags your team should watch for. How we produce these.

One-Click Sogou Link Trick Dropped GRAYRABBIT

One-Click Sogou Link Trick Dropped GRAYRABBIT

Researchers reported a real intrusion where a China-linked group used a crafted link to exploit Sogou Input Method on Windows and install the GRAYRABBIT backdoor. Victims were lured into opening a special link (potentially via email or chat), which redirected Sogou’s built-in browser to an…

September 11, 2026
China-Linked Hackers Push “Gemini” Phish With Zero-Days

China-Linked Hackers Push “Gemini” Phish With Zero-Days

Proofpoint reports multiple China-aligned espionage groups used a chained set of browser/Windows zero-days (“BlueMoon”) and delivered it through phishing emails. Victims who clicked a phishing link could end up with a malicious browser extension disguised as Google Gemini, letting attackers watch…

September 11, 2026
BlueMoon Spearphish Turns One Click Into Admin

BlueMoon Spearphish Turns One Click Into Admin

Proofpoint reports that multiple espionage-focused groups are using a shared “BlueMoon” toolkit to run targeted spear‑phishing campaigns that trick people into clicking a link. A single click can trigger a Chrome/Windows exploit chain that gives attackers full Windows admin access and lets them…

September 11, 2026
Spy Groups Phish Victims Into Chrome Exploit Kit

Spy Groups Phish Victims Into Chrome Exploit Kit

Researchers reported four separate espionage groups using the same “BlueMoon” exploit kit within days, targeting organizations in the US and Southeast Asia. The attacks began with phishing emails that lured recipients to attacker-controlled websites, where Chrome and Windows vulnerabilities were…

September 10, 2026
Fake CAPTCHA Trick Fuels WebDAV Malware Chain

Fake CAPTCHA Trick Fuels WebDAV Malware Chain

Cisco Talos investigated a real incident at a Ukrainian government organization and found a complex WebDAV-based infection chain linked to a Russian actor (UAT-10820). The campaign uses fake CAPTCHA/verification prompts to manipulate users into copying and pasting commands, leading to credential…

September 10, 2026
Fake M&A Wire Fraud and Trezor Phishing Alert

Fake M&A Wire Fraud and Trezor Phishing Alert

This bulletin describes multiple real-world scams where attackers manipulate trust to steal money or sensitive data. Notably, attackers impersonated executives to pressure legal teams into moving M&A discussions to WhatsApp/personal email to trigger international wire transfers, and Trezor users…

September 10, 2026
BlueMoon Phishing Lures Drop Chrome Zero-Day Chain

BlueMoon Phishing Lures Drop Chrome Zero-Day Chain

Researchers found multiple espionage groups using the same Chrome+Windows exploit kit (“BlueMoon”) within days of each other. The groups sent realistic phishing emails (internship requests, conference outreach, procurement inquiries, and vaccination appointments) that pushed victims to click links…

September 10, 2026
BlueMoon Phishing Uses Browser Zero-Days to Spy

BlueMoon Phishing Uses Browser Zero-Days to Spy

Multiple suspected China-linked espionage groups used a new exploit kit (“BlueMoon”) that starts with phishing emails and a malicious link to break into organizations in the US and Southeast Asia. Clicking the link can trigger browser and Windows vulnerabilities to install surveillance tools,…

September 9, 2026
APT31 Phish Drops Fake “Gemini” Extension

APT31 Phish Drops Fake “Gemini” Extension

Multiple China-aligned espionage groups used phishing emails to deliver a “BlueMoon” exploit chain that abused three zero-day flaws in Chrome/Chromium and Windows. In observed campaigns, victims who clicked the phishing link ended up with a malicious browser extension disguised as Google Gemini,…

September 9, 2026
Phishing Uses Google Links to Steal Microsoft Logins

Phishing Uses Google Links to Steal Microsoft Logins

Researchers reported an active, large-scale phishing campaign that starts with links hosted on legitimate Google services, then redirects victims to attacker-controlled sites. The final pages mimic Microsoft sign-in or “identity verification” flows to steal credentials/MFA codes or trick targets…

September 9, 2026
Spy Groups Lured Victims to BlueMoon Exploit Links

Spy Groups Lured Victims to BlueMoon Exploit Links

Proofpoint reports multiple espionage-focused threat groups used a shared exploit kit (“BlueMoon”) after tricking targets with spear-phishing emails to click malicious links. Visiting the attacker-controlled web pages triggered Chrome and Windows exploits to install malware (including a fake…

September 9, 2026
China-Linked Hackers Share Chrome Exploit Lures

China-Linked Hackers Share Chrome Exploit Lures

Proofpoint reported at least four espionage groups (mostly linked to Chinese state intelligence) using the same Chrome zero-day exploit kit (“BlueMoon”) to compromise victims and deliver malware. The operations used believable business and event-themed lures (internship inquiries, procurement…

September 9, 2026
YouTube Gamer Tips Pushed Trojan Downloads

YouTube Gamer Tips Pushed Trojan Downloads

Unit 42 uncovered a large pay-per-install (PPI) malware distribution operation (CL-CRI-1171) that tricked people into downloading trojanized software through YouTube gaming videos and poisoned search results. The lures looked like normal gaming “optimization” content or legitimate utility/driver…

September 9, 2026
Fake CAPTCHA ClickFix Drops Amatera via WebDAV

Fake CAPTCHA ClickFix Drops Amatera via WebDAV

Cisco Talos investigated a real infection chain seen at a Ukrainian government organization where a disguised DLL was executed directly from a WebDAV network path. Attackers used a compromised website to show a fake Google CAPTCHA-style “verification” prompt that tricks users into running a copied…

September 8, 2026
BengalSEO Tricks Bing Users Into Malware & Scam Calls

BengalSEO Tricks Bing Users Into Malware & Scam Calls

Researchers uncovered a long-running “SEO poisoning” operation that manipulates Bing search results to push people onto fake support and activation pages. Victims are steered through a chain of redirects to either download a malware-laced ZIP (MayaBot) or be pressured into calling a fake…

September 8, 2026
ClickFix Lures Users to Paste Code via Browser

ClickFix Lures Users to Paste Code via Browser

Cisco Talos described real ClickFix campaigns where attackers trick people into pasting code either into the Chrome address bar (or a browser extension) or into the Windows Run dialog. The first campaign targeted crypto swap sites and used a fake “leaked vulnerability report” to get victims to run…

September 8, 2026
Fake LinkedIn Tests and Job Interviews Push Malware

Fake LinkedIn Tests and Job Interviews Push Malware

This weekly threat bulletin includes real-world campaigns where attackers impersonate recruiters and use fake hiring steps to trick people into running malicious files. One campaign uses fake LinkedIn coding tests delivered via cloud links, and another uses fake job interviews with trojanized macOS…

September 7, 2026
Fake CAPTCHA Trick Tied to Berlin Gov Data Leak

Fake CAPTCHA Trick Tied to Berlin Gov Data Leak

Berlin authorities are investigating a new release of stolen government data, including published login credentials. Germany’s cyber agency also warned of a related campaign where attackers compromise websites and use fake CAPTCHA pages to trick visitors into running malicious commands, enabling…

September 7, 2026
Phishing PDF Drops Malware Via Fake Edge Loader

Phishing PDF Drops Malware Via Fake Edge Loader

Researchers describe BraZetsu, a Windows malware framework used by an initial-access broker to turn infected PCs into "access for sale" on a criminal marketplace. While the malware itself is technical, the article includes real-world delivery details pointing to phishing: victims are tricked into…

September 3, 2026
Smishing Kit Rebounds After Major Takedown

Smishing Kit Rebounds After Major Takedown

Researchers say a “phishing-as-a-service” kit called Outsider kept generating new scam pages even after a major law-enforcement and industry takedown. The kit supports SMS-based lures that impersonate trusted brands and can capture payment details and MFA codes in real time using…

September 3, 2026
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