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Sophos Schools Google, Users After ‘Docs’ Users’ Phishing Scam

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Following the disclosure by Google saying it has stopped a phishing email that reached about a million of its users, security firm Sophos has identified a number of factors Google should consider, going forward, on how best to manage cases like this.

Recall, the scam claimed to come from Google Docs – a service that allows people to share and edit documents online.

Users who clicked a link and followed instructions, risked giving the hackers access to their email accounts.

Google said it had stopped the attack “within approximately one hour”, including through “removing fake pages and applications”.

“While contact information was accessed and used by the campaign, our investigations show that no other data was exposed,” Google said in an updated statement.

“There’s no further action users need to take regarding this event; users who want to review third party apps connected to their account can visit Google Security Checkup.”

In an email to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist, Sophos, observed, “First and foremost, this is an abuse of Google’s APIs. While at first glance it appears to be a phishing attack, the emails come from Google and you are logging into the real Google”.

Wisniewski said that attacks on systems that are open for anyone to sign up as a developer using OAuth have been vulnerable to this type of attack for a long time, and the onus is on Google to do a better job vetting application developers.

“This is no different than the abuse of the Google Play store by malware authors. There is very little individuals can do other than be forever suspicious about legitimate requests from services provided by Google, Twitter, Facebook and other online services that use OAuth with an un-vetted application developer program. Twitter’s users were attacked using these techniques a few years back. Unfortunately, Google has also fallen victim to a similar attack vector. When users see official emails from Google and official login pages used in scams, this leads the goodwill Google has garnered from its users to be potentially damaged. All providers of OAuth have a responsibility to police the use of their platforms to stop users from being tricked through official requests from services like Google, Twitter and Facebook.

“We do suggest that users keep an eye on social media. As the Google Doc “phishing” attempt demonstrates, Twitter is a great early-warning system. There’s little doubt that the tweeted warnings saved people from being victimized.

“As a reminder, users should check the apps they have approved to access their accounts and remove anything that may be suspicious on all OAuth-based platforms. For Google it is under your Google account -> Sign-in & Security -> Connected apps & sites. On Twitter and Facebook it is Settings & Privacy -> Apps.

Sophos also went ahead to demonstrate how this type of attacks worked: 

You get a real email from Google saying someone wants to share a file with you.

You get sent to a real Google login page and sign in.

You get a prompt that an “add on” wants access to your mail and contacts. The developer name is listed as “Google Docs,” but it could say anything (this is where Google could do more to prevent this).

The only way to attempt to check if it is real is to click on “Google Docs” and see the actual account creating the request, but it could say many believable things and there is no specific thing to watch for.

“The only reliable way to not fall victim is to never accept apps connecting to your account and requesting access to read/write your mail and contacts, or just about any other thing they might request access to unless you are specifically trying to hook into some new service, which you still may not be able to trust”.

Wisniewski also warned that when attacks like this happen, “it’s a good reminder to go back to your social media accounts and review what applications you’ve given permission to access your information and revoke permission if you no longer trust or use that particular app.”

 


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Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

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E-Business

Kaspersky Brings AI-driven Context to Cloud Workload Security

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Kaspersky has updated its Cloud Workload Security (CWS) offering, introducing AI-powered workload analysis, enhanced integrations and performance optimisations designed to help organisations better secure complex cloud and hybrid environments.

The latest update brings integration with OpenAI API in the Kaspersky Container Security (KCS) part of the offering, also resulting in the creation of a new Advanced Pro license within the product.

The new capability provides contextual descriptions of detected vulnerabilities and potential risks, helping accelerate investigations, reduce knowledge gaps and support faster decision-making.

Designed for modern DevOps and hybrid cloud environments, Kaspersky CWS provides centralised visibility across workloads, Kubernetes clusters and cloud platforms, while supporting runtime protection, shift-left security practices and regulatory compliance requirements.

AI-driven visibility and improved workload protection

The update allows organisations to enrich container image scanning results with automated explanations and risk context generated by third-party large language models integrated via OpenAI API. By transforming technical scan data into actionable insights, the feature helps teams prioritise remediation and streamline security operations.

Additional improvements include single sign-on (SSO) integration and multi-domain Active Directory support, enabling more seamless deployment across distributed enterprise environments.

To optimise performance, Kaspersky CWS now also enhances image scanning efficiency by skipping oversized images when needed and avoiding rescans of identical images within a predefined timeframe. Expanded security policy capabilities and UX/UI updates further simplify workload protection and policy management.

Enhanced protection across cloud environments

The new release also updates Light Agent components, now leveraging the latest versions of Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Windows (version 12.12) and Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Linux (version 12.4) to improve overall security and integration capabilities.

“As AI adoption accelerates across industries, organisations are increasingly relying on containerised environments – placing additional pressure on security teams.

“To help ease this burden, we introduced AI integration within Kaspersky Cloud Workload Security that enables security professionals, including those just beginning their journey in container security, to make faster decisions and gain deeper insight into potential risks and vulnerabilities,” comments Anton Rusakov-Rudenko, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Cloud & Network Security at Kaspersky.

“Combined with performance optimisations and expanded integration capabilities, the solution helps organisations to protect cloud environments more efficiently while maintaining operational resilience.”

 


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SARS Denies Being Hacked by Nullsec Nigeria, Hacker Group

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South African Revenue Service (SARS) has dismissed claims that its systems were breached, following allegations by a hacker group that it had compromised the tax authority’s digital infrastructure.

SARS Denies Being Hacked by Nullsec Nigeria, Hacker Group

The controversy emerged after Nullsec Nigeria, a threat actor  also known as Anonymous Nigeria, claimed to have breached both SARS and the State Information Technology Agency (SITA).

The hacktivist group allegedly posted links to download what it claimed was compromised data on the Breached hacker forum on Saturday, 23 May 2026, sparking concerns over a possible cyberattack targeting government systems.

However, SARS said it had conducted a thorough investigation into the claims and found no evidence that its systems had been compromised.

“SARS continuously monitors its systems for any suspicious activity and has conducted a thorough investigation in response to these reports. These claims are false and unsubstantiated,” the revenue service said in a statement.

“At this stage, there is no evidence that SARS’s systems have been compromised. SARS wishes to reassure the public regarding the integrity of its systems.”

The tax authority stressed that safeguarding taxpayer information remains one of its core responsibilities and forms part of its broader efforts to maintain public confidence in South Africa’s tax administration system.

SARS said the “protection of taxpayer information and the security of its digital platforms” is treated as “sacrosanct”.

The agency also urged South Africans to avoid sharing unverified claims and instead rely on official channels for accurate information.

“Members of the public are urged to verify information before sharing and not to circulate unverified claims or rely on information from unofficial sources,” SARS said.

At the same time, SARS warned taxpayers to remain vigilant against phishing scams and fraudulent messages falsely claiming to be from the tax authority.

For guidance on identifying scams and phishing attempts, SARS directed the public to its official online resource page: SARS scams and phishing guidance

SARS said it would continue monitoring its digital environment and communicate any developments through official platforms should the need arise.


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Pope Calls for ‘Disarming’ of AI, Warns of “New Forms of Slavery”

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Pope Leo XIV called Monday for the “disarming” of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology, and warned of “new forms of slavery” behind its rise.

Pope Calls for ‘Disarming’ of AI, Warns of “New Forms of Slavery”

Leo, warned against “a race for ever more powerful algorithms and larger datasets, driven by the desire to secure geopolitical or commercial dominance”.

He presented his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity) in person at the Vatican, alongside AI experts including Christopher Olah, co-founder of US giant Anthropic.

Anthropic is embroiled in a legal battle with the US military after opposing the use of its technology for lethal autonomous warfare and mass surveillance.

At the presentation, Olah said AI companies operate “inside a set of incentives and constraints that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing”.

He welcomed input from outside actors like the Catholic Church, to “push events in a better direction” saying that “the questions raised by AI are bigger than the AI research community”.

In the encyclical, Leo also sounded the alarm over AI-directed weaponry, saying it was “not permissible to entrust lethal” decisions to tech.

Leo has repeatedly clashed with the White House over the Iran war and its use of religion to justify conflict.

The “just war” theory — espoused recently by the Trump administration — was “outdated”, Leo wrote, adding that “no algorithm can make war morally acceptable”.

AI could be worth up to $4.8 trillion by 2033, a 25-fold increase in a decade, while concentrating its profits in the hands of a limited few, according to the United Nations.

“Disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed’ competition,” the pope wrote.

“To disarm does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity,” Leo wrote.

AI should be “human-friendly”, accessible to all, and open to discussion and debate, he added.

The head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics has made the hot-button issue a cornerstone of his papacy by dedicating to it his first encyclical — a document that lays the basis for Church teaching and longer-term debate.

The manifesto references a range of cultural giants, from Greek philosopher Plato to Beethoven and his Ninth Symphony, even citing a character from JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”.

“Magnifica Humanitas” was signed on May 15, the 135th anniversary of an 1891 encyclical by Leo XIII, which laid the foundations of the Church’s social doctrine during the Industrial Revolution.

 

 


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