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Scammers go ‘InterPlanetary’ Using a Decentralised File System in their Attacks

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Kaspersky experts have discovered how cybercriminals are using the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) in email phishing attacks. Since late 2022, fraudsters have been using this safe, decentralised and reliable way for file distribution – considered to be one of the cutting-edge technologies of Web 3.0 – to target companies around the world.

In a new report by Kaspersky, researchers reveal how attackers are putting phishing HTML files in IPFS to cut web hosting costs.

This technique, used for both ongoing mass and targeted phishing campaigns, saw almost 400,000 phishing emails detected in February 2023.

IPFS is a peer-to-peer distributed file system enabling users around the world to exchange files. Unlike centralised systems, IPFS uses addressing performed according to unique content identifiers (CID), and not file paths.

The file itself resides on the computer of the user who had “uploaded” it to IPFS and downloaded directly from that computer.

By default, uploading or downloading a file to IPFS requires special software (IPFS client). For users to view the files residing in IPFS freely without installing any software, the so-called gateways are provided.

In 2022, scammers began actively using IPFS for email phishing attacks. They place HTML files containing a phishing form in IPFS and use gateways as proxies, so that victims can open the file, whether or not they are running an IPFS client on their devices.

The scammers also include file access links via a gateway into phishing letters dispatched to would-be victims.

The use of a distributed file system allows attackers to cut back on phishing page hosting costs. Besides, it’s impossible to delete files uploaded by third parties from IPFS.

If somebody wants a file to disappear from the system completely, they can urge its owners to delete it, but the method will probably never work with cybercriminals anyway.

IPFS gateway providers attempt to combat IPFS phishing by regularly deleting links to fraudulent files.

Yet detection and deletion of links at gateway level does not always happen as quickly as the blocking of a phishing website, cloud form, or document. The URL addresses of IPFS files first appeared in October 2022. As for now, the campaign is ongoing and being blocked by Kaspersky.

Phishing letters containing IPFS links are hardly ever too original — they contain the typical phishing content the purpose of which is to obtain the victim’s account login and password. What is interesting about this technique is where the HTML page links go.

The URL parameter contains the recipient’s email address. Once modified, the corporate logo on top of the phishing form and email address entered into the login field will change too. This way, one link can be used in several phishing campaigns targeting different users — sometimes even in dozens of campaigns.

In late 2022, Kaspersky observed up to 15,000 IPFS phishing letters-a-day for most of the time. Starting this year, IPFS phishing began to grow in scale, reaching more than 24,000 letters-a-day in January and February.

February was the busiest month in terms of IPFS phishing activity. In that month alone, researchers observed almost 400,000 letters – a 100,000 increase than in November and December 2022.

“Attackers have and will continue to use cutting-edge technologies to reap profits. As of late, we have observed an increase in the number of IPFS phishing attacks — both mass and targeted.

“The distributed file system allows scammers to save money on domain purchase. Plus, it is not easy to completely delete a file, although, there are attempts to combat fraud at IPFS gateway level.

“The good news is that anti-spam solutions detect and block links to phishing files in IPFS, just like any other phishing links. In particular, Kaspersky products employ a number of heuristics to detect IPFS phishing,” comments Roman Dedenok, a security expert at Kaspersky.


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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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