Cyber Security News

Hacking Editorial Brief — September 18, 2026

AI Exploitation Used in OpenAI Breach and ClickFix Campaign Spreads via Marketing Platform

Security researchers successfully breached OpenAI's internal systems using Anthropic's Claude AI software, demonstrating practical exploitation of AI capabilities against a rival organization. The incident highlights the emerging use of large language models as active tools in offensive operations, not merely reconnaissance assets. Separately, a compromise at Brevo, an online marketing vendor, became the distribution vector for a widespread ClickFix-style malware campaign on Monday. The attack leveraged Brevo's infrastructure to deploy malicious payloads across numerous client websites simultaneously, exploiting the trust relationships inherent in third-party marketing platforms. ClickFix attacks typically trick users into running PowerShell commands disguised as legitimate technical fixes, making the marketing platform compromise particularly effective for social engineering at scale.

TrickBot Founder Surfaces on Russian Ballot and Extortion Campaigns Target FinTech

German police publicly identified Vitaly Kovalev, 38, as a founder of TrickBot, the organized cybercrime group behind ransomware attacks that disrupted U.S. hospitals. Despite being wanted by Interpol, Kovalev now appears on the federal candidate list for Russia's New People party, underscoring the protection afforded to cybercriminals operating within Russian borders. In ongoing extortion activity, hackers demanded $3 million from Revolut within 24 hours, threatening to publish customer data if payment is not made. The fintech firm joins a growing list of financial technology companies facing targeted data theft and ransom demands. Additionally, Iran-linked Handala Hack has been attributed to HEAVYGRAM, a Telegram-based surveillance backdoor capable of stealing passwords and conducting persistent monitoring of compromised devices.

Sources: Forbes · PC Mag · Meduza · AML Intelligence · The Hacker News