VirusTotal, a popular malware detection service owned by Google, suffered a major data leak, affecting 5,600 users.
Der Standard reported a data leak in VirusTotal, a widely-used malware detection service owned by Google, which exposed the personal information of 5,600 users. The affected individuals include employees from prominent organizations like the US Department of Justice, NSA, FBI, and other intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Both Der Standard and German outlet Der Spiegel verified the leak, revealing the identities of those involved in malware research within these sensitive agencies. Consequently, the leaked data, comprising only 313 kilobytes, disclosed this sensitive information.
The leaked list allegedly contains twenty accounts associated with the US Cyber Command, German secret service, Dutch, Taiwanese, British, and Austrian government employees, among others. Notably, the incident also compromised the personal details of employees from various German corporations, such as BMW, Daimler, Allianz, and Deutsche Telekom. Moreover, the breach raises concerns about the security measures in place to protect sensitive data within VirusTotal and other similar services.
The leak only uncovered the names and email addresses of VirusTotal account holders. Although account passwords remained secure, it unveiled the identities of IT Security personnel employed in organizations handling sensitive materials. This exposure has the potential to lead to targeted attacks directed at specific individuals.
VirusTotal holds a critical role in the arsenal of security researchers, as it aggregates antivirus products and online scan engines, empowering them to detect viruses that traditional antivirus programs might have missed.
The widespread usage of the service is evident, as VX-underground analysts commented on the leak, asserting that attackers now have personal identifiable information (PII) on “every malware analyst on the planet.”
Spanish security company Hispasec Sistemas originally launched VirusTotal in 2004. Google acquired the company in 2012 and later transferred ownership to its subsidiary Chronicle in 2018.
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