Microsoft Account Hacks, WhatsApp Ghost Pairing, and Extensions Spy On AI

This week on The Awareness Angle, breaches, extortion, and quietly invasive tech all collide. From real estate firms leaking highly sensitive data to browser extensions secretly harvesting AI conversations, the theme this week is trust, and how easily it gets abused.Luke is back from holiday, and we kick off with Breach Watch, starting with a New York and DC real estate developer exposing nearly 47,000 people after a ransomware attack. We then look at SoundCloud losing control of user data, followed by one of the most personal extortion cases we have seen, PornHub Premium viewing history stolen via a third party analytics provider. We also cover the ongoing UK government hack that ministers are playing down, despite growing concern around state linked espionage.In What the Hack, we dig into malware hidden inside movie subtitle files on fake torrents, a new Microsoft account takeover technique that bypasses passwords, MFA, and passkeys, and a Chrome browser extension that was quietly intercepting millions of users’ AI chats while wearing a trusted Featured badge. We also revisit LG’s smart TV Copilot backlash, and how user pushback forced a rapid U turn.The wider topics take us from WhatsApp account hijacking via Ghost Pairing, to activity tracking risks in messaging apps, the growing problem of deepfakes and trust online, crypto scams draining life savings, and how Amazon detected a North Korean infiltrator based on something as subtle as keystroke lag.If you want cyber news explained with clarity and zero jargon, you are in the right place.Chapters00:00:00 Welcome, and this week’s storiesBreach Watch00:01:36 NYC and DC real estate developer data breach00:04:27 SoundCloud breach and VPN disruption00:08:15 PornHub extortion and leaked viewing history00:13:27 UK government hack investigationWhat the Hack00:16:49 Malware hidden in movie subtitle files00:21:55 Microsoft account takeover surge and ConsentFix00:28:47 Chrome extensions harvesting AI chats00:34:54 LG backtracks on Copilot for smart TVsTopics00:38:09 WhatsApp Ghost Pairing account hijack00:41:48 WhatsApp and Signal activity tracking risks00:47:50 Deepfakes, content credentials, and trust online00:49:43 Idris Elba waxwork and biometric security limits00:53:32 Do we actually need AI00:54:40 Crypto scam victim loses 1.8 million dollars00:57:32 North Korean infiltrator caught via keystroke lagMore Informationhttps://riskycreative.comListen on the goSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7rwzcRsKrXbASFBfiXoCZ6Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-awareness-angle-cyber-news-weekly/id1784126196Follow usLinkedIn: The Awareness Angle NewsletterTikTok: @infosecantInstagram: @riskycreativeYouTube: @riskycreativeIf you found this useful, hit subscribe and share it with someone who cares about cyber but does not speak cyber.Stay aware, stay secure.