government entities

WhatsApp will introduce usernames to replace phone numbers for privacy, allowing users to be contacted via unique handles starting later this year. Usernames will not be searchable in a directory, requiring exact matches for contact, and reserved names will be held for high-profile individuals or groups to prevent impersonation.

A Chinese national impersonated a U.S. researcher in a spear-phishing campaign targeting NASA and other U.S. entities, including government agencies, universities, and private companies, to steal sensitive information and violate export control laws.

A previously undocumented state-backed threat actor named GopherWhisper is using a Go-based custom toolkit and legitimate services like Microsoft 365 Outlook, Slack, and Discord to conduct attacks against government entities.