StopAndProtect Turns 2,000 Hacked WordPress Sites Into a Criminal Network
StopAndProtect turned nearly 2,000 hacked WordPress sites into a criminal network for malware delivery, data theft, surveillance and ransomware. Check Point Research uncovered a cybercrime operation, dubbed StopAndProtect, that has turned thousands of hacked WordPress websites into a shared platform for malware delivery, data theft, surveillance and ransomware. The operation is a good reminder that […]
Check Point Research uncovered a cybercrime operation, dubbed StopAndProtect, that has turned thousands of hacked WordPress websites into a shared platform for malware delivery, data theft, surveillance and ransomware. The operation is a good reminder that a compromised website isn’t just a problem for its owner. It can become part of someone else’s attack infrastructure.
“StopAndProtect is a newly identified operation that combines file encryption with data theft. The criminals abuse thousands of hacked WordPress websites as their infrastructure – using them to spread the malware, control infected machines, and store stolen documents, screenshots, and activity logs (records created by malware to track its actions, progress, or status during execution).” reads the report published by Check Point.
Related breach coverage
- JSCeal Hides Crypto Malware in V8 Bytecode2026-09-07
JSCeal hides crypto-stealing malware in V8 bytecode, but researchers built a tool to decompile it and expose its advanced theft capabilities. JSCeal is a cryptocurrency stealer that Check Point Research has tracked since early 2025. Unlike most malware, it hides its code in a format that makes analysis much harder. Check Point presented its latest […]
- Australian Police Charge Two Over TeamPCP Credential Theft2026-08-27
Australian police charged two men linked to TeamPCP over malware hidden in open-source code that stole 500,000+ credentials from 1,000+ organizations. Australian police have charged two men from Western Australia over a global cybercrime operation that allegedly hid malicious code in open-source software and used it to steal data from thousands of organisations. “Two West […]
- APT36 Suspected in PATCHCORD Espionage Campaign Using Google Sheets C22026-08-16
Acronis uncovered PATCHCORD, a stealthy backdoor targeting Afghan telecom and South Asian infrastructure via fake VPN tools and Google Sheets C2. Researchers at Acronis just documented an espionage operation that reads like it was built by someone with genuinely good taste in disguises. Their Threat Research Unit report tracks a previously undocumented backdoor called PATCHCORD, […]
- Chosen Brick, Iran’s Surveillance Malware2026-09-17
UK, US, and Dutch agencies expose Chosen Brick, Iranian malware used to track and harass dissidents, journalists, and activists via Telegram. The UK, the US, and the Netherlands published a joint advisory warning about a Windows malware family, dubbed Chosen Brick, that Iran’s intelligence services use to track down dissidents, journalists, and activists, and the […]