Cyber Security Headlines North Korean attackers steal crypto. Who's sending UK phones to China? Avnet confirms data breach
Oct 8, 2025
North Korean hackers have escalated their operations, reportedly stealing over $2 billion in cryptocurrency. A troubling investigation reveals a gang smuggling thousands of stolen UK phones to China. Avnet has confirmed a significant data breach, but claims the stolen information is mostly unreadable. Hospitals face risks too, with patient data exposed from a Florida medical facility. Meanwhile, a Redis vulnerability threatens around 60,000 servers, prompting urgent security patches.
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North Korea's Crypto Theft Surge
- Elliptic estimates North Korean actors stole about $2 billion in crypto in 2025, the highest annual total on record.
- The Bybit heist of $1.46 billion was the single largest theft and highlights state-linked cybercrime scale.
Heathrow Warehouse Leads To Phone Smuggling Bust
- The Met police traced a stolen iPhone to a Heathrow-area warehouse, triggering raids on 28 properties and 18 arrests.
- Authorities say an international gang smuggled up to 40,000 stolen UK phones to China, some fetching £4,000 each.
Avnet: Stolen Data Mostly Unreadable
- Avnet says attackers exfiltrated 1.3 TB of compressed data but that much of it is unreadable without proprietary tools.
- The firm reported global operations were unaffected while it notifies authorities, customers, and suppliers.