‘Source code of 3 major AV makers probably stolen by Russian hackers’

A Russian hacker group may be offering the source code of three different major US antivirus companies for sale, along with access to their networks. That is what cybersecurity company Advanced Intelligence claims. It is not known which companies are involved.

According to AdvIntel, the group, called Fxmps, has been offering the source code and access for sale on the dark web since March for more than $300,000. In total, this would be 30 terabytes of data. The security researchers state that they have a lot of confidence in the authenticity of the offer. This is partly because the group has not been heard from in the past six months and the seller claims that this operation has been worked on for six months.

The experts at AdvIntel are also convinced of Fxmps’ track record of sales, which would have made them close to a million dollars in profit. According to AdvIntel, the group specializes in breaking into high-security governments and companies and selling the loot obtained there. They would be active since 2017.

The hackers allegedly entered through remotely accessible Remote Desktop connections and open Active Directories. Advanced Intel therefore recommends not making these accessible from outside and to store the source code air gapped within such companies.