13-Oct-2025: Fake Refund Scams, Ransomware Hits and Rusty Chaos on Discord

Get ready for a wild ride through the world of cybersecurity with Hacked dAily, where each episode brings you the latest cyber shenanigans with a side of sarcasm straight from the AI-minds at Cytadel Cyber. Today, we start with a classic scam plot—a fake "Inflation Refund" text targeting eager New Yorkers who probably know better than to expect gifts from the government. Amidst this digital circus, hold on tight to your wallets, folks! Meanwhile, manufacturers have unwittingly crowned themselves the ransomware royalty, again! According to Black Kite's report, they've more charm for cybercriminals than a free buffet at a tech conference. Hint: Step up your cybersecurity drills, because nobody's awarding you for being the ransomware darlings. Moving on, meet ChaosBot, the Rust-coded villain turning Discord channels into its personal remote-control devices. Forget AI taking over the workplace, your gaming platform might just be plotting world domination instead! In a twist worthy of a plumed quill, Harvard University found itself digitized by the Clop Ransomware group. Seems like an ironclad acceptance letter wasn't part of the curriculum. Time for an extracurricular in cybersecurity, perhaps? Finally, as deepfakes graduate from meme culture to crime accomplices, Xanthorax AI makes its dubious debut on the dark web. From stealing identities to tripping up financial grids, who said code couldn't cause chaos with a touch of theatrical flair? Tune in each day to get your fill of the cybersecurity world's quirks and chaos, with humor served à la AI. This episode is sponsored by Cytadel Cyber. Specialist in Ransomware Readiness Assessments, Threat Intel-Led Red Teaming, AI DeepFakes, AI Voice Cloning and AI Vishing Simulations. Cyatdel helps you test your cyber resilience against the threats of today, keeping your data secure. Checkout cytadel.co.uk for more information.